Negros Occidental Archives | Meghy Was Here

Campuestohan Highland Resort: Travel Guide 2019

Meghy — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 18:58:21 +0000

Campuestohan Highland Resort is probably one of the famous, newest and radiant attractions when visiting Bacolod or the Island of Negros. This is a vast resort with a picturesque view that is perfect for kids and family outings. This resort is situated on the highlands and boundaries of Bacolod City and Talisay City, stationed 800-meters above sea level is your next venue for your family and barkada trip!

Knowing Campuestohan

Campuestohan Highland Resort is a 5-hectare property that offers various attractions and facilities anyone would love. Since the resort is located about 800-meters above sea level, the climate here is cool all year that you can even get a chance to see a fog surrounding the place. The cold breeze can be compared to Tagaytay plus the resort has Mt. Makawili standing beautifully as the resort’s backdrop. What a beautiful view! The entrance fee would be P200 each while children below 2 years old are exempted in paying the entrance fee.

How to get to Campuestohan?

Option 1

From Bacolod City, you can ride the resort’s shuttle (a 30-seater Sarao Jeep) located in Imart-Caltex gasoline station right across Lopues East. Fare would be P70 each.

Here’s the schedule of resort’s shuttle:

Bacolod to Campuestohan 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM

Campuestohan to Bacolod 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM

Option 2

From Bacolod City, you can ride a taxi or tricycle that will take you directly to Campuestohan but this opt might be costly.

Getting Around Campuestohan

The resort is too vast that is full of attractions and activities that will fill your heart’s content. Upon entering the place you’ll be amazed by many things going on that will make you hard to decide which activity or facility you should be visiting first. On the entrance, you will be greeted by the life-size forms of dinosaurs and a mammoth (Mammoth is actually a room!). One of its original structure is its log cabin that resembles the cabins from the mountains abroad.

Due to the progress that the resort went through, Campuestohan continues to expand and adds attractions. The place now showcases Bonita Huts that bears a resemblance of houses in Hobbits of the Kingdoms of Middle Earth. Another one of its kind lodging found here are the teepee huts located in their Indian Village. The huts are like huge triangular tents with so many appealing colors.

Aside from the swimming pools and wave pool that the resort have, anyone can enjoy their extreme activities such as the 340-meter zipline (P200/person), Rope course (P200/person), Horseback riding (P100/15 minutes), Sky bicycle (P100/person), Hamster Wheel (P100/person) or walking on their Hanging Bridge (free) that offers a commanding view of Bacolod and Talisay City.

The resort features as well the giant gorilla, King Kong, that has a sound system that produces a growling sound like on its movie. Another picturesque feature is the Raphaella Mill which is a large windmill structure with various accommodation types.

Once you get tired of all the activities that you have to try, you can make your tummy full with a sumptuous meal on their resort pavilion that serves as their restaurant. Eating in this facility is much like staying in a traditional cabin. We didn’t really expect this, but their foods are delicious and very affordable for their serving.

Room Rates: (Rates are inclusive of an entrance fee and breakfast)

Overnight lodging

Raphaella Mill Presidential Suite- P15,000/night (4 persons)
Raphaella Mill Junior Suite- P12,000/night (4 persons)
Raphaella Mill Regular Room- P8,500/night (6 persons)
Raphaella Mill Barkadahan Room- P500/head (no breakfast)
Mammoth Room- P9,500/night (10 persons)
Dino Park Rooms- P4,000/night (4 persons) P6,000/night (6 persons) P9,000/night (10 persons)
Indian Village

Teepee Huts Family Room- P5,000/night (6 persons)

Teepee Huts Suite Room- P6,000/night (6 persons)

King Kong Room- P6,000/night (6 persons)
Log Cabin- P3,000/night (3 persons) P4,000/night (4 persons) P5,000/night (5 persons)

Daytime Accommodation

Big Cottage- P1,200 (20 persons)
Small Cottage- P700 (15 persons)
Wave Pool Cottage- (15 persons)
Umbrella Hut- P500 (10 persons)

Room rates are subject to change without prior notice.

For more details about their accommodation and attractions, you can go to their official website. Here’s the link.

