Negros Occidental

Danjugan Island Sanctuary: Eco-Tourism Paradise in Cauayan, Negros Occidental

Posted on December 9, 2022

Last October, after revisiting the heritage city of Silay and spending a weekend in Bacolod for the Masskara Festival, I bussed further south to the municipality of Cauayan and hopped on a bangka (outrigger boat) for a 30-minute ride to Danjugan Island Sanctuary, an eco-tourism destination I have long wanted to experience. Despite its small size – the lush island is only 1.5 km long and 500 meters wide – Danjugan is packed with topographical features, creating diverse habitats thatRead More→

1898 Casa & Restauranté: Stay and Dine at a Heritage House in Silay City, Negros Occidental

Posted on November 7, 2022

Silay City in Negros Occidental boasts some of the largest concentrations of heritage houses in the Philippines, owing to wealthy landowning families overseeing vast sugarcane plantations since colonial times. Its laid-back heritage zone, which can be easily explored on foot via this self-guided walking tour, is conveniently located only 5 km from the Bacolod-Silay Airport. A few heritage houses have been recently restored into accommodations and restaurants, offering great opportunities to really soak up the old-world atmosphere of the place.Read More→

A Heritage Walking Tour of Silay City Heritage Zone

Posted on October 31, 2022

The gateway to Negros Occidental by plane, Silay City is one of the best-preserved heritage towns in the Philippines. More than 30 ancestral homes, built between the late 19th century and early 20th century, have been officially recognized as Heritage Houses by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) within the Silay City Heritage Zone. These opulent mansions of various architectural styles were erected by wealthy landowning families who reaped from the economic boom of the cane sugar industryRead More→

Seda Capitol Central: The Place to Be in Bacolod City

Posted on July 31, 2018

Rising next to the Capitol Lagoon, it’s hard to miss Seda Capitol Central, the newest hotel to open its doors in the heart of Bacolod City. The 155-room hotel  is one of the key developments of Capitol Central, a rising government complex centered on the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, currently co-managed by Ayala Land, which has bought up and leased properties in the area for various developments, including the soon-to-open Ayala Capitol Central Mall, located just a short walk away fromRead More→

My 10 Best Adventures In The Philippines Over The Past 10 Years

Posted on June 14, 2018

2018 marks a milestone for my travel blog! It’s the 10th year anniversary of EAZY Traveler, since I started this online travel journal on March 2, 2008 – urged by the burning desire to see more of my homeland, the Philippines. Since then, my travels have taken me across all corners of the world’s second-largest archipelago on personal trips, sponsored media tours, and for commissioned assignments as a freelance travel journalist – many of them for Smile, the inflight magazineRead More→

Where’s Waddy? | The Last Irrawaddy Dolphins of Negros Occidental

Posted on October 23, 2017

It was the middle of August, and after weeks of monsoon rains at Negros Island, the weather finally relented and gave way to a sunny day. The dark clouds dissipated, and one could see as far as the distant mountains of Panay Island across the Guimaras Strait. The sea was calm. “It’s a beautiful day,” marine biologist Mark de la Paz beamed, as our bangka (outrigger canoe) departed past 7 AM from the black-sand beach of Pulupandan — a municipalityRead More→