Entrance, Mumbukal Mountain Resort, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Coming from the USA, we are accustomed to natural areas being in public ownership as parkland. In the Philippines many such places are privately owned and operated. Mambukal Resort is about a 45 minute drive from Bacolod City. It consists of beautifully landscaped grounds in which are set a swimming pool, picnic shelters, ponds, rental cottages, a Japanese bathhouse, a butterfly garden, and a food court. From Mambukal one can hike further up into the mountains to a series of waterfalls. Contact: 034-7100-800. Please note that some guidebooks refer to Mambukal as Mambucal.

Mumbukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental - Swimming Pool

Beautifully landscaped grounds - Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Cottage at Mambukal

A rental cottage at Mambukal. While the design of the cottages was delightful and the price reasonable, our cottage was not in the best of shape. This is a heavily used resort and the rooms are often occupied to overfull. We paid P900 for our aircon room. The aircon was not really working due to low voltage. While there was a hot water heater, it was not working. The accommodations were acceptable but nothing to look forward to. We did have our dinner at the on-site food court. There were two or three separate independently run restaurants. Ours was quite good (grilled Blue Marlin, BBQ chicken) and the prices reasonable.

Hot Springs at Mambukal Resort -- the sign said 90 degrees C!

Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Volcanic activity was evident everywhere at Mambukal

Picnic Shelter - Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines The design of the landscaping and the buildings was very well thought out and well maintained as well.

Pretty Roads - Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Hiking trail to the waterfalls Mumbukal Mountain Resort

There are a series of waterfalls in the mountains above the resort. Perhaps there is a formal road or trail but our Mambukal guide took us on an informal route that wound steeply up, through mountain barrios, to the falls. The footing was slippery so I wished I had had boots rather than running shoes. Still, the hike was a high point of our trip, not so much for the falls but for the chance to see how life is lived in the mountain barrios.

Falls in mountains above Mambukal Resort

I believe this is fall five of seven. Kids from the surrounding barrios hung out at the falls hoping to secure a little money. Although fairly high in the mountains, there are lots of people living in this backcountry. We did not swim in the pool because we were not sure if the water was contaminated.

Barrio Road near Mambukal Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Rice harvest in the Mambukal backcountry, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Clothes trying to dry in the wet backcountry near Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Butterfly Farm - Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines If you pay a small fee you may visit the resort's butterfly farm.

In the Philippines, the population density is so high, the forest so decimated that, except for beach resorts, it can be hard to experience nature and natural beauty in the Philippines. Mambukal is a great getaway for those seeking a bit a of nature.

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

This begins as an account of a May 2008 visit to Bacolod and environs but we hope to expand this section as we spend more time in Negros. We have been living in Iloilo City for nearly two years. Our Iloilo stay was supposed to only be for a month and then we were to go on to Bacolod City. We liked Iloilo so well we just stayed, but after this visit to Bacolod we can see that it’s an excellent choice for those seeking a mid-size Philippine city. Iloilo City’s expansion sprang from the core of an old Spanish settlement. Bacolod is newer and has a more modern plan with some wide roads and a more spacious layout. It also seems more prosperous than Iloilo City, its civic buildings and museums better maintained. It has also planted and maintained trees which grace its streets. I don’t know if Bacolod can match Iloilo’s medical care or educational facilities, but it’s certainly worth a long look.

BACOLOD CITY RESTAURANT TIP >>>:  We had lunch at the Cafe Uma, 15th & Lacson Streets, just across 15th Street from the L’Fisher Hotel. (34) 709-9966.  A very pleasant place to dine.  The food was as good as we’ve had in the West Visayas region.  We wish (for our sake) the Cafe Uma was located in Iloilo City!

We take the Weesam Express fast ferry from Iloilo City to Bacolod

We took the Weesam Express fast ferry from Iloilo City to Bacolod. Roundtrip economy fare is P210. It can be rough, take your Dramamine!

