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Top 10 Most Beautiful Beach Resorts in Negros Occidental

A travel blog recently posted an article with a list of the most beautiful beach resorts in Negros Occidental. TravelNegros.com listed 10 such resorts and it was incredible that Takatuka Lodge and Dive Resort, Sugar Beach, Sipalay didn’t figure in the top ten. I have written about Takatuka before.

I confess that I haven’t been to all of the ten resorts featured in that travel blog but I have been to two or three including their #1 pick, Whispering Palms Beach Resort, Sipaway Island, San Carlos City.

That is what is so baffling about the omission of Takatuka. Whispering Palms (WP) is okay and no higher than okay. For a start, the beach there is a bit of a joke at low tide and certainly wasn’t inviting enough for me to dip in the ocean. Whereas the beach at Sugar Beach has to be one of the best on the island. And it is so easy to walk down to the water’s edge and swim in clear waters with no rocks under your feet.

"Beach" at Whispering Palms Resort full of rocks
“Beach” at Whispering Palms Resort full of rocks

The other thing that the bloggers fail to mention is their #1 pick faces east thus depriving you of the magnificent sunsets seen from the west-facing Sugar Beach.

Typical Sugar Beach Sunset
Typical Sugar Beach Sunset
Zabrina Silhouette against Sugar Beach Sunset
Zabrina Silhouette against Sugar Beach Sunset

Below is a view of the beach at Sugar Beach from Takatuka:


The food and hospitality at Takatuka is worthy of 5 stars and in contrast I would give 3 stars only to WP.

most beautiful beach resorts
Sugar Beach, Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Philippines

I went to Sugar Beach again as recently as last weekend but sadly Takatuka was fully booked, so we went self-catering at the Sugar Beach House at the far end of the beach. It was fine there and no complaints but I missed the comforts and the quirkiness of the Takatuka rooms not to mention the food and hospitality.

Lucky Me! With Two Beautiful Women – Zabrina and sister Kimmy

This is my review of Sugar Beach House left on the Agoda website:

If you want self-catering and a great beach location then look no further. This is a small place consisting of three rooms, two standard and one superior, a dining area and kitchen to do your cooking. The kitchen comes fully equipped and there is also a large refrigerator. But be warned there is no restaurant although we went into Sipalay via motor tricycle and banca to the market to buy some extra food to cook. You can eat in restaurants in nearby resorts on Sugar Beach if you don’t want to cook or if you have the budget to do so. Sugar Beach House is set in a beautiful tropical garden with seating and a swing hammock and the whole garden and complex is lovingly cared for by Sonja and her husband who are the owner’s parents.They are helpful friendly people and only too willing to make you feel at “home.” From the accommodation it is about 80 meters to the beach and Sugar Beach is my favorite in Negros Island. The whole beach is a light-brown fine sand and mostly clean. The waters are clear and safe for swimming. There are walks to the caves and rock pools but little else to do except relax and enjoy the ocean. If you want tranquility in restful surroundings it is just the ticket. If you want noise, hordes of people etc then go to Boracay! The rooms are clean and spacious with AC that works and a fan in the room. The shower room is large and a luxury as it dispenses heated water!! My family loved it here and we will go back as soon as possible. One final thought, if you are prone to mosquito bites take some DEET with you.

While we were there we had two of our party celebrate birthdays. A few weeks before setting off I contacted Takatuka again after learning that they were fully booked. This is the gist of the conversation I had with Cathy one of the husband/wife team who own and run Takatuka:

Me: ” Any chance of a birthday cake even though we aren’t staying with you?

Cathy: “Oh I am sorry but I am so busy that weekend but a neighbor can make you a fabulous 3-flavor ice cream cake.”

I made the necessary arrangements and we enjoyed the most beautiful birthday ice cream cake after collecting it at Takatuka along with a couple of mighty tasty pizzas.

Ice Cream Birthday Cake
Ice Cream Birthday Cake

That’s the friendliness and service I have come to expect from Cathy and Karl at Takatuka!

Final note – I hope the travel bloggers at TravelNegros.com realize the serious omission from their listings and remedy it sometime soon.


The three ice cream flavors? Ube, mango and vanilla Yummy 🙂

 

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4 Comments

  1. The Black Car Traveler The Black Car Traveler

    Obviously it’s their own opinion I guess and would not talk about that to consider about their credibility. They just happened to got the travelnegros domain and the rest is…? 😀 Anwways, I believe Sugar beach (Takatuka) is one of the top including Bugana in Campomanes! I met those cool cool guys, Karl & Kathy and Marc, and I must say it’s not just about the artistic place but it was their hospitality!

    • I am in total agreement with you. Obviously it’s all about opinions and Travel Negros are entitled to theirs but it does their credibility no good at all when they make such a glaring omission. I think I understand what you mean by “the rest is? …” I harbor my own suspicions as to how and why they compiled that list but hey … this is the Philippines 🙂 Btw it is not only foreigners who agree with me. Many Filipinos also agree.

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