⌛ Masskara Festival in Bacolod...

Awesome pics and write up! Great job!

At least this year wasn't rained out! It was for the 1st time, a few years back. Rain for 2 weeks straight!

I spent over a month is Bacolod on my 1st trip to the Philippines and I stayed at the Sugarland Hotel for the duration. Nice hotel, GREAT breakfast buffet and room service too. The key to the breakfast buffet is to get up early! Hot, fresh, and too much to choose from if you get down there before 8:00. After that the assortment dwindles, and it just sits there until it is all gone. They don't want to throw it away, so they quit bringing out fresh new stuff around 8:30 A.M. or so.

They had pancakes, (frozen imported) waffles, toast, Knott's Berry Farm jams and jellies, assorted fruits, a crepe and omelette making guy, cereals and milk, juices, fresh coffee, and a good assortment of really good filipino foods when I was there 2 years ago around Christmas.

The key to Sugarland Hotel in general, is to stay in the back or at least inside overlooking the pool. The rooms facing the street are noisy, and surprisingly, the frames around the sliding glass doors are not sealed to the wall! I could slide my finger between the frame and the wall. I noticed this when we had the drapes open and a house Gecko was inside our room. You also do not want to be on the 2nd floor over the meeting rooms. Wedding receptions and elaborate loud parties with cranked up music and bands is the norm on weekends and holidays in those rooms and the sound comes up through the floor if you are on the 2nd floor over those rooms.

I think we had an "Executive Room" (one large bed with a real innerspring mattress, tastefully decorated, with an in closet safe, T.V. with remote, refrigerator (that we kept stocked with groceries!), and a nicely tiled full size bathroom with HOT water).

The staff there is very helpful and the place is kept very clean.

Since the Bacolod airport has moved from down the street to 30 minutes away, the Sugarland hotel no longer has jets taking off over it early in the morning also!



2000P a night (no weekly, monthly, or special rates!) two years ago.

 

Thanks Mark, great pictorial.

I always wanted to go take pictures and experience this and a few other festivals around the country... But I haven't gotten that far yet with my plans

One of these years I will!

 

thanks for the kind words. Nice to know the pics are being enjoyed.

Knowdafish: Since the airport moved, Sugarland has suffered. Walk in now and it's 1200P a night! :-) During Masskara, it was 2000P a night just for that festival. Spent 3 nights there in august, 1200P a night and that's good value for the room.

Cheers,
Mark

 

I really wanted to go this year but we were too busy =[[[! Wonderful pictures btw.

 

Yes, great pictures! Fantastic shots of the festival! Have to agree - there is a considerable amount of money in Bacolod. Plenty of shopping and great places to eat. World sugar price has almost quadrupled last couple years....and Bacolod rides on the cane field's back. Wonder what that Hummer cost? My guess would be 6-7 mil...

LIke that picture of L'Fisher's atrium....the hotel bar off in the distance can perfectly mix any drink you can think of. Spent a bit of time there recovering from the humidity...

Sugarland has been around forever. Thirty years ago Sugarland and the Seabreeze (near the town plaza) were the only decent places in town. Used to stay at the Seabreeze (fantastic old Spanish influence at the time - gigantic ceiling fans etc) and eat dinner sometimes at Sugarland. Nice place Bacolod!

 

1200P for the room I described? I know they have an assortment of rooms and prices. They even had one for 1200P when I was there, but it was smaller, with twin beds and no refer.

 

Yes, that's the executive room. It's 1600P on their website but that includes the buffet breakkie for 2. If you don't want the buffet breakkie, it's a 1200P room

Sugarland Hotel

 

Thank you!

 

OnMyWay, have you looked at submitting some of you pics to Getty? Cheers

 

great pics