How Bacolod left a smile in my heart

Silay City, dubbed as the “Paris of Negros”, has preserved some of the most notable ancestral houses in the country.

More than just being the Sugar Capital of the Philippines, Bacolod City has also built its own identity through its food, culture, and people—undoubtedly the reasons why local and foreign tourists consider it as one of the top travel destinations here in the Philippines.

Given the availability of public transport and services that afford tourists the choice of traveling from one location to another, we decided to do a spontaneous, do-it-yourself trip. While it is important to have a north star, ditching the travel tours has been one of the best decisions we have made as it gave us the ultimate, authentic travel experience.

Chicken inasal, cakes, cansi

Aida’s Chicken, home of the best chicken inasal in the world, as credited by TasteAtlas. (PHOTOS BY MJ QUEVEDO)

From Bacolod-Silay Airport, we hopped on a taxi for a 30-minute ride going to Manokan Country for lunch. First order of business was to eat at Aida’s Chicken, home of the best chicken inasal in the world, as credited by TasteAtlas. This chicken dish is best paired with garlic rice topped with a generous amount of chicken oil, and a mixture of sinamak, soy sauce, and calamansi on the side as dipping sauce.

From Manokan Country, we walked and paid a visit to San Sebastian Cathedral. Built in the 19th century, the stone church—situated in the heart of Bacolod—is made with hardwood lumber sourced from Palawan and coral stones from Guimaras.

As someone with a sweet tooth, we didn’t want to miss the heavenly desserts of Calea. This dessert shop is famed for its homemade cakes and pastries with reasonable prices!

Famed cansi soup from Eron’s Cansi House

Just along the avenue of Narra, we spent dinner over a hearty and comforting bowl of cansi soup at Eron’s Cansi House—lucky that we were served immediately as there were no long queues despite the fact that it’s a weekend.

Island experience

Lakawon is a 16-ha, banana-shaped island located off the coast of Cadiz.

On our second day, we went north to explore the island of Lakawon, a 16-ha, banana-shaped island, off the coast of Cadiz. We took the early morning bus ride at Ceres North Terminal and we were dropped off at the Burgos public market where tricycle drivers patiently await for tourists going to the port.

As we approached the dock of the island, we were enthralled by the great tranquil beach scene, something that made our two-hour trip worthwhile. Lakawon Island Resort offers accommodations for those who want to experience island life overnight; while there are parallel open cottages for day tours where you can gaze out to sea. Some water activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and among others, can also be enjoyed on the island.

Heritage tour

Heading back to Bacolod City, we took a side trip in the cities of Silay and Talisay.

Silay City, dubbed as the “Paris of Negros”, has preserved some of the most notable ancestral houses in the country. One of the most visited is the Balay Negrense, a museum showcasing some artifacts of the Negrenses, history of Silay and the whole province of Negros. Other mansions are Hofileña Ancestral House just along Cinco de Noviembre Street, Bernardino Jalandoni Museum in Rizal Street, and the famous El Ideal Bakery, the oldest bakery in the city.

Situated in Talisay City is The Ruins, the remains of the ancestral mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson. Built in 1920, the mansion, which was inspired by Italian architecture, used to be a 440-ha sugar plantation. It is now a venue for events and photoshoots.

Best time to visit is in the afternoon to capture the beauty of the place both in daylight and during sunset.