The House
So here's a (sort of) disclaimer, I am not a snob, but I am picky. If you are VERY picky, you might want to look some place else for accommodations. The group being on a budget relieves me of that privilege. I was in Coron two years ago and I had ideas of where I'm going to stay when I come back. I have to admit that Patrik&Tezz Guesthouse wasn't my first choice but, overall, I'm glad the group decided on this place. I was happy and impressed enough that I would recommend the guesthouse to friends (or anyone who is traveling on a budget).
The first thing you need to know is that the whole place is built on stilts (thus, my initial ... inhibitions). It rests above salt water but the structure is actually pretty solid. The house is made of native materials and if we're going on the specifics there are 5 rooms all-in-all but only 4 are available for guests (one is used by the family), shared toilet and bath but separate ones for male and female, shared living area with TV and fridge, and a sort of terrace in front where the guests also eat their breakfasts. They also have an adorable cat and a huge and scary but actually very friendly pitbull (another disclaimer: dogs are scary in general for yours truly, no matter what size or breed).
Now, other than affordable, the guest house was quaint, warm, and homey. I think it's the fact that they hardly have any staff, that makes a guest feel welcome. The owners and their family runs the whole place so you get to talk to them and they actually take care of your needs themselves. They are nice people and very easy to talk to about what you need or just about anything else. We particularly enjoyed our little breakfast chat on our last day with Tezz and her mom. I love that they have small signs all over the place with rules and reminders. It was very cute, to say the least, but mostly, it keeps people in check. Being a small place there will be little room to gallivant about so you just have to be sensitive about other guests. I think the signs (and the fact that Tezz lays down the rules when you get there :p) help a lot.
The first thing you need to know is that the whole place is built on stilts (thus, my initial ... inhibitions). It rests above salt water but the structure is actually pretty solid. The house is made of native materials and if we're going on the specifics there are 5 rooms all-in-all but only 4 are available for guests (one is used by the family), shared toilet and bath but separate ones for male and female, shared living area with TV and fridge, and a sort of terrace in front where the guests also eat their breakfasts. They also have an adorable cat and a huge and scary but actually very friendly pitbull (another disclaimer: dogs are scary in general for yours truly, no matter what size or breed).
Now, other than affordable, the guest house was quaint, warm, and homey. I think it's the fact that they hardly have any staff, that makes a guest feel welcome. The owners and their family runs the whole place so you get to talk to them and they actually take care of your needs themselves. They are nice people and very easy to talk to about what you need or just about anything else. We particularly enjoyed our little breakfast chat on our last day with Tezz and her mom. I love that they have small signs all over the place with rules and reminders. It was very cute, to say the least, but mostly, it keeps people in check. Being a small place there will be little room to gallivant about so you just have to be sensitive about other guests. I think the signs (and the fact that Tezz lays down the rules when you get there :p) help a lot.
The signs
Booking through Patrik and Tezz gets you more bang for
your buck. The package we got included the same places I went to the
last time, save for a couple more I wasn't able to go to before, but
this actually cost me less by a couple thousand pesos. It's not a lot
but this is a 4day-3night trip compared to the 3day-2night trip I did
before. Getting a package tour also relieves you of the other things
like shopping for your own food for the lunch picnic, hiring a tour
guide, haggling for boat rent etc. The package included accommodations,
breakfast and lunch, airport transfers and the tour itself. Most of the
places in Coron have some sort of environmental fee that you have to pay
separately so getting a package takes care of that. The only thing we
had to worry about was dinner and there are a ton of places to eat there
so it was pretty convenient.
It might be worth mentioning that they won this :D
So there, it's not 5-star quality but the thing I liked most about the stay is the experience. Again, I would recommend this to travelers and friends ... although, since the place is made of native materials and the walls are thin and the house is built on stilts, do not be surprised if you wake up at 4am with the whole house rocking that consistent kind of rock accompanied by funny noises from the other room ;-)
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