Sta. Monica Beach Club of Dumaguete : An Experience Worth Sharing Even on a Stormy Day

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Sta. Monica Beach Club resort of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

When in Manila, and looking for a decent resort destination while you explore the beautiful sights of the city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, be sure to drop by the Sta. Monica Beach Club resort. This resort truly has the potential to become a prime destination spot for travelers, companies on retreat, or families on vacation.

Plenty of tree surround the resort making it cool and green

Sta. Monica Beach Club resort of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental is under new management! From the same people behind the Amorita, the resort is currently undergoing major renovation and improvement but can now accept guests for its soft-opening launch. There are several  plans on its facilities – from the landscaping, to the rehabilitation of existing rooms, to the addition of family size rooms, a huge function hall and restaurant – all aimed to provide a more convenient and pleasant stay at the resort.  To quote from a friend who traveled with us, “New rooms are being constructed, the walls repainted, and the menu overhauled. They brought in Chef Syl to recreate the menu for the resort. Chef Syl Malenab used to work under Chef Paeng Ongchiong of Amorita Beach Resort in Panglao.”

Better facilities to make your stay at the hotel more pleasant and memorable, great foods from a new Chef born and raised all the way from Los Banos, Laguna, and they would soon also offer a tour package of Dumaguete to allow you to experience the splendor of the City of the Gentle People in all its glory.

A few big houses are also being constructed to accommodate big families or larger groups of guests

Actually, what first got my attention to try out their tour package was when I read the following lines from their promotional invitation: “Amorita Resort invites you to an exclusive tour of the peaceful, crystal blue beaches of Momo in Panglao Island and Sta. Monica, as they open the doors to two new resorts in Bohol and Negros Oriental. Relax in the pristine beauty of Sta. Monica beach as you immerse yourself in the resort’s cozy atmosphere. Then, explore the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of Dumaguete, as we take you on a tour of the “City of Gentle People” and a degustation of their cuisine. Get an opportunity to take home some of the region’s best products and produce at the famous Malatapay Market. Lastly, get lost in the calm and serenity of Panglao Island’s northern beaches, and have a taste of Bohol’s infinite experiences at the beautiful island town of Dauis.”

Some garden landscaping. They also plan to put in an all bermuda grass lawn for the entire resort

Yes, we were also supposed to go to Bohol as part of the tour package – its just one ferry ride away – but typhon Pablo got in the way as all ferry rides and even flight schedules in and out of the Dumaguete was cancelled. Instead of a two day Dumaguete adventure then to follow it to Bohol for another day of adventure, we got stranded in Dumaguete for another two days.

Our room in Sta. Monica Beach Club resort

These wooden chairs were comfortable enough

Room Number 4 – that’s our room!

A cute key chain for our room key – at the end of the two day stay the only thing that got left was the key

Since this was another long adventure worth sharing even on a stormy day, I’m splitting our travel adventure into several parts so as not to bore you with a lengthy story. So watch out for more of my Dumaguete adventure in future blog posts soon. But I’m betting its going to be sooner than expected because I can’t wait to share my thrilling experience.

I Googled for the resort and this was one of the limited information I found on the Internet:  “Revel in a piece of paradise at Sta. Monica Beach Resort in Dumaguete City. In this paradise, pleasures – whether thrilling or soothing – will fill your holiday. Go scuba diving and explore colorful reefs, unwind in the Jacuzzi, or have your fill of scrumptious seafood at Sugba Restaurant. And what holiday would be complete without a cozy room to retire to? Spacious, comfortable, and economical, the rooms at Sta. Monica Beach Resort are furnished with the essentials, like air-conditioning and a private shower.

 This is currently the management office, but may transfer after they’ve constructed better facilities

Sta. Monica Beach Resort is located in Barangay Banilad, the biggest barangay in Dumaguete City. Known as the “City of Gentle People”, Dumaguete is highly accessible from Manila. It only takes a 1 ½-hour plane ride to get here.

Dumaguete is the capital of Negros Oriental Province. It is home to some of the most enchanting dive sites in the Philippines, one of them being the famous Apo Island. The city also boasts beautiful beaches, refreshing waterfalls, and tranquil lakes. Several historic attractions can be found here as well.”

Some of the comments in many of the posts mentioned that the resort needs improvement because its old and needs remodeling. Great news to find out that its under new management and several improvements has been ongoing since a few months ago. The front entrance shows a huge facility under construction which management and staff said would be something like a big reception and restaurant facility. Ongoing also are the construction of several family rooms for the bigger families or group of people to enjoy.

