Dumaguete, Its Official-$910 Month To Live

[RBM]

 

very few expats while Duma is over run by them

Them, Them! what are you then if I can ask?

 A little bit of a sweeping Statement, my Friend.

:unsure: Hmmmmmmmmm, well  CR, next time, can we have some photos of this, I have just come back from the City and in 2 hours I saw only 4 on the Street! the BOI was quiet with only half a Dozen, Do you mean on the Boulevard, Yes there are many there most days, but then, I have seen as many if not more, in Malls and Bars in Cebu, at the last count of the BOI, we are 2.800 in Dumaguete. Resident [ That Includes Valencia and outlying Districts]

Dumaguete is earmarked as a Tourist Destination ( Rightly or Wrongly!) but you would expect to see many Foreign Tourists, many and I mean many, are just Passing Through or are here for the Diving.

 

 

JP :tiphat:

 

Perhaps Jack what Cebu Rocks is referring to is the type of Ex pats.

First I speak from boots on the ground experience, having lived there and currently visiting at least twice a month for a few days.

Dumaguete cannot be compared to Cebu, of course far less Ex pats how ever being small some Expats tend to stand out. If one takes a stroll down the boulevard say 8am the site of several Expats sucking on the smb are hardly giving the place a positive image. Same late at night, used to be some pirate bar close to Siliman Ave and some of these guys really stuck out. While being pronounced in Dumaguete they would hardly get a mention in Cebu.

I agree with most of the negative posters, it's as bad as Cebu trying to cross the road in down town. The whole area is totally congested, beggars, sidewalks full of vendors, Lee plaza foyer chaotic and so many two stroke tricycles polluting the place. Traffic behavior is despicable. Imagine a medium sized city and no traffic lights.

If one is familiar a big plus is almost anything is available to purchase. Evenings one is spoilt for fine restaurants and no traffic worries compared with day time, just watch out for drunk drivers.

Would I return to live, no way, I remember it how it used to be. I have a close friend living about 10km from the city and loving it. We often hike on the foot hills of Mt Talinis which we love. Cool and has wonderful views. If one spends a few hours to climb it there is a beautiful crater lake, after visiting twin lakes it's well worth while making the climb.....

Oh a final plus, Ang Tay golf course is cheap by local standards and a reasonable course.

[Steve & Myrlita]

Alby, don't count Bacolod out just yet. Here we have not 1 but 3 major malls as well as smaller ones. Bacolod is a city of approx a half million. It is 240 km north of Duma.

[Alby]

Thanks Steve for reviving Bacolod!

I just did a one year contract here in Davao and during these 12 months I will give it a try.

Nothing to lose but could gain something?

As for Duma ... It's Doom .. a :)

Add to my observations the crime level too :)

What surprises me is the level of ignorance of the report placing and glamorizing Duma as the top retirement choice!

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[davewe]

Always surprising to see what people want or don't want in a place to live. We were in Duma for a short time in April and really liked it. I'm a smallish guy so have no problem with trikes; the rate is flat (10P as I recall), so you just hop in tell them where you want to go, get out and pay 20P (25 with tip). It is a city but I didn't feel like I was taking my life in my hands dodging traffic - at least no more so than anywhere else. We found the restaurants to be very nice. The malls/shopping centers (my wife went to 3 as I recall) aren't exactly Ayala Mall but they are adequate for the wife's needs. Valencia was cool, quiet and clean. Hell, we even found 2 nice coffee shops within a couple blocks of our hotel. Overall, though far from a scientific study, we found it cheaper than Cebu.

 

On the same trip we checked out Tagbilaran, which was OK - but preferred Duma. To each his own. We are still looking, so no decisions yet. But Duma's on the list.

[RBM]

Alby, don't count Bacolod out just yet. Here we have not 1 but 3 major malls as well as smaller ones. Bacolod is a city of approx a half million. It is 240 km north of Duma.

Good comments. Bacolod is growing on me. Some fine restaurants and hotels and much cheaper than Cebu.

For myself if comparing to Dumaguete Bacolod wins hands down.

Last week on a couple of occasions even had the pleasure of cars stopping and waving me across the road, on busy Lacson St. Although this used to be common there years ago not so today, have not had this in Dumaguete or Cebu.

I particularly love the wonderful new north district mall in Talisay

[Alby]

I hope it will work out for you always!

Just remember ...

You can tip when touring but not when living.

The first is temporary but the second is permanent!

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[Loïc Buchet]

Damn! I have been trying to convince my wife that Duma (or Valencia) might be the place. Now the place is gonna be overrun (or more overrun) by expats. Now how to start a rumor that Duma is a complete sh&thole so that no one will want to go there :)

 

BTW, good to know that when I get to Duma I will have 910 months to live (that's how I read it originally)!

 910 months to live .... sounds good fun to come  :)    unfortunately duma is not the place where people are living the longer on this planet .... it's a small village in northern Japan  .... 91 years  old  - not 910 months  to live-   is already a great score for a westerner living in the phils ....  ;)