Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Ruins
Talisay • Daily 10am-8pm • P60 •
T
034 476 4334,
W
theruins.com.ph • Round-trip taxis cost P250-300, depending on how long
you stay
Seven kilometres north of the Capitol, on the edge of town,
The Ruins
makes a great
short excursion from the city. O
cially the “Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson Mansion”,
the building is the Philippines' answer to the Taj Mahal, hauntingly beautiful and
complete with a sad story of love lost. The Lacsons were one of the island's pre-eminent
sugar families in the nineteenth century. When Maria Lacson died during pregnancy
with the couple's eleventh child, Don Mariano was inconsolable and set about building
a memorial mansion. During the outbreak of World War II, the building was razed to
prevent it being used as a headquarters by the Japanese. The fire left behind the
building's complete superstructure, including the double-M motif used throughout.
Mariano died in 1948, and the building was forgotten about until his great-grandson
decided to open it to the public. There is also an atmospheric restaurant (see p.311).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
6
BACOLOD
By plane
Bacolod-Silay Airport is located 15km northeast
and is linked to Bacolod by taxi (P500), shuttle buses from
SM City Mall (P150) or, cheapest but least convenient, by
jeepney from the North bus terminal to Silay (P13), from
where it's a short tricycle ride (P15/person or P60 for
private hire). Philippine Airlines has o
ces at the airport
(
T
034 435 2011), as do Cebu Pacific (
T
034 435 2156),
who also have an o
ce in Victoria Arcade in Rizal St
(
T
034 434 2052).
Destinations
Cebu City (3 daily; 50min); Davao (3 weekly;
1hr 10min); Manila (11 daily; 1hr 15min).
By boat
Most ferries are coming from Iloilo and dock at
Bredco port, a short tricycle ride (P10-20) west of City
Plaza. Oceanjet (
T
032 255 7560 in Cebu,
W
oceanjet.net),
2Go (
T
034 435 4965,
W
travel.2go.com.ph) and Weesam
Express (
T
034 709 0830,
W
weesam.ph) services have
ticket o
ces and depart from here. Long-distance ferries
to Manila and Mindanao leave less often and use the
old Banago wharf, 8km north of Bacolod. Jeepneys from
Banago into town cost P25/person.
Destinations
Cagayan de Oro (1 weekly; 21hr); Iligan
(1 weekly; 14hr); Iloilo (frequent; 1hr); Manila (4 weekly;
24hr); Ozamiz (1 weekly; 18hr).
By bus
Ceres Liner buses (
T
034 434 2387) drop
passengers at one of two main terminals. The South
terminal, for destinations south, is on Lopez Jaena St, just
east of the old city, while the North terminal is several
kilometres north of town on the National Highway
(continuation of Lacson St). Buses from the North terminal
head along the coastal road to Cadiz, from where there are
boats to Bantayan Island; some continue on to San Carlos
and round to Dumaguete, 313km away, though the
quickest way to Dumaguete is down the west coast and
then via the inland road which runs from Kabankalan
across the mountains. A few services cover this route
directly, but most of the time you'll need to change in
Kabankalan. There's also a Ceres Liner bus from Bacolod
that travels (clockwise) to San Carlos, where it boards a
ferry for Toledo on the western coast of Cebu and continues
on to Cebu City. Buses heading south along the coast road
for Sipalay leave from the Ceres Liner South terminal.
Destinations
Cadiz (frequent; 1hr 30min); Cebu City
(8 daily; 8-10hr); Dumaguete (every 30min; 6hr); San
Carlos (hourly; 3hr); Silay (frequent; 30min); Sipalay
(hourly; 4-5hr); Victorias (frequent; 1hr).
By jeepney
Jeepneys, FX vans and tricycles congregate
in the City Plaza and run to most locations across town
for P7. For Silay (P13) you'll need to change at the North
bus terminal.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information
The tourist
o
ce (Mon-Fri 9am-
5pm;
T
034 432 2881) is in the administrative building
of the provincial government complex in City Plaza, San
Juan St.
Tours
To arrange hiking or biking trips in the foothills
of Mount Kanlaon contact the tourist of
ce, the DENR
on Gatuslao St (
T
034 434 7411,
W
denr.gov.ph), or local
guide, Angelo Bibar (
T
0917 301 1410,
E
angelobibar
@gmail.com; see p.313).
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels are spread throughout the city, but short-term visitors are really faced with three areas to choose from: foodies will
relish the uptown choices along the northern section of
Lacson St
; bargain-hunters are best off in the shabbier
town
centre
; and nightlife fiends will find surprisingly quiet accommodation around
Goldenfields
, a modern complex 3km
south of town and also the city's red-light district.
