There are three different ways to reach Dumaguete, the nearest town to my destination of Aroma Beach Resort in the little town of Manjuyod. The fastest way is to take the thirty minute flight from Cebu City – but that is kind of expensive. The second option is to take a fast craft that will whisk you from Cebu City to Dumaguete in four hours for about P800. For most people, I think the fast craft is the way to go for a couple of reasons. Unless the seas are rough, the boat ride is fun, the scenery is pleasant, and the boat has restroom facilities. Why should I mention the restroom facilities you wonder? Because my friends and I took the third option to Dumaguete and learned the hard way that the bus drivers do not like to stop on the six-hour drive to Dumaguete. Sure we saved P500 pesos each, but the lack of access to a comfort room was very uncomfortable. I have no idea why the bus driver refused to stop, but you should strongly consider taking the boat and not the bus to Dumaguete.
I was surprised by how much Dumaguete has changed since my last visit there about a year ago. Those who love fast food will be happy to learn KFC and Mickie D’s has joined Jollie Bee as competitors with the many local purveyors of tasty snacks and goodies.
After fortifying ourselves with fast food, and using their restroom facilities, we were off by tricycle to find a bus for our ninety minute ride to the little town of Manjuyod. Once there, we found several tricycle drivers for short jaunt to the Aroma Beach Resort.
We chose this particular resort because their brochure made the place look absolutely fantastic. The brochure featured white sandy beaches, a picturesque restaurant that served a variety of delicious foods and cottages on stilts out into the water. In reality, we found just a little more than one out three to be true. Let me explain.
To say the rooms are flimsy is an understatement. I’m sure they have to rebuild the rooms after every major storm. We were quite concerned with the lack of security at this place. There were no security guards anywhere and just about anyone could open the cheap doors of the native rooms. To be honest, I’m sure I could hack through the room walls with a sharp bolo. We tried to improve the security of our room by moving the furniture around to place several large objects in front of the door to block anyone who might try to come in at night. The rooms were really spooky at night because there were no TVs, radios, or anything that could at least make a little noise or provide some entertainment at night. They don’t even have a towel or bar of soap. To say the accommodations were minimalistic is an understatement.
We enjoyed the white sandy beach, but it was only visible between sunrise and about 7:00 AM. After that, the rising tide covered the sand completely.
Then there was the food – if you can call it that. In all of my travels, my friends and I found the food at the Aroma Beach Resort to be the most unappealing. To compound matters, there were very few other near-by dining options.
When we inquired about the table tennis, badminton and other recreational options we saw on their website, we were told they were all being repaired or replaced. Frankly, I would start by replacing their cook.
Frankly, we felt more like we were staying at a farm than a beach resort. We continuously heard from the many goats, and chickens that lived nearby.
But our two-day stay at the Aroma Beach Resort was not a total disaster. We totally enjoyed hiring a motor launch and cruising around for the day. For P 4,500, our group was ferried around the immediate area, were taken to a beautiful sandbar out in the ocean that included the use of a large cottage, and taken on a guided search for dolphins. We feared the dolphins might be as elusive as Aroma’s fining dining and recreational offerings, but our motor launch’s captain was able to find a group of dolphins who put on quite a show for us. After the dolphins watching, we were returned to the sandbar for swimming and enjoying the ocean. After a rest at our cottage, we were returned to the Aroma Beach Resort. The day’s adventure was fun but the P4,500 charge for the day seemed a bit excessive – particularly in light of the fact that no meals or even snacks were provided. It was good fortune that we happened to bring a couple bags of chips and snacks along with us.
You know, the funny thing about the Aroma Beach Resort experience was the fact the people working there didn’t seem to think there was nothing wrong with the fact they did not keep their placing looking anything like the pictures on their website. They didn’t seem to think there was any problem shopping at the local sari-sari store to buy the ingredients for the food the prepared for their guests. The food was terrible, the place was dirty, the sounds and smells made you feel you were visiting a farm. All of these problems and none of the employees seemed think there was anything they should be doing for their customers. In fact, they couldn’t even smile when we arrived or anytime during our stay. Well, maybe there was a little grin when we paid our bill on the way out.
The same criticism could be made about the boat excursion to the sandbar and dolphin search. Didn’t those people think we might get thirsty and hungry? They should have brought along some drinks and snacks for us, or at least advised us to bring these items. In retrospect, perhaps the reason they said nothing was part of their strategy to have us return as quickly as possible so they could minimize the time they spent driving us around in their boat, burning their gasoline.
If you want to visit Dumaguete and you are leaving from Cebu, take the fast craft – not the bus. Dumaguete is a clean place where you can find modestly-price lodging and a variety of food options. If you want to visit a beach resort near Dumaguete, don’t rely on what you find on the websites of resorts. Check out some blogs and discussions forums before to go.
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