Beach Please ( Lakawon Island Day Trip )

Anyone up for a short day trip at the beach this week? Well I sure do, as I am presently experiencing life at a rate of several “ooopppsss” per hour.

So the squad decided to hit the road and we found ourselves heading north side of Negros Occidental. We missed the Lakawon beach-feast last week and we can’t let another day pass by without having to visit the Island, though hearing not so good stories from friends about the party and the place, I still wanted to be the judge of my own beach experience in the Island.

How to get to Lakawon Island

We took a 1 ½ hour drive from Bacolod to Cadiz city, in the main road of Cadiz City you will not miss to notice a signage saying “To Lakawon Island Resorts & Spa “ . The port is located at Brgy Viejo, Cadiz City, just about 10 to 15 mins drive from the main road.

There are signage that will lead you to the right direction going to the port so not to worry about getting lost.

You may park your car at the port area, it cost us 75php for the parking fee, do check around cause I have the notion that they don’t have a fix rate for the parking fee.

If you’re from Manila or from any other Island of this country, then you can simply fly in to our Bacolod-Silay International Airport and head to the northern part of Negros. From the airport there are private cars and vans that can take you to Bacolod City and agree to terms with the driver, then take a Bus going to Cadiz City.

For the solo travelers and alike you can always take the Bus option, Bacolod to Cadiz city will cost you about 65php, once at Brgy Viejo Cadiz City you can negotiate with any local tricycles in Brgy Viejo going to the port. ( I was not able to ask about the fare )

Boat trip going to Lakawon Island will cost you 270php (inclusive of 20php Terminal fee) that’s a round trip price. They have Big and party boat size to take you to the island; life vest are available for safety measure.

From the port you can already see the island and it’s just 15mins travel, brings more excitement to finally reach the Island. Boat trips are available as early as 6Am till 5Pm On a day trip, for special trips they have the 5pm to 9Pm boat with Night rate.

Beat the heat

There are numerous cottages to stay if you’re in for a day trip, with its new management and renovation it’s more relaxing to just sit back and chill. Our group decided to get the Canopy tent, most of the cottages are just actually situated at the beachfront, safe to say that you can leave your things in the cottages as you take a swim. You can also book your reservations in advance especially for those who choose to stay overnight.

Price List:

Family Cottage 1,200php (10 pax / Daytime)

Umbrella Huts 600php (6 pax / Daytime)

Canopy Tent 600php (6 person max / Daytiime)

*100php for every additional person

Bamboo Huts 2,500php (4 pax ) * additional 300php per pax

Tent Space 

Day tour 300php (10 pax)

Overnight stay 300php per person

Corkage 

Food 100php per person

Bottles 500php / case (24 bottles)

HardDrinks 1,000/ bottle

 

My thoughts under the sun

Now here’s my take about Lakawon Island Resorts and Spa; the beach front is exceptional, crystal clear water, white and very refined sand beach, its beauty was well preserved.

The water is not that deep so it’s really safe for some parents to let their kids swim along the shore, but still with supervision. As of now there are no other water activities or any sport in the Island, there were a few kayak on display but there was no details as to say if you can rent it or use it for free. So all throughout the day a good view of the beach, few strokes on the water and spending time with family and friends will best suit your day.

The Cottage we stayed in was very comfortable, tables and chairs were made of hard wood, convenient if you’re staying in only for a day.

Now the Bamboo houses for overnight stays would sound expensive for a price of 2,500php, it only comes with an electric fan and no AC’s, also CR’s are situated outside every room and can be used by all guest; I see no trouble to it unless if you need to go about your business at the middle of the night.

I can fairly say that the management may have gone overboard with the prices on their food and drinks at their restaurant. Value meals are at 200php, single order meals are for 150 to 200php, 1.5 litters of soda is for 100php and bottled water is for 35php, we got our fruit shake for 60php, ice are also sold per bucket from 35php up to 200php.

I find no justice for the corkage, 100php per person if you brought some food and can only be waived if you were able to have a minimum order of 1,000php in their resto, 500php fee for bottled drinks and 1,000php for hard drinks.

There were a lot of commotion during our stay, operations around the restaurant was disorganized, meals took about an hour or three to be served, other guests cancelled their orders as the cashier took their orders incorrectly and food served incomplete , customer service was not fully met that day, the crew didn’t know how to go about the system and guest didn’t feel like they’re getting what they paid for.

My Recommendations

Yes, you can still choose to go to Lakawon for a day out, ideal for family get away, team building or any other spur of the moment beach day, but sure do expect to spend more cash in exchange for a beach experience, and there’s really no need to stay overnight especially if you’re just from Bacolod City. If you have better beach options in mind then do take that route, there are still a couple of good resorts further northern part of Negros Occidental.

To the Lakawon Island Resorts and Spa management, if you come across my blog anytime soon, please hear me out as one of the local beach goers and has really fair experience of how both low and high end beach resort should operate – your resort needs a lot of shaping up to do, from Food Prices, Customer Service, Room Rates, Operations, Activities and other fee’s.

I have high hopes that given the amount of feedback on social media your resort will be able to adjust to your customers and guests plea for more reasonable prices, better deals and activities in your resort. This is Negros Island, it’s a small place and we all know how the word of mouth works in our culture.

We all want to support our own and we want to be more than proud in the future to recommend Lakawon Island Resosts and Spa as one of the best beaches in Negros Island.

Lakawon Island Beach Resort FB page:

https://web.facebook.com/Lakawon-Island-596830963747039/?fref=ts