Morning all I have been in the philippines for 20 years, last 13 in Angeles City and have decided I have had enough and want to get back down south in the Visayas. I lived in Cebu in the mid nintees and loved it, but see it has grown dramatically and the traffic is getting close to Manila volume. Am looking for a quiet place, with good internet access (essential for my work) with good travel connections to manila and good elementry and high schooling. Dumaguete seems to fit the bill, so I am here now wondering where to start. The school year is upon us in 6 weeks or so, I have an eleven year old daughter and wife, Dog, Bird, fish and all the usual trappings, etc. We will obviously have to transition here in steps, which is no problem I am a complete newbie to this part of the world and would sincerely appreciate any advice on the following: 1. Good Elementary School for my 11 year old Daughter (Grade 6) 2. What locations are available to live in that are quiet and secure. 3. Would like to rent a 3 bedroom house within easy access of the school so appropriate price ranges for rentals in the different areas would be a big help! 4. Reliable Internet access, via DSL is absolutely essential for work. How is it here, really .. Have already experienced the boardwalk food, etc over the last two days and was very impressed. Beats Angeles restaurants hands down. Am really looking forward to any responses suggestions and recommendations anyone may have. Cheers Mark C
Glad you are impressed with Dumaguete, most of us are. Perhaps to better answer your questions you can tell us what you consider quiet and secure, and what you were paying for a 3 bedroom house close to your school in Angeles City. You are asking for quiet. In Angeles City did they have zoning restricting keeping animals in the home because here it is a little more less civilized which some of us like very much also. Keep looking though, it wont take you too long to learn the city, thats for sure.
Hi Pedro, thanks for the reply, actually I am pretty flexible, just not Bario orientated, unless it is on a nice beach. In Angeles, we worry a lot about theft, holdups, kidnapping, etc as it is the type of place that attracts "Opportunists" and I get the strong feeling that Dumagute is teh opposite. In ANgeles you can pay between P10,000 and P40,000 depending on the type of house an dits location. All would be in gated communities. I guess I would like to find something partly furnished close to the schools so we can get to know the place a lot better and decide after we have lived here a while on a final location I am a water baby, as well as a pilot, so anywhere on or near a beach with an airport close by would be heaven for me. I do not know what transportation is available for an 11 year old to get to school, the schools in Angeles have Bus Services that are very reasonable. Cheers
Heh Pilot, Welcome to the forum. Dumaguete isn't crime free but I am sure it is safer than Angeles. You say you want access to the water as well as the airport. I would probably suggest Sibulan. It's not that far from the city. You have the airport and some beaches. Most of the better beaches tend to be South of the city though. The best school at the North end of the City, easier access from Sibulan, would be Silliman. They have preschool through University. I don't think any of the schools offer bus service but I could be wrong. If your budget is 10,000 to 40,000 you should be able to find spectacular housing at the upper end and very comfortable at the lower end. The big problem might be broadband internet. There are some members of this forum who manage to run internet based businesses and I am sure they can give you good advice. You may find that that dictates where you can live around here.
Hi Kenny, many thnaks for the reply, good information. Having researched, I am looking at Sillman or Foundation, I guess if there are no bus services, it probably does not really matter, we are going to call them next day or so and see how we feel, Both seem to have a very good reputations Take your point on the Internet, kind of figured it would be like that. if anyone has some experiences or suggestions, would be grateful for any feedback is valencia an option, read quite a bit about it, it is in the hills, guess that is a good second if beach not available Cheers
Really depends what you need. The 2 founder od DI moved back to Angeles as the internet here was not reliable enough. You might even know them... I run some websites from here and it is ok for me, but I do not have deal with huge data transfers unless I do back-ups. Your budget sounds to me that you wont have ant problems finding something great hear. Some schools have shuttle busses to certain areas, if you are closer to Duma you will find a trike driver who brings your kid to school (at least 4 out of 5 days :( ). cheers for now Rhoody
Hi Rhoody My servers are in the States, Ozz and Europe with a couple in Pampanga. I do not need huge bandwidth, just need it to stay on Who would you recommend for a service provider?? Cheers
Hi PangitPilot, I am from valencia and have been using globe for my internet service..its quite reliable where im at...and it never once lost connection without informing ahead... also, this is a nicer part of the province...it lies below the hills...its quite cooler..we have 850 pesos free electricity in a month... its 5 to 10 minutes to dumaguete.. when i was still a student, i went to Foundation University. its good and accessible from where im located.. welcome to dumaguete!
Hi c_rymz, thanks so much, I am very much interested in looking up that way. Seems like a nice quiet part of the area. Regards
Hi Pangit Pilot, I have read your thread and I think I have the house perfect for you. Would this be something you would be interested in? Anyway, we are having our house up for rent which is located in Fatima Village Bantayan. Just near Silliman University, about 5-10 mins. perhaps if you have your own vehicle. You can check the details below if you like and you can contact my dad for more details. The house is pretty nice, Im sure you'll like it. We already have a GLOBE connection and is already in WIFI. Anyway, here are the details. Location : Fatima Village, Bantayan Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental (near the sea and the vicinity of South Seas Beach Resort) Main House (135 m2 floor area) - It has three bedrooms. The Master's bedroom and Guest room has its own toilet and bath and fully airconditioned. - The sala is fully airconditioned and has a powder room - There is a Studio type house that was converted into a dinning kitchen Price: PHP 25,000 per month If you are interested to see the house personally, you may contact may Dad at the number below. Arthur: 0922 8217913 Pictures below. house pictures by mc_afy - Photobucket Thanks
