We spent two weeks in Dumaguete. It is more genteel than any Philippine city I have visited. Most Philippine cities aim just to survive; being pretty is not high on the list. Instead of the usual polluted, industrial water front, Dumaguete has a long, lovely, waterfront promenade with cast iron street lamps and benches to rest on. Huge Acacia trees line the strip of parkland separating the promenade from Rizal Boulevard. The Boulevard has some nice hotels, cafes, and bars where one can while away the hours gazing at the ocean.

The community has other assets. The Silliman University campus is almost Ivy League-beautiful. The Provincial Capitol and adjacent Freedom Park are also beautiful and well maintained. Generally there are sidewalks and far less trash than is usual in the Philippines. The water and sewer works, while not up to Western standards, are better than most.

I found the people more reserved than in Cebu City, probably just because it's a more rural place. However I was grocery shopping in Lee Plaza, Dumaguete, in the soup section. Three young teenage girls were also shopping there -- maybe they were 16. The three of them approached me and said, very sweetly and very sincerely, that I was very cute, very handsome. They did not seem to have any agenda -- except maybe they were on the way to eye doctor. Anyway, they did this bold thing in a very shy way. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day.

I tended to hang around the "Why Not" restaurant, bar, Internet cafe, travel agency, real estate agency. Seemed mostly Germans and other Europeans there. Some start drinking after breakfast and are pretty glassy-eyed by lunch. Thai dishes at Why Not were the best food of our three month trip, and we dined at dozens of restaurants.

Moving to the center of town from the waterfront, Dumaguete becomes more like the usual Philippine city; choked with tricycles and other traffic.


We stayed at the South Seas resort north of downtown -- not perfect, but was on ocean, pool, quiet and nicely landscaped but still with fairly easy access to downtown. We paid about $23 USD per night for an AC cottage.

Compared to Cebu City, there seemed to be more properties available for sale and for rent, even though there seemed to be a mini real estate frenzy underway.

Many of the smaller communities near Dumaguete are also pretty with many good beach and diving opportunities. There's also opportunities for hiking and mountaineering. (Feb. 2005)