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Visiting The Ruins: The Taj Mahal of Negros

Meghy — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 03:19:15 +0000

Visiting Bacolod or Negros Occidental wouldn’t be complete without visiting the iconic structure called “The Ruins”. Being dubbed as the “Taj Mahal” of Negros, this beautiful structure is a result of the undying love of a rich sugar baron for his wife who died before giving birth to their 11th child. The Ruins is located in Talisay City just few minutes away from Bacolod City and unquestionably one of the must-see place when visiting the province.

Taj Mahal of Negros

Don Mariano Lacson was a sugar baron who came from a rich and known family in Negros. On one of his travels abroad he met this Portuguese lady named Maria Braga who eventually became his wife. They were given ten children and before giving birth to their 11th child, Maria had an accident that caused her death. Out of his lasting love and longing for his wife, Don Mariano decided to build a mansion located on his 440-hectare plantation. The mansion was built in 1920 and was considered as the “Taj Mahal” of the province of Negros.

Knowing The Ruins

It was 1920 when the mansion was built for Don Mariano and his children to live in. It’s made of cement and egg white as finishing. The walls and pillars are articulately designed making it undeniably a sight to see. The fully built mansion was burned in 1945 by the Filipino guerillas as they disagree to make the mansion as a military headquarters of the Japanese soldiers. They burned the grand abode for 3 days but due to the high-quality materials used for the structure it was not totally burned and its framework is still intact and still standing beautifully up until today.

The Ruins is now being managed by Don Mariano’s great grandson, Mr. Raymund Javellana. It is now open to the public since 2008.

Getting Around The Ruins

The ruins is open every day from 8am-8pm with an entrance fee of P100 for adults, P70 for PWD or senior citizens and P60 for students with valid IDs. Upon paying the entrance fee you have to walk a few meters to reach the hidden mansion and I can say that every corner of the ruins reminds you of its colorful and endearing past. The concrete framework stands gorgeously on a garden and blue skies as its background. I must say that it is best to visit it during the late afternoon so you can wait until it lights up through the dark night.

Playing around on its every corner and pillars will give you various photo ideas. Walking inside, though empty, will still make you feel walking in the past. There are also available local guides on the vicinity that will tell stories about the mansion’s interesting history. Their guides are naturally funny and can crack jokes anytime making your visit worthwhile.

Your visit wouldn’t be complete without taking a photo outside the ruins, standing on the garden and having the grand concrete framework as your background. Just be patient having a good picture as there might be a lot of extra people on your background.

The Ruins lodges as well a restaurant which is for me the highlight of our stay on the place. After a tiring hour of taking pictures, we decided to eat on their restaurant to kill time while waiting for the sun to set. While enjoying a meal, there is this local singer that sings live on your scene and his voice is one of the most romantic voices I’ve ever heard. Hearing a piece of sweet live music on an open air while staring at the lit up ruins is one of the most romantic and most chill nights you could ever spend.

More photos we took during our stay:

How to go to The Ruins?

From Bacolod City (Along Lacson St.), ride a Bata-Libertad signed jeepney. Fare will be P9.00 each. Asked the driver to drop you off on the tricycle terminal near Pepsi Cola plant. Upon reaching the terminal, charter a tricycle that will take you directly to The Ruins. Fare will be P50.00 per person.

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Jomax Peak Travel Guide: A Sanctuary Found In Don Salvador Benedicto

Meghy — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 16:30:18 +0000

For this year’s celebration of my birthday, it took me a while to decide where I would be spending my few days of vacation leaves to set as my celebration of being a year older. I wanted to be in Sagada, visit my relatives in Albay or experience Bohol on my own but all those choices were all went down with the decision of booking for a plane ticket back home in Iloilo and just spend a 2-day trip in Bacolod. It was actually a good decision as I can see my family back on my hometown which is Iloilo and still visit new places in Negros Island to still keep up on my yearly tradition.

I lived in Iloilo for seven straight years but I haven’t stepped my feet on the island of Negros which is just more than an hour away from Iloilo City. So to start my series of blogs for this Bacolod/Negros trip, here’s a travel guide that you can check when visiting Jomax Peak.

