Brooke's Point

Introduction

Brooke’s Point is at the southern end of Palawan Island. It's named after the British explorer Sir James Brooke, who also went on to serve as governor to Sarawak on Borneo island in the 1830s. It was on a expedition that he "discovered" Brooke's Point, and the local indigenous peoples. It is also where the world's largest pearl was found: The Pearl of Allah.

Sights and Activities

Brooke's Point is underdeveloped as a tourist attraction. But then that's what makes visiting this friendly town good.
The coastal area has a great sunrise, and the beach front is dotted with local stilt house. The town center has a daily market with fresh produce. The town can be covered in an hour or of walking. Though walking along the beach at sunrise can keep you longer.

Events and Festivals

There is an annual fiesta at the start of March

Getting There

By Plane

No airport.

By Train

No Trains.

By Car

It's possible to drive from Puerto Princesa as the road is good.

By Bus

Minivans and buses link Brooke's Point to Puerto Princesa at a cost of about 250 pesos for a mini van.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Tricycles are the main form of transport.

By Foot

Easily covered on foot

Eat

The center square and around the market are good places to eat locally. There is also a Manok (chicken) bbq near terminal 1 bus station.
It's also quite easy to get invited for dinner in Brooke's Point if you meet the right locals. Bringing a small gift would be appreciated.

Drink

There are a few local drinking establishments around, but nothing of the party kind. Brooke's Point shuts up pretty early.

Sleep

Budget

There are three budget places to stay.

• Silivans, opposite the Market is around 250 pesos, but rundown. On the other side of the and further back are two more guesthouses:
• Sunrise Guest House.
• Brooke's Point Pension at 350, which is very nice and clean.

It's best to ask locals to show you the way to the above guesthouses, they are all easily walkable from the town center.

Upscale

There is a resort on the main road before getting to Brooke's Point

Keep Connected

Internet

There are a number of internet service providers nationwide: PLDT-Smart Communications, Globe Telecoms, BayanTel and Sun Cellular and each have their signal strengths in various locations. Internet access areas of broadband speeds are plentiful in city malls, much less so outside the cities, but are growing at a rapid pace. Internet surfing rates depend primarily on where you surf and the medium used (e.g. WiFi or wired). Internet services offered by hotels and shopping malls are expensive and can go up to ₱200/hour (approximately US$5) but neighbourhood cafes can be as cheap as ₱15/hour (approximately US$0.35).

Public place WiFi services in the Philippines is provided by Airborneaccess.net and WiZ is likely to cost ₱100 (approximately US$2) for up to an hour. But if you want cheaper, there is a internet cafe chain in SM malls called, "Netopia", that has a landline internet connection for around 20P an hour (about 0.46 US). Coffee shops as well as malls usually carry WiFi service some are free to use. Certain areas may also carry free WiFi. The SM chain of malls offer free wifi, so you can sit virtually anywhere in the mall and access free wireless.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company commonly known as PLDT is the leading telecommunications provider. It is also the largest company in the country. There are three major companies operating GSM 900/1800 networks: Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular. Your home provider at home should have agreements with one of these providers so check with them before leaving home. Roaming may be quite expensive just as elsewhere however, pre-paid SIM cards of these networks are easy to acquire and cost as little as ₱30 and provide a cheaper alternative.
If you don't have a phone to begin with, a complete pre-paid kit with phone and SIM can be purchased for as little as ₱1,500.The usual cost of an international long-distance call to the United States, Europe or other major countries is $0.40 per minute. Local calls range from ₱ 6.50 per minute for prepaid calls.

Due to the wide use of mobile phones, pay phones are increasingly becoming obsolete. Some malls and public places still do have them and they usually come in either the coin or card operated variety. Globe and PLDT are the usual operators. Phone cards are usually sold by shops which sell cellphone pre-paid loads and cards. Note that phone cards of one company can not be used with the other company's card operated phones.

Post

The Philippine Postal Corporation, or PhilPost, is the provides the postal service throughout the Philippines. PhilPost is pretty reliable, but one can hardly call it fast services. It is fine for sending postcards and letters though, both domestically as well as internationally. Prices for sending postcards or letters within the country start at around P7, while most international post costs at least P20. For sending parcels to and from the Philippines it might be wise to use companies like FedEx or UPS. The opening hours of post offices in the Philippines differ from one place to another. Usually, post offices are open from 8:00am to 12 noon and from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on weekdays. And for those that operate on Saturdays, the business hours are from 8:00am to 1:00pm.