Panglao and the Dumaluan Beach in Bohol

One of my favorite beach in the Philippines is the Dumaluan Beach in Panglao, Bohol. The place is a perfect picture for that beautiful tropical beach. Fine white sand, crystal clear water, tranquil environment, not too touristy type of beach, but with several amenities for your convenience.

Bohol Beach Club, Dumaluan, Panglao

Bohol Beach Club, Panglao, Bohol

Bohol Beach Club

Panglao is a municipality located in Panglao Island, Bohol province. There are two municipalities in Panglao Island and this island is connected by a bridge from the mainland Bohol. The island of Panglao has 2 known beach. One is the famous Alona Beach, where most of the hotels and business establishments are located, and the other one is the Dumaluan Beach. Only few hotels exist in Dumaluan Beach. One is the famous Bohol Beach Club and the other one is Dumaluan Beach Resort, which is a little bit less expensive compared to Bohol Beach Club. There are also a few hotels and resorts nearby but I forgot their names.

Dumaluan Beach

Dumaluan Beach, Panglao

Dumaluan has a very fine white sand. This beach has one of the finest white sand beach that I’ve ever been. I can’t compare it to Boracay since I’ve never been to Boracay but if you’re familiar with Pagudpud’s Blue Lagoon, Calaguas or Camiguin’s White Island, the Dumaluan beach has finer sand compared to those 3 beaches. I don’t know about the sand quality in Alona Beach, also in Panglao, because I never had the chance to visit Alona even though it’s only a few kilometers from Dumaluan. But some tourists state that Dumaluan has finer sand compared to Alona.

Dumaluan Beach is not that expensive place to spend your vacation, unless you’re spending your vacation at Bohol Beach Club, which is a little bit expensive resort. There is a cheap place to have your breakfast, lunch or dinner at Dumaluan. Near the Dumaluan Hotel and Beach Resort, there’s a barbeque and grill where you can buy affordable meals.  Due to the limited number of hotels in Dumaluan, you only have a limited choice for restaurants, compared to Alona, where most of the hotels and resorts are located. There are few restaurants located a few kilometers from Dumaluan but you’ll need to rent a motorcycle or walk to reach those restaurants.

Dumaluan Beach Resort, Panglao, Bohol

Dumaluan Beach

 Most of the time, when you get a package for Bohol Island trip, the island of Panglao is not included. You’ll need to pay an extra fee to include Panglao in the tour package. Panglao is a few kilometers away from Tagbilaran City. You can ride a jeepney, tricycle or a motorcycle to reach Panglao or Dumaluan beach. It’s about 20 to 30 minutes ride from Tagbilaran Pier and Tagbilaran Airport. There are only few jeepneys travelling to Panglao, so if you’re in a hurry you can rent a tricycle or motorcycle. I don’t know the rates for the motorcycle or tricycle rental because when we went to Bohol, we included Panglao on our itinerary for the package tour and we have rented a van for the tour.

The cheapest way to reach Bohol from Cebu is via Tubigon, Bohol. The fastcraft rate is cheaper compared to Tagbilaran and much shorter travel time. The travel time from Cebu City to Tubigon, Bohol is only about an hour but you still need to travel by land to reach Tagbilaran or Panglao. That’s an hour to 2 hours of land travel to Panglao from Tubigon. I’ve never tried this route but I’d like to try this the next time that I’ll be going back to Bohol. There’s still a lot of destination to visit in Bohol and I’m sure it’s worth to visit.

Magnum 8.8 by Tanduay. A different Magnum experience.

Aha! You must be searching for a Magnum Ice Cream article, right? Or I guess the search engine got it wrong.hahaha! You might have typed Magnum Ice Cream in Google but one of the search results is my article about Magnum. But this article is not about Magnum by Selecta, this is an article about Magnum by Tanduay. So I apologize for that and I’m so sorry to disappoint you.hehehe!

