The City of Smiles… and Good Food!

I think I would never tire of going back to Bacolod City in Negros Occidental. The people are very kind and helpful, the environment quiet and peaceful, and the food superb and cheap! It’s also easy to go around the city with the help of multicabs and taxis. Most of the tourists flock during the Masskara Festival held every third week of October where you can revel at their street dance competitions, parades and be awed by their colorful masks and costumes.

If you’re visiting for the first time, here’s a suggested tour guide around the city. Upon your arrival at the Silay-Bacolod International Airport, you can opt to reach Bacolod City via taxi or vans for hire that can cost you about php300-400. But don’t fret as there are always cheaper ways to get to the city. One option is the Nyala Tours multicabs parked at the leftmost part of the parking area across the airport building. Fare is only php35.00 and it takes you all the way to the public transport terminal in Bata. From there, you’ll only need a multicab ride (php 8.00) to get to Lacson St., the prime location in the city where most of the hotels and restaurants are found. The other alternative is to take a tricycle (found outside the parking area and costs php10.00 each) that will drop you off at Silay City. However, the tricycles will wait for 6 people before taking off (this will cost you php60.00 if you do not want to wait for other passengers). In Silay city, you can visit Balay Negrense (closed on Mondays) and other old heritage houses, the San Diego Cathedral, old art deco buildings and the El Ideal Bakery (famous for their guapple pie which costs php35.00 per serving). Afterwards, you can ride a multicab or bus going towards Bacolod city, about 30-40 minutes away. 

El Ideal Bakery

sweet eggpie and guapple pie

San Diego Cathedral

Balay Negrense museum

Hotels and inns in Bacolod are very affordable and comfortable. Most of them are found on Lacson St. but there are also those near the city hall and tucked away in little streets. L’Fisher hotel is quite famous because of its great location and facilities but I highly recommend Circle Inn Hotel located at Malaspina St. because of its affordable rates (php850-1300 for double occupancy), quiet environment, nice décor and very comfy beds plus a swimming pool! =) The only downside is it’s a bit far from Lacson St., you’ll have to ride a multicab or a taxi to go to the market, the capitol or the mall.

the big and comfy bed

In the city, you can go around the capitol and visit the public library and the animal sanctuary or sit and relax on one of the benches on the capitol grounds and marvel at the two golden statues built on opposite sides of the lagoon. 

You can also visit the cathedral and park located near the market and SM Bacolod. But, one destination not to be missed is the Ruins, a mansion owned by a famed sugar baron in the old days. A fire had destroyed the house and all but the concrete foundations had burned to the ground. The place is awesome during late afternoons because of the way the sunlight hits the structure and the surrounding garden. You can easily reach the Ruins via taxi or take a multicab ride from Lacson St. (about php11.00) then hire a tricycle to take you there and wait for you (php50.00 each). Entrance fee is php50.00 each and there is a small café inside.

If you get hungry, Bacolod city will not disappoint with their very famous chicken inasal. The grilled chicken is very tasty and tender and is quite different from the ones found in Manila. It is customary to eat with your hands and pour oil (which comes from the chicken while they grill them) on your rice for a more gustatory experience. Chicken House and Chicken Deli are highly recommended and both are found on Lacson St. while a row of chicken inasal houses can be found in Manokan Country right across SM Bacolod. 

Chicken House chicken inasal

Chicken Deli chicken inasal

Manokan Country

One golden find is the Old Pala-pala found a block away from the capitol. They have a small market where you can buy fresh seafood like lobsters, shrimps, scallops, squid, blue marlin and tuna at really affordable prices and bring them to the nearby “tulahan” or eateries where you can have them cooked anyway you want for a certain fee(much like the Dampa at the Farmers’ Market in Cubao). I had dinner there with 3 other people and our bill didn’t even reach php1000. We had ½ kilo giant shrimps, ½ kilo fresh scallops, 2 slices of tanigue, tanigue head and tail for our sinigang, 7 cups of rice and a liter of soda.

Old Pala-pala seafood market

seafood heaven

Usual cooking charge is php60.00 per dish (only php20.00 for the grilled fish), rice is at php12.00 per cup and a liter of soda for php50.00. There are other restaurants along Lacson St. like Bascon, 21 and Pendy’s but I didn’t eat at these places because the price ranges are quite expensive for my budget.

