A Weekend in Bacolod: First Stop - Campuestohan Resort

Welcome everyone to the City of Smiles - Bacolod City! This is a must. As soon as you get off the plane, you should take this mandatory picture before officially entering the heart of Bacolod. 

Although, with this trip, we went to Campuestohan first since it's nearer the airport and more logical to go straight there than to go to the city proper.

Campuestohan Highland Resort is situated in the mountains of Talisay City. It's about 21 kilometers from the Bacolod-Silay airport or 38 minutes and about 24 kilometers or 43 minutes from Bacolod City proper. This is a five-hectare resort overlooking Mt. Makawili. The roads are paved going to the resort except for a portion near a residential area that had holes. It's a two-way lane passing a vast expanse of sugarcane plantation. So, the scenery alone on the way is very relaxing. Especially, after a three-hour delayed flight.

The resort itself is easy to find as there are no other way to go. Just follow where the road leads uphill and you'll surely end up at the gate of the resort. There is a 200 peso entrance and if you want to do other activities like going through the hanging ropes or go swimming in the pools, it would be a different fee. We were only there for sight-seeing and of course, to take pictures. For those who own cars, there are parking lots. One is near the entrance which is paved, near the big shoe. And the other one is near the exit which is unpaved and right under the sun.

This is what you will see as you go in - the official Campuestohan jeepney. Yey! To your left is the mammoth pool with slides. There's also a wave pool. To your left is the parking lot and the big shoe. You will also see a statue of Atlas. 

I really like this colorful interpretation of this famous world-carrying Greek God. I love books, so I would definitely always try to find anything bookworm-related.

Moving forward, right behind the official resort jeepney is the restaurant. Right in front of it is another Campuestohan sign where you can take a picture. We went in the restaurant since it's where the restrooms are. The restrooms are tiny. Only two cubicles. What I love about the restaurant though is their furniture. The tables and chairs are made of hardwood. Very sturdy. I was thinking of maybe having one in my soon-to-be dining room. 

Right outside the restaurant, to the left is this building which looks like one you see in Netherlands and there's an Uncle Sam statue right outside. At the back of this building is a pond where there is a giant snail and a cute ferris wheel of giant buckets. 

Right across the restaurant are two life-sized dinosaurs. A T-Rex and a Long Neck about to battle it out. You can see more dinosaurs as you go further into the resort. If you are a fan, or your kids love dinosaurs, there's actually an attraction solely dedicated to these Jurassic creatures. One very fascinating display is a set of three eggs where the new hatchlings pop in and out. We even heard three very cute kids talking about them. Nah, I wasn't able to take a picture of those eggs. 

I think the best attraction in the whole resort was the Hobbit Village. They call it Bonita Huts. These are very picturesque and Instagram-perfect Hobbit cottages where you can just imagine Frodo or his Uncle Bilbo coming out the door to take their morning walk. And yes, these cottages are for rent. Did I say the view is stunning?

If you are not a fan of the The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, you can choose to stay in one of the tepees. Yes, they do have Indian tepee rooms also. They have a little Indian Village complete with a space for a camp fire to complete the camping ambiance.  Very colorful too.

If you feel tired of roaming around, you can sit in one of those benches under a tree. It's a perfect spot to read a good book too. You can also say hello to your favorite panda and his friends. Or you can try out their rope obstacle course, or their zipline. 

All in all, it's a good place to bond with your family and especially for kids. Most of these attractions are made with kids in mind. They have pools and the dinosaur park I mentioned earlier. I'm not sure if staying overnight here is a must since I don't think there's anything to do at night. I am not sure if they allow night swimming in their pools. But if you want to channel that inner Frodo Baggins, then be my guest, or more appropriately - be their guest and rent one of those hobbit-like accommodations.

There's a hanging bridge spanning from one pool to the other.

One thing we noticed while roaming around is that the resort isn't really that properly maintained. The grass were just allowed to grow excessively without trimming or in some areas, they were starting to brown. But it's a good enough place to visit when you are in Bacolod or near the area. The Hobbit Village alone is a must-see. 

Please check out the my next posts on the rest of our Bacolod trip.

Thanks Rhona Kaye for driving and for bringing me and Merly to Campuestohan. I will never forget this place since we had an experience here that is so funny that it's worth to be included in my next "My Funny Friend and Me" post.