Dumaguete - Philippines Best Kept Secret
Today’s Guest Blog Column is from Vicki Indiati. It is a very interesting piece about Dumaguete, which is a place that I hear a lot of positive comment about! Thank you, Vicki, for putting together this very informative piece! Let’s see what Vicki has to say:
Dumaguete is not to big and not to small, it’s just about right. Just ask the 4,000 or so foreigners who call Dumaguete home. After the Robinson Mall is built in about one year’s time, it will be almost perfect. Most of the voids we presently have such as good coffee establishments, a real heath club/gym, more varied restaurants and a more sophisticated supermarket and department store will be filled and trips to Cebu for shopping will be greatly diminished. The understanding is Starbucks, Bo’s Coffee, Gold’s Gym, Robinson’s Supermarket and many more restaurants will be coming along with more specialty shops. There is an Airport located 10 minutes from downtown with two daily flight coming from and going to Manila and you can get to and from Cebu in a few hours time by Bus, Car or Ferry.
Geography – Dumaguete is a lovely seaside town a stones throw away from: Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor and on a clear day you can even see Mindanao. Rizal is the seaside boulevard where many restaurants and hotels are located and where many foreigners tend to congregate. There is also a beautiful walkway right by the water on Rizal and on any given morning or evening hundreds of more people come to walk, exercise, hangout and enjoy the beautiful view of the sea and other islands. The weather is probably not different than any other place in the country with rain and sunshine more or less depending on season.
Foreign Population – about 4,000, mostly German, Swiss, American, British, Canadian and Australian. Mostly retired or semi-retired.
Housing Rentals – When you speak of renting in Dumaguete you can also bring into the picture the towns of Valencia, Bacong, and Dauin which are no more than 15 – 20 minutes away from the city proper. Dauin and Bacong are on the sea and Valencia is an elevated town about 700 – 1700 feet above sea level and views to match. Thus you can have the best of all worlds as to where to live. Rentals range from P4000 to P50,000 monthly depending on size and location. This is perhaps the most inflated cost of living in a place with so many foreigners. The typical house suitable for a westernized foreigner with family will run closer to P15,000 if not P20,000 monthly.
Housing Purchase – There are many houses for sale now due to a depreciated dollar. You can find beautiful seaside houses with good lots sizes from about P5 million to P15 million. Otherwise houses on the market range from about P2 million to P18 million. Many have pools and western standards of construction.
Property –This also tends to be higher than other places. Beachfront P800 to P3,000 per sqm. Valencia about P250 – P1500 sqm.
Housing Construction – There is one awesome builder here who builds for many of the foreigners at about P20,000 per sqm for a high quality turn-key house. Just put in your appliances. There are other good builders here as well.
Roads – The national highway which runs north and south of the city is a very good road. Unfortunately, many of the roads in the city limits leave much to be desired and some in particular are so pot hole ridden they can present a danger to motorists.
Traffic – hundreds of tricycles and motor scooters call Dumaguete home and they tend to get in the way of cars and trucks. Nevertheless, it is fun to navigate around them and no doubt Dumaguete is a great place to hone your driving skills. There are no lights as the town is really too small for them.
Eating & Food – There are many restaurants of different food types here and food prices are affordable. As for specialty grocery food items, you will find some imported stuff in Lee Plaza the current and only real supermarket now in town (Robinsons’s will change that thankfully) and at Why Not. Why Not located on Rizal. has European style breads and meats available at their restaurant Delicatessen.
Entertainment – Why Not is both a restaurant and at night has a disco in the back. It is a very popular place for both locals and foreigners. There are also other places for dancing and listening to music
Schools, Hospitals and Places of Worship– 5 Colleges and Universities I think and just as many Hospitals. No doubt a great place to educate your kids or seek good medical attention. Also many quality schools for younger students. Hundreds of Churches abound.
Sports & Hobbies – There are two 9 hole golf courses. One is in town and the other 15 minutes away. Then there is Pamplona a true 18 hole course about 40 minutes out of town. A tennis club and a gym are located is in town. A Texas Hold’em game most nights in town, Billard halls and cock fighting arenas of course. Some of the best scuba diving in the country is located in Dauin and Apo Island. There are many Internet cafes that cater to gamers and plenty of DVD movie stores.
Hang outs – There are probably five main hangouts and they all revolve around drinking and eating – Why Not, Annabelle’s, Happy Fred’s, Coco Amigos and McDonalds. All are located on Rizal except McDonalds. They all have their own loyal clientele and if you want to meet foreigners these are the places to go. By the way, foreigners are very friendly and helpful here. For the most part the English speaking countries hang out together while the German and Swiss do the same amongst themselves.
Social Life – Dumaguete is both a great town to be single as well as involved in a relationship. Many of the foreigners here including myself are in relationships.