We are met by a rented van. Van service arranged through the Mambukal Resort 034-709-0990 or 034-433-8516

A brief stopover at the posh Ayala North subdivision is an extremely upscale subdivision. I have not seen anything like it in Iloilo City.

We’re told that income disparities are especially wide in Negros Occidental. We were taken aback by the number of people begging in Bacolod and Silay. I recall that there were also many beggars in Dumaguete, on the other side of Negros Island. I am rarely approached by beggars in Iloilo City. There are certainly many poor persons in Iloilo but perhaps most are too mayabang (proud) to ask for help.

Silay's Church of San Diego, designed by Italian architect Verasconi and built in 1925. Also shown: Golden Shower Tree

Silay Church interior

Silay Plaza. Silay is a pretty place. The tree-lined boulevard from Bacolod City to Silay is a pleasure. Silay is not only filled with historic ancestral homes, several of which are open as museums, but it also is very leafy-green. Big old trees are everywhere and they add so much to the pleasure of being in Silay.

Wonderful Balay Negrenese Museum (Gaston Ancestral Home), Silay

Since I worked in the field of historic preservation, I have visited dozens of historic house museums. This one is definitely worth a visit. The building sits on extensive grounds. The house itself and the furnishings epitomize how to live graciously and comfortably in the tropics without air conditioning. What a contrast with the concrete boxes being built in so many Philippine subdivisions, concrete houses surrounded by high concrete walls, houses which were designed with little regard for the Philippine climate.

Plaque: Balay Negrenese Museum (Gaston Ancestral Home), Silay

Parlor - Balay Negrenese Museum (Gaston Ancestral Home), Silay. High ceilings, open windows, trees proving shade make this an inviting place on a hot afternoon.

Balay Negrenese Museum, Gaston Ancestral Home, Silay - 2nd floor

Leaking roof drips onto floor to die for - Balay Negrenese Museum, Gaston Ancestral Home, Silay

Kitchen - Balay Negrenese Museum, Gaston Ancestral Home, Silay

Bedroom - Balay Negrenese Museum, Gaston Ancestral Home, Silay

Bedroom - Balay Negrenese Museum, Gaston Ancestral Home, Silay

Our next stop was “The Ruins”.  The concept of “stabilized ruins” is common in the United Kingdom as a way of preserving and interpreting crumbling hulks of old buildings, especially country churches and abbeys. Enough restoration of the ruin is done to help prevent further deterioration but without the expense of trying to rebuild, restore and maintain the building. This concept has been wonderfully implemented here. The building was a lavish early 20th century concrete fantasy of a residence built by a local sugar baron. The Ruins are on extensive and beautifully landscaped and maintained grounds.The road in is VERY rough but on the way out our driver found a much easier route through a residential subdivision. The location is actually in Talisay City, not Bacolod.

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

"The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

Muscavado sugar vat - "The Ruins" Talisay, Bacolod

Our next stop was back in Bacolod City proper: the Negros Museum, a very fine regional museum

Final stop, the Association of Negros Producers Store, Bacolod City. This shop displays and sells the products of local artists and artisans.

Expats looking for a pretty smaller Philippine city with a wealth of amenities should definitely give Bacolod City a close look.

Negros Oriental Provincial Capital, Dumaguete

We spent two weeks in Dumaguete in February 2005.  Our visit was part of a plan to select the best place for upcoming retirement in the Philippines.

Negros Oriental Provinical Capitol Building, Dumaguete

Dumaguete is more genteel than any Philippine city I have visited. Most Philippine cities aim just to survive; being pretty is not high on the list. Instead of the usual polluted, industrial water front, Dumaguete has a long, lovely, waterfront promenade with cast iron street lamps and benches to rest on. Huge Acacia trees line the strip of parkland separating the promenade from Rizal Boulevard. The Boulevard has some nice hotels, cafes, and bars where one can while away the hours gazing at the ocean.

