Dumaguete Accommodations: Lufian Dormitel and Check Inn Dumaguete

Here are two places my friends and I stayed at during our recent trip to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental:

Lufian Dormitel

Nesia Building, San Jose Extension,

Brgy. Taclobo, Dumaguete City

(035) 523 3135 / 0922 825 5469

Pros:

• Rooms at Lufian Dormitel are spacious. We were three in the group, and the room was good for up to 5 persons (Php 1400). They have rooms good for up to 6 persons for Php 1800.
• Rooms are clean, air-conditioned, has a TV, a big cabinet, and table and chair. The room we stayed in had a queen sized bed and two single beds. Since we were only three, they only set up one single bed, which freed up the space.
• Room has an ensuite bathroom, and a shower with heater.
• Towels and soap are provided.
• Water dispenser is available at the reception.
• We were allowed to check in early. And since no one was checking in after us, we were allowed to leave our bags in the room hours after check out.

Cons:

• Lufian Dormitel is about a kilometer from the city center. If you want to be close to restaurants and the Dumaguete Boulevard, then this is considered far.
• The building is not solely a dormitel. On the second floor, where our room was, it had a law office and a conference room. Luckily, when we stayed, the law office was closed and no one was renting the conference room.
• The layout of the bathroom is not ideal: the shower is right next to the toilet, without any division, and the drain is near the sink. After taking a shower, the toilet and floor was all wet.

I forgot to take photos. This photo is from Lufian Dormitel's facebook page. This is the room we stayed in, but during our stay, the interiors had changed: it did not have a wall fan, the cabinet is bigger, there is a table and chair near the door of the bathroom, a TV on the corner across the bathroom door, and the beds were one queen bed and two single beds.

I forgot to take photos. This photo is from Lufian Dormitel's facebook page.

Check Inn Dumaguete

POS Marketing Bldg.

Dr. V. Locsin St., Dumaguete City

(035) 422 9000 / 0928 613 2595

Pros:

• Check Inn Dumaguete is located at the city center. Restaurants like CB City Burger and Sans Rival, and the Dumaguete Boulevard are just a steps away.
• The room for three persons (Business Suite, Php 1680) is spacious. It is clean, air-conditioned, has a TV, a big cabinet, refrigerator, and table and chair. The curtains are thick; if you like sleeping in, this will keep the room dark.
• Rooms have an ensuite bathroom, and a shower with heater.
• Towels, and a box containing soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste are provided.
• Keycard doors.

Cons:

• No free drinking water. The two 500ml bottles of water in the room are for sale (Php 20 each).
• We were informed that the room included free breakfast. What they did not mention was that it was only one breakfast (choice of luncheon meat or hotdog with rice and scrambled egg, and a cup of instant coffee)! You're paying for a room for three, but the free breakfast is only for one person?!
• Check Inn is old and the bathroom was not well maintained—scaling was evident on the sink and the shower enclosure.
• Very strict with check out. Guests must check out at 12 noon. They will charge 150/hour for the excess time.
• Our room was on the 4th floor. There is a conference room on this floor. The conference room is near the elevator/stairs. It can become noisy in this area.

I forgot to take photos. This photo is from booking.com.

I forgot to take photos. This photo is from booking.com.

A map to help you find your way:

Glamping at 150 Peakway

Ah, how social media provides free advertising. Yes, this is the reason why I decided to go to 150 Peakway in Mantalongon, Dalaguete. Because of one glamping photo my friend posted on his facebook page. Glamping in 150 Peakway seemed like a nice idea for a weekend getaway.

I booked a glamping tent through 150 Peakway Mountain Resort's facebook page (can also book through their Instagram page or through airbnb). Booking was smooth: whoever was answering messages in their facebook page was very prompt in addressing queries.

