One of the local airlines had another round of ticket sale. Of course, we didn’t let it pass and booked for another travel destination. After checking several locations, we chose Dumaguete.

At first, we were quite blank on what to do in Dumaguete; where to go, what are the attractions and most importantly, where to eat. When it comes to the usual travel destinations, we rarely see and hear about Dumaguete.

Couple of months passed by and it's finally the day of our flight. I can still remember, we were having second thoughts whether to pursue our vacation or not given the inclement weather that day. The downpour in Metro Manila was so severe that a lot of places had been flooded due to the monsoon rains. There were two LPAs and one tropical storm, so just imagine the amount of rainfall we had back then! But, since our flights haven’t been cancelled and lots of plans and reservations have been made, we decided to brave the rain and head on to our flight to Dumaguete.

After approximately an hour, we reached Dumaguete. As we disembarked from the plane, to our surprise a very sultry weather welcomed us! With our faces lightened, we knew right there and then that we were bound for another awesome vacation.

We arrived around seven in the evening, so first order of business after checking in to our hotel was to find the right spot for dinner. We were famished! Good thing our hotel was right in the middle of downtown and we had an array of restaurants to choose from.

A little background: Dumaguete City is part of Negros region which is said to be where the Filipino style chicken inasal originated.

JO’S CHICKEN INATO is the go-to place for an authentic taste of Negros chicken inasal in Dumaguete. A meal costs just around 100 php. We have tried different sorts of inasal, but JO’S CHICKEN INATO’s version has this distinctive flavor that makes it part of our top list of best inasals.

The following day we tried GABBY’S BISTRO’s ribs, cajun chicken fingers and many more. They also offer a variety of Filipino and American cuisines just right for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Apart from inasal, Dumaguete is also known for their mouth-watering desserts and pastries. A famous go-to place for both locals and tourists is SANS RIVAL CAKES & PASTRIES. (We actually got confused and went to SANS RIVAL BISTRO instead of SANS RIVAL CAKES & PASTRIES. The bistro is located at the facade of the main building while the latter is at the back side of the street.) and as mentioned, since they are famous, expect the long queue of customers. Nevertheless, the food is worth the wait.

A visit to Dumaguete is never complete without a try of their crispy tempura and balut sold at Rizal boulevard. The local tempura sellers set up stalls along Rizal boulevard daily from 6 PM onward (if the weather permits). Despite the number of people, it’s actually one of our favorite spots in the city. Why? Imagine eating inexpensive street foods with your wife while watching the sunset over Dumaguete bay. An exact testament that the best things in life need not be expensive, right?

We found out that there are a lot of good sceneries and travel spots in Dumaguete, but because of our limited time, Milot and I decided to just limit our go-to-list to a few handpicked locations.

The second day of our Dumaguete trip, we decided to have a short city tour. For us, this is the best way to get acquainted with the local culture.

First stop was CAMPANARIO DE DUMAGUETE (Dumaguete’s Belfry tower). It was built in 1800’s. Back in the day, it served as a watchtower to warn the people Dumaguete of any impending pirate attacks.

Next, we went to DUMAGUETE BOULEVARD or RIZAL BOULEVARD. It is said that our very own Dr. Jose Rizal himself took a stroll here prior to his departure to Dapitan, Zamboanga.

Along Rizal Boulevard and near the city port is Dumaguete’s SILIMAN UNIVERSITY.

Top two on our list is MANJUYOD SANDBAR. Technically, it’s not part of Dumaguete but of Manjuyod, Negros Oriental. But, since it’s just an hour or two away from Dumaguete, we made sure it was part of our itinerary.

We had a semi DIY tour to Manjuyod sandbar. First, we took a bus bound for Manjuyod and alighted at Bais City (Travel time is around an hour). We bought some fish, liempo and puso rice for lunch. Afterwards, we hailed a tricycle to Canibol Wharf where we were welcomed by our bangkeros. To our surprise, we apparently booked for a private tour, thus we had the entire boat to ourselves!

It was still early and high tide, so the bangkeros suggested we first have the dolphin watching activity before going to the sandbar. We sailed through Bais Bay for an hour, but the dolphins were too shy to favor us with sightings. So, we headed on farther east to try our luck. After sailing for another hour or so we’ve reached Oslob, Cebu. Yet, there was not one dolphin in sight. We were about to give up and call it a day when kuya bangkero shouted, “sa kanan! (look at your right!)”. There we saw about 2 to 3 dolphins swimming/playing. 

It was my first time seeing dolphins in the wild, so it was a truly breathtaking experience for me. That sighting was followed by another one and then another. There were just pods of dolphins swimming and playing everywhere. One even gave a special treat and made a backflip in front of us!

Around 12 noon, we bid our farewells to the dolphins and continued with our sandbar tour. Unfortunately, it was still high tide and only a few portions of the sandbar can be seen above water. Nevertheless, the place was still a beauty. Just had to be extra careful since we’ve seen a few sea urchins in the area.

We also tried the fresh sea urchins and oysters sold by the friendly bangkeros.

Then came the last day of our vacation. Time passed by so fast that we were a little subdued knowing that our vacation is almost up. That’s why we made sure to save the best for last. On top of our list was a visit to APO ISLAND. It’s a famous snorkeling and dive site due to its beautiful coral reefs and marine life as well as a known sanctuary for sea turtles.

We booked our tour via PHILCAN TOURS. On a side note, we recommend them for any APO ISLAND tour, may it be snorkeling tour, scuba diving, etc. Apart from the quality service and savory lunch they provide, their crew were so entertaining making the trip extra fun. Kudos!

We went to three snorkeling sites around Apo Island. First location is where the sea turtles can be found. Apo Island is also home to a few sea snake species. We had a few encounters and to be honest, it was a frightening experience. Though, we were told that they don’t really pay attention to divers, we were still so anxious knowing that we’re swimming with venomous snakes. But then again, we still made sure to have fun. We even took some photos of these beautiful creatures.

We went to the second diving area where there’s an underwater cave passage to the other side of the island. One of the guides persuaded us to swim through the cave, we were hesitant at first, but we know for sure that we’ll regret if we didn’t try it, so we followed kuya. A claustrophobic feeling kicked in instantly as we swam through the cave, thankfully we got out safe.

The last part of our Apo Island tour was quite a challenge. Our boatmen said that they will go first to the last snorkeling site and we can just swim and follow them. But, given the beautiful sceneries down below, we agreed because we haven’t had enough underwater videos and pictures. So, more swimming and freediving for us!

Our Apo Island tour ended with big smiles on our faces. We’ve been to different dive spots, but Apo Island will have a special place in our hearts. Unfortunately, we found a few plastic bottles on the seabed. We hope that we maintain its beauty so that it can also be enjoyed and experienced by the next generations to come. As we promote local tourism, let’s also be advocates for responsible tourism.

It was indeed a short stay at Dumaguete. Yet, it was fun-filled and memorable. Hopefully, someday we can come back and enjoy again the fascinating treasures of Negros Oriental.

If you want to see more of our Dumaguete adventures, watch the video below!