The Welcome

It was a few hours before the official check-in time when I arrived in Coron but for the staff at The Funny Lion, this wasn’t a problem at all as they cheerily welcomed me to their boutique hotel, invited me to take a swim in the pool while my suite was being readied, and got me situated in a temporary room to rest and change. When you’re traveling, you don’t always get to pick the most ideal flight times so I appreciated the warm welcome I received from everyone, beginning with the hotel driver who picked me up on time at the airport to the front desk staff to the Resort Manager, Michael, who personally greeted me and my colleague.

The Room

I stayed at the Cub Room, which contained two twin beds and all the usual amenities you would expect in a standard room: cable/LED TV, coffee and tea making facilities, an in-room safety deposit box, an air-conditioning unit, a refrigerator, and of course WiFi and a private bathroom with hot and cold shower. The room was spacious and clean and I especially appreciated the electrical outlets beside the bed (convenient for charging electronic devices) as well as the chair set outside in the balcony and the small clothes rack I used to hang my wet clothes at the end of the day.

The Food

My colleague and I spent most of our time dining at Hunt Restaurant, which was not only beautiful with all the wood furnishing and glass walls (allowing guests to partake of the beautiful view even when dining in) but also served delicious, hearty Filipino and international dishes. One thing I really admired about The Funny Lion were their efforts to showcase the best of Palawan’s local culture, particularly when it comes to drinks. While most hotels only offer guests a single welcome drink upon arrival, The Funny Lion actually offers its guests free fresh drinks every day of their stay (or your free mininbar, as they told me). When we were there, I had everything from buko (coconut) juice to sago’t gulaman to buko pandan to fresh watermelon juice—all of which were excellent. Hunt Restaurant also offers Tagbanua coffee (made by the Tagbanuas, Palawan’s indigenous group) served with cashew milk, and honey craft beer brewed especially by the hotel (cashews and honey both being local specialties in Palawan).

What I Love Best

I love that The Funny Lion is committed to making their hotel as eco-friendly as possible. For example, instead of plastic water bottles, we were given a reusable container for our drinks; and instead of single-use plastic containers for bath and shower amenities, the hotel provides environment-friendly lemongrass bath products in recycled glass bottles that guests can also opt to purchase and bring home with them.

The Verdict

The Funny Lion is a wonderful place to stay when in Coron. The cozy yet modern interiors, friendly and accommodating staff, and an amazing food and drink selection all come together to make this resort one of the many reasons I would happily visit Palawan over and over again.

The Funny Lion is located at Sitio Jolo, Poblacion V, Coron, Palawan. For more information, call (+63) 905-3955445, email inquiries@thefunnylion.com or visit https://thefunnylion.com.