The pool side bar serves snacks and drinks

This is where we dine most of the time – breakfast and dinner, lunch was always on site

The pool design was great enough and even highlighted with a jacuzzi at one corner. Maybe a slide at the pool will be another great idea that the new management can add to attract the interests of little kids as well.  The pool bar offers snacks and drinks for the guests where they can dine beside the pool while enjoying the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the scenery. I got to try the pool on my second night and enjoyed it really well. The only humorous situation was when I saw frogs around by the poolside enjoying a dip as well. Hahaha.

Two big comfy beds were in a room I shared with a friend

A few shelves for our clothes and stuff and an LCD Television with cable TV connection for our viewing pleasure

A few hangers for our clothes

A fridge with two complimentary bottled water

We got to use newly-renovated rooms with two great big comfy beds and the usual basic amenities like a large LCD television with cable TV connection, a personal refrigerator, and a cabinet to put our clothes. The bathroom has hot and cold water plus two huge bottles of lemongrass shampoo and liquid soap. Complimentary bottled waters and native food products for each guest were delivered each day.  Though the rooms do not have phones and wifi Internet available yet, I’m sure its part of their future improvement plans for the resort. And oh, I would also like to recommend the standard provision of toothbrush and toothpaste. There was none available durng the tme we were there – a sign the management has overlooked that small but necessary provision for guests. Wake up calls can be requested if required, so a staff will surely knock on your rooms on the designated wake-up call time.

Just a sample of one of the breakfast meals served by the resort – eggs, bacon and vegetable salad

This was one of the special snacks that were served by the resort - mango, chocolate drink and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves

Did I already mention how great the food was. Indeed, the food satisfied all our cravings from the main dish to the dessert (special mention to the buko pandan salad). The dishes presentation were not elaborately designed as compared to other fine-dining resort restaurants but the taste was extremely satisfactory.

We bought our own fresh seafood straight from the Dumaguete Public Market – to be cooked later by the resort’s Chef

The Dumaguete Public Market was a typical wet and dry market – nothing extraordinary

First on our list was the “sugpo” – large shrimps

We can’t resist on buying the “Bod-Bod Kabog”, a native delicacy that can only be found in Dumaguete

The management even allowed us to explore the town market and buy our own choice of food to be cooked by the Chef later at the resort. They gave us a total of Php 1600 (P200 for each person and we were eight – multiply Php 200 by eight persons equals 1600). We bought a few kilos seafood (squid, tuna, shrimps and milkfish) plus a few fruits composed of green mangoes (great with “bagoong”) and bananas.

Miss Cita giving us an orientation about the resort and the many tourist spots we will soon be visiting

The Sta. Monica Beach Club resort van that toured us around Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Miss Cita, the manager of the Sta. Monica Beach resort, and the rest of the staff were very accommodating and friendly, plus the surprise cake for one of our friends who was celebrating her birthday on the second day of our stay at Dumaguete was an indication that they are thoughtful. When we got stranded for two days due to the typhoon Pablo, they remained our accommodating hosts all throughout. That is the most impressive attribute that you will find generally amongst us Filipinos. We are a very hospitable race, and I’m very proud of that fact.

Our designated “tour guide” for the entire two-day tour of Dumaguete

Watch out for more stories here at When In Manila as I continue our story of how we toured the city and visited some of the most sought after tourist spots like the Silliman University Anthropological Museum, the Sta. Catalina Church and Belfry tower, the White Sand Bar beach of Manjuyod, the Red River Valley falls of Valencia, The Twin River Lakes of Balinsasayao, and more.

On the road on our way to an adventure!

My fellow travelers that joined me in exploring the wonders of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Check out the Facebook page of the Sta. Monica Beach Club resort : https://www.facebook.com/Sta.MonicaBeachResort

Check out more of my Dumaguete, Negros Oriental adventure at the links below:

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries : Dumaguete’s Sweet Pride : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/sans-rival-cakes-and-pastries.html

Silliman Anthropology Museum : A Time Travel Experience : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/silliman-university-anthropological.html

St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral : A Historical Dumaguete Landmark : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/st-catherine-of-alexandria-cathedral.html

Red Rock Hot Spring : Therapeutic and Health Beneficial: http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/red-rock-hot-spring-therapeutic-and.html

Red River Valley Waterfalls : Nature Is Best When Its Untouched : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/red-river-valley-waterfalls-nature-is.html

Dumaguete Public Market : Buying For a Meal Worth 200 Pesos : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/dumaguete-public-market-buying-for-meal.html

Balinsasayao Twin Lake Natural Park : To Be at Peace with Nature : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/balinsasayao-twin-lakes-natural-park-to.html

Cafe Antonio Coffee and Resto of Dumaguete : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/cafe-antonio-coffee-and-resto-of.html

White Sand Bar of Manjuyod : Prime Tourist Destination : http://wazzuppilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/white-sand-bar-of-manjuyod-prime.html

Sta. Monica Beach Club of Dumaguete : An Experience Worth Sharing Even on a Stormy Day