Conclusion - All in all I would have to say Dumaguete is the best of all worlds. I honestly think any foreigner would be happy living here. Dumaguete is laid back, friendly, pretty, and very safe place to live.
I visited Dumaguete for the first time over New Year’s and enjoyed the few days I spent there. It certainly is quiet and relaxing compared to cities like Manila. For those who are looking for a resort holiday there are a couple of alternatives close by. However, to my impression in the city itself there were a lot of beggars. Also, I’m sure the Robinsons will bring more shopping opportunities, I went into the major food store downtown and it seemed really run down!
Thank-you for this informative article. It is very much appreciated. I would be interested in reading more similar articles from you in the future. Keep up the good work!
Beggars: Yes, there are beggars in Dumaguete and they can be a pain in the ass. Most of them are actually from Mindanao. They come over as a large family group and it is the shabbily dressed kids that mostly do the begging while the parent sitting back reaping the rewards. I find it sad (especially that these children are not in school where they should be) but then there are many things that will piss you off here in the PI if you let em’. Anyway, It is hard to get rid of these beggars as they keep coming back even when they are sent packing. Just one of the minor irritations in an otherwise comfortable environment this town is.
Some additional comments
Water – no idea as our whole family drinks only bottled water
Utilities – For those that live in Valencia they get an automatic P600 a month discount on their electric bill as they are in a geothermic area. (added note: Valencia has a Mayor that lived in the USA a very long time so guess what! stuff gets done there efficiently and on American time. Wish the same could be said about the Mayor of Dumaguete proper). Brownouts in Dumaguete occur perhaps once a month and more often in bad weather.
Lechon Manok – Small size P140. Large P190
Internet – Globelines, Bayantel Smart, PLDT, and IT Outlook. Over 50 Internet cafes in Dumaguete proper. Speeds up to 3mbps I think
Beggars: Yes, there are beggars in Dumaguete and they can be a pain in the ass. Most of them are actually from Mindanao. They come over as a large family group and it is their shabbily dressed kids that mostly do the begging while their parents sit back reaping the rewards on their new n95 Nokia phones. I find it sad (especially consider these kids should be in school) but then there are many things that will piss you off here in the PI if you let em’. Anyway, It is hard to get rid of these beggars as they keep coming back even when they are sent packing. Just one of the minor irritations in an otherwise comfortable environment this town is.
Some additional comments
Water – no idea as our whole family drinks only bottled water
Utilities – For those that live in Valencia they get an automatic P600 a month discount on their electric bill as they are in a geothermic area. (added note: Valencia has a Mayor that lived in the USA a very long time so guess what! stuff gets done there efficiently and on American time. Wish the same could be said about the Mayor of Dumaguete proper). Brownouts in Dumaguete occur perhaps once a month and more often in bad weather.
Lechon Manok – Small size P140. Large P190
Internet – Globelines, Bayantel Smart, PLDT, and IT Outlook. Over 50 Internet cafes in Dumaguete proper. Speeds up to 3mbps I think
Great to be able to read ahead of our travels,as it may be. We are very interested in Dumaguete,and now even more interested in Valencia.! Thanks again . Ken Russell
I am a retired military I want to live in PI what do I have to do??????
E. Maize
MSgt. USMC (Ret)
Hi Eugene - Thanks for stopping by my site! Basically, being retired military would not have any bearing your your plans to retire in the Philippines, the procedure would be the same for you as any other foreigner (like me!).
If you have a Philippine Spouse, you can apply for a 13(a) Resident Visa and stay here as long as you wish to stay.
If you have a former Philippine Spouse (she is already a US Citizen) you would then apply for a 13(g) visa and can again stay as long as you wish.
If you do not have a spouse, or your spouse is not Filipino, then you would need to apply for a non-quota resident visa, which you may or may not get. Alternatively, you can come on a tourist visa and stay for up to 2 years on that. At the end of 2 years you would need to leave the country, even just for a day, then return and start another 2 years of stay.
I was yesterday together with the head of construction for the Robinson’s mall in Dumaguete. You can be assured that there will be NO mall before 2011.
cheers
Rhoody
http://www.dumagueteinfo.com
question for#6
were you ever stationed in massachusetts? like @ Buzzards Bay if so i have tried to locate you for awhile.
My wife is a filipina national. We would like to relocate to the area of Dumaguete,
We have been there in the past. Would you happen to know of any beach front properties for sale ?, or beach front homes for sale ? or know of anyone who has info on what is up for sale ? Would prefer Bacong, Dauin, area but willing to consider Dumaguete to Zamboanguita/Siaton area. Looking for at least 2,000
sqm up.
Thanks,
Jim & Mylene
Hi Jim,
There are plenty of properties for sale in Dumaguete and vicinity. You can cut-and-paste this link:
http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/negros-oriental.htm
I am on the opposite end because I bought a lot in the hills of Valencia and hope to retire there.
I hope this helps.