The other thing that the city is famous for is the yummy desserts. Ask anyone and they will all certainly point you to Calea, home of heavenly cakes at affordable prices. They have several kinds of pies, cheesecakes and chocolate cakes plus ice cream cakes, parfaits, brownies, muffins, cookies and even biscotti. The price ranges from php75-95 a slice including the pies ala mode and the ice cream cakes. They also serve hot and cold beverages such as coffee and fruit shakes. I highly recommend the pecan pie ala mode, the white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce, the berries cheesecake and the mudpie ice cream cake that they serve with crushed chocolate cookies and slivers of almonds. The store is open until 10pm but extends to 11pm every Friday and Saturday and is located at 14^th Lacson St.

 

I also fell in love with the delicious and giant-sized French macarons created by Felicia’s café and restaurant (located at the Doll bldg, 6^th Lacson St.). They come in different flavors like blueberry, strawberry, lemon, chocolate mint and mocha and are sold at php40 a piece. The macaron shells are soft, chewy and have that distinct almond flavor while the filling is really good and creamy. They also sell a variety of cakes and other desserts but I only come here for the macarons, =)

yummy French Macarons

blueberry and lemon

Buying pasalubong is also easy as you can shop for piaya, tarts, bischoco, napoleones as well as masks, keychains, capiz home décor and shirts at the Negros products showroom along Lacson St. (near the capitol) or at the numerous pasalubong stores all over the city and in the market.

The Spectacular Island of Coron

It’s really easy to see how a lot of people fall in love with CORON. The amazing islands and the laid-back lifestyle draw in numerous tourists, both foreign and local. The people are friendly and they really give a lot of effort in conserving and protecting the natural wonders of the island.

I was fortunate enough to visit the island last March through Cebu Pacific’s promo fare. There are many different packages being offered online but I decided to go with DIY Coron. My package included roundtrip airport transfers and the island tour. It would be best to contact a van for hire before you arrive in Coron since there are no public transport vehicles available at the Busuanga airport.

After roughly 45 minutes, we were dropped off at Brgy. Poblacion 3 where Ralph’s Pension House is located. The rate is php1000 a night for the air-conditioned room with a private bathroom, free wi-fi, cable tv, towels and toiletries. The space is a bit cramped but the bed was really comfortable so we didn’t mind anymore. The only downside was our room was just a few feet away from the main road so we can hear all the noise of the passing tricycles and motorcycles.

 Since we arrived in Coron late in the afternoon, we walked around a bit to look for a place to eat. A few houses away we found Lolo Nonoy’s Food House. It’s a quaint eatery with bamboo huts. They serve sandwiches, rice meals and different kinds of pansit.

 

rice meals ranges from p80-p120

 

The following day, one of the boatmen fetched us from the pension house and brought us to the dock near the market. The life vests and snorkeling gear were provided once we were in the boat. Our first stop was Siete Pecados, a little sanctuary made up of seven small islands. I wore my life vest and snorkeling gear and excitedly went down from the boat. There were a lot of colorful fishes which drew closer when you have bread for them to feed on. There were also a lot of colorful corals in the area.

nearing Siete Pecados

 Our next stop was Kayangan Lake. This is where you’ll see the most pictured spot in all of Coron. But, to get there, we had to climb up and down around 150 steps. We had to do it slowly since the steps were quite slippery and we were advised against holding on to jutting rocks because they are very sharp and might cause some injury. We left our stuff on one of the benches built on one side of the lake and went in the water. The water was cool and very clear. I didn’t snorkel anymore since there wasn’t much to see under the water. We enjoyed swimming and floating on our backs for a couple of hours before heading to our next destination.

the most famous spot in Coron

part of Kayangan Lake

 The guide informed us that we will have our lunch at the next stop which is called Banol Beach. The area had a short strip of white sand beach and a cluster of bamboo huts were people can eat and rest. The boatman and the guide prepared our meal while we frolic in the clean and clear water. The meal was truly a feast!  We had rice with grilled pork belly, grilled local fish, a couple of crabs plus a refreshing side dish and spicy dipping sauce. They also served us sweet mangoes and cold mineral water and soda. We literally couldn’t move after because we had too much to eat. The wind lulled us to a short nap. After a quick dip in the water again, we boarded the boat and moved on to the next destination.

huts for eating and resting

  

our delicious lunch

We reached Skeleton Wreck after about 15 minutes. There were 4-5 boats in the area and a lot of people were already snorkeling in the water. We immediately put on our gear and swam towards the wreck site. It was truly magnificent. I could see the sunken ship thirty feet below since the water was really clear. The guide brought the leftover grilled fish and handed it to me. I was surprised at how quick the fishes came to feed. There were colorful ones and quite big silver ones. We didn’t stay long since it was a bit crowded and the waves were quite strong.