The Magnum 8.8 by Tanduay

Anyway, talking about Magnum by Tanduay, a week ago, a friend of mine told me about this new alcoholic drink made by Tanduay. I was curious about that drink since the name of the new product is somewhat similar to a famous ice cream brand which is the Magnum by Selecta. So last Tuesday, I went to the nearest supermarket and grocery store to look for that Magnum by Tanduay, however, it’s not yet available in our city. Well, nothing new about it since the Magnum by Selecta was even made available only after a few months after it was launched in the Philippines.

So late afternoon of Tuesday, I went to Naga City to hit the gym (kunwari healthy lifestyle.hehehe!) and then after working out for an hour (oo, ganyan ako katamad. Isang oras lang) I went to the nearest 711 to searched if there's an available Magnum 8.8. Good thing they have an available Magnum 8.8. I bought one for 25 pesos plus 1.50 pesos for the bottle deposit but I didn’t drink it at 711. Instead, I am reserving that drinking part when I get home so that I could take some photos. And besides, ayoko naman mapagkamalan na manginginom dahil magisa lang na iinom ng alak sa 711.hehehe!

Now where's that product info guide?

After I got home, inilagay ko muna sa freezer yung Magnum para lumamig. After two hours, I took some pictures of the Magnum 8.8. I even imitated that Magnum Ice Cream Craze shots. That kind of picture people uploaded in the social media sites when they first tasted the Magnum Ice Cream. Yung picture na kakagatin yung Magnum tapos ipopost sa facebook.hehehe! But I won’t be posting a Magnum 8.8 shot na kagat kagat ko ang bote, sa mga close friends ko lang yun ipapakita, kakahiya eh..’lam nyo na, mahiyain kasi ko.hahaha!

So ayun, after I took some crazy wacky shots, I then opened the Magnum bottle and took a sip. The taste was kinda similar to a beer with a mixture of brandy, similar to a combination of Red Horse Beer and Emperador Brandy plus a little bit of sugar or should I say a little bit of sweetness.heheh!

Magnum by Tanduay or Magnum by Selecta?

Magnum 8.8 is an alcomix. It is rhum and brandy combination. Compared to SanMig light and Tanduay Ice, which only have 5% alcohol and Colt45 with 7.2% alcohol, this alcoholic drink by Tanduay has 8.8% alcohol, hence the name Magnum 8.8. It’s quite a strong drink for some drinking session. Naisip ko nga na ito na lang ang ipapainom ko sa mga kaibigan ko para tipid. Baka maka 2 bottles lang sila.hahaha!

Anyway, after drinking half of the content, I then decided to pour the remaining half on a glass full of ice. It kinda diluted the drink but it is much better to drink with ice than drinking without ice. Medjo naramdaman ko din ang epekto ng alcohol and for me, I think I’ll stick to 5% alcohol content lang.hahaha! So go ahead guys and try the new Magnum 8.8 by Tanduay. It’s the Magnum with a kick! It’s way better than the Magnum by Selecta.hahaha!

Naga City, Camarines Sur. The Heart of Bicol.

The Heart of Bicol, this is what Naga City is. It is a vibrant city located in Camarines Sur, Bicol Region. I lived in this city for several years and Naga City was my home during my college years. I enjoy staying at this city and this is sort of my second home. This is where most of my friends live and this where I always go when I feel a little bit bored. You know, in Naga City there’s a lot of things to do. You’ll never run out of things to do while you’re in the city. I love this city because it’s a lively city. Most of the things that I want and need are available in this city. There are a lot of shops, malls, restaurants and other business establishments in the city.

Malabsay Falls, Brgy. Panicuason

Malabsay Falls, Brgy. Panicuason

Naga City is one of the oldest cities in the Philippines. In fact, it is one of the earliest Spanish settlements in the Philippines just like Cebu and Manila. Naga City is the third Spanish royal city in the Philippine islands, after Cebu and Manila. There are 3 Naga in the Philippines. One is in Cebu Province and the other one is in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Naga City in Camarines Sur province is considered as the Heart of the Bicolandia since it is strategically located in the center of the Bicol Region. Naga City is also the economic center of the Bicol Region. There are a lot of businesses and economic activities in Naga.

