Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Takatuka Lodge
The furthest south of the resorts
T
0920 230 9174,
W
takatuka-lodge.com.
This wonder-
fully wacky
Takutuka
is the result of the unhinged creativity of
its Swiss-German owners. Each room features one-of-a-kind
furnishings, from the pink Cadillac bed in the Superstar room,
to the microphone light fittings in Rockadelic. All rooms have
verandas, and given the quality and originality, rates are very
reasonable. For a/c or hot showers you simply add P200-300/
night. The restaurant serves the best food on the beach and
the
salamizza
(salami rosti) is particularly recommended.
Wi-fi costs P600 for unlimited use during your stay.
Takutuk
a
also has one of the few dive centres on Sugar Beach.
P1050
★
6
Danjugan Island and Punta Bulata
Lying 3km off the southwest coast of Negros and accessible through the small town of
Bulata
, about 10km north of Sipalay,
Danjugan
(pronounced “Danhoogan”)
Island
is a
little gem. Managed as a nature reserve by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Foundation
(PRRCFI) NGO, it's fringed completely by vibrant coral reefs and so well forested that
it's home to such rarities as the white-bellied sea eagle and the barebacked fruit bat. There
are also a number of small
islets
, including Manta Island and Manta Rock, and three
offshore
reefs
that are home to about 270 species of fish. Most people visit Danjugan as a
day-trip from the mainland but staying overnight is a magical experience, as you're lulled
to sleep by the sound of lapping waves on the beach (see below).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
DANJUGAN ISLAND AND PUNTA BULATA
By bus and tricycle
Buses driving the coastal road
pass through Cartagena, where you should alight and
look for a tricycle to take you the last few kilometres to
Punta Bulata. Alternatively the resort can arrange for a
tricycle pick-up if you contact them in advance, or you
could hire a tricycle from Sipalay.
Tours
Day-trips from the
Punta Bulata White Beach Resort
(see below) cost P1750, including transfers, lunch, a
trekking guide and kayaking.
ACCOMMODATION
Danjugan Island
T
034 441 6010,
W
prrcf.org.
PRRCFI's accommodation is available in dorms or in one
of two mud-brick “eco-cabanas” (each of which can sleep
four). Facilities are basic but include a communal shower
block and solar-powered electricity. Meals and drinks as
well as scuba diving can be arranged in advance. Rates
include return transfers, all meals, a boat tour, trekking
guide and kayak use. Dorm
P2750
Punta Bulata White Beach Resort & Spa
Accessed
along a 2km dirt road from Bulata Town
T
034 433
5160,
W
puntabulata.com.
The resort has a good range
of comfortable huts, rooms and family cabins for six, all
a/c. There's also a pleasant b
ar and
a hillside native-style
restaurant with ocean views.
P3900
Guimaras
Separated from the Panay mainland by the narrowest slither of ocean, the small island of
GUIMARAS
is best known for producing the tastiest mangoes in the Philippines. The
bounteous fruit is celebrated on the third weekend of April at the
Manggahan Guimaras
festival
in San Miguel, the island's capital, which includes an eating contest that sees
competitors consuming as many of the super-sweet mangoes as they can in thirty minutes.
The island has some good, affordable
resorts
, exceptional
beaches
- especially around
Nueva Valencia
on the southwest coast - and a few enticing
islands
offshore. Its
undulating
interior
makes it a beautiful place to explore by mountain bike and main
roads are reasonably signed, though there are a bewildering array of secondary roads,
trails and tracks. There's also a smattering of history, with defiant old Spanish churches
and the country's only
Trappist monastery
. During the Filipino-American War,
General Douglas MacArthur, then a first lieutenant, built the wharf near Buenavista,
which is still being used by ferries today.
Guimaras was badly affected by an oil spill from the tanker,
Solar 1
, which sank off the
northern coast of the island in 2006. Although today there is little evidence of the spill
to the casual observer, and beaches look back to their pristine best, it will take decades