Dumaguete's Crown Jewel - The Oceanfront Promenade

The community has other assets. The Silliman University campus is almost Ivy League-beautiful. The Provincial Capitol and adjacent Freedom Park are also beautiful and well maintained. Generally there are sidewalks and far less trash than is usual in the Philippines. The water and sewer works, while not up to Western standards, are better than most.

Giant Acacia trees along the "Boulevard". The building behind the trees is the Bethel Guest House.

The "Promenade", Dumaguete

I found the people more reserved than in Cebu City, probably just because it’s a more rural place. However I was grocery shopping in Lee Plaza, Dumaguete, in the soup section. Three young teenage girls were also shopping there — maybe they were 16. The three of them approached me and said, very sweetly and very sincerely, that I was very cute, very handsome. They did not seem to have any agenda — except maybe they were on the way to eye doctor. Anyway, they did this bold thing in a very shy way. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day.

The beautiful Silliman University Campus, Dumaguete

Silliman University Church and University Campus, Dumaguete

Before coming to the Philippines, we lived in Upstate New York.  Horace Silliman was from Cohoes, New York, part of the Albany area.  Silliman University in Dumaguete was a relativity small part of Silliman’s philanthropy, but is perhaps is the most enduring part.  His major project, Silliman Memorial Church was demolished in 1998 by the city to which he devoted so much of his life.  More information at http://www.lostlandmarks.org/silliman.html

The Silliman University web site: http://www.su.edu.ph/

Anthropological Museum, Silliman University, Dumaguete. Open to the public by arrangement.

I tended to hang around the “Why Not” restaurant, bar, Internet cafe, travel agency, real estate agency. Seemed mostly Germans and other Europeans there. Some start drinking after breakfast and are pretty glassy-eyed by lunch. Thai dishes at Why Not were the best food of our three month trip, and we dined at dozens of restaurants.

Moving to the center of town from the waterfront, Dumaguete becomes more like the usual Philippine city; choked with tricycles and other traffic.

Rizal Park, Dumaguete

Rizal Park, Dumaguete

South Seas Resort, Dumaguete

Sunrise, South Seas Resort, Dumaguete

We stayed at the South Seas resort north of downtown — not perfect, but was on ocean, pool, quiet and nicely landscaped but still with fairly easy access to downtown. We paid about $23 USD per night for an AC cottage.

Compared to Cebu City, Bacolod and Iloilo, Dumaguete real estate prices are much lower.  Comparatively they are a good deal.  For Filipinos who need to earn a living, there are many more employment and business opportunities in the bigger cities, but the the foreign retiree need not consider that.  For them, Dumaguete has a lot to offer.  Further, many foreigners come to pretty Dumaguete to build their dream homes.  Things happen and these places end up on the market at good prices.  In Cebu City there would be plenty of Filipino buyers, but in Dumaguete the market for expensive properties is mainly foreigners.

Many of the smaller communities near Dumaguete are also pretty with many good beach and diving opportunities. There’s also opportunities for hiking and mountaineering.

Silliman University Medical Center, Dumaguete

Friends who live in Dumaguete give good reports on the medical care here, especially for a smaller Philippine city.  Nurses graduating from Silliman University are top-scorers on nursing board exams.

Sans Rival Bakery and Restaurant, Dumaguete - one of my favorites

There are some beautiful small towns near to Dumaguete.  Live near the beach in Dauin or in the mountains in beautiful Valencia.

Quiet and pretty Dauin, Negros Oriental

Forest Camp, a park not far from Dumaguete

Forest Camp is a private park in the hills of Valencia, a very pretty small mountain town outside of Dumaguete.  Forest Camp is a good place for a picnic.  They also have overnight accommodations.

Carol at Forest Camp, Dumaguete

Char, B-Ray and Bob at Forest Camp, Dumaguete

Stream running through Forest Camp, Dumaguete

Dumaguete area rental units available

Rental Units Available in Dumaguete