Naga City Public Market

Naga City PNR Station

Naga City is also the educational center of Bicol due to fact that there are a lot of universities and colleges located in Naga. Some of these schools are Ateneo De Naga University, University of Nueva Caceres and Universidad de Sta. Isabel. As a trivia, Universidad de Sta. Isabel is the first normal school for girls in the Philippines. This school was established in 1867.

The city has a lot of tourist destination and one them is the majestic Mt. Isarog, which is also shared amongst several other municipalities in Camarines Sur. One of the destinations in the city is the Malabsay Falls located in Barangay Panicuason, Naga City. A waterfall tucked in the lush forest of Mt. Isarog. An hour hike from Malabsay Falls is another waterfalls called Nabontolan Falls. There’s also a beautiful resort near Malabsay Falls, the Stonehouse Resort. If you don’t want the cold waters of the waterfalls, then you have that option to go to the nearby hotspring called Panicuason Hot Spring Resort. The last time that I got there, the entrance fee was 200 pesos per person and that was a year ago. Barangay Panicuason can be reached from the city proper by riding a jeepney bound for Panicuason. The travel time is about 30 minutes. And then in order to reach Malabsay falls, you’ll need to hike for at least 30 minutes.

Panicuason Hot Spring

There are also several resorts in Naga City. And if you go to the mountain barangays of Naga City, you’ll have several resorts to choose from. A new adventure park in Naga City is now operational. It is the Haciendas de Naga Adventure Park located in Barangay Carolina, Naga City. It is just a 20 minutes jeepney ride from downtown Naga City. The adventure has its pili tree plantation, a zipline, and a 9-hole golf course.

Peñafrancia Shrine

In downtown Naga City, you’ll have plenty of sites to visit and most of them are historical sites. Visit the Naga City Metropolitan Cathedral, the Basilica Minore, the San Francisco Church and the Penafrancia Shrine. Every third week of September, Naga City celebrates the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, popularly known as the Peñafrancia Festival in honor of Our Lady of Lady of Peñafrancia. This is one of largest religious festival in the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of devotees and tourists flocks to the city from different parts of the world to witness and experience the fiesta. Most of the devotees flock to Naga City to visit Our Lady of Lady of Peñafrancia.

  

Plaza de Nueva Caceres

Basilica Minore

Basilica Minore

There are also a lot of restaurants and malls in the city. You can hop from one restaurant to another to satisfy your food cravings. The Magsaysay Avenue is one of the places where you can indulge on a food trip. There are a lot of restaurant to choose from. There are bicol cuisine, Filipino and international cuisine.  There are also lot of hotels in this city, and the hotel boom started when Camarines Sur, the CWC and Caramoan started gaining popularity in the tourism sector. And since Naga City is the nearest city from the airport, most tourists will drop by and stay at Naga City upon arrival at CamSur or before going out of Camarines Sur.

Surely, this city won’t disappoint you. And I can say that this city is also the busiest city in the Bicol Region. This is my second home and I love Naga City. So guys, if you’re planning for your next vacation, how about considering Naga City as your next destination.  You’ll surely love Naga City. As what Nagueños always say, “Dagos po kamo sa Maogmang Lugar.” Oh, by the way, dagos means welcome and maogma means happy.hehehehe!

Naga Metropolitan Cathedral

Plaza Quince Martires

Porta Mariae, Naga Metropolitan Cathedral

How to get to Naga City:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines have several daily flights to Naga Airport. From Naga Airport, located in the town of Pili, you can ride a bus, jeepney or a taxi bound for Naga City. The airport is about 15 to 30 minutes ride to Naga City. If you’ll be commuting to Naga City from the airport, then ride a pedicab going to the national highway, that’s about 5 to 10 minutes ride, the fare is 10 pesos. From the highway, there are a lot of jeepneys and buses bound for Naga City and you can choose what mode of transportation you want. For buses, the travel time is 20 to 30 minutes and the fare is 10 pesos.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound to Bicol region. Ride a bus going to Naga City. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Naga City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Naga City is 8 to 10 hours. The fare ranges from 500 to 1200 pesos for air-conditioned buses and 350 to 500 pesos for non-airconditioned buses.