Knowing Jomax Peak:

For the past few years, I’ve been seeing photos of Jomax Peak online and since then it started to get my attention. Jomax Peak is a picnic and camping ground located in the highlands of Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental. It is a perfect spot to encounter ‘sea of clouds’ during habagat or monsoon season. Imagine yourself sitting on its veranda with a mountain view and sea of clouds right in front of you. It will be definitely a must view to see. I am sure you can truly enjoy the place especially Jomax Peak doesn’t have the crowd. They limit their guests and doesn’t accept walk-ins. Everyone who wished to visit the place needs to have a reservation through their website.

How to get to Jomax Peak?

From Iloilo

Take a ferry or fast craft from Iloilo City that will take you to Bacolod. Fast craft fare will be around P275 for economy while it may cost you around P325 for tourist (aircon). Travel time may take around 1.5 hours. Upon arriving in Bacolod port, ride a tricycle going to South Terminal and fare will be P40 each. On South Terminal ride a bus bound to San Carlos via Don Salvador Benedicto. Just tell the driver that you are heading to Jomax Peak and drop you off on Brgy. Kumaliskis. Fare will be P85 and travel time is around 1.5 hours.

From Bacolod

If you will be coming from Bacolod just follow the same instruction once arrived in South Terminal.

Rates and Accommodation:

Since Jomax Peak doesn’t cater walk-in guests, all visitors must book a reservation through their official website. Here’s the website link. Check the availability of your preferred date and once booked, payment details will be provided. Payment can only be done through Palawan Express. A reservation code will be given for payment validation once payment has been done.

Here’s the rate as of October 2019:

Tuesday to Friday

Day Tour (9am-4pm)

Sun Shade- P750 (5 guests)

Veranda Shade- P1500 (10 guests)

Pavilion- P2,250 (15 guests)

Wholeday exclusive use- P8000 (guests)

Overnight camp (4pm-8am)

Overnight camp outside structures- P1000 (5 guests)

Overnight camp with exclusive camping grounds- P3,500 (15 guests)

Overnight camp exclusive use of all structure- P7000 (15 guests)

Saturday- Sunday

Day Tour (9am-4pm)

Sun Shade- P1000 (5 guests)

Veranda Shade- P1750 (10 guests)

Pavilion- P2500 (15 guests)

Whole day exclusive use- P12000 (35 guests)

Overnight camp (4pm-8am)

Overnight camp outside structures- P1000 (5 guests)

Overnight camp with exclusive camping grounds- P3,500 (15 guests)

Overnight camp exclusive use of all structure- P8000 (15 guests)

*In addition for inclusive number of guests, a fee of P150/head for day tour and P200/head for overnight camp will be required.

*Half day exclusive photo or video shoot rate is P3000 inclusive of 15 guests. (Mondays only)

Getting around Jomax Peak:

What I love about Jomax Peak is its serenity and exclusiveness. There’s no crowd that can limit you in enjoying and appreciating the beauty of the place. It’s main attraction would probably its public veranda where you can sit right across a mountain range while taking a sip of their unli native coffee. From there, you can hear the birds chirping, the heavy flow of a waterfall nearby and just reconnects you with the nature. Every side of the public veranda is effortless beautiful perfect for a travel photo. You can play around every side of the deck for a photo spot. I even sit on the railings which I don’t recommend as it can be dangerous.

When we arrived on the place, the other groups were almost leaving so we were left and had the place all by ourselves together with their few staffs. So aside from the shade we rented, we are free to go around the other shades such as the pavilion and veranda shade. We had the chance to roam around the area and took photos on our own pace.

The entrance fee that we paid for is already inclusive of unli drink of their in house native coffee and free use of their small swimming pool. Aside from being a picnic and camping ground, Jomax Peak is a flower sanctuary as well so the place is full of blooming flowers.

The place is clean and well-maintained complete with amenities. They also offer food choices that they can cook upon request for P70-P150.

Jomax Peak is located as well few meters or kilometers away from other tourist attractions such as Malantan-og falls and viewing deck, Stonepeak café and Café La Guada.

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