150 Peakway Mountain Resort has three air-conditioned glamping tents (4 pax, Php 6,000), three domes (4 pax, Php 10,000), a suite (4 pax, Php 7,000), and a villa (8 pax, Php 15,000). All of these, except the glamping tents, have their own toilet and shower. The toilets and shower rooms for the glamping tents are shared: two toilets, two sinks, and two shower rooms (has a hot shower, dispensers for shampoo and liquid bath soap, and a changing area) for each gender. In spite of it being shared, the toilets and shower rooms were very clean!

Expectation (photo grabbed from airbnb)

Reality. Unlike the picture in their airbnb listing, our glamping tent did not have tables and chairs.

Which was fine—more space for our mess!

Each tent and dome has its own deck, with a dining table and chairs, a lounge area with fire pit, and a foot washing area before entering the deck. An umbrella is also provided for each tent/dome. The domes and tents are spaced in such a way that it does not feel cramped and gives a feeling of privacy. 

Our tent's private deck

It rained the afternoon we checked in. We decided to have our dinner early (6PM) and as we were sitting down to eat (we had our dinner served at our deck), my Japanese friend, trying to hide from the wind, cowered between the lounge chair and the fire pit. We took the hint and called reception (our tent had a phone to call reception) to start a nice warm fire (firepit package is Php 600, which includes a big pack of marshmallows, a bar of Hershey's chocolate, and four packets of graham crackers) while we were having dinner. Wrong move. The wind kept blowing the smoke toward our dinner table and it made our eyes water.

Corkage fee applies, except for cake and drinking water (there are two complimentary 500ml bottles of water; a water dispenser is also available at the reception).

Thankfully, their food isn't overpriced and the servings are good for 2-3 persons.

Light 'em up!

My Japanese friend was so cold and so tired that she decided to sleep early and skip dinner. We asked one of the staff to keep our leftovers and have it served again the following day. Our stay (Php 6000, whether only one or four are staying) included complimentary breakfast only for the number of people checked in.

The rain, accompanied by a howling wind, continued all throughout the night. The bed was nice and cozy with clean and nice smelling sheets, but with the tent shuddering as winds hit it every few minutes, my friend and I only had a few hours fitful sleep. My Japanese friend slept like a log on the other bed. I used to go camping years ago and could get a good night's sleep with just a sleeping bag and a small tent. I guess I was made for camping, not glamping.

As morning came, the winds died down and the rain eventually stopped. The aircon cranked to high cool was no match for the fierce sun. By 8AM, it felt like a sauna inside the tent (except the area nearest the aircon).

The sky was blue that morning and we spent the rest of the morning appreciating the beautiful landscaping, the cute playground, and the small 4-feet deep pool, before the clock struck check out (11AM).

Playground

150 Peakway's small swimming pool

Tram tour. 150 Peakway offers tram tours for in-house guests. The tram tour costs Php 1500 (maximum of 7 persons). The tour take 3 to 4 hours, and has four stops: Osmeña Peak, Lugsangan (Casino) Peak, flower farm, and Pitamz Bistro. The entrance fee for each, except for the Bistro (which is free), is Php 50. Hiking to Osmeña Peak only takes 15 minutes. Although the trail is clear and straightforward, each group is required to have a guide (Php 100 per guide). The entrance fees are not included in the tram tour fee.

Service fee. Heads up! Upon check out, a service fee (minimal amount) will be added to your bill.

Going to 150 Peakway in Dalaguete: At Cebu South Bus Terminal, take a bus (Ceres Bus, aircon, Php 198; Sun Rays Bus, non-aircon, Php 150) that's headed to Oslob or Santander. Get off at 7Eleven in Dalaguete. The journey to Dalaguete usually takes 2.5 hours (but in our case, our Ceres Bus was driver was driving really slow that it took 3.5 hours!). At the junction for Matalongon, take a motorcycle (habalhabal) to 150 Peakway (20-30 minutes, Php 150/person, 2 persons per motorcycle).

