7 HOURS IN PUERTO PRINCESA: Coffee Shops for Digital Nomads + Reflections on Solo Travel
Life in Davao has been so steady lately. After staying put for over a year, I’ve grown fond of my routine. The familiar gym sessions, my favorite local cafes, and the comfort of knowing exactly where everything is. But travel has a way of shaking you up just when you’ve settled into a new lifestyle.
I touched down in Puerto Princesa Airport at 10 PM earlier for a 7-hour layover, and my first thoughts were immediately food and coffee.
Since I had to be back at the airport by 4 AM, I didn’t need a bed. I needed a workstation. As a digital nomad, my requirements are simple but non-negotiable: a strong Wi-Fi and a soul-satisfying local roast.
Coffee Shops I Worked In at Puerto Princesa
When you only have seven hours, you don’t head to the underground river. You head to where the Wi-Fi is strong, and the beans are local. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here are coffee shops in Puerto Princesa that are near the airport and open until the wee hours:
Gold+Cup Specialty Coffee Roasters
This was my first stop, and honestly, it’s some of the best coffee I’ve had in a long time. It’s a small space with a beautiful, woody, minimalist vibe that instantly made me feel productive. I stayed here until they closed at midnight, soaking up the specialty brew and getting a head start on my work. If you’re a coffee purist, this is the place.
Cloud Coffee PH
When Gold+Cup closed, the baristas pointed me toward Cloud Coffee PH. It’s only about 10–15 minutes from the airport, making it a total haven for night owls and the budget-conscious. It has that cozy study hall energy that kept me fueled until it was time to check back in for my flight.
Solo Travel Reflection
Sitting here in the quiet of a midnight cafe, I felt a familiar spark.
Lately, I’ve been leaning into the “slow nomad” life, enjoying the peace of staying in one city. But now, I realize how much I’ve missed the raw, unpredictable thrill of solo traveling in the Philippines.
I am thinking about all the times things “went wrong” in the past—the delayed flights, the missed bus stops, the wrong turns in unfamiliar towns, and those quick hostel naps before onboarding a dawn ferry.
I remember how much those things used to annoy me. I’d be stressed about the “lost time.” But looking at myself now, I see how much I’ve grown. I’ve learned to turn these gaps into moments of productivity. Now, a delay is just a reason to finish a blog post or wrap up a freelancing project in one focused sitting.
You know, there’s really a unique magic in the spontaneity of this life—booking a flight to a city you barely know, planning to stay for a week, and then falling so in love with the rhythm of the place that you extend for another month.
While I love the slow part of my journey in Davao, I’m still a nomad at heart. The road isn’t always smooth, and it’s rarely on time, but it’s where I learned to be resilient.
Whether I’m staying in one place for a year or just passing through a city for seven hours, the journey is always what you make of it. Sometimes, all you need is a good cup of coffee and a change of scenery to remember who you are.
