Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NIGHTLIFE
It may not be as avant-garde as Manila, but there's some entertaining nightlife in Davao, with cosy live music venues,
karaoke bars and discos. Apart from the odd spot downtown, most places tend to be clustered around newish malls or
specially built compounds such as the large car parking area outside Victoria Plaza Mall, Damosa Gateway and in various
places along F. Torres St , the busiest of the lot.
Chico's Music Bistro 29 Rizal St T 082 255 5675; map
p.424. A rare old wooden house and a fun place to eat or
drink, with decent live acts every night and a happy hour
(7-9pm). Daily 5pm-midnight.
Rizal Promenade Off Rizal St; map p.424. Entertain-
ment arcade with loud (but not always lively) bars serving
San Mig for P40-50. If the noise gets too much for you,
head for the central chill-out zone between the bars. Daily
7pm-midnight.
V-Bar Illustre St at General Luna St; map p.424. Popular
place with an upstairs open-air bar looking out over the
street. P30 cover. Daily 7pm-midnight.
SHOPPING
Aldevinco Shopping Center Opposite the Marco Polo
hotel, between C.M. Recto Ave and Roxas Ave; map
p.424. For souvenirs and handicrafts, head to this maze of
small shops selling tribal artefacts and cheap batik clothes.
With a little bargaining, you can grab a sarong for P100 or
statues and masks from P400. Daily 10am-6pm.
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are plenty of banks in Davao,
including Citibank at 547 J.P. Laurel Ave and an HSBC on
Jacinto Extension, and there are ATMs in the malls.
Hospitals The city's major hospital is the Davao Doctors'
Hospital ( T 082 224 0616) on E. Quirino Ave, southwest of
the city centre. San Pedro Hospital ( T 082 224 0616) is
on Guerrero St.
Internet access There are dozens of internet cafés on the
main road outside Victoria Plaza; in the centre there's
Chikachat & Disney Bytes on Illustre St (daily 9am-2am;
P15/hr). Many hotels and cafés also have wi-fi.
Post The main post o ce is on Roxas Ave, close to the
junction with C.M. Recto St and Magsaysay Ave.
8
Samal Island
Just across the narrow Pakiputan Strait from Davao, Samal Island is graced with lovely
coves, beaches, excellent scuba diving and huge bat caves - there are also plenty of
resorts to choose from. You can arrange diving trips at many resorts on Samal and also
in Davao (see box, p.426). Most tourists visit Samal on organized tours but it's also
easy to arrange a trip independently. You can spend time at one of the resorts (most of
which allow day guests for a fee), or jump on a habal-habal and tour the island by
motorbike. Samal is bigger than it seems, with an area of more than 300 square
kilometres and nearly 100,000 permanent residents. Of the many beaches, it's worth
taking the bumpy, hour-long ride across the island to Canibad Beach Cove , a pristine,
untouched swathe of sand with little more than a sari-sari store selling soft drinks.
Elsewhere on Samal you can visit bubbling waterfalls (modest but pretty Hagimit Falls
is P40), numerous caves or even make the relatively quick hike up Samal's highest
point, Mount Puting Bato (410m), for fine views of Davao and Mount Apo.
Monfort Bat Cave
Daily 8am-5pm • P100
Don't miss the Monfort Bat Cave in the northern part of the island, a vast cavern
jam-packed with around 1.8 million fruit bats - it's a bit like staring at a giant black
carpet. The bats usually hang in the cave during the day, but come sundown they flood
out like a dark cloud - it's a chilling experience.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SAMAL ISLAND
Getting to Samal from Davao is relatively straightforward. Most resorts on the island have private boats that zip guests
across the Pakiputan Strait direct to the hotel grounds, and some of these - notably Pearl Farm Resort - also take day-
trippers, for a fee (see opposite). Most hotels in Davao will also arrange day tours to the island for around P1000/person.
 
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