Bacolod is Home Sweet Home

Bacolod City is known to Filipinos as the City of Smiles because of the sweet and gracious people who are from this place. The sugar bowl of the Philippines, Negros Occidental, the province wherein Bacolod is the capital, is the main source of sugar in the country. The people truly live up to its name, as many smiling Bacolodnons abound wherever they may be. Its annual festival, the Masskara, is something tourists look forward to every year when the city plaza is transformed into one big beer garden for almost a week. Colorful street parades and creative masks are anticipated by the people. Bacolod is also popular with its good food, which comes cheap, especially the local delicacy like its chicken barbeque. At night, there are many chicken outlets, like the Manokan country, where delicious grilled chicken is found. There are also seafood restaurants, dessert places, and great native art shops. A trip at the city plaza or the Capitol Building shows the day-to-day life of the locals. The old structure of the capitol is a tourist attraction and a major landmark in the city. Fronting it is the beautiful Lagoon which is a park with a man-made lagoon and two life-size carabao sculptures. Although a small city, Bacolod has a lively nightlife. Its major night spot is in Golden Fields where the casino and some bars are found. The main highway of Lacson Street also houses various restaurants, bars and grills. And the favorite dessert place and coffee shop is Bob’s with branches throughout the city. Calea Coffee Shop is also fast-becoming popular because of its mouthwatering moist chocolate cake. Because Negros was once ruled by Spaniards, the mestizo features of the local folks and the rich influence of Spanish words in its language are prominent.

Quick Tips:

It is never difficult to learn the local language but the locals can communicate in English. Bring some swimming suits and gear because there are trekking and swimming resorts nearby if you want to have a short side trip in the island of Negros. Bring home lots of native handicrafts and sweets. Book your flights and hotels if you want to celebrate the Masskara Festival here. For a more comfortable stay, book your accommodations in L’Fisher Hotel along Lacson St. or in Sugarland Hotel, which is near the airport. There are moderate and budget inns that have clean rooms and special baths. There are also malls in Bacolod where you can find everything that you would need. Fares are much cheaper here compared than those in Manila.

Best Way To Get Around:

Flights from Manila and Cebu are available every day. From the capital, you can get to Bacolod by plane for only 45 minutes. There are also ships from Manila but you have to spend a night aboard the ship. There are jeepneys plying various streets and routes. Taxis abound here. But if you are just in the heart of the city, try to do some walking and save on gas. Ask the route of the jeepneys when you're there. Inquire also if your hotel has a transportation service you can use.

It's one of the oldest hotels in Bacolod, but it remains the favorite hotel of tourists. Because it's near the airport and located along the highway, it is very convenient to stay in this hotel.

The rooms are big enough, with a homey ambience. They have complete amenities in the room that will ensure one's comfort when staying here. My only disappointment in staying in Sugarland, aside from the deafening sound of planes early in the morning, is that it is a bit small, without space for a garden or a big pool.

Even if its ballroom is one of the most in-demand function rooms in the entire Bacolod, it still doesn't have so much conference rooms for big occasions. Even their dining area is small. Our only consolation in staying there is that the people are ultra-sweet and accommodating, and the food is truly delicious.

Best Things Nearby:
There's a mini-zoo and a mini-sports complex. There is also a large area for camping. Across is the factory of popular San Miguel Corporation, the makers of San Miguel Beer.

Best Things About the Resort:
It is private and it caters to every member of the family.

Resort Experience:
Sta. Fe is one of the oldest resorts in Bacolod but until today many families still flock here to enjoy a splash in its swimming pools. It is a getaway from the now urbanized downtown area. There are three pools in Sta. Fe, one of which is for kids. The newest one is an olympic-sized pool used for training and competition. There are also tennis courts, bowling lanes & billiard tables for the adults. Another attraction is its mini-zoo and a relief map of the Philippines where visitors have their photos taken. The resort is about 20 to 30-minute ride from the heart of the city. Across the resort is the manufacturing giant, San Miguel Corporation. Being in the outskirts of the city makes Sta. Fe a relaxing place for families.

• Unit Type: Studio
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Good

When it comes to chicken barbecue, the Manokan Country is the ultimate destination. It's a street lined with food stalls and restaurants with the sweet smell of grilled chicken filling the place. At lunch time, people flock here for an appetizing meal of chicken barbecue and sea foods like oysters. The food is so great that some people use their fingers for eating. Most of all, the food are really very, very cheap that you would be surprised of paying so less for a food that is so good.

At night, Manokan Country is converted into a beer place as men come here for a drink. With a bottle of beer in one hand, the other hand dips the grilled chicken on sweet and sour vinegar filled with chilli and other spices. Some restaurants have videoke machines for those who have the appetite to sing and do some merrymaking.

My favorite hang-out place in this restaurant row is the Lion's Park, owned by the family of my friend. It is a bit different from the rest because it is found at the corner which has a different architecture type compared with the rest of the stalls.

Calea's chocolate cake is the best in Bacolod, if not in all of the Philippines. Manilans would ask their friends from the city of smiles to bring them a box of Calea's cake to feast upon.

Calea seems to be elusive because the coffee shop is hidden behind a restaurant along Lacson Street. One may note that many of the cafe's patrons come mostly from the middle and higher classes, especially since it is located near a posh hotel. But Calea's mystique is what draws people to this haven for sweet lovers.

Apart from cakes, Calea also serves delicious pasta. Families and businessmen come here to enjoy the food and cozy ambiance or waste away time chatting over cups of coffee.

Masskara Festival started when the sugar industry of Bacolod, then enjoying the title of "Philippines' Sugar Bowl," crashed. To encourage its citizens, the local government organized the festival, which is known for the colorful smiling masks donned during the celebration. Schools, establishments, and barangays would dance in the streets with varied beautiful masks. People would flock in Bacolod's main thoroughfares to watch the street dancers and attractive floats. Celebrated every October, Masskara is also the localized version of Oktoberfest. The city square would be filled with stalls selling barbecued chicken and lots and lots of beer. Bacolodnons would stay up till the wee hours of the morning drinking their favorite San Miguel Beer while music played in the background. Now, Masskara is a symbol, not of poverty and hunger, but of prosperity and gusto. With Bacolodnons' love for food, you would truly love to feast in this city of smiles.