Western Visayas: Summary, Expenses, and Contacts

Monday, August 13, 2012

Summary of our 5-Day Western Visayas Tour:

Day 1

My friends’ expected arrival in Iloilo is around 5am, and after giving them instructions on what to tell the driver of the shuttle service, we finally met at Jollibee in SM Jaro. I was supposed to treat them to a hot delicious breakfast of batchoy at Ted’s La Paz Batchoy (Jaro branch), but unfortunately, it was closed as it was still too early. Instead, we had breakfast at Red’s 24H Restaurant, which is also located near Jaro Plaza.

It was raining while we had breakfast of batchoy, arroz caldo and pancit, but lucky for us, it stopped just before we finished eating. We hailed a Jaro CPU jeepney which took us to Plaza Libertad. From there, we walked towards the SuperCat ferry terminal in Muelle Loney.

We slept the entire one-hour trip from Iloilo to Bacolod. And from there, we rented a tricycle. The driver recommended Sweet City Captel based on our simple preference for an accommodation.

On Day 1, we were able to roam around the cities of Bacolod, Silay, and Talisay. Here are the sites that we visited on our first day in Negros Occidental:

I.                  Negros Museum
II.                Old Pala-Pala
III.               San Diego Pro-Cathedral
IV.               Balay Negrense
V.                The Ruins

entrance tickets to the Negros Museum 
Balay Negrense or the Victor Fernandez Gaston Ancestral House 
The Ruins in Talisay City 
The Ruins at night

Day 2

We woke up starving since we didn’t have dinner the day before. We were dead tired after travelling from Iloilo to Bacolod, and exploring three cities in Negros Occidental, that a quick nap turned into deep sleep.

We went to the Old Pala-Pala for our brunch, checked out at the hotel, and proceeded to Libertad terminal, where we were instructed to take the mini-bus which will transport us to Mambukal Mountain Resort in Murcia.

Here's what happened on our second day in Negros Occidental:

I.                  Capitol Park and Lagoon
II.                 Seven Falls
III.                Hot Spring


Day 3

We can’t get enough of the therapeutic Hot Spring that we went back right after breakfast. Check out time is 12noon, so we made sure that we get to explore the other facilities of the resort some more:

I.                 Hot Spring
II.                 Kayak
III.                Zipline

Kayaking in the lagoon at Mambukal Mountain Resort 
Final swim before our check out at the resort 

The terminal for the mini-buses going to Bacolod City is located just outside the resort. The driver informed us that the bus will leave in 10 minutes so we immediately bought pork barbecue and a big bottle of soft drinks in a nearby carinderia. Our barbecue was still being grilled when we were informed that the bus is going. We had no choice but to bring our food and soft drinks with us in the bus. Good thing the carinderia owner provided us with a plate (for loan, and will be returned by the driver) and some plastic cups.

In the bus, we got to talk to a fellow passenger who plays guitar for his band. They have a gig in Robinson’s Bacolod that night, and since he sings too, he gamely played his guitar and sang some songs during our travel. Here’s a picture:

The guitairs/singer who gamely supplied the road music on our way back to Bacolod City.

When we arrived in Iloilo City, it is NEVER advisable to take a taxi inside the terminal of ferry boats. I told the taxi driver that we will pay according to the taxi meter, he helped us with our baggages, but when we got inside the taxi, he told us that we pay 300pesos in going to a nearby hotel. It was horrible actually. First, he suggested a pricey hotel (despite the fact that we told him we want an economical one), and second, his suggested fare price is just absurd. It was a slap in my face; I am an Ilonggo.

Nevertheless, we just paid him 150pesos, and he brought us to our "researched" econo-hotel, City Corporate Inn. We paid 995pesos for a Deluxe room good for 3 persons.

Day 4

We woke up late since we went for a night-out at Smallville Complex. Since our hotel is located near Ortiz Wharf (walking distance), we immediately went there after lunch.
After a brief 15-20 minutes ferry ride, we finally arrived in Guimaras:

I.                   Guisi Point Lighthouse
II.                  Trappist Monastery

waiting for our turn to take a look at the lighthouse 
Finally, the Guisi Point Lighthouse!
 at the peaceful Trappist Monastery
Don't forget to pass by the gift shop before you leave Trappist Monastery. 

We hired a multicab for a half-day tour, and on our way back to Jordan Wharf, we were able to buy Guimaras’ famous mangoes as pasalubongs to our families.

We had dinner at Roberto’s Restaurant before deciding to go back to the hotel and rest. A little past midnight, we decided again to go to Smallville Complex.

Day 5

It was raining heavily on the fifth and last day of my friends’ Western Visayas tour. We were supposed to explore Iloilo City, but we cancelled the whole plan because of the heavy downpour. Instead, we headed to SM City, left our baggage in their Traveler’s Lounge, and had lunch at Ted’s Lapaz batchoy inside the mall. In order to kill time, we watched The Healing. The movie ended just in time for the one-hour-before-the-departure rule of airline companies. The terminal for the shuttle services going to the airport is beside SM City, so transport was not a problem. 

