Dumaguete
Discover Dumaguete
Dumaguete is the capital city and main port of Negros Oriental, the province that occupies the south-eastern part of Negros Island, in the Philippines. It is sometimes called the "City of Gentle People". A laid-back university town with a charming sea-front boulevard and a good selection of tourist-oriented services, Dumaguete is a good place to relax for anything from a few days to a few decades. There are many tourists and a large contingent of resident foreigners. According to the Philippine government Dumaguete is the most popular destination in the country for retiring abroad, and Forbes magazine included it in a list of the seven best places to retire worldwide.
What to Experience in Dumaguete
Taste of Dumaguete...
There are restaurants all over Dumaguete and some of the plainer ones with Filipino customers away from the central strip may be the best places to search for low prices or local color. In particular, places catering to the student market near any of the universities (especially along Hibbard Avenue near Silliman University or the North Highway near Negros Oriental U) are often cheap and lively. All the places listed under #Drink below also serve food, though not all have a large menu. Most of these places — at least Chow King, Filomena, Food Net and Scooby's — offer free filtered and chilled water from a self-service fountain with a supply of glasses. Most also have soft drinks around ₱10, and some have tea, coffee or juices. None serve alcohol. There are also two small cheap burger places on the Boulevard. See #Along the boulevard. A major area for restaurants and bars is the scenic seafront strip along Rizal Boulevard, plus the streets just behind it up to or a bit beyond Perdices. The cheapest food in this area is from street vendors who appear along the sea front, mainly near the north end, in the evenings selling tempura and corn-on-the-cob. The restaurants are generally mid-range in pricing, with main courses in the ₱150-350 range, though an imported steak can be up to ₱1200. The food is generally quite good and the range of choices is large, but prices are often somewhat higher than in other areas of town.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe country's two largest cities, and its main hubs for international flights, are Metro Manila and Metro Cebu; from either, there are flights, ferries, and buses (which ride ferries for part of the route) to Dumaguete. Cebu is considerably closer and Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a more pleasant airport to arrive at with an international connection. If you change planes in Manila or Cebu, allow plenty of time since the security controls to enter each terminal — before you can even join the queue to check in — sometimes cause long delays. On a busy day at Manila Airport it can take almost two hours! You will also need a paper print out of your confirmed flight itinerary. There are also international flights to Davao, Iloilo, or Clark Airport near Angeles. Cebu Pacific have Davao-Dumaguete and Clark-Dumaguete flights, and from Iloilo one can take a ferry to Bacolod, then bus....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Dumaguete has few taxis and almost none of the jeepneys you'll see in other cities in the Philippines. There are some jeepneys going to nearby towns but, unlike other cities, there are no jeepneys with general-purpose downtown routes. Most in-town transit is by motorcycle/sidecar rigs called traysikels or pedicabs. Locals in the Philippines name a landmark or commercial establishment near their destinations, street names are rarely used or known. Many travellers will be able to get around knowing only the names of three landmarks: Rizal Boulevard, Lee Plaza and Robinson's Place; most other places of interest are within easy walking distance of one of those. If you must have air conditioning and are willing to pay for it, then the few taxis are often found near the Bethel Guest House or at Robinson's Place Mall. Neither the locals nor the resident foreigners use these much; they either have their own vehicles or take pedicabs which are easier to find and cheaper.
Where to Stay
Dumaguete is a tourist town with a large number of hotels, not all listed here. Walk down almost any street near the center of town and you are bound to find several. At mid-2024 exchange rates ₱2000 is a bit under $40 US, so even these upmarket places are cheap by Western standards. It is fairly common for travellers to stay in Dumaguete for long periods, in particular for most or all of what would be the winter season back home. Some even settle permanently; this is a prime destination for retiring abroad. Many hotels and some small guest houses offer by-the-week or by-the-month deals. There are also places catering mainly to long-term guests. Prices start around ₱1200/month for a room in a house full of students. Studio apartments start around ₱5000/month, but the cheaper ones are usually unfurnished and lack features many visitors consider essential, such as hot water and air conditioning.
Money & Budget
The main shopping area downtown is Perdices Street from around the Bell Tower to the edge of Silliman University. The street continues north into the university, but the name changes to Hibbard Avenue. On the boulevard, Why Not? has imported (mainly European) groceries, including some things you cannot find elsewhere. Prices tend to be high but are sometimes better than in the imported foods section of a supermarket. If you want a lot of stuff, for example if you are setting up housekeeping, then the Hypermart may be preferable to Robinson's Place. Robinson's have four separate stores in their mall — supermarket, department store, TV & appliances, and other hardware — with separate delivery systems for each, and they refuse to combine purchases from multiple stores into one delivery.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Dumaguete is generally a safe city. There are enough beggars and touts to be annoying, but by Asian standards these problems are relatively mild. Police are quite visible, especially along Rizal Boulevard. You do see evidence that locals are concerned about security. Many of the larger old houses and more-or-less all the new luxury housing are in walled compounds, and barbed wire, spikes or broken glass to discourage people from climbing the walls are common, as are bars to keep burglars from entering windows. Most businesses have roll-down metal doors for protection when they are closed. Many businesses and some residential compounds have armed guards. Guards at the entrances to many department stores or malls use metal-detecting wands to scan customers before entry. All of this, however, is true in most areas of the Philippines, and much of it is common to most low-income countries.
Glimpses of Dumaguete
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Hands & beats
a dog walking along a wall next to a body of water
chess pieces on chess board
An old wooden building with a store in Dumaguete City, Philippines
Variety of fruits displayed at an outdoor market stall.
Hufflepuff
Bulak
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