Negros Island
January/February 2020
Where do we begin with our stay on Negros Island for almost three weeks?
* The beaches/snorkelling?
* Our accommodation?
* Or the fact that we were almost homeless about a week ago?
. . . . bet that's grabbed your attention!
The Filipino people are so welcoming and friendly. Even on our first evening in the busy city centre of Manila when we appeared temporarily but ever-so-slightly lost looking for the Airbnb apartment for our one-night stay, several locals offered to help. A heavily-armed policeman even stopped the traffic to help us cross the road at rush hour.
After the short late-afternoon Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Dumaguete Airport on Negros (one of over 17,500 Islands in the Philippines).
We picked up the rental car and drove to our accommodation which we had booked for the month. The friendly Filipino/Swiss owners welcomed us when we arrived at about 8 p.m. As the supermarkets close at 7 p.m. here, we hadn't been able to pick up a few items for our evening meal as planned.
But they gave us some eggs, lovely home-made bread, butter, cooking oil - and bacon (for David). Very welcome and much appreciated.
Sorry, but we will have to mention the snorkelling now. Only one way to describe it - at Dauin Beach Marine Sanctuary, some of the best we have experienced anywhere else in the world. The amazing array of fish and the extensive colourful, healthy coral reefs are unbelievable. The Marine Sanctuary is a protected area in the Visayan Sea, part of the North Pacific Ocean. An underwater wonderland. Here is part of Dauin Beach:
About 5 years ago all hotels and restaurants lining the beach were forced to close by the Government in an effort to reduce the number of tourists and the subsequent damage being caused to the coral reefs, allowing them to regenerate. This situation is likely to continue for maybe another 10 years.
Obviously bad news for the hotel owners and restaurateurs but good for us with a quiet beach and the coral being well protected.
Our small well-equipped cottage was very comfortable in a quiet location - until we realised the owners were building a second cottage right next door! So, six days a week from 7 a.m. until 4.30 p.m. about eight workers were busy (and often noisily) constructing the new building just a few feet from ours! With building supplies being delivered by trucks throughout the day.
We put up with it for eight days; longer than most people would. Eventually, we told the owners the situation was not acceptable and we planned to move out They agreed the building work was a problem for us and offered a full refund, including for the eight days we had already stayed. So, we were then busy searching websites for new accommodation but it proved difficult to find a suitable apartment with a kitchen to move into the next day.
Eventually, we came across a studio apartment right by the sea at nearby Bacong and emailed the owner, Rob. The accommodation was less than a 10 minute drive from where we were. He confirmed it was available but at about 10 p.m. contacted us again to say he had received a booking through Airbnb which he had to accept.
"What!", we replied. "But we're homeless from tomorrow". So we had a fitful nights sleep, waking before 6 a.m. and back to the online search.
But, the sympathy card worked. Rob emailed us just after 6 a.m. to say he had a property on the same site which he used occasionally for the family but which he could offer us.
We knew nothing about this accommodation, but he also had a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment on Airbnb with photos and excellent reviews, so we packed up our belongings (including fridge & freezer items!) meeting him at the property at 9.30 just a few minutes drive away in Bacong - and moved in at 9.45!
It is a detached Filipino-style detached thatched house, quite basic but very clean and equipped with microwave, electric induction hob, toaster, electric kettle, fresh water dispenser and a large fridge-freezer .
The bedroom and bathroom are upstairs and behind our small house a large garden area:
The property is right on a small, virtually private beach of soft, black volcanic sand and a wonderful healthy coral reef a few metres out. In fact just as colourful as the Marine Sanctuary. Most of the time, the only sound we heard is the waves lapping the shore. Within two minutes of closing our front door, we are snorkelling over the reef. The name plate on our front door!
We plan to return here later in the year following our summer in Cyprus. We have also booked the house for about three months commencing early January, 2021.
The one disadvantage (at the moment) is that we only have cold water shower but Rob will install a hot water system and fit sun screens to cover some of the windows before we next arrive.
Being so close to the beach, we will not have to rent a car on our next visits. Rob has said he will be very happy to take us shopping to the supermarket about 15 minutes drive away when necessary. He is Canadian, his wife (Yufe) a Filipino. Both of them and the staff have been so welcoming and made every effort to ensure we feel happy and comfortable here.
For our future stays, his really modern one-bedroom apartment here would be available for us but we both prefer this very spacious simple Filipino house. More our sort of place.
Summing up, we love Negros Island, the local people, the shops where we can buy most things for self-catering (lovely Bakeries!) but above all the amazing off-beach snorkelling. The icing on the cake? This accommodation we found at the last moment which could become a definite possibility for a winter retreat.
We are here until 8th February then a flight to Bali where we stay for one month before heading to Western Australia for about two weeks.
Update: Our plans to return to Negros Island were cancelled due to the Covid pandemic but we have so many happy memories of our time there.
Visas: The citizens of most countries are permitted to enter the Philippines visa free for an initial period of 30 days. Here
Comments
Post a Comment