FINALLY! I have dreamt of visiting Dumaguete City since I was fresh out of college, where I finished a Literature degree as my second major. After all, Dumaguete is home to Silliman University, which has produced some of the country’s most brilliant literary minds and which hosts a regular literary workshop for budding creative writers. But, tough luck, I’ve never had the chance to visit Dumaguete all these years.
Well, last August (2014), that elusive opportunity finally came, with an invitation from Sta. Monica Beach Club, and so I grabbed it. My husband Raff and I joined a group of media friends — which included Tribune’s Earl Bracamonte, Maan Pamaran of Manila Standard, Glaiza Lee of View, Ronald Jayme of Manila Bulletin, Lester Hallig of Philippine Star and Sheila Mañalac of Manila Times — on a trip to Dumaguete to discover the sights and flavors of the beautiful principal seaport of Negros Oriental.
Home for the fun and ‘rowdy’ group for three awesome days was Sta. Monica Beach Club, which is just a 10-minute ride from Dumaguete Airport. Situated in Negros Oriental’s southern peninsula, the place immediately delighted me because it is located right in the city, and yet it overlooks the Dumaguete City Bay. We were right in the heart of the city, where all the modern conveniences that a traveler needs is within reach, and yet the place exudes a relaxing, laid-back feel and offers a breath-taking view of the sea. It’s a combination that’s not easy to find.
COZY ROOM ACCOMMODATIONS
What’s nice about Sta. Monica Beach Club is that it is a boutique hotel and beach resort set amidst nipa plantations in a quiet Dumaguete fishing village. It has no pretenses, just cozy room accommodations in a relaxing environment of lush green grass and palm trees.
Utilizing the finest local materials and craftsmanship, the property incorporates contemporary coastal design themes and a modern Filipino aesthetic. It has 18 deluxe rooms and lofts integrating seamlessly with the natural environment. There are 14 Deluxe Rooms furnished with either one King-sized Bed or two Double Beds, and four Family Lofts, which are two-level structures with one King Bed on the ground floor and a Single Bed and Double Bed on the second floor. Then there is the Beach House, a one-level structure with three bedrooms that have one Queen-sized Bed each and a communal living room ideal for families and groups of friends.
All these rooms are air-conditioned, and amenities include cable/LED TV, private toilet and bath, in-room safety deposit box, shower with hot and cold water, coffee and tea making facilities, and mini bar, plus wireless Internet.
While there are lots of things to do and places to go in Dumaguete, lots of guests opt to simply stay in the resort because it alone already provides a number of leisure options for guests who want to take it slow and relax. Sta. Monica has a nice swimming pool with a pool bar right beside it for refreshing drinks and delicious bites. It has plenty of lush gardens and open areas, where guests can choose to relax by communing with nature or taking advantage of its open view of the sea. For early risers, there is also the bonus of a breath-taking sunrise. And for the more adventurous, the resort provides free use of kayaks for those who want to check out the waters of the Dumaguete City Bay.
SUMPTUOUS FOOD
Food is never a problem at Sta. Monica Beach Club. The truth is that the food here is so good that guests often opt to stay in the resort and have meals at Lanai Restaurant, a pavilion-type 180-seater restaurant that looks out to sea. The kitchen staff, led by young and talented chef Syl Francis Malenab, has been trained at Panglao Island’s Amorita Resort, which is a sister property of Sta. Monica Beach Club under the One-Of Collection umbrella, to whip up plates upon plates of delicious food that is guaranteed to satisfy even the most discriminating taste of guests — from breakfast to lunch to dinner and snacks in between.
Lanai serves both local dishes that Dumaguete and the rest of Negros Oriental are known for, such as Sinuglaw (a dish that combines sinugba or grilled pork and kinilaw or fish ceviche, cooked in vinegar and coconut milk), Budbud Suman (suman made from millet seeds) and Silvanas (the chilled dessert that Dumaguete is known for).
The restaurant also offers its own take on other delicious regional specialties, such as the bagnet of Ilocos and the pinangat of the Bicol region. Chef Syl takes the bagnet and turns it into Pork Sinigang, where the deep-fried crispy pork gives the dish a crispy twist. As for the pinangat of the Bicol region, Chef Syl fills replaces the taro leaves with pechay leaves and stuffs packets of it with fish in his Pinangat na Isda. He also makes new interpretations of classic Pinoy dishes — Kare-Kare is Crispy Kare-Kare at Sta. Monica, with a delightfully golden Crispy Pata (pork knuckle) served deconstructed on wooden chopping board with a bowl of kare-kare sauce, a condiment of bagoong (shrimp paste) and a side of stringbean, eggplant and pechay salad, and it is perfect with an order of Bagoong Rice; Ensalada Lanai is no other than pakô (fiddlehead fern) salad with salted egg, deep-fried tofu cubes, tomato and onion; and Lechon Kawali is rendered in Crackling Lechon Belly that is very thinly sliced and served with atchara and soy dip. He does similar wonders with Pork Humba, Chicken Binakol and Chicken Adobo.
The talented young chef has also come up with his own interpretations of all-time favorite international dishes, including Singaporean Chili Crabs, Korean Chicken Barbecue and Green Mango Salad.
And because Negros is an island bound by the seas and Sta. Monica Beach Club, in particular, is situated in a quiet fishing village in Dumaguete City, the resort takes advantage of the bountiful seafood available locally and serves platters upon platters of grilled seafood.
A WELL-ROUNDED EXPERIENCE
Cozy and comfy accommodations, delightful amenities and recreational facilities, and your fill of lip-smacking food that gives you a taste of local specialties and world flavors… Sta. Monica Beach Club strives to give these — and more — to its guests to ensure a truly enjoyable stay while in Dumaguete.
(Sta. Monica Beach Club is located at Barangay Banilad, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental 6200; with telephone numbers +63906-4789018 and +6391-4694880. Manila Sales and Marketing Office is at Unit 701, The Infinity Bldg., 26th St., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1694; with telephone numbers +632-5539549 and 856-1443.)
