Corregidor is one of the most historical sites you need to visit in the Philippines once in your life. It wasn’t even on my bucket list not until my brother introduced the place to me.
The island was a safe haven and played an important role during the invasion of the Philippines from the Japanese forces during the World War II. The island is located at the entrance of Manila Bay (it just saddens me that the island is filled with a lot of trash from Manila.)
(Manila’s trash welcomed us at the Corregidor Island)
We decided not to go on a tour or even settle for a tour guide since my brother and husband wants to make use of their own time and not hurry from once place to another. Also by doing our own itinerary we were able to explore and experience more the beauty of the island.
HOW TO GET THERE:
There are two ways to go to Corregidor.
- First option is taking the Sun Cruises ferry from Manila to Corregidor. You can check the Sun Cruises website to know more about the ferry timetables and rates.
- Second option was our option since we came from Subic and made a stop over at Mt. Samat Bataan, we stayed overnight at Bataan and took a boat from Mariveles Bataan at Barangay Cabcaben’s Port the next day. We rented a motor banca/boat that costs Php 3,500.00. You may contact the following numbers for reservations: 0908-144-6984 / 0905-489-7056.
When you arrived at the island there will be an entrance fee of Php 200.00 per head.
WHERE TO STAY:
You can only stay at two places in Corregidor Island.
- Corregidor Inn/Hotel, this is managed by Sun Cruises, this is really a nice hotel to stay. Rate starts from Php 6,000 for two persons. There will be an additional charge for another person in the room. The rate is inclusive of breakfast.
- McArthur’s Cafe is a very simple place, if you just need a place to sleep and not stay the entire day, we highly recommend McArthur’s Cafe but please lower your expectations. The place is very old and was not really maintained but hey, there is a decent bed and toilet with air condition for you to sleep. We stayed at McArthur’s Cafe and got a room for Php 3,000 which is good for 4 persons and we added an extra bed for Php 500.
Mc Arthur’s Cafe has a small restaurant or sari-sari store where you can have your breakfast or dinner. The prices of the food ranges from Php 200-500 depending on the food that you want to order. They also offer cup noodles and biscuits if you are on a tight budget.
We wanted to have our dinner at the Corregidor Hotel but when we tried to check the place, there was no reception or any person inside the hotel. We asked the security and they said that it was still under renovation and no night attendants were around.
Important:
There is no electricity in the morning, the island runs in generator and they start turning on the electricity at 6:00pm thus we spent our entire day exploring the island and rested after our Hospital Adventure during the night.
HOW TO GET AROUND:
There is no public transportation in the island. The only mode of transportation is through their day tours using the motorised tranvia replicas however renting one for two hours could cost you Php 3,500.00.
Renting a jeepney can also cost you Php 800.00 for 2 hours which is a bit expensive for us. Good thing they have another option which was a drop-off and pick-up ride. For Php 500.00 they will drop us off to our destination and pick us up after.
OUR ITINERARY:
- We checked in at McArthur’s Cafe and had our lunch. After our lunch we freshen up.
- We started walking from McArthur’s Cafe, stopped at San Jose Chapel and checked the South Beach.
- We then walked inside the Malinta Tunnel, we decided to take the Malinta Tour the next day. We just passed through the tunnel going to the Filipino Heroes Memorial and Japanese Garden of Peach before we head back to Lorcha’s Dock and went back to McArthur’s Cafe to freshen up. (Checked our video here)
- Before sunset we rented a jeep and we asked to be dropped off at the Battery Grubbs, watched the sunset and walked going to Corregidor’s Old Hospital. (Checked our video here.) We then asked to be picked up from the hospital and had dinner at McArthur’s Cafe.
- The next day, we rented again a jeepney and went to the Mile Long Barracks. We toured and walked around the place, checked out the Pacific War Memorial, the dome of the Pacific War memorial and other barracks around the area. We then headed back going to the Malinta Tunnel for our morning tour.
- After our tour, we checked out from McArthur’s Cafe, left our bags at our room and visited Lorca’s Dock and the Engineer Ravine before we headed back to Mariveles through our rented motor banca. (Check our video here.)
Corregidor is full of places to visit and you can do so many activities but we were there for the island’s rich history and culture. We marvelled at how the Malinta Tunnel was made and the experiences of the American and Filipino soldiers while the Japanese Soldiers were trying to bomb and invade the island.
The entire island is really a fortress and I am so happy that the people from the Corregidor Foundation were able to maintain the beauty of the island. I just hope that the trash problem they have from Manila will be addressed as soon as possible.
It is really worth to stop and stay overnight and do your own thing at a leisurely pace and time. We were happy that we were just so chill and we were not rushed through our own trip. This is a must visit for all Filipinos and it is also an eye opener for us to love more our country’s rich culture and history.
Contact Details:
Contact Number: (02) 834-6857 to 58 | (02) 831-8140
Email: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph
Location: Metro Manila
MCARTHUR’S CAFE
Address: Brgy. San Jose, Corregidor Island, Cavite
Contact Number: (0919) 833-9516
Email: titoperezsantos@yahoo.com
CORREGIDOR FOUNDATION
Corregidor Island
Contact Number: 0929-679-3900
XOXO,
Sweet
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