It's hard to imagine how a place this beautiful has been kept off
the tourism radar. But it is also
probably what keeps this place pristine.
Welcome to Sipalay City, one of Negros Occidental's best kept tourism
destinations. It is perhaps one of the
most overlooked vacation spots here in the country. But chances of this
becoming one of those spots where the number of visitors keeps going up are
very likely. It is hard to keep something
this beautiful unnoticed.
Sipalay City is almost five hours drive south of Bacolod City by
public utility vehicle and probably over three hours by private car. Roads are asphalted. There are Ceres buses plying the route. Private vans are also available.
There are no taxicabs in Sipalay City and tricycles are the best
option for transport within Sipalay City.
These three-wheelers though can take you to Sipalay's hidden gems.
Here are the spots we explored during our recent
Sipalay City weekend getaway.
1) Tinagong Dagat
The first place we explored is Tinagong Dagat,
which translates to hidden sea.
This place is mesmerizingly beautiful. Guests pay a minimal entrance fee that allows
access to two islets, which house several cottages, a swimming pool, a
restaurant and a view deck. Guests cross
wooden footbridges to get there, which also gives a good view of the old growth
mangroves at the shorelines and patches of seagrass beds.
Be sure to climb the view deck. It may be exhausting, especially with the
uneven steps, but it would surely be worth it.
The view from the deck is amazing. That is almost 360 degrees of beauty.
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| The bridge to the first islet |
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| Tinagong Dagat |
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| From the viewdeck |
2) Punta Ballo Beach
After exploring Tinagong Dagat, we decided to
head next to our resort located at Punta Ballo Beach, for our much-needed rest
and relaxation. We stayed at Artistic
Diving, which owners claim to be the very first resort at the beach.
This beach is blessed with fine cream-colored
sand that's also good for frolicking and taking pictures.
Tip: Pack some insect repellants. It is very expensive at the resort.
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| Artistic Resort's pool |
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| The beach |
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| Punta Ballo Beach |
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| Punta Ballo Beach |
3) Campomanes Bay
On our second day, we rented a boat for an exploration of Campomanes Bay.
We paid P 1,000.00 for a tour of Maasin Cave,
Campomanes Bay Beach, and one of Sipalay City's marine sanctuaries. I had a refreshing morning dip at the
sanctuary, which required a fee of P 50.00 per head.
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| Our boat |
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| Maasin Cave |
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| Maasin Cave |
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| The islets near Campomanes Bay |
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| Campomanes Beach |
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| Marine Sanctuary |
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| Marine Sanctuary |
4) Perth Resort
For another picture-perfect moment, drop by
Perth Resort. We rented a tricycle to
take us from Artistic Diving to Perth Resort, to the jump-off to Sugar Beach,
then to the bus station for P 500.00.
The best view at Perth is at its view deck,
which is up more than a hundred steps.
The pool is actually one of the most photographed spots in the whole
Sipalay City.
I did wish to have my picture while swimming
there, but we only had time for one beer, because we still had one last stop on
our itinerary.
Tip: order first at the restaurant at the ground floor before going up. There are no drinks or snacks available at the poolside. We were just lucky one of the resort's attendant agreed to get us beer from downstairs.
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| Fantastic view from the view deck of Perth |
5) Sugar Beach
Formerly called Langub Beach, Sugar Beach is
another long stretch of sugary, light brown sand. The beach is about a 20-minute boat ride from
town proper.
There are lots of overnight options here, but
Takatuka Beach is the most extraordinary of them all. Each of the resort's rooms and cottages is
individually designed and themed. The
restaurant is also interesting, and it offers delights, not just for the tummy,
but also the eyes. This is exactly how I
want my beach resort to be. It's hard to
find a favorite spot here because each nook is bursting with creativity.
Am so glad we decided to have our late lunch
here. Even our table set-up was interesting.
And the food was superb.
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| The boat ride is scenic |
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| That's Takatuka Resort ahead |
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| Takatuka |
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| The bar of Takatuka |
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| Some of the recreational facilities of the resort |
That was our one weekend Sipalay City
adventure. I wish to come back to see
more of Sipalay City, to stay at Takatuka Beach, and of course, to eat and drink
more.
Let's just hope Sipalay City
retains its natural beauty and calmness.
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