Review: The Funny Lion
/
Sometimes a hotel is just a place to rest your head after a day full of activities and other times staying in a hotel is the activity. When I visited Coron, I was starting to feel a bit travel weary as a result of my very fast paced travel of the Philippines in the weeks prior. Coron was my last stop and all I wanted to do was kick back and soak up the beautiful island atmosphere without having to worry about anything.
The Funny Lion was the perfect place to just relax and be pampered by the hotel’s attentive staff. This sounds like a very basic request, but until you’ve travelled to the Philippines you may not realise how rare and special great service is.
Rooms
The Funny Lion is a modern boutique resort that will suit travellers of all budgets. The Cub Room suits one person or two friends travelling together. It’s perfect for backpackers seeking a little luxury for a few days!
The King and Pride Rooms are the ultimate in contemporary luxury and have so much extra room I was able to lay out my sarong and do some yoga in the mornings. The Pride Room also comes with an amazing balcony overlooking the cove and mangroves. It was from here that I enjoyed the sunset concert The Funny Lion hosted at the culmination of their Halloween celebrations.
It was so dreamy listening to the singer and band play while enjoying a cocktail on my balcony. I felt like the queen with my own special box at the theatre.
The bathrooms are some of the best I’ve seen in The Philippines with great water pressure and water that gets as hot as you can handle. All toiletries are provided as well as a hairdryer. The room also includes bottled drinking water, so you can rest easy without worrying about buying bottled water.
Dining
The Funny Lion has a bar and restaurant on site where they serve a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can sit in air-conditioned comfort inside or poolside in your beach towel.
The breakfast was one of the more interesting that I enjoyed in The Philippines. Along with the standard western fare, which included a waffle station and omelet bar, the menu also included traditional Filipino options that changed each day. All the options were delicious, breakfast standards and local delights alike.
For sweet tooths they even had a traditional Filipino hot chocolate on offer - Tsokolate, a must try if you visit.
As a vegetarian, there was a lot on offer for lunch and dinner. They have huge pizzas with a variety of toppings, including a four cheese with my personal favourite - gorgonzola. The menu includes Asian fusion dishes as well as some well known western dishes and seafood options.
Solo travel chill out time
Facilities
The hotel sports a large infinity pool and jacuzzi overlooking the mangroves and the cove. The pool includes a smaller shallow section for kids. You could quite literally spend the whole day swapping between lounger, pool and jacuzzi. I certainly did! The staff are always on hand to bring you some cold water and a fresh towel. They even provide flip flops in case you forgot yours.
They also offer a spa on site where you can treat yourself to a massage.. My massage was excellent and the other guests to whom I spoke enjoyed theirs too, so I recommend the spa as a must visit at The Funny Lion.
If you’re looking for something adventurous to do during the day, the Funny Lion also has a full tour service and they were happy to make small changes to suit my schedule.
Some of the activities you can consider include:
- Island hopping trips to visit some smaller islands, coves and lagoons
- Scuba diving in some of the best wrecks and colourful reefs
- A half day Coron Town tour
- A trip to the Calauit Safari Park, a beautiful game reserve and wildlife sanctuary
The tours are all reasonably priced and no more than you would pay in town so you can feel confident when booking one.
There are also some adorable bikes that you can borrow to explore the island at your own pace. This is a fun way to spend a couple of hours and, as the town is quite small, allows you to really get a feel for the place.
The wifi is on par with anything you can get in Palawan, but certainly not fast. You should be able to send and receive email and WhatsApp messages without issue.
The best view on my island hopping tour
Summary
What I liked
- Excellent service and friendly staff
- Great breakfast selection
- Roomy accommodation
- Super clean
- Lovely views
What I didn’t like
- The wifi signal is not the best, but on par with the rest of the island
View from the rooftop lounge area
As with many small islands, Palawan is somewhere you have to spend a bit more money to get quality accommodation. What you would pay elsewhere will get you much less here. The Funny Lion is the kind of place that is totally worth the cost for me as a budget traveler. They didn’t cut any corners with service and while I still felt like I was in The Philippines with their unique and fun decor, I appreciated their western style of service. I had a great time even as a solo traveler and never felt like I was out of place or lonely.
The sunsets are stunning poolside or on the balcony. An in-room or poolside massage is one of the the only decisions you’ll have to make while you’re there and if you’re feeling adventurous, check out one of their tours and explore the island by land or by sea. When you visit make sure to challenge yourself to a Filipino-only breakfast! You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it.
The Funny Lion
Sitio Jolo, Poblacion
V, Coron Palawan
Price: $100 - $150 inc breakfast
T: +632 856 1443 | 553 9549
E: inquiries@thefunnylion.com
My stay was sponsored by The Funny Lion but all meals and activities were paid for by myself. All opinions are my own and are an honest reflection of my experience.