Cagayan de Oro and Bukidon: Unexpected Fun and Adventure- Epilogue

Cagayan de Oro and Bukidon

Unexpected Fun and Adventure

 (Epilogue of a 5 days 4 nights Itinerary)

 (CDO and Bukidnon Series 9)

              Despite the fact that my family have travelled
 extensively abroad in the past,

 

We have not seriously travelled locally,

…until we visited Iloilo and Guimaras last year

that we tremendously enjoyed - we started

routinely including local travels in our calendar

every year after the holy week frenzy.

Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2012/06/iloilo-and-guimaras-stay-stray-play-and.html

Although we have been to Mindanao in the past

(Davao three times in particular),

it was our first time to be in Cagayan de Oro

which we heard nothing about except for the

White Water Rafting that the kids wanted to try.

Cagayan de Oro has never been extensively promoted

as a preferred tourist destination in the Philippines

so we weren’t expecting much-

…but surprisingly-

 we had one of the best vacations of our lives.

Day 1.

We arrived late at CDO from Naga City

after a brief stop- over in Manila,

-and we were picked by a rented van from the airport

which we would be using for the rest of our stay

and took us to Seda Hotel in downtown CDO.

Philippines has the most chaotic and disorganized

transportation system so we make it a point to

pre- arrange our transportation to suit our itinerary.

It would be the same van that we would be using

for the rest of our stay in the city.

Stay, Play and Feast

TheSeda Centrio

Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/seda-hotel-centrio.html

We had planned the trip as early as December

and we initially booked at NHotel

I rely on reviews on the net regarding a hotel and

N hotel has been getting good reviews on the web.

When I learned that Seda Centrio had opened

I cancelled my original hotel reservation and

booked at Centrio instead-

It’s a new hotel, yes but it is owned

by a very reputable company- the Ayala Group,

so I knew all the while that we got the right hotel

nothing could go wrong with our choice.

The hotel is connected to an upscale mall called Centrio.

Their best room, the Premier Room

was beautiful and was surprisingly affordable.

It had decent spread of good food

on their breakfast buffet at the Misto,

...and had varied choices of delicious dishes

for their in room dining.

It also had a beautiful swimming pool

that kids had a great time swimming.

The gym located just beside the pool.

was well equipped and  very modern.

We are very fussy when it comes

to choosing on which hotel to stay.

I don’t care much about the price as 

we are always looking up to a hotel

 with Family friendly amenities

but it wouldn’t  hurt a bit when

 a great hotel comes with a bargain price

Staying in a good hotel is one big factor

for a wonderful and comfortable vacation

and Seda Hotel had a five star look,

top notch amenities but at 3 star hotel tag price.

Day 2

Off to Dahilayan, Bukidnon

Stray

Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/roadtrip-cdo-to-dahilayan-bukidnon.html

After a hearty breakfast at the Misto we packed

an overnight bag on our second day on CDO,

...we were picked up by the rented van

to take us for an overnight stay in

Forest Park in Dahilyan, Bukidnon.

We did not check out at Seda Hotel

as we would be back the next day anyway.

We asked the driver to take us on a city tour

....and we were off 
to a scenic ride to Dahilayan,

 

...to the Forest Park Resort 
where we pre- booked for an overnight stay
 in the wonderful mountain paradise.

Stay, Play and Feast

Forest Park Resort.

Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/forest-park-dahilayan-bukidnon.html

Forest Park  is a picturesque mountain resort

in Dahilayan,Bukidnon located at the

second highest peak in the Philippines

the Kitanglad Mountain Range.

It had a charming hotel tastefully

decorated with various hues

of earth colors…

...and had a magnificent view of the mountains

...and of the verdant Pine Forest.

It had a beautiful interactive playground,

and the kids couldn’t get enough playing

day in and day out.

This playground alone makes this hotel

unsurpassed and incomparable when it comes

to family friendly amenity category.

For very affordable fees there are other

exciting attractions like the Zorbit, 

...ATV rides,

^^Photo Credit: http://www.dahilayanforestpark.com/

...a tree top obstacle course called

Tree Top Adventure

...but one should not miss the very first Luge

in the Philippines and probably
the most scenic in Asia.

 

The resort also has a quaint Picnic Grove

with a heated spa in the midst of the pine forest,

...and an old fashioned restaurant called Forest Café

where they serve delectable dishes.

Stray and Feast

Fair Dahilyan, 
the Baguio of Northern Mindanao.

Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/dahilayan-fair-bukidnon-baguio-in.html

Dahilayan is home to three great charming hotels.

Way down the road is The Cowboy Inn,

...they offer no frills budget accommodation

and an unforgettable Bonfire Barbecue Buffet.

One may also relax while sipping hot Choco

and roasting marshmallows with your family

by the bonfire on cold Dahilayan evenings.

They also offer horseback riding

and get to be a cowboy for a day.

Midway between the Cowboy Inn and Forest Park

is the nearby Dahilayan Adventure Park

...that offers a posh accommodation called

Pine Grove Lodge- a log house inspired hotel.

We would have stayed in this hotel

had it not for the playground in the nearby Forest Park.

This adventure park offers more extreme

attractions  but one should not miss the

longest double zip line in Asia,

...where one gets a Certificate of Survival

after completing the ride.

It is also a must to try the delicious

Raisin Cinnamon Bread found in this hotel.

Every Dahilayan tourist should also try

the sweet corn and fresh strawberries

sold in the street by the natives.

Day 3

Stray and Feast.

Centrio Mall

We left Dahilayan at exactly 12 noon

and arrived at CDO exhausted and starving

craving for a much needed lunch.

