Budget-Friendly Stay in Cagayan De Oro

City of Smiles, Urbanized place, not the kind of place to visit if you want a far-from-the-city type of vacation – these are the descriptions associated with Cagayan De Oro. The place is actually famous for water rafting and zipline. They also have their own version of eco park – similar to the Garden of Eden in Davao.

I thought my trip to CDO was going to be a difficult one – considering that it's my first visit and the airport is quite far from CDO city. I thought it was going to be not-so fun trip, too since most of the attractions that I normally explore require a few hours on the road. But I was wrong.

Outside the (Laguindingan) airport, there are different van (shuttle) service, metered (white), and Alphalt (yellow) cabs. I was advised to take Magnum Express as it's more convenient. They have different drop off points, usually at the well known malls in CDO. If your hotel is somewhere near Corrales St., Gaisano Mall, Centrio Mall, or Capitol University (i.e D'Budgetel) and you only have your hand-carry baggage, the nearest drop off point is at Centrio, Ayala Mall. You can just walk your way to your hotel.

Another option is to look for Donsal's Shuttle Service. Unlike Magnum Express, the driver of this shuttle is kind enough to drop you off right in front of your hotel. Do not forget to get the driver's number. He can also fetch you at your hotel as early as 4AM going back to the airport. Both Magnum and Donsal's will charge you Php 200 pesos only. In my case, I took a metered taxi and my one-hour trip began which cost me 498 pesos.

We stayed at D'Budgetel Hotel – along Corrales Extension, near Capitol University. The hotel facilities are good and it's indeed located in a very convenient and strategic place. The hotel's inside a compound-like location. If you are opting for a (solo) short drink or drinking session with friends, the compound has it's own nice place for nightlife, drinking, videoke, and bonding activities. Ambiance and service are both good and budget-friendly.

Exclusive spot for the acoustic band. The band starts playing at 9PM

Open area. One of the boys – chillax time with my supervisor and our trainees.

Not-so friendly weather. We were ushered to a restaurant where we could continue our bonding moment.

I arrived at the airport around 10AM, but couldn't check in yet. Just left my stuff at the hotel (they have their locker room for their guests who'd like to leave their things in case they want to go for a short walk while waiting for the check in time). 

View on my way to Budgetel. Travel time is almost an hour.

 

D'Budgetel's Main Entrance

Budgetel has a function room where you can also conduct your seminar and training. That could hold at least 20-25 pax or up to 50, depending on the requested setup.

 

Solo Room is around 700, with complimentary breakfast (Pinoy -silog with coffee) They also have dormitory-type of rooms that can hold around 10 pax, but without complimentary breakfast.

They only have (limited) wifi at their restaurant – they call it tree house.

While waiting for my check-in time, I decided to maximize my time and explore at least one or two places from my places-to-visit list. First Stop – St. Augustine Cathedral.