Bacolod City

Bacolod is best known for the Maskara (Mask) festival which is celebrated in the month of October. Officially, the festival is the highlight of the Charter Day Anniversary of the City Bacolod. It is a local version of the Mardi Gras which features masked and costumed dancers, carnivals, and lots of food. Bacolod is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental, the other half of the sock-shaped island in the central part of the Philippine archipelago. The city is not as fast-paced and urbanized as Metro Manila or Cebu.

By sea, Bacolod is an 18-hour boat ride from Manila and can be reached through the seaports in Banago, the Reclamation Area, and Pulupandan. If you’re into really fresh seafood Bacolod is the place to be. Their oysters are caught from the sea and eaten right there and off course no one can go to Bacolod without trying Bacolod’s number 1 dish - Chicken Inasal.

There is probably only two main roads and everything is along those roads, so getting lost in old Bacolod is pretty slim. Besides the place is riddled with jeepneys, which makes moving around the main roads easy– and yes, cheaper. October in Bacolod is carnival time, the appointed time for the donning of masks. The still-life landscape of old unpainted wooden houses, stores hawking fresh local fruits, hardware, is inundated with the beat and frenzy of Maskara events ? product launchings, sales, exhibits and concerts from top Manila-based and foreign performers. Bacolod is the leading producer of ceramics in the Philippines, with the timber industry and tourism also being important.

Punta Bulata Resort is located at the tip of Cauayan in Negros Occidental. Punta Bulata, with its fine white sand beaches is definitely a place where you can relax your mind, body and spirit.