Marine Sanctuary in Dumaguete

After our Apo Island tour, we went to the Marine Sanctuary to see and experience their sanctuary.

In order for you to get there, you have to walk for at least 10 to 15 mins and you will pass by the Apo Island community...

Marine Sanctuary is connected to the open sea. It is so wide that you need a guide when you start snorkeling. All of us has a guide and i love what i saw there. Fishes and corals are really beautiful. You have to experience it and appreciate the beauty of this island.

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Apo Island of Dumaguete

Our group of 5 availed the Harold Mansion's tour package at Apo Island for P5,000 inclusive of van transfer, boat rental and the snorkling gears. After having breakfast, we prepare ourselves for our island hopping tour, it is not my first time to do this but i was afraid then because some locals said that the waves that time are strong because of the monsoon. It is supposed to be in Manjuyod Sandbar but the coastguard did not allow us because Bais City is the center of the monsoon :(

Waiting for some gears...

Its me on the new van service of Harolds mansion going to Dauin, and its only us on the van.. solong-solo..

Just arrived in Apo Island...

Apo Island

Entrance fee is P100.00, you can stay at the island for overnight because there are some rooms for rent maintained by the Apo Island community...

Apo Island Beach Resort

On the other side is the Apo Island Beach Resort, you can go and stay there. They also have restaurant that caters different cuisine.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner...a little expensive though..

Picture! Picture!

(L-R) Ayen, Ron, Matthew, Val and me

Apo Island souvenir shop

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Baywalk of Dumaguete: Rizal Boulevard

Rizal Boulevard is one of the famous local attraction in Dumaguete. It is called the baywalk of Dumaguete. It is also visible when you had your city tour because the town of Dumaguete is small and you can go into it in minutes. the boulevard is located in the back of Silliman University and most restaurants are across Rizal Boulevard.

here with me is Ayen.

We stayed a couple of minutes in Rizal Boulevard to feel the cool breeze coming from the sea.

The seven nuns representing the St. Paul univ. found along the Rizal Boulevard

Rizal Boulevard at night...

As the night approaches, the boulevard becomes crowded because a lot of people enjoys there to relax, eat and talk with their friends.

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Lab-as Restaurant at Dumaguete

After asking Ryan about the restaurants in Dumaguete that serves local dishes. He didn't hesitate to bring us at hayahay. Hayahay became the gimik place of the locals in Dumaguete and one of the famous spot there is the Lab-as Restaurant that serves fresh seafood. Before we went to Dumaguete, i also searched online of where to eat and what to eat in Dumaguete and most of the suggestions that i found is the Lab-as Restaurant. I think hayahay bar and lab-as restaurant has the same owner because they share the same kitchen.

at Hayahay. All restaurants here has a perfect sea view and there are some schedule of band performing here, you just have to choose on where to sit down with friends or your drinking buddy and order some pika-pika. For sure tourists are all enjoying here at hayahay.

Lab-as Restaurant

Lab-as means "fresh" so expect that all your seafood orders are guaranteed fresh. According to them, Lab-as is the best seafood restaurant in Dumaguete up to now.

Here we are at the tree house of hayahay beside the Lab-as restaurant...(L-R) me, ayen and ryan

Lab-as menu

Lumpiang Bangus

Lumpiang bangus was my first order. I was intrigued of its taste kaya umorder kami. I love the crispiness of the lumpia and the taste is superb.

Dumaguete Express

The famous Dumaguete express was one of their specialty and it consists of shrimp, squid, fish sauteed with coconut and topped with crispy lechon kawali. Don't forget to order this because its really delicious, very tasty.. I love it!

Sinigang na hipon

We want a soup  thats why we ordered Sinigang na hipon, what i notice on their menu is that they have 2 sinigangs there. One is the Sinigang Prawn and the other is the Sinigang na hipon, curious that i am, I ask the waiter whats the difference between the two and he said a simple answer to me "Mas malaki po yung hipon nung isa"...hehe oo nga nman..