Japanese Snacks

My friend, Hiromi, whom I had met through a language app in 2018, and met in person when I visited Gunma in 2019, and who visited me in Cebu is 2020, sent me a box of Japanese snacks.

The parcel arrived in the Philippines three days after Hiromi dropped it off at their post office, but it took more than a month from arriving in my country to get to me! Hiromi was worried that some of it might have expired!

What I did not expect was for the parcel to be so big—she had sent about 40 kinds of snacks! So many! What should I eat first? Easy. By expiration date! There were three that were already past their expiration date (April), but we (my family and I) still ate them.

Mochi Taro 餅太郎

This one is somewhat like rice crackers with a light taste and has bits of peanuts.

★★★★

Cut Yotchan (White) カットよっちゃん (しろ)

This is a squid snack flavored with vinegar. It was very sour!

★★

Apparently, it is a popular dagashi (small and cheap Japanese snacks ranging from 10 yen to 100 yen).

Which reminds me—another friend, Yumiko, brought me to visit a dagashiya (shop selling dagashi) in Kawagoe in 2019.

Ama Ika Taro 甘いか太郎

This is sweet and salty squid in kimchi flavor.

★★★

Fried Potato フライドポテト

Lightly salty French fries-shaped snack.

★

駄菓子屋さんのカレー

This is a curry flavored snack. I like Japanese curry! I could not stop eating this.

★★★★

Komusubi Arare 小結あられ

Arare are rice snacks/crackers that go well with drinks (or so the Japanese say).

This snack is slightly salty.

Hiromi says this one is a hineri-age or twisted fried snack.

With or without drinks, it disappeared in our tummies in a flash.

★★★★★

Happy Turn ハッピーターン

Happy Turn are crunchy rice crackers coated with sweet buttery powder. This variety has 150% more powder! My first taste of this snack was maybe three years ago, when my Japanese coworker gave us a pack of Happy Turn original flavor (100% powder). It was so good that I hunted it down it when I visited Japan in autumn of 2019. So happy that Hiromi sent me a pack of Happy Turn. I miss this rice cracker!

★★★★★

Ika Mirin いかみりん

Ika Mirin are crunchy squid crackers seasoned with mirin so it is slightly sweet.

Really addicting! I could not stop eating this!

★★★★★

Cabbage Taro キャベツ太郎

An okonomiyaki flavored puffed corn snack.

The flavor, which was okonimayaki, wasn't anything special or memorable.

★

Sakura Daikon さくら大根

This is radish (daikon) fermented in plum, resulting in its pink color (I am guessing that's where the "sakura" comes in). This is quite sour (as one would expect from a pickles) but crunchy. Pretty good if you like pickled veggies.

★★★

Sumomo (Plum) すもも

These pickled plums looked so cute. The taste reminded me of Chinese pickles

we used to eat when we were young.

★★★

Edo Dagashi Fugashi 江戸駄菓子ふ菓子

The texture reminded me of Moby (a Filipino snack). The taste was very very very sweet! 

★

Mugen Ebi 無限エビ

Shrimp flavored rice crackers. It tastes light and not too salty.

★★★★

Cheese Arare チーズあられ

Did not taste like cheese to me. Thus, the one star.

★

Kameda no Kaki no Tane Noko Ume Zarame 亀田の柿の種 濃厚梅ざらめ

Plum flavored rice crackers with peanuts. This is sweet and salty.

This is the first time I have tried the plum variety.

(I often buy the original flavor since it is available in my local supermarket.)

★★★

Koikeya Pride Potato (Setouchi Lemon) 湖池屋プライドポテト (凛凛レモン)

Potato chips flavored with vinegar and lemon. It actually tasted like a milder Lays Salt and Vinegar.

★★★

Sudako-san Taro 酢だこさん太郎

Made with fish paste and squid and flavored with vinegar. Quite sour. Obviously.

