That’s my mother. One of my summer’s highlights is our roadtrip to Dumaguete. Our route was Iloilo-Bacolod-Dumaguete. Last time we were here was two years ago. Roadtrips are not just fun but they are very convenient and more comfortable particularly those traveling with kids.
It was supposed to be a five-day trip but due to unscheduled duties, we cut it short like 3 days. Obviously, our baggage was half the size of the original.
From Iloilo, we went to the RoRo port in Dumangas and just like our previous land trips to Bacolod, we didn’t make it to our preferred schedule. We finally got on board around 11am.
The sea was calm and my kids were at their best behavior, I can say one of our less stressful RoRo moments. haha! We arrived in Bacolod for our late lunch and you obviously know what we had…chicken inasal!
For dessert, I took my parents to Calea – a must in Bacolod. I also wanted to check if it will pass my father’s discriminating taste. As expected, my father was not interested to get inside the cafe but he changed his mind and enjoyed the cakes.
My mother on the other hand, was very excited. I hope they can put labels.
It was my first time to dine at their new place. Very Parisian-Victorian inspired decor. My dad loves Calea! He even had an Anton Ego moment with their raisin bread pudding ala monde. Based on my parents’ experience at Calea, it is a recommendable place when looking for places to eat in Bacolod. Right Liam?
It was almost 5pm that we started our roadtrip to Dumaguete. We got stuck in some road repairs in Valladolid, waste of time and poor planning. Too bad we can’t see more roadside views. It was already 8pm that we reached Kabankalan City for our dinner.
We had dinner at Emilio’s Bistro of Zaycoland Resort. Food was so-so but their beef salpicao is good.
The place brought some memories. We stayed here four years ago during my brother’s wedding. Here is a photo of my eldest, Akira. I was pregnant with Liam then.
Took some time for the food to be served and we don’t rush when it comes to eating. We continued our trip to Dumaguete past 10 o’clock. And we were tired. My parents and kids were sleeping – moments that you pity the driver. I have to stay awake for him to drive safely. We arrived safe and sound in Dumaguete at midnight!
We stayed at Hotel Nicanor though I personally wanted to stay again at Florentina Homes. Aki was not feeling well from the start while Liam just want to watch TV in a very cold room leaving my parents with no choice but to roam around Dumaguete by themselves. We covered the famous sights around the city from our previous visit, so it was fine.
I wanted to check out the museum at Silliman, but I’m a freelance writer, therefore I had to work. My parents went out and about in the city – a real advantage of our hotel located right in the middle of the city.
The next day, we traveled for an hour from Dumaguete to Antulang. Bringing my whole family in Antulang Beach Resort was the climax of our roadtrip to Dumaguete.
We left Antulang before the sun sets, giving us a chance to observe the local scene in Dumaguete like this shorefishing. It would be a great idea to let my kids experience this next time isn’t it?
We had dinner at Hayahay Treehouse Bar and Viewdeck. I love their food and their very agile service.
My parents will be leaving the next day for Cebu ( which is just across Dumaguete) so we thought of enjoying their famous Sans Rival for dessert. We bought pasalubong and enjoyed these cakes. Sans rival is best eaten frozen and I appreciate Dumaguete’s sans rival very much. I love their coffee too. The place can be crowdy but the staff were all polite and fast.
For our last day, we did what tourists do..shop for souvenirs! The hotel is just a few steps away from the nearest department store so my mom and I did a little shopping with Liam while my father babysat Aki. One last lunch and we bid goodbye to my parents. My own family left Dumaguete around 4pm after our halohalo at Cafe Laguna and did the roadtrip once again. We arrived in Iloilo at 1 am!
Roadtrip from Iloilo to Dumaguete and vice versa has that conflicting experience – tiring but relaxing at the same time. And that’s why I love road trips? How about you? What’s your memorable roadtrip?
Thanks for reading!
XoXo,
Valerie
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