Expenses:

Day 1
100   - breakfast at Red’s 24H Restaurant
520   - roundtrip (Iloilo-Bacolod-Iloilo) via SuperCat ferry
234   - room at Sweet City Captel (700pesos/3pax)
167   - lunch at Old Pala-Pala (est. 500pesos/3pax)
  50   - entrance fee at the Negros Museum
  50   - entrance fee at Balay Negrense
  50   - entrance fee at The Ruins
  50   - tip to a staff at The Ruins (150pesos/3pax)
  67   - hired multicab to The Ruins and back to Sweet City Captel (200pesos/3pax)
  80   - other transportation expenses                                            
1,368 pesos - subtotal 

Day 2
167   - lunch at Old Pala-Pala (est. 500pesos/3pax)
  50   - bus fare from Bacolod City to Mambukal Mountain Resort
  50   - resort entrance
334   - room at the LGU cottage in the resort (900pesos/2pax plus 100pesos for extra foam)
100   - dinner at the resort (300pesos/3pax)
  50   - share for drinks and pulutan with friends in the resort
  70   - other transportation expenses                                             
821 pesos - subtotal

Day 3
100   - breakfast at the resort
  30   - kayak
167   - tip to our tour guide (500pesos from the three of us)
  50   - lunch at a carindirya outside the resort
  50   - bus fare from Mambukal Mountain Resort to Bacolod City
100   - dinner in Iloilo City
332   - room at the City Corporate Inn (995pesos/3pax) - first day
  60   - other transportation expenses                                                 
889 pesos - subtotal

Day 4
100  - brunch in Iloilo City
267  - Guimaras half-day tour via private multicab (800pesos/3pax)
 10   - entrance fee to Guisi Point Light House
200  - *personal donation to the Trappist Monastery
200  - *personal pasalubongs from the Trappist Monastery gift shop
300  - *personal pasalubongs of Guimaras mangoes (4 kilos at 75pesos/kilo)
100  - dinner in the hotel
  50  - other transportation expenses                                                   
1,227 pesos - subtotal

Day 5
  80  - breakfast in Iloilo City
332  - room at the City Corporate Inn (995pesos/3pax) - second day
167  - *other expenses in the hotel like bottled water, pancit, flu meds, etc. (500pesos/3pax)
  30  - locker rental at the Traveler’s Lounge in SM City
180  - *movie at SM City (just to kill time)
130  - lunch at Ted’s Batchoy
100  - other transportation expenses                                                           
1,019 pesos - subtotal

Day 1      - 1,368
Day 2      -    821
Day 3      -    889
Day 4      - 1,227
Day 5      - 1,019                                                                                              
5,234 pesos - GRAND TOTAL

Not bad for a 5-day get-away. Note, however, that the figures are just estimates of our incurred expenses. This does not include airfare (better wait for airline promos), and the airport terminal fee. Although it includes pasalubong, it is still better to allot around 1500pesos since you will be bringing home delicious goodies from Bacolod City, Guimaras, and Iloilo City.

Contacts:
Negros Museum             2Go Travel (formerly SuperCat)
Bacolod City, Negros Occ.         Iloilo ticketing office: (+6334) 508-7227
(+6334) 433-4764                      Bacolod ticketing office: (+6334) 707-7227
(+6334) 708-5080                      Hotline: (+632) 233-7000
(+6334) 431-9451                      scat-customercare@SuperCat.com.ph
negros_museum96@yahoo.com

The Ruins                                          Balay Negrense
Hacienda Sta. Maria                                  Cinco de Noviembre St.
Talisay City, Negros Occidental                Silay City, Negros Occidental
(+6334) 476-4334 / (0917) 832-6003      (+6334) 495-4916

Mambukal Mountain Resort
Brgy. Minoyan, Murcia, Negros Occidental
Direct Reservations: (+632) 433-7532/ 9295671/ 9282101/ 9941145
Resort CP Number: 09473241969/ 09052235745

Sweet City Captel          Guisi Point Lighthouse
Gatuslao St., Bacolod City          Brgy. Lourdes, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras
(+6334) 433-5391                      Contact Person: Ms.Rose Gaitan
(+6334) 432-2989                      (0919) 563-6688
capgem_coop@yahoo.com

Trappist Monastery
(Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Abbey)
Brgy. San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras
Contact Person: Fr. Bruno Mendoza
(+6333) 581-3385
(0927) 463-4465


Here is the list of entries on our 5-Day Western Visayas Tour:
    
     I.     Western Visayas: The 5-Day Itinerary
     II.    Bacolod City: Negros Museum and the Old Pala-Pala
     III.   Balay Negrense and the ancestral houses in Silay City
     IV.   The Ruins in Talisay City
     V.    Capitol Park and Lagoon
     VI.   Mambukal Mountain Resort and the Seven Falls
     VII.  Mambukal Mountain Resort-Hot Spring, Zipline, Kayak
     VIII. Guimaras: Guisi Point Lighthouse & theTrappist Monastery
     IX.   Western Visayas: Summary, Expenses, and Contacts


1 comments:

  1. hi Isko!!!
    Thanks for all the info!!!
    Will be going there on Saturday then be back at Monday! Kami naman! Ok tong blog mo! I find it so informative! Hope you continue blogging. Im sure alot would be benefiting from it. THanks again!

    ReplyDelete

 
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