Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING, DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Dumaguete has an expanding
food
scene which features everything from fresh seafood stalls to quality international
cuisine.
Nightlife
is mostly focused on Rizal Blvd, although, like many Philippine port towns, the scene gets a little sleazy
here as the night wears on.
Casablanca
Rizal Blvd
T
0929 231 4088,
W
dumaguete
-restaurants.com.
Movie-themed, Austrian-owned restau-
rant which offers fine European cuisine to a mainly
expat clientele. Maybe not a place for the environmentally
conscious as all of the meat is imported, though the
signature (Brazilian) steak Casablanca with wasabi mash
(P485) is undeniably excellent. The restaurant also has its
own bakery and deli, a decent wine list and a changing
daily menu.
Daily 8am-midnight.
Hayahay
201 Flores Ave, a few hundred metres north
of the ferry port
T
035 225 1651.
Lively pizza restaurant
right next to
Lab-as
(see below) which has nightly live
music and stays open late. The extensive menu features
some interesting options including fruit pizza (banana,
mango and mozzarella; P235).
Daily 10am-midnight
(Wed, Fri & Sat until 2am).
Lab-as
201 Flores Ave, a few hundred metres north of
the ferry port
T
035 225 1651.
Deservedly Dumaguete's
most popular seafood restaurant,
Lab-as
serves super-fresh
fish, shrimps, squid and crab which can either be enjoyed
in the cosy wooden interior, or outside looking over the
road to the ocean.
Daily 10am-10pm.
Sans Rival
San Jose St & Rizal Blvd
T
035 421 0338.
The original little cake shop on San Jose St still turns out
delicious cakes and coffee, while its larger sister round
the corner on Rizal serves a host of tasty but inexpensive
meals (P120-250) including lasagne, salads, burgers and
sandwiches.
Daily 9am-9pm.
Why Not? Music Box
70 Rizal Blvd
T
035 225 7725.
The
most popular nightlife venue in town
Why Not?
has a
selection of different bars to choose from, plus a disco,
often overrun with ladyboys. There's also a games room,
internet café and even a deli.
Daily 10am-2am.
6
ENTERTAINMENT
Dumaguete Cockpit Arena
Calindagan Rd.
Cockfights
are held at 2pm on weekends (P100 general entry, P300
ringside), usually on Sun after church, and sometimes on
weekday evenings. From the seafront, walk south along
Rizal Blvd and across the Banica River Bridge, past the Ceres
Liner bus terminal.
SHOPPING
Robinsons Place
On the southern edge of town.
Decent
sized mall with supermarket, National Book Store, plenty
of clothes and electronics stores, cafés and restaurants,
plus a bouncy castle for kids.
Daily 10am-8pm.
Terracotta Haus
Sililiman University Co-operative.
For Negros souvenirs including basketware and bags,
seek out the tiny souvenir kiosk in the Sililiman University
Co-operative.
Daily 9am-5.30pm.
DIRECTORY
Banks
There are a number of banks with ATMs, including
BPI on Governor Perdices St opposite Quezon Park and an
Allied Bank and a Metrobank opposite one another on
Locsin St.
Hospitals
Dumaguete's best hospital is the Silliman
Medical Center (
T
035 420 2000) on Venencio Aldecoa Rd.
Immigration
Dumaguete's bustling immigration o
ce
is at Lu Dega Building, 38 Dr V. Locsin St, at the end of a
narrow shopping arcade signed off Locsin St (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm;
T
035 225 4401).
Internet
access
As you'd expect of a university town,
there's no shortage of net cafés. One of the nicest places
to get online is Noriter Café on Santa Catalina St, but there
are also plenty of places around the university, including
Scooby's Internet on Real St, and World Beat Net on the
airport road. Many hotels offer free wi-fi.
Police
The main police station is at the west end of Locsin
St near the Central Bank.
Post
The post o
ce is on Santa Catalina St.
Valencia and around
An 8km drive inland and uphill from the coast, the town of
VALENCIA
offers fresh air,
thundering waterfalls and adventurous trekking nearby, and a fascinating museum.
While there are a few places to stay here, Valencia can easily be visited as a day-trip (or
half-day-trip) from Dumaguete or Dauin. The town itself has an attractive main square
and a few cafés, but the reason to come out here is to experience the beauty of the
mountain scenery.
