Country > Philippines > Negros Oriental > Dumaguete
Date > 2024 > March
Activity > Traveling

March 20, 2024

Via Dumaguete for Neva's Pizza

Location : Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines

Dumaguete the Chill Way
From Lazi to Cebu City, although there is a direct passage via Sugbo Urban bus (which takes an unreasonable 14 hours), the easy-chill way is via Dumaguete (10 hours). I even brought my folding bike with me. Taking the 6 am jeep from Lazi, I get to board the 7:30 am Montenegro Roro to Dumaguete. By 9 am, I'm already assembling my folding bike to ride the streets of Dumaguete from the port. There is always a Ceres bus leaving Dumaguete for Cebu City (P , 6 hours)

Dumaguete
Increasingly, Dumaguete has been an in-transit city, en route to Bacolod or Cebu City. But Dumaguete on its own is a noteworthy destination. When bored in Siquijor, I board the boat with my folding bike and I'm in Dumaguete in 3 hours. I pedal my way to see a movie, shop for things I cannot get in Siquijor, promenade along the Boulevard, eat budbud kabog and perhaps even meet old friends.

If I want to stay a night or two, there's Antwet Hostel, reasonable at P350/night.

Neva's Pizza
Dumaguete has perks - Neva's Pizza being one of many. It's owned by husband/wife team, Anis and Daphne - good friends I share the love of food with. It has a wood-burning oven and Anis personally ensures the pizzas come out great. In this visit, I noticed something new - folk singing!

with Daphne and Anis of Neva's Pizza

folk singing at Neva's Pizza

Ending Thoughts
Arriving at 9 am and leaving the same day at 10 pm, I get 13 hours of fun-time in Dumaguete without paying for a hotel. After a full day, it was time to board the bus for Cebu City.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Cebu City for the Workshop

(March 20-23 / March 26 - April 1, 2024) My coming to Cebu City, primarily, was to do the Siddhi-Activation workshop. I brought my folding bike with me and stayed at Hostel 7 Cebu. I made a 3-day visit to Bantayan Island and came back to Cebu and stayed another week - I didn't really feel like going back to Siquijor yet. With a bike, I roamed around the city streets, going to Ayala Mall, Robinson's Galleria and SM City. It was a whole new adventure....more »»

Dumaguete, Philippines

tourist attractions

Filipino Japanese Amity Memorial Shrine - 2175 feet above sea level and perched on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the neighboring islands
Casaroro Falls - pencil-narrow waterfall dropping nearly 100 feet to a wide and deep lagoon
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes - twin crater lakes 894 meters above sea level
Dumaguete Boulevard - 1km long boardwalk along the main hub of Dumaguete

- hotel

Hotel Essencia - 9-storie hotel in the heart of Dumaguete
39 Real St., Corner San Juan St., Dumaguete City - 09°18'32.1"N 123°18'20.3"E

scuba diving

Mario Scuba Diving and Homestay - homestay in Apo Island, scuba diving, restaurant
Apo Island - 09°04'40.08"N 123°16'09.19"E
Dumaguete Divers - scuba diving in Apo Island, resto / cafe, accommodation
Dauin - 9°11'18.6"N 123°15'54.3"E

cafe

Arteasan Handcrafted Beverages - coffee, tea, milk tea, frappes, waffles, sandwiches
79 San Juan St., Dumaguete City - 9°18'33.0"N 123°18'21.0"E

Dumaguete >> Cebu City by bus/boat

Dumaguete to Cebu City route is done by bus and boat. Ceres bus leaves almost every hour from the Ceres Terminal bound for Cebu City. It goes to Tampi and boards a roro until it reaches Bato, Cebu. From there, it resumes its land travel until Cebu City. 7 hours, PHP xxx.

Dumaguete >> Siquijor (Siquijor Proper & Larena Port) Boat Trips

(as of Jan 2023)

Montenegro Lines - at Dumaguete Port, P234.00/pax, P169/bicycle

Aleson Shipping - at Dumaguete Port, 8 am and 6 pm daily, 10 am M-Sat, Regular P200.00/pax, Aircon P250.00/pax

Ocean Jet - 40 mins, docks at Siquijor Port, 0919.066.5964, www.oceanjet.net, marketing@ocenajet.net

Please check first if Atlantis Yohan Express is back in operations

Atlantis Yohan Express - Siquijor Port or Larena Port?

Dumaguete >> Lazi, Siquijor by boat

Dumaguete to Lazi, Siquijor route by Kho Shipping was just opened up in early September 2023. Before, going to Lazi meant going to Siquijor Proper first, then catching the 2pm jeep to Lazi (last trip), adding 1 hour on the trip. Now, Siquijor Proper can be completely bypassed.

Dumaguete Port - take Kho Shipping to Lazi, Tu-F-Sun, 3 hours, Dumaguete departure 1 am, arrival in Lazi Port 4 am, economy P300, tourist P500.

Dumaguete Itinerary

Things to Eat in Dumaguete:

Eat at Neva's Pizza. They have a wood-burning stove and make the best pizza in Dumaguete
Eat the local version of Tempura, fish ball, balut at Tempurahan, an adhoc outdoor section by the City Port entrance.
Eat Paklay, a local delicacy made of pork inards. Popular in Dumaguete's roadside eating places
Try any of the lechon manok (chicken roasted on a spit) that's scattered all over the city
Try the torta bread (bread made with fermented coconut nectar) - you find that along the highway in Dauin...or the Dumaguete Public Market
Eat the breakfast combo - Budbud Cabog (Dumaguete's specialty suman) or puto + tsokolate (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf + native chocolate drink)

Things to Do in Dumaguete:

Stroll along The Boulevard
Taka a tour of Silliman University

Sightseeing / Activities Near Dumaguete:

Valencia
1. Forest Camp in Valencia - a mountain resort fed by the Banica River. Great for getting wet and picnics (blog by Lakwatsero)
2. Go to the Japanese Shrine and Casaroro Falls - 100 meter falls and site of a fierce WWII battle between Japanese, Americans and Filipinos
3. Head out to Camp Lookout in Valencia for great views. Famous writers stay there for the Silliman University National Writers Workshop.
4. Stop by The World War II Museum in Valencia and talk to curator/owner/collector, Constantino "Tantin" Cata-al.
5. Splash on Pulangbato Falls and Hot Spring - via Palinpinon road towards PNOC. Great to dip-in after a day's hike or for hot lazy days
6. Climb Mt. Talinis. At 1864 meters, it lords over Negros Oriental, and home to endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.
Dauin
1. Dive on Apo Island - best for scuba and turtle watching
2. Dive on Dauin's District 1 Marine Reserve - best spot for snorkelling - 10K grouper, turtles, cuttlefish, Titan Triggerfish, etc. This is only one of many marine reserves dotting the Dauin coastline.
3. Soak in Baslay Hot Spring
Sibulan
Go to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes - two lakes almost 1000 meters above sea level
Siquijor
Take the ferry to Siquijor - stay in Siquijor overnight
Zamboanguita
Visit Malatapay Market on a Wednesday and try their lechon, tuba, and grilled fish
Bais
Go dolphin watching and swim on the sandbar
Mabinay
Rappel down Mabinay Caves
Siaton
Experience Lake Balanan

Onward Destinations After Dumaguete

These are the nearest popular destinations from Dumaguete by boat

Bohol - Bohol is an island northeast Dumaguete. Tourist attractions are Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Monkey, Loboc River Cruise, Beaches of Panglao, whale sharks (recent offering), freediving (recent offering)
Cebu - Cebu City is the usual gateway into the Visayas. But in Cebu Island itself, there are many offerings - Whale Sharks of Oslob, sardine run at Moalboal,Thresher Shark of Malapascua
Dapitan (Zamboanga del Norte) - I haven't been there but a lot of island ferries ply this port. There must be something here.
Plaridel (Misamis Occidental, Mindanao) - I haven't been there but a lot of island ferries ply this port. There must be something here.