Avocado shake

Syempre its my favorite fruit kaya yun ang inorder ko..

Lab-as Restaurant serves only fresh and has very affordable price, no wonder all locals in Dumaguete are very proud of this place. I also recommend this place if your having a feast of seafood.

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Silliman University in Dumaguete

Our city tour starts with the Silliman University, the oldest American school in Asia.

You need to secure an ID in order for you to enter the Silliman campus. Just give a valid ID at the guard and they will give you a Siliman visitor's pass.

Right in the heart of Dumaguete City is the internationally recognized Silliman University, established in August 28, 1901 by Protestant missionaries of the Presbyterian Church in the United States with the efforts of Dr. Horace B. Silliman thus making it the first Protestant school founded in the Philippines and the oldest American University in Asia.

text credits to http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/

Silliman Church

University Seal

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Dr. Horace Silliman

The Silliman founder statue found outside the Siliman hall and facing the Rizal Boulevard

Anthropology Museum

Above the Silliman hall is the Anthropology Museum, you can go inside the museum but you have to pay a small amount for the entrance fee. We never tried to go inside because Ayen's cousin told us that theres a white lady upstair. Creepy! hehe..

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3D & 2N Dumaguete tour

It is my first time at Dumaguete and with my officemate Ayen. We arrive at Dumaguete in time for lunch and Ayen's uncle whose residing in Dumaguete fetched us and we headed back in their house for our free lunch :) After having lunch, her uncle dropped us in one of the hostels in town to settle our things and prepare for our city tour.

photo taken at http://www.haroldsmansion.com/index.html

We stayed at Harold's Mansion in the town of Dumaguete. We have array of choices on where to stay in Dumaguete and after reading positive reviews of Harold's mansion on the internet, we settled in at Harolds. We booked a twin room with Aircon for P800++ a night for 2 days, cheap isn't it? Upon checking-in at Harolds, we explore the hostel and we were glad to choose the said place because its very clean and has spacious room, good working aircon and with free wifi and internet on their coffee shop (just dont expect a fast internet connection hehe). Also, we noticed that most of harolds guests are foreigners from family to couple to solo traveller, kami lang yata pinoy dun...

Negros Oriental Map

Transportation in Dumaguete is only by tricycle or if you have your own wheels, then good for you but you can have the city tour by foot. Dumaguete is a very small town that you can explore the city in a half-day. Places that you shouldn't miss are Silliman University, the Bellfry and the Rizal Boulevard and oh don't forget to try the famous Sans Rival and Silvanas of Dumaguete.

Our itinerary is to have the ciy tour on our first day and on the second day is at Antulang or Bahura Resort and Spa. According to the locals, Bahura Resort and Spa is the newer resort in Dumaguete and we planned to stay there till our last day. But when i saw my elementary schoolmate and they also having their vacation with his 2 pals, all our plans changed instantly. We talk and talk at the coffee shop about our school life before until we bumped into each other again in Dumaguete! What a small world...

After our super long talk, we decided to join them with their island hopping trip at Apo Island. Then on our last day we had dinner at the town.

Visiting Dumaguete is a great experience for me because they have the low-cost of living and i had the chance to mingle with the gentle people of Dumaguete.

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trip update!

In 2 weeks time, Ayen and me will be going to Dumaguete to explore its beauty. Our plan is to stay at Antulang and visit the Manjuyod Sandbar but when Ayen talk to her cousin whose a local resident in Dumaguete, he suggested to visit the Bahura Resort and Spa instead of Antulang so i hurriedly check Bahura Resort and Spa online and i immediately fell in love with the place.

I also check Antulang online but the reviews there are mostly negative :(

Anyway, Im still excited with our upcoming trip to Dumaguete kahit di na kami mag-Antulang....what is important is the Manjuyod Sandbar :) Another island hopping it is!

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