When Cebu Pacific had their promo fare last February 2018 which was 143 base fare on all domestic and international flights, me and my friend scored a round trip ticket from Manila to Dumaguete for only Php 1,133!!! How was that?! 😁 So guys, abang-abang lang talaga. Travelling need not to be expensive. ❤
Why Dumaguete? Because of PERTH PARADISE RESORT! Actually, when we first saw posts of travelers from a travel group page in Facebook, it has been part of our bucket list since then. I mean, who wouldn't fall for the picturesque view of the pool?
So here's the overview of our itinerary and expenses:
Our flight from Manila to Dumaguete is scheduled at 04:40 AM of Saturday (Aug 04), so Friday night pa lang, we are at NAIA T3 na waiting for our departure time kasi for us, lalo na both of us are girls, it's safer to travel ng 11:00 PM rather than 2 or 3 AM.
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Waiting for departure. Medyo fresh looking pa. HAHAHA
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Shout out to my highschool classmate who has been living in Dumaguete since college, Harvie Boles, thank you for picking us up from Sibulan Airport and dropping us at Ceres bus terminal. 😊 Just in case no one will pick you up, there are a lot of motorcycle drivers waiting outside the airport. However, I suggest you walk a little bit and look for a tricyle outside the vicinity of the airport because I think it's cheaper.
There are three bus routes from Dumaguete to Sipalay:
1. Direct bus from Dumaguete to Sipalay - one trip only per day (01:00 PM)
2. Bus from Dumaguete to Hinobaan to Sipalay
3. Bus from Dumaguete to Bayawan to Hinobaan to Sipalay
On an average, all of these will take 5 to 6 hours bus ride - depending on the waiting time.
When we arrived at Ceres bus terminal, the direct bus to Sipalay will leave at 01:00 PM. While Hinobaan bound bus is scheduled to leave at 10:00 AM. The only available bus at that time is Bayawan bound. So, we took the 3rd option.
When we arrived at Bayawan bus terminal, we waited for more or less 30 mins before a Hinobaan bound bus arrived. It was an ordinary bus but it's okay as the air is cold due to on-off rain around the province. While waiting for Hinobaan bus, we bought snacks (chips, candies, water) and other supplies from a mini-supermarket in front of the bus terminal. If you are heading to Perth Paradise Resort and you haven't bought your water and food supplies yet, this is the perfect place to get it because there are only small sari-sari store at Hinobaan and Sipalay bus terminal.
After 2 hours, we arrived at Hinobaan bus terminal. The bus which will drop by Sipalay is Bacolod bound bus. We hopped off and in just an hour,we finally arrived at Sipalay City.
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| Ang sarap dumerecho ng Bacolod. Hihihi! 😂 |
Before heading to Perth Paradise Resort, we took our lunch at one of the karinderya near Sipalay bus terminal. All public tricycle have published rate approved by their local government, depending on where you will be dropped off. Our fare to Perth Paradise Resort is Php 70 per person. The same tricycle driver will also pick you up from the resort to drop you at the bus terminal when going back to Dumaguete. Just ensure that you informed them of the time. We also hired Manong driver to give us a tour on Punta Ballo Beach and Tinagong Dagat. It was raining at that time, so it's not advisable to go to Sugar Beach. We hired him for Php 400.
After we had our dinner, we called it a day. We were sleepless last night from the airport. Lol!
Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries
After the check-in process, we changed OOTDs and started our short Sipalay tour.
First stop - Punta Ballo White Beach
Entrance: Free
There are many beach-front accommodation here and what we heard from Manong driver, it is cheaper compared to Perth Paradise Resort.
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| Punta Ballo White Beach |
Second stop - Tinagong Dagat
Entrance: Php 20
This place reminds me of Surigao del Norte! The water is so clear and green! Instagrammable everywhere.
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| First bridge from the entrance. Look at the clear green water! |
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| Channeling my inner-Department-of-Tourism Ambassadress! Lol! |
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| I remember, back in the days, I was afraid to cross wooden bridges, much more, hanging bridge. Pero now, I am afraid that no one will catch me when I fall. Luh? HAHAHA |
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| And some cute friends we met along the bridge. Try their ice candy! So good! |
The next morning, we were saddened by the heavy rain! Thankfully, when it's time to get that perfect shot at Perth's awesome pool, the rain has stopped.
Perth Paradise Resort
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perthparadiseph/
We made a reservation thru their mobile number. The room rate is a bit expensive, but we don't mind - it's the highlight of our trip anyway.
We stayed in a cabana room type - it's like a Kubo with fan, mini balcony & foam. It is a shared bathroom.
So here you go!
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| They also have floating-type accommodation. You can swim in the water. :) TIP: Medyo may mga nangangagat na inscets here, so please bring your insect-repellant. |
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| Bucket-list, checked!!!! ❤❤❤ |
There are 2 things missing on our Perth Paradise adventure though - one is the sunrise/sunset kasi it's rainy season and two is the water in the pool! Lol! When we arrived, the pool was being renovated so the water is being refilled pa. But anyway, the view is so fantastic! I can stare at it for several hours with a cup of coffee!
By 8:30 AM, we checked out and Manong driver was waiting already for us. He dropped us off at Sipalay bus terminal. Luckily, a bus bound to Hinobaan is about to leave, so we just bought boiled eggs and water from the vendor and hopped on the bus.
At Hinobaan, we rode an ordinary bus bound to Dumaguete! Yes, rekta na bes! Though we still stopped by Bayawan for 15 to 20 minutes. Around 4:00 PM, we arrived at Dumaguete. We rode a tricycle to our accomodation - Gabby's Bed and Breakfast.
Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Gabby's Bed and Breakfast
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Gabbysbedandbreakfast/
We booked this through Agoda at Php 800 per night. We had a private twin room, air-conditioned and own CR plus free breakfast. The main reason why we chose this is because, our flight back to Manila is at 6:55 AM the following day, and this hostel is just 8 minutes away from Sibulan Airport.
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Gabby's is popular for foreign tourists. Their cafe is so cute!
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Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sansrivalcakesandpastries/
Budget: Php 150 - 200
No Dumaguete trip will ever be complete without trying the famous Silvanas! We went to the branch near Rizal Boulevard. The cafe was packed with travelers buying boxes of Silvanas for pasalubong.
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Me and Jecka, while waiting for our Silvanas and Sans Rival :)
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Rizal Boulevard
After that sweet afternoon snack from Sans Rival, we walked along Rizal Boulevard.
Since we are still full, we haven't tried the street food.
Since it's already evening, we haven't had the chance to check Silliman University. We just took a photo from the outside.
Before we head back to our hostel, we rewarded ourselves with a whole body massage from Nuat Thai. What a relaxing way to end the day.
So the next day, we woke up at 4:30 AM and prepared for our flight back to Manila. The front desk at Gabby's is 24 hours so the check-out process was smooth.
So overall, our Dumaguete and Sipalay trip is one of the most relaxed trip we had. It's also not expensive! See you again, Negros!