Our last stop was called Twin Lagoon, a secluded cove where the water was a mixture of hot and cold. We docked our boat on one side of the lagoon where the other boats are and transferred to a bamboo raft that took us to the makeshift platform. You can climb up and down a pair of steep wooden stairs or dive under a hole in between to get to the other lagoon. We swam and floated around for a couple of hours. We enjoyed being surprised by the change in temperature from one part of the lagoon to the next. Our guide even found some starfish and a jellyfish in the deep parts of the lagoon.

We had a light snack in the boat on the way back. The boatman gave us the leftover water and soda (still cold!) and a bunch of yummy suman (sticky rice delicacy). We got back to the port at around 4pm and decided to just walk back to the pension house.

After showering and a much deserved nap, we went out to have dinner at Bistro Coron. The quaint restaurant is owned by a French guy who now lives in the island. We ordered onion soup while waiting for the dishes since we read from another blog that the food takes 20-25 minutes before being served. I had the Pork Tenderloin with peppercorn gravy and rice while my boyfriend had the Hungarian Sausage with potatoes. The price range was a bit expensive but the generous portions can be shared by two people.

onion soup

 

 

 

It rained a lot the following day so we were not able to walk around and explore the town. Fortunately, it stopped during lunchtime and we were able to look for a place to eat. We decided to try W.G.’s restaurant near the public market. The menu was quite extensive since they serve pasta, rice dishes, Chinese dimsum and grilled meat. We opted for the grilled tanigue fish with rice and seafood pasta. We were surprised at how big the servings were but were not impressed by the taste and quality of the food. The fish was frozen and the pasta noodles were overcooked.

We went out again at around 4:30 pm to visit Mt. Tapyas. We brought bottles of water and face towels since it was a 700-step to the top. The steps were man-made and there were several stone benches forthose who want to stop and rest for a while. The air got cooler as we went up and the view was also becoming more spectacular. There was a big white stone cross at the summit and more stone benches. The 360-degree view of the whole island was more than amazing. We saw rolling hills on one side and the water on the other side. It was again another unforgettable place in Coron. 

We went back to the pension house to change into swimming clothes and get some money since we would be going to the Maquinit Hot Spring. The place was an hour away from the town so we rented a tricycle that had also agreed to wait for us and bring us back to town. He was also nice enough to allow us to stop by Coron Harvest, the famous seller of best-tasting cashew nuts. The lady was very generous in giving us free samples that we ended up buying almost 2 kilos of cashew nuts.

It was already 7:30pm when we reached the hot spring. Fortunately, the place closes at 9pm so we still had a lot of time to enjoy. There weren’t a lot of people too so it was not crowded at all. The salty water makes this hot spring different from other hot springs I’ve been to. It was uncomfortable at first but once our bodies got used to the hot temperature, we started to feel relaxed refreshed. The warm water helped soothed our sore muscles from the hike earlier. After an hour in the water, we decided to head back to town to have some dinner. We chose to eat again at Lolo Nonoy’s since it was just near our place and we were really hungry. We had their delicious sinigang na tuna with rice and ice-cold sodas. A simple yet nice way to end our last night in Coron. 

Breakdown of Expenses:

	rate per person
Airport transfer (Busuanga Airport to Coron)	p150
Ralph’s pension house	p1000 a night (good for two)
Island Tour (with lunch and snack)	p2300
Environmental fees	p100 (Siete Pecados)
	p200 (Kayangan Lake)
	p100 (Banol Beach)
	p100 (hut rental at Banol beach)
	p100 (Skeleton Wreck)
	p100 (Twin Lagoon)
Tricycle rental (Maquinit Hot Springs)	p250
Entrance fee (Maqunit Hot Springs)	p150
Airport transfer (Coron to Busuanga Airport)	p150

contact numbers:

09284083105 – Jayjay (van for hire)

09102879613 – Rico (island tour)

*the actual rate for the island tour is p1500 plus p300 for lunch, ours was more expensive since we used the services of DIY Coron

09154432193 – Ralph’s pension house