★★★

Kabayaki-san Taro 蒲焼さん太郎

Made with fish and squid, and flavored like kabayaki (how they grill eel). It has a slight spice. Really good!

★★★★★

Kappa Ebisen かっぱえびせん

This is like a lighter/less saltier version of our local junkfood, Oishi Prawn Crackers.

★★★

Potato Fry (Fried Chicken Flavor) ポテトフライ フライドチキン味

Fried chicken flavored potato chips. Tasty.

★★★

Mocchan Dango もっちゃんだんご

Soft and chewy mochi (rice cake) in three colors and lightly coated in sugar. Each color is a different flavor. I liked the pink and green ones. But I could do without the sugar.

★★★

Cratz Pepper Bacon Flavor

Pepper bacon flavored pretzels with almonds. As you can see on its packaging, it is meant to be paired with beer. But even without beer, it's really good. And addicting! This is a Glico product. One can never go wrong with Glico products. Yum!

★★★★★

Mini Lumonde (Caramel) ミニルマンド

Crepe cookies coated in caramel cream. I love the crunch and the taste, but I prefer the cocoa cream flavor. (Whenever I visit Japan, I would be sure to buy a pack of the cocoa cream flavor.)

★★★★

Pie no Mi パイの実

These are mini dark chocolate pies. Mini as in 1-inch diameter crunchy, crumbly, flaky dark chocolate pies. I was expecting it to be bigger, like 3 inches in diameter. But once I tried it, I could say it was a good decision that they had it in a small, pop-in-your-mouth size, because I think it would be messy to have it in big sizes as these are crumbly, flaky pies. I prefer milk chocolate that dark chocolate, thus the three stars.

★★★

Mala Peanuts 麻ピー

These are peanuts cooked in mala oil. It has bits of peppercorn and chilli too. And as the design packaging shows, it is indeed very spicy! One star because it is too spicy for me!

★

Konjac Jellyこんにゃくゼリー

These are jellies in stick form. The green one is green apple flavor, and the pink one is strawberry.

This brought back memories of my elementary years when we'd eat Jelly Ace.

This one is less messy to eat as it did not have too much juice compared to Jelly Ace.

And it was more firm too.

★★★★

Amijaga (Sour Cream and Onion) あみじゃが (サワークリーム＆オニオン味)

Sour cream and onion flavored potato snack. These are thick and cruchy. Very addicting! I consumed one bag in one sitting! Yikes!

★★★★★

Candy Box キャンディーボックス

These are small mochi candies. Each color is a different fruit flavor. These are not too sweet.

★★★

Takenoko no Sato たけのこの里

Crumbly cookie cone covered in chocolate and shaped like bamboo shoots (takenoko).

I like Japanese chocolates because they are not too sweet, but I am not fan of the cookie part of this though. I prefer its mushroom counterpart—Kinoko no yama きのこの山 (mountain mushroom).

★★★

Sapporo Potato BBQ サッポロポテト バーベQあじ

Chicken and beef barbecue flavored potato snack. Very junk-foody, if there's such a word!

★★★

Jari mameじゃり豆

Made with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds, covered in batter and baked. No oil!

Love this light, crunchy snack.

★★★★★

Fue Ramune Budou コリス フエラムネぶどう

Grape (budou) flavored whistle candy. When you blow through the hole in the candy it makes a whistling sound. The candy easily crumbles so you can probably just do the whistling once. Haha.

★★★

Watagashi わたがし

White cotton candy. Tastes like what cotton candy should taste like.

★★★

Mini Assortment ミニアソート

This set includes small boxes of candy. From left to right: yogurt candy, fruit jellybeans (raspberry, green apple, lemon, and grape), drink flavored jellybeans (cola, raspberry juice, lemon sukasshu squash, cider), lemon candy, and chocolate. The candies are too sweet. I liked the chocolate.

★★

Ninjin にんじん

Puffed rice snack in a carrot-shaped packaging. Looks really cute, but tastes meh.

★