So I have a trip to Palawan scheduled on March 20 (yes, in a few days). Due to being busy, I have not had a whole lot of time to plan things. The flight is from Manila to Puerto Princesa (arriving at 7 pm), spend a day or 2 there, do the underground river tour, and then onto El Nido. Altogether, it's a 10 day trip, although accounting for travelling time, it's more like 8 days.
Questions:
1. Are there ATMs in Puerto Princesa and El Nido? How common are they e.g. would you likely to encounter one at a large hotel? I would hate to bring that much cash with me.
2. What is the deal with the underground river tour? Do you have to book something in advance, or can your hotel (or a travel agency) in Puerto Princesa do that on the spot for you?
3. Any recommendations for hotels in Puerto Princesa and El Nido? Preferably something in the 2000-3000 pesos (roughly) range.
4. A friend told me there are daily banka boats from El Nido to Coron Island. Takes about 8 hours. Is this worth doing, anyone done it before?