The City of DavaoThe Premier City of The South (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Dabaw; Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dabaw) is the largest city on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is the country's largest city in terms of land area, occupying 2,444 square kilometers. Its international airport and seaport are among the busiest cargo hubs in the southern Philippines. DavaoCity is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is usually grouped with Davao del Sur for statistical purposes. The city is also the regional center for Davao Region (Region XI). DavaoCity has a population of 1,725,355 people (2005 estimate) in 240,057 households (2000 census).
In recent years, the sprawling urban metropolis has emerged as the business, investment and tourism hub for southern Philippines. The city boasts of some of the finest beaches and mountain resorts in the country, and proximity to the Philippines’ most captivating diving spots as well as its highest peak, Mount Apo.
Asiaweek ranked DavaoCity among the 20 most livable cities in Asia, and the number one as the most livable city in the country. Foreign Direct Investment Magazine conducted a study which named DavaoCity as the 10th "AsianCity of the Future".
This would be everything that we did and purchased in our Davao Trip. For any questions, comments, suggestions (or if you find my divisions and multiplications are incorrect please send me a PM) post a comment here or send me an e-mail at ravenfox.ian@gmail.com. I would be delighted to answer your queries
Budgetarian Traveler goes to Davao 2008
February 23-26, 2008
6000 php in3 ½ days
Day 1: February 23, 2008
Saturday
Time
Place/Activity
Price
Cost per head
09:23 am
McDo Quezon Ave: breakfast rendezvous
65.00 php
11:10 am
NAIA
11:39 am
Boarding Area
800.00 php
200.00 php
12:50 pm
Board the plane
02:22 pm
Plane reached the Davao territory
02:35 pm
Taxi (Aircon) to Ponce Suites
120.00 php
30.00 php
03:37 pm
Check-in at Ponce Suites
1,500.00 php
375.00 php
Taxi (Non- aircon) to Banok’s Chicken Resto
30.00 php
7.50 php
04:30 pm
Banok’s Chicken
358.00 php
89.50 php
Walked until we saw VictoriaMall
06:00 pm
VictoriaMall Supermarket
180.00 php
Walked back to Ponce Suites
07:00 pm
Ponce Suites (took some pictures)
08:27 pm
Taxi (NA) to “the Venue”
50.00 php
12.50 php
09:11 pm
Met Dr. William (Ria’s boyfriend)
William’s car to a coffee shop
09:00 pm
Had some drinks at “Cups and Lowercase”
401.50 php
100.00 php
10:30 pm
Back to Ponce Suites and hang-out at the resto on the rooftop before going to sleep
Helpful Notes: *Non-aircon taxis are cost efficient *Be familiar with the place you are staying and try to walk around and find the nearest landmarks. *Always bring snacks in the airplane to avoid hunger *Food in Davao is cheaper than here in Manila. Try not to eat at fastfood chains. *Ponce Suites is a very well-located place and is almost near to most places you need to go.
Budgetarian Traveler goes to Davao 2008
February 23-26, 2008
6000 php in3 ½ days
Day 2: February 24, 2008
Sunday
Time
Place/Activity
Price
Cost per head
William drove us somewhere to have breakfast
07:00 am
Busog Pinoy (Tapsilogan)
321.00 php
70.00 php
08:46 am
Made a deal with a taxi (NA) to drive us through our itinerary
1,600 php
400.00 php
09:00 am
Stop-over (nagpaload si kuya – aba me katextmate)
09:45 am
Eden mountain Resort (Entrance and 45 minutes Guided Tour inclusive with snacks )
760.00 php
190.00 php
12:15 pm
Left Eden, on the way to MalagosPark
01:11 pm
Stop-over: Lunch at Santander Kainan ng Bayan
479.00 php
119.75 php
03:26 pm
MalagosPark
20.00 php
5.00 php
Philippine EagleCenter
220.00 php
55.00 php
Bought some souvenirs
300.00 php
Taxi ride to Crocodile park (resolved some conflicts with the taxi driver: fare should only be 1,500 he insisted on 1,600)
04:00 pm
DavaoCrocodilePark
400.00 php
100.00 php
Bought some refreshments while waiting for the animal show
25.00 php
Taxi (A) to the Church
100.00 php
25.00 php
05:50 pm
Holy infant Jesus of Prague Church
Walked to Jack’s Ridge
06:20 pm
Dinner at Jack’s Ridge (Ria’s birthday treat)
743.36 php
Taxi (A) back to Ponce Suites
90.00 php
22.50 php
08:30 pm
Ponce Suites
1500.00 php
375.00 php
Ate Durian ice cream (20.00 php) and bought some durian sweets on the house near Ponce Suites
320.00 php
Helpful Notes: *Jack’s ridge is similar to Tagaytay’s hillside view where you can see a magnificent view of the city
*Make everything clear when making deals with taxi drivers. Try to make everything concrete to avoid abrupt changes in costs.
*Bring a jacket always
*have a friend with you that will give a treat for dinner (lols)
*Don’t stay too long in the CrocodilePark to be able to attend the mass in the Holy infant Jesus of PragueChurch. Last mass starts at 5:00pm
*CrocodilePark’s animal shows are limited to a certain schedule only
Budgetarian Traveler goes to Davao 2008
February 23-26, 2008
6000 php in3 ½ days
Day 3: February 25, 2008
Monday
Time
Place/Activity
Price
Cost per head
08:38 am
Taxi (NA) to Santa Ana Warf
40.00 php
10.00 php
08:53 am
Board the boat to Isla Reta
09:19 am
Boat ride to Isla Reta
200.00 php
50.00 php
11:19 am
Arrived at Isla Reta
200.00 php
50.00 php
11:39 am
Lunch at a carinderia in the palengke
155.00 php
38.75 php
Took some pictures after the make-up sessions lolls
02:43 pm
Made a deal with a fisherman to give us a tour of the SamalIsland
Tour to some of the beaches of SamalIslands (Kaputian beach resort, Pearl farm, Hof Gorei, ParadiseIsland)
1,400.00 php
350.00 php
05:16 pm
Boat ride from ParadiseIsland to Sasa Pier
56.00 php
14.00 php
06:33 pm
Taxi ride from Sasa Pier to Ponce
60.00 php
15.00 php
07:24 pm
Ponce Suites
1,500.00 php
375.00 php
08:03 pm
Taxi from Ponce Suites to Matina Town Square
60.00 php
15.00 php
08:10 pm
Matina Town Square
Cross-order at O’Lagi and Macky’s for dinner
545.00 php
136.25 php
Foping’s Halu-halo (Halu-halo and a glass of water)
85.00 php
09:38 pm
Convenient Store
49.25 php
Taxi(A) to Ponce Suites
80.00 php
20.00 php
10:18 pm
Ponce Suites
Helpful Notes: *Non-aircon taxis are cost efficient (And be certain that they don’t mistake Ponce street to Ponce Suites)
*Foping’s Halu-halo is only composed of 6 ingredients (you can choose on a slip on what is your preferred mix: sago, gulaman, mongo, pinipig, lecheplan, ube, kaong, nata de coco, etc) *bring food for lunch if you are planning to stay in Isla Reta. I suggest you also board the boat back to Sta. Ana Warf than to stay there for overnight. It’s a beach with a view but not complete with amenities.
*Range of Rates of different Beaches:
PearlFarmBeach Resort – as cheap as 4,550php/head - 7,300php/head (inclusive of 3 meals and boat transfers)
