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Where to Go in Negros for the Best Island Living Experience
See the adventurous or serene side of Negros Occidental through Punta Bulata Resort & Spa and Danjugan Island.
By: Paul T. Lizares | June 12, 2020
Perhaps the most common word to describe the people of Negros Occidental is hospitable. Negrenses are known to be friendly and accommodating. Bacoleños, or people of Bacolod, in particular, traditionally welcome visitors with a generous display of food. Restaurants and pastry shops are abundant in the region and eating as an activity is commonplace.
But aside from enjoying its culinary delights, what are the other best things to do in Bacolod? Relax, learn, sunbathe, swim, dive, and trek, of course! All these can be done 150 kilometers south of Bacolod at Punta Bulata Resort & Spa and Danjugan Island.
Located in Cauayan, both resorts in Negros face the Sulu Sea, giving travelers picturesque views of the ocean. Time to check them out this season!
Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
The relaxing view of the sea at Punta Bulata.
Photo courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
Punta Bulata Resort & Spa is nestled at the end of a stretch of white sand beach. Spectacular sunsets are common here. As guests arrive, they are treated to a refreshing drink after a long drive through the countryside of old towns and sugarcane fields. The last two kilometers of the drive takes one through unpaved roads adjacent to fantastic views of the sea and nearby islands one can practically swim to.
The inviting blue waters at Punta Bulata
Photo courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
The first sighting of the sea is much anticipated. For the first time since landing in Negros, you finally get the visual of being in an island setting. This area is the start of the prime beach scene in southern Negros. Once you arrive in Punta, you are immediately transported to a relaxed tropical setting away from the clichéd bustle of city life.
Guests enjoy a beachside massage at Punta Bulata.
Photo courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
A welcome drink awaits you. A massage therapist is on call. You are settled in your room and look around the facility and amenities of the resort. At the beachside restaurant, you grab another drink, for which the calamansi (calamondin) slush is highly recommended. You may also want to add to your drink a shot of Don Papa rum, a small batch of rum distilled at the foothills of Mount Kanlaon, Negros.
Depending on what time of the day you arrive, the tide is either high or low, and the sea may be inviting you to soak in. If not, the pool is always an option, rain or shine. Either way, you will see waiting for you at the beach the iconic swing of Punta Bulata, hanging poetically on a bent-over coconut tree unto the white sand. You are in a tropical paradise zone.
The pool is another option for taking a dip at Punta Bulata.
Nature-inspired amenities at Punta Bulata
Photos courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
When Punta Bulata was first introduced, it was a getaway for family and friends. Today, it has over 30 rooms of varying styles of accommodation.
There are rooms by the spa that are ideal for couples with its bathroom set up like an arboretum, complete with waterfalls. There are the Cabana rooms by the garden, which is great for families with children. It is situated near the dining area amid grassy lawns fronting the beach. For even bigger groups, they have the Beachside and Hillside Casita, which are detached two-bedroom structures a short distance away from the main resort. Each casita ha sa kitchen and dining room, making it ideal for longer visits. Being a short distance away from the main resort, their casita gives you that sense of privacy and living in your own beach house.
Lastly, there is what they call the mud huts, or structures made of compressed and hardened mud painted over white and covered with cogon (Japanese blood grass) roofs. These huts have outdoor baths that enable one to see the stars while bathing. Campers in tents are also welcome in this area, to accommodate revelers such as those attending the annual Sulu Sound summer music festival hosted by the resort.
Rich marine life can be found underwater just 20 minutes away from the shores of Punta Bulata.
Photos courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
Activities ranging from scuba diving, jet skiing, day and sunset cruise boating, among others, are offered at the resort. Horseback riding and hiking are also available for the adventurous and tranquil in spirit, respectively.
Social functions can be held with nature as a backdrop at Punta Bulata.
Photos courtesy of Punta Bulata Resort & Spa
A short hike from the resort up a small hill overlooking the sea leads to a small outdoor chapel. Here, visitors can spend some quiet time with nature and God. It is one of the most picturesque locations for meditation, hearing mass, or attending a wedding ceremony, as birds of varying species come swooping in, welcoming you into their natural world.
Update (June 2020): Punta Bulata Resort reopened last June 10.
Danjugan Island
The lush forests of Danjugan Island as seen from above
Photo courtesy of Danjugan Island
From Punta Bulata Resort & Spa, more adventure awaits you at Danjugan Island. A 20-minute boat ride away from the resort, Danjugan is a 43-hectare island with five lagoons, mangrove forests, a bat cave, a turtle nesting beach, and fringing coral reefs you can’t see anywhere else south of Bacolod. The island is a haven for diving enthusiasts, bird watchers, and nature lovers. It is also a living classroom for environmental conservationists.
Danjugan Island is home to 244 hard coral species, including this massive table coral.
You can find Nemo, or rather real life clown fishes, at the coral reefs of Danjugan Island.
One of the open-air eco cabanas at Danjugan Island
Photos courtesy of Danjugan Island
Overnight, daytrip, and short visits are available to island guests.
One of the recommended activities for a visit is kayaking early in the morning to First Lagoon from Typhoon Beach. The entrance is riddled with sharp rocks, plants, and overhanging trees that majestically open up to a lagoon so serene and secluded. Birds abound in this area.
Mud houses at Danjugan Island lend rustic charm to the area.
Photos courtesy of Danjugan Island
Another activity is kayaking towards Turtle Beach, where hawksbill turtles regularly return to hatch eggs. In the shallow waters of this beach, there are juvenile blacktip reef sharks darting under kayaks, which can number up to 40 or more at a time. In this flurry of animal activity and nature prevalent in the island, the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation (PRRCFI) has taken the lead in its preservation by spreading educational awareness to visitors.
With no mobile phone reception, it’s back to basics at the Typhoon Beach mud house.
Photo courtesy of Danjugan Island
Punta Bulata and Danjugan Island are proof that there are other activities besides eating in Negros. These two locations offer both the extremes of relaxing and actively participating in nature within a pristine setting.
What to Eat in Punta Bulata & Danjugan Island:
Food is still a part of these two local adventures. For one, the famed pizza Mirene at Punta Bulata is fantastic. The fried plantains with muscovado sugar in Danjugan are perfect after a day’s swim in the salty sea.
How to Get to Punta Bulata & Danjugan Island:
Most domestic carriers fly direct to Bacolod-Silay Airport daily. There are also Ceres Liner buses from Cebu which stop at the Bacolod South Ceres Terminal. Another option is fast craft boats bound for Bredco Port, Bacolod City.
From Bacolod City, going to Punta Bulata takes approximately three hours by car, while Danjugan Island is a 30-minute boat ride away from Cauayan.
Update (June 2020): Danjugan Island is temporarily closed due to the pandemic.
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on August 06, 2016
About Paul T. Lizares
Paul T. Lizares was born and raised in the island of Negros (Bacolod). He studied high school and college in University of California Santa Barbara, California, USA and has lived and traveled abroad for 17 years. Returning to Negros in the year 2000 to raise a family, he worked in the family real estate business and in power distribution. An advocate of environmental conservation, he is also a trustee of Philippine Reef and Rainforests Conservation Foundation Inc. and Negros Forests. Paul continues to travel and raising his children in Bacolod. He hopes to one day open a resort that caters to wellness and outdoor activities.
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Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are
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careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not
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