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.

Long Trip to Cagbalete, Quezon

I was still on the 2-11PM working schedule and after my shift, I had to hurry since my friends were already boarding the bus (Buendia, Pasay Station), trying their best to prevent the bus from leaving on time. We're going to Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon. 

The bus was bound for Lucena (Grand Central Terminal). It was around 4AM when we arrived at the bus station. Our non-air conditioned mini bus bound for Mauban (which looked scary-I thought riding on that bus was both exciting and a bit dangerous) came between 4-5 AM. Time for another two-hour bus ride. 

Meet my sleepy friends :) And that's how the mini bus looks like.

 

Early-in-the-morning view.. #Foggy #ChillyWind

Hello Sunshine

 Boat ride was next. The port was just a few steps away (depends on your definition of few steps away) once you get off the bus. I was surprised to see the number of passengers on that boat!

I guess the roro boat from Batangas Pier to Puerto Galerais a lot better.

When we finally arrived at Cagbalete Island, I thought we could finally relax in our cottage. I wasn't expecting that we all had to walk for more than (or at least) half an hour. I was shocked to see that kind of endless road (similar with what I experienced in my Mystical Cave Half Day Tour).

Welcome to Mauban (or Cagbalete – dunno which is which)

 

The residential part of the island – cemented road, small houses, normal life

 

If your bag's too heavy, there'll be grade school and teenage boys who are willing to carry

your bags for you. Just don't forget to give them tip (and food!)

 

The boy's carrying a heavy bag, but he still walked faster than us.

At long last, we arrived at Villa Cleofas. But we were all too tired and we decided to take a nap before exploring the area – nap that lasted for five hours.

Unique-looking cottages

 

Dinner at their so called restaurant (or maybe canteen)

Happy Weekend! What a nice way of spending your Saturday evening!

 We only had the entire morning on Sunday to swim and play. We must leave the place before lunch.

Swimming Time

 

Relax Relax pa

 

Len, Ams, Me, and Euna

Time to go home.

Davao City - Quick Stopover

My second time in Davao! Thanks to my new job – I get to travel for free.
Time for a short pasyal...

** For Quick Stopover (As in quick)...

Day 1: Had a quick stopover at Lon Watemple.

Had the chance to see another SM branch, too – SM Lanang. It's really big, not that crowded, and has high end stores.

Highly recommended - shoppers and mall-lovers will like this place.

Day 2: Busy day, although we were able to eat at Blue Carabao – just a few steps away from our Davao Head Office in Monteverde. Though it's quite hot, they serve good food.

Day 3: Work's over and we had the entire evening to explore the city. Besides, I was done visiting Crocodile Farm and done watching the performance of the ethnic group Tribu K'Mindanawan.

Riverwalk:

You'll get to see this on your way to Tribu K'Mindanawan.

Perhaps if a friend was with me, I'd ask him/her to try any of these exotic dishes.

 

Since I was on a solo mode, mango shake will do.

People's Park:

Perhaps you'll appreciate this place if you only want to sit or read or walk and take photos, but there's nothing so exciting in this place. The security at the entrance are also annoying and irritating – someone should teach them how to be friendly and how to smile.

The Peak at Gaisano Mall:

Don't be deceived by the photos. The place doesn't look that lovely even at night, though it doesn't look so bad at all. I guess it's not yet totally developed. I also prefer to go to Abreeza or SM Lanang – these malls have this ambiance that's more inviting.

Ice Giant:

Walking distance from Gaisano Mall. They offer delicious sweets covered with ice (similar to our halo-halo or red bean sherbet of Korea). They have this enormous bowl that's good for 10-20 people! Pizza and pasta are also available, but I suggest better eat (dinner/lunch) somewhere else.

            Cookies and Cream                                                                                     Mango

It's cheaper to take a PUJ, but only if you've been to Davao and you know which PUJ to hail; otherwise, simply take a cab!

Davao City is a very safe place where even a foreign tourist can ride a cab - worry-free! Just learn how to contact their city Mayor :p