Off  we went to the Centrio Mall

and feasted on huge burgers

...and yummy fried Chicken,

...at the Army Navy restaurant.

Army Navy is just what the family needed

after the tiring but exciting Dahilayan sidetrip.

Their humongous burgers are what we have been craving for-

and boy, Cagayanons are lucky for having one in their city.

We spent the rest of afternoon at the Centrio Mall.

The mall offers a wide range of local and international brands,

...fancy restaurants inside the mall

and at the Al Fresco Area,

...we were also able to buy a sturdy pedometer

 at the Chris Sports- something we have been looking for

... it had a great choices of signature brands,

,,,and local OTOP Pasalubong Shops,

...and it spared us from going out of way

just to buy something that we could bring home.

We returned to the hotel at night

and ordered in room dining

before retiring to bed.

It was our third day in the province

and we were having a great time.

Day 4

Stray,Rock, Roll and Feast

Read here for more; http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/white-water-rafting-in-cdo-extreme.htm

This is what we came here for.

My wife and young son were still asleep

when me and my fifteen year old daughter

woke up for the White Water Rafting we

booked upon arriving in the city.

 

We were picked up by men from Bugsay,

(the rafting company that Seda Hotel booked for us)

and I savoured my first jeepney ride after about 20 years,

...and what I thought was my daughter’s first time

but she said she took several jeepney rides in school before.

We were joined by a Singaporean family of four

and we were off to our adventure of a lifetime.

These videos immortalized those magical
moments  at the Cagayan de Oro River

After a exhilarating rafting experience,

We dropped by N Hotel for their popular

buffet and with the glorious spread of good food.

They may not have the extensive spread

found in most of Manila’s hotel buffet,

but the quality, rather than the quantity

of food served was more important.

I could say that it was one of the

best buffets lunch that we ever had.

We returned to the hotel and spent some time

shopping for souvenirs at Centrio- but found out later

that they did not have any souvenir shops.

We were referred by the guard to the nearby Gaisano Mall.

It  was hot and humid that day and  we did not want to cross

the busy street anymore so  we decided take the easy way out-

took a taxi and headed to the LimKetKai Mall few blocks away.

LimKetKai Mall

Aside from the comfort of taking a taxi,
we really wanted to see the LimKetKai Mall
as it is the biggest mall in the city
 and an original Cagayan de Oro  mall icon.



It is in LimKetKai Mall that we found

numerous souvenir shops...






...where we were able to buy souvenirs
to take back home to Naga City.

We strolled at the mall for a while
and what do you know?

They have a Marks and Spencer Store.

I was ecstatic this is the only store that I shop

as I am 'color blind' literally not clinically
 when it comes to fashion.

I only wear shades of black, gray and white

and I have a pretty unimaginative fashion sense.

That exactly was MS’s specialty- to please
 the fashionless color 'blind' shoppers like me.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that
there are high end stores in the city.

Cagayanons must be very rich-

as they also have high end car delearships.

We returned to Seda Hotel after shopping at LimKetKai

and feasted on hotel food via room service .

We retired to bed satisfied on our

fourth and penultimate day in the city.

Day 5

Feast

On our last day in the city, we needed a quick

lunch before heading to the airport.

Off we went to the nearby Centrio

and we debated on dining either on

Pancake House and Sbarros
Read here for more: http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/04/pancake-house-sbarro-centrio-fused.html

...we dined on both restaurants

I ordered my food to go from Sbarros

...and later joined my family at Pancake House

for a literally and figuratively fused cuisine.

We were later picked up again by the van

to the dilapidated and chaotic CDO airport –

...but with the new one opening very soon

in Lagundingan- this inconvenience

would be a thing in the past in this

booming and progressive city,

Epilogue

Just like in our experience in Iloilo last year

there is no information available to the tourists .
This problem is true to almost all major cities in the country.

No brochures and no leaflets about important

tourist attractions in the province

at strategic locations like in airports and hotels.

The hotel staff in Seda Centrio are not aware

of any historical or city tour packages,

...but they exactly know what to do

when asked about White Water rafting

and we didn’t had any problem booking for one.

The Dahilayan leg is something that the kids enjoyed very much

and  I would recommend to have an overnight stay

in this laid back town when traveling with the whole family.

CDO and Bukidnon have all the indications of becoming

of  a great tourist destination in the Philippines

They have the trimmings of an all in one vacation package

suited for the whole family for all ages.

Have a great shopping experience in a modern

and progressive city center that is CDO...

...and an exciting adrenalin rush

and still commune with nature during the

exciting White Water Rafting Adventure

...and later bond with the whole family

while sipping hot choco drinks

and roasting marshmallows by the bonfire

amidst the pine trees in cold Dahilayan evening.

What else can we ask for a perfect vacation?

CDO I believe is under rated and under promoted

and a treasure throve in the Philippine tourism industry

waiting to be discovered.

I’m glad we stumbled in this goldmine

before everyone else did.

Watch out for my Blogs on

Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon Series

Seda Hotel Centrio

Cagayan de Oro

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 1)

Scenic Roadtrip:

 CDO to Dahilayan Bukidnon.

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 2)

Forest Park, Dahilayan Bukidnon

Stay Stray, Play and Feast.

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 3)

Dahilayan: Fair Bukidnon

Baguio in Memoriam

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 4)

Army Navy Centrio

Big Servings for Big Appetites

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 5)

CDO White Water Rafting:

Extreme Adventure  of a Lifetime

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 6)

CDO’s N Hotel Buffet

Sumptuous Spread of Good Food.

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 7)

Pancake House & Sbarro Centrio

Fused Cuisine

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 8)

CDO and Dahilayan Bukidnon

Epilogue

(CDO and Bukidnon Series 9)