By Train:

The PNR has a daily train schedule for the Manila-Naga City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and 8:30pm and arrives at Naga City at around 4am the next day. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours. In Naga City, the train departs for Manila at around 6pm and 8:30pm also. 

Ariara Island, Palawan. Another island making it to the international scene.

As you all know, this island located in the remote part of Palawan, has been named as one of the top 100 Best Holidays in Vogue-UK Magazine. This exclusive island or should I say high-class expensive resort is located in the area called Linapacan in Calamian Group of Islands. Now, this Philippine destination being named as a top destination on a known magazine is something that we Filipinos should be proud of. This could mean a free advertisement for Philippine tourism. Even though, I know, a lot of us Filipinos can’t afford to stay in this expensive resort, still, we should be proud that this island is getting an international recognition as a top destination.

Picture from  www.ariaraisland.com

I searched for some information regarding the resort and as I expected, this resort has that exclusivity. Only 18 guests are allowed to stay at the resort and you will need to pay for the entire resort. That means, you’ll have the entire island for you and for your friends or for your 17 other companion. You’ll have the entire island for partying and swimming, and snorkelling and just getting your tan. I checked their websites and here are their rates:

Ariara resort rates. Click for a larger view

Ariara resort rates. Click for a larger view

For the rates, all I can say is “what the heck!” It’s so freakin expensive for an average earning guy like me! Whoooooa! to the highest level! Hehehe! That’s about more than 200,000 pesos per night to stay in the island. That’s $295 per person per night and multiplied it by 17 or 18. Or if you’re only 8 in the group, that means paying 18,000 pesos per person per night. Well, you’ll be renting the entire island, so that means you’ll have the privacy that you want. But for me, since I don’t have that kind of money, I’ll just stay at some of the cheap but beautiful islands around the country. I know there are a lot of other beautiful islands in the country where I don’t need to spend that much, but for sure the amenities are not the same. So anyway, the thing is, we should be proud of our country because we are blessed with several thousand beautiful islands. What we should do is to take good care of our beautiful country and learn to appreciate what we have.

For more information, you can check their website at www.ariaraisland.com

Iriga City, Camarines Sur. The City of Crystal Clear Springs.

Iriga City is located in the province of Camarines Sur, Bicol Region. This city is a landlocked city with Mt. Asog as its prominent landmark. Iriga is my hometown. I’m proud being an Irigueño. I grew up in this city and this is where I’ve spent most of my life. Well, I lived here since birth until high school and then by college, I transferred to Naga City and then after graduating from college, I transferred to Metro Manila where I spent more than 5 years working. And now, since I’m a work-at-home guy, I am now living again here in my home city.

Asog County Hotel, Brgy. San Isidro

Bersabaren Resort cottages

Bersabaren Resort rooms

Bersabaren Resort, Barangay San Isidro

Bersabaren Resort swimming pool

Iriga City was a sleepy city some few decades ago, but now, it is a vibrant city with lots of business establishments. Iriga City is also known as the City of Crystal Clear Springs, and it’s all because of the abundance of natural spring scattered all over the city. We have more than 30 water spring so there’s an oversupply of water in this city. Well, I can say that Metro Manila will envy us for having an oversupply of water.hehehe! Magsasawa ka sa tubig dito sa Iriga.  And because of the abundance of natural spring, we also have lots of spring resorts. We have more than a dozen resorts and its one of the tourist attraction in the city, aside from hiking the Mt. Asog and visiting some other destination in Iriga City such as the Inorogan Chapel and the city Grotto.

