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.
