I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to visit the province of Negros when it’s not that far from Cebu. Lately, I’ve heard several people express that they wanted to move to Dumaguete because it was such a beautiful, relaxing place. So, we took advantage of the recent long weekend and finally decided to make the trip there.
We took the eastern route all the way to Santander on the southern tip of Cebu. It’s a pretty long drive (135 km), which is why we set out at 4:15 AM. We made it just in time for the 9 AM Ro-Ro ferry. The roadworks happening in several towns in the south made the trip take a lot longer than it should have. Well, that and the fact that I generally drive quite slowly.
With this being our first time vacationing there, we didn’t really know what to expect. Hopefully, our experience will offer some tips for those of you who might be thinking of visiting the place as well. (If you click on the links to some of the establishments I mention in this article, these will take you to their FB pages or websites.)
Day 1
We arrived in Dumaguete City too early for check-in time at the hotel. Since we were pretty hungry, we decided to go for some brunch at the highly recommended Buglas Isla Cafe.
The cafe operates out of The Heritage House, which has a pretty interesting story. It’s actually a very old house estimated to be at least a hundred years old, and was originally located in the neighboring Bais City. The business developer wanted to preserve it as much as he could and so he struck a deal with the owners to take the whole thing apart carefully, transfer the pieces to Dumaguete City, and restore the house in its new location. They did an amazing job. If you’d like to learn more about its history, you can read about it on their website.
The restaurant sits in the middle of a lush garden, while on the opposite end is a little open-air lounge with a bar offering a wide array of liquors and cocktails. Not a bad place to spend happy hour. The food was very tasty; not cheap by any means but they obviously don’t scrimp on the ingredients.
Buglas Cafe opens at 7 AM and closes at 6 PM. After that it transforms into La Mensa Italian Chophouse which specializes in steaks apart from the Italian dishes.
From there, we made a quick stop at Silliman University which recently celebrated its 123rd Founder’s Day. The campus was beautiful, with lots of trees and wide open green spaces. It reminded me of my college days at the Talamban campus of the University of San Carlos. Our son immediately asked if he could transfer there. Haha!
After checking in at our hotel, we proceeded to take a walk at Rizal Boulevard.
This is probably the city’s most iconic place to hang out in. Situated along the seaside, the park was bustling with activity. I don’t know if the long weekend had something to do with it or if that’s just a regular occurrence. There were several groups practicing different forms of martial arts like arnis, tae kwon do, karate, and tai chi. To the side were some courts where people played pickleball, sipa (sepak takraw), and volleyball. In another area were several food stalls where folks ate snacks and cheap meals, and chatted to their hearts delight. A few meters away were several tables with men deep in concentration, hunched over their chess matches. A few buskers belted out their songs as people walked or jogged by. Families watched their kids run around on the playground, while others just sat on the benches to enjoy the view of the sea. At night, the wire sculptures shaped like different animals scattered about the park were lit and made the place even prettier. Across the street from the park are numerous small hotels and restaurants, including the original Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries.
Exhausted from the long day, we retired early to our hotel, One Bethany Place.
The hotel is located at EJ Blanco Drive, Piapi, Dumaguete City, only a few minutes away from the port. It’s not along the boulevard, which probably accounts for the more reasonable rates. The Twin Standard and Matrimonial rooms were only P1,395 each per night (meals not included). The rooms had a decent amount of space so I didn’t feel cramped at all. There’s free wifi, cable TV, closets, a dresser with a mirror, and a bedside table. The bathrooms were clean and equipped with hot and cold showers. A little more counter space would have been nice but it’s not that big of a deal. Late check out is allowed up to 3 PM for an additional fee of 20% of the room rate. If you stay longer than that, you will be charged for an extra night.
The restaurant’s food was all right but they open at 8 AM which is kind of late especially if you have activities planned for the day. Plus it took a long time for them to cook our breakfast; much longer than you would normally expect. I don’t know if the kitchen was understaffed or something. There are some restaurants like Pancake House a few minutes away that open earlier so you might want to check online for options. The people on staff were very friendly and accommodating though. I would definitely consider staying there again for a future visit. (website: https://onebethanyplace.com/)
Day 2
For our second day, we went to Forest Camp in Valencia. Only about 30 minutes away from Dumaguete, this sprawling family-owned, five-hectare resort was definitely worth the visit. It boasts of a whopping nine swimming pools supplied with fresh water from the river that runs right through the property. With an entrance fee of only P200 per adult, it’s no surprise that the place was packed. The parking area is quite limited so it would be good to go early if you’re bringing a car; the resort opens at 9 AM. You could also book a motorcycle or tricycle from the city to get there.
Huts and canopy tents are are available for rent. We got one of the bigger huts close to the restaurant because the pools there are nicer and less crowded. Honestly though, even without a hut, it wasn’t hard to find shade because of all the trees around. They also have a few cottages for overnight stays but they were fully booked. Other activities offered there include wall climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, farm tours, trekking, skateboarding, and massages. The management is quite responsive when you contact them through FB messenger so we made our reservations that way.
What I loved most about the resort was that it wasn’t overly landscaped, and it was constructed in a way that didn’t destroy the natural beauty of the environment. This is likely why we saw hundreds of butterflies and dragonflies in different sizes and colors fluttering about and among the trees. One butterfly even landed on my mom’s floral blouse. The poor thing was was probably disappointed that it didn’t get the snack it was expecting.
For dinner that night, we went to Pasta King, which is well known for being the first Italian restaurant in Dumaguete City. We tried three different pizzas, namely the Margherita, Boscaiola, and Pepperoni, all of which were delicious with nice crispy crusts. We also tried their spaghetti with meatballs and penne carbonara. The pasta was well cooked but flavor-wise, I wasn’t exactly blown away especially compared to the excellent Italian restaurants we have in Cebu. Nevertheless, the place was nice and quiet, with very friendly staff and a little parking area out front. We were able to reserve a table ahead of time by calling the phone number on their FB page.
Day 3
For our third and final day, we drove for about an hour and a half to the municipality of Manjuyod, which is 69.5 km north of Dumaguete City. Our goal was to rent a boat, go see dolphins in the Tanon Strait, and visit the Manjuyod sandbar. We were pretty much winging it with this one because the tourist packages we could find online were rather pricey averaging about P3,000 per head. I’ll tell you what we did and what you should do instead for a better experience:
- We arrived rather late. The dolphins usually come out and are easier to spot between 7AM to 8AM. We got to Manjuyod at around 10 AM. We were told there was little chance for us to see dolphins by that time but we still tried anyway. Fortunately, our eagle-eyed boatman managed to spot a pod of over twenty dolphins. We managed to get the boat close enough to see them clearly. I had seen dolphins several times before but it never gets old to see such beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. Totally worth the trip.
- We did not pre-book a boat. This meant that when we arrived, the dispatcher had to call for a pumpboat and we had to wait for it to arrive, further delaying us. You can contact Sheena from the Tourism office who is stationed there (0951 9770119) to book a boat ahead of time. She can get you directly in contact with the owners of the pumpboats and get the tour at lower rates. We got ours at only P3,500 total since we brought our own food. You may also request to include breakfast and lunch in your tour package.
- The road to the dispatching area is not paved and you will not see any establishments along the way other than some sari-sari stores and small houses. At one point there was even a herd of goats blocking the narrow road. We honestly thought we were lost so we had to stop and ask for directions a couple of times. Follow this map from Bais City and if it looks like you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’re probably going the right way. You’ll find a clearing with a parking lot and a nondescript cottage where your tour guides will be waiting.
The Manjuyod sandbar is a long thin stretch of white sand in the middle of the strait. It’s best to go there when the tide is at its lowest so that you have a bigger patch of sand. At high tide, the water goes up to knee height. We couldn’t take pictures on the actual sandbar because we had to anchor the boat kind of far away and I was afraid of dropping my phone in the water. I didn’t think there would be much to do there other than swim but I was wrong. There were guys offering rides on wave-runners and banana boats, and there was even a mobile sari-sari store on a pumpboat with snacks, sodas, beer, and coconuts. Fresh butong in the middle of the sea? Yes, please! A couple of fishermen also went around selling fresh sea urchins.
Finally, it was time to go home. We should’ve known the ships would be full since it was the end of the long weekend. Because we arrived only fifteen minutes before the 6 PM trip, there was no longer any space for our car on the ferry. We had to wait for the next boat which was 1.5 hours later. Lesson learned: Get to the port an hour before the desired schedule. Also, maybe don’t schedule the trip to Manjuyod on the same day so you won’t be stressed about getting back to the city early to catch the boat home.
As someone who doesn’t really enjoy big-city life, I immediately loved the provincial, more laid-back vibe of Dumaguete and the parts of Negros Oriental that we were able to see. I would’ve loved to stay longer and visit the other tourist spots such as the Casaroro and Pulangbato waterfalls, Red Rock Hot Spring, and the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes. I guess that’s reason enough to plan our next vacation trip there!
Thanks for reading!
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