Gilkrissa Resort log cabin

Gilkrissa Resort, Brgy San Nicolas

Gilkrissa Resort

 My home city is also the business and academic center of the Rinconada District, which is the fifth district of Camarines Sur. We have lots of schools and colleges in the city and the two universities we have here are the University of Saint Anthony and the University of Northeastern Philippines. There’s also a La Consolacion College campus in Iriga City. A famous personality who hails from Iriga is Nora Aunor. She was born in Iriga City. And did you know that Iriga City is the home of the first bus company in the Philippines? It is now known as the Philtranco Bus Company or formerly named ALATCO. They also have a museum in Iriga City. So come and visit our city. There are a lot of things to do here, and if you run out of things to do here, Iriga City is just a few hours of travel from some of the known tourist destination in the Bicol Region such as the CWC and the Mayon Volcano.

Iriga City PNR Station

Iriga City bus terminal

Iriga City jeepney terminal

Iriga City terminal

Iriga City van terminal

bus terminal

La Consolacion College, Iriga City Campus

Masosu Spring Resort rates

Masosu Spring Resort, Brgy. San Isidro

Masosu Spring Resort, Brgy. San Isidro

Mt. Asog

Saint Anthony De Padua Parish Church

Ybalon Resort rates

Ybalon Resort,  Iriga City

Ybalon Resort

Ybalon Resort

Ybalon Resort with Mt. Asog in the background

Here are the rates for some of the resorts in Iriga City:

Gilkrissa Function Hall and Resort

Brgy San Nicolas.

Entrance Fee: Adults – 50, Kids – 30

Cottages: 250 pesos

Log Cabin: 2,500 per night, good for 2 pax

Bersabaren Garden Resort

Brgy. San Isidro

Entrance Fee: 40 pesos, day rate; 50 pesos for overnight rate

Cottages: 200 pesos

Rooms: 400 pesos for 12 hours only. Good for 2 pax. 100 pesos per additional person

Masosu Spring Resort

Brgy. San Isidro

Entrance Fee: 30 pesos for adults and 20 for kids for day rate from 7am to 5pm; 50 pesos for adults and 25 pesos for kids for night rate from 6pm to 12am; 70 pesos for adults and 25 pesos for kids for an overnight rate from 6pm to 5am

Cottage rental fee ranges from 200 to 350 pesos

A family room is also available for 1,500 to 1,800 per night. Good for 5 to 8 pax

Ybalon Resort

Brgy. San Juan

Entrance Fee: 50 pesos for adults and 35 pesos for kids for a day rate from 9am to 5pm. 60 pesos for adults and 45 pesos for kids for a night rate from 5pm to 11pm.

Cottages: For an umbrella, 200 pesos. For a mushroom-shaped hut, 300 pesos. For a nipa hut, 350 to 400 pesos.

How to get to Iriga City:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines have several daily flights to Naga Airport, which is locally known in Bicol as Pili Airport. From Naga Airport, located in the town of Pili, you can ride a bus or a taxi bound for Iriga City. The city is about 45 minutes to 1 hour ride from the airport. The bus fare from Pili to Iriga City is 30 pesos. If you’re coming from Naga or Pili, you will be passing the forked road in Baao town going to downtown Baao and Iriga City. Just after the railroad crossing, turn left going to Iriga City, because if you turn right, that’s the road going to Nabua and Legazpi City.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound to Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound for Iriga City or Legazpi City and then get off at Iriga City.  If you’ll be riding a bus bound for Legazpi City or Tabaco City, be sure to ask the driver or the conductor if the bus will pass by the city of Iriga because some buses will not pass Iriga City and will just use the diversion road at Nabua town. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Iriga City is 8 to 10 hours. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Iriga City, Legazpi City and Tabaco City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda.

By Train:

The PNR has a regular train schedule for the Manila-Ligao City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and 8:30pm and arrives at Ligao City at around 6am the next day. Ride the train and get off at PNR Iriga City Station. The last station is Ligao City station which is 45 minutes away from Iriga City so be sure to get off at Iriga City. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours.