Have you been to Dakak?

I’ve heard of Dakak since I was young. My mom would mention it from time to time saying that it’s one of the best resorts in the southern part of the Philippines owned by the former Zamboanga del Norte representative and businessman Romeo Jalosjos . My mom was born in Surigao and our ancestors have lands all over Mindanao so Dakak was pretty much popular in our family back then.

So when I became an adult, it became one of those places in my to-visit list.

Dakak is a park and beach resort located in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte. It is situated beside the sea and bounded by lush mountains to its west.

The place is so serene, the waters so tranquil and come sunset, the gleam of the light behind the mountains just looks so majestic.

The first chance I was able to go to Dakak was in 2014 when Mahal and I were just best friends…

I was on a 2-month travel spree exploring Visayas and Mindanao. A stopover in Dakak was a must since we were already exploring Dipolog and Dapitan cities. I said to myself that the next time we visit this place, we would already check-in.

Who wouldn’t want to stay at their luxurious beach front casas and casitas, right?

Price per night ranges from P10K-P24K. Considering how popular Dakak is, maybe the price would be worth it.

Aside from their stately rooms, they also have an array of facilities and services that will surely fill up your cup of adventure. They have themed festivities and performances, water sports activities, sumptuous dining experiences that you shouldn’t miss and other outdoor activities.

Others say that Dakak is overrated. Maybe because it doesn’t look as luxurious as it should be given the expensive rates of their accommodations. Their architecture also doesn’t look uniform and seamless. Plus, its resort facilities haven’t really been updated. At least that was how it looked like for me. Dakak didn’t look any different today than it did 4 years ago when we first came here. The swimming pool area with the huge slides was also under repair maybe that was why all the dates I tried to book in Agoda for the month of October were fully booked. Maybe they were finally improving their facilities.

Nevertheless, I love it that the different designs of the place don’t match. In one end, they have this Chinese temple-inspired structure, then at the other end, they have Zamboanga-inspired interiors and architecture. It was weird, in a beautiful way.

But for me, what mattered most was how clean the place was during our visit, how peaceful and serene the whole vibe of the resort was despite the fact that there were other foreign guests around, (mostly Chinese-looking… perhaps, they were Chinese nationals). And the best of all was the staff. They treated us like royals, especially at the cafe. Perhaps it was because we were the only guests around during that time. All their attention was on us. They even redid the pizza because the first one they baked got burnt, lol. But still, we felt like we were checked-in guests rather than budget travelers who just dropped by for a short visit.

For budget travelers like myself, a day trip is good enough to get a taste of this seemingly luxurious beach resort. That was what we did 4 years ago — we enjoyed the food, the beach, the sand, the swimming pools, and slides! And now that we have Tuz, and since we were visiting Dipolog for business and pleasure, we drove back here from Royal Farm Resort to experience the same kind of fun, but this time, with our toddler. We were hoping to stay the night but unfortunately, no room was available. I guess it was a blessing in disguise. The money we saved, we’ll just be using for Tuz’s 3rd birthday hoopla in Siargao next month. Yey!

 

HOW TO GET TO DAKAK?

By Plane

The nearest airport here is the one in Dipolog City. It is, after all, the gateway to Zamboanga del Norte. From Manila or Cebu City, you can fly to Dipolog via Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines. They have daily flights. Check their websites for schedules and prices.

By Boat

When we first visited Dakak, we came from Oslob, Cebu. There are fast crafts sailing daily from Cebu City to Dapitan City. And since we were in Oslob and Dumaguete is nearer than Cebu City, we went to Dumaguete instead via fast craft (25 minutes travel time) then boarded another fast craft to Dapitan. The fare was about P600 and travel time was about 3 hours.

• Dumaguete to Dapitan Departure Times:
  6AM, 2AM, 10PM
• Dapitan to Dumaguete Departure Times:
  10AM, 6PM, 2AM

You can check the available boat schedules from Dumaguete here: https://dumaguete.com/dumaguete-ferry-schedules-offices/

By land

We came from Cagayan de Oro City this time around and drove to Dipolog City via Butuan-Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Road. Driving time was about 6 1/2 hours. If you are commuting from Cagayan de Oro, you can take a bus in Bulua that drives straight to Dipolog City. Travel time is approximately 9 hours and the fare is around P600. Once you’re in Dipolog City, take a tricycle that can bring you to the city terminal. Take a van or a minibus going to Dapitan City. Travel time is approximately 1 hour. When we did this before, the fare was about P25-30 per person one way.

Now that you’re in Dapitan City, you can hire a habal-habal (motorcycle) that can bring you to Dakak beach resort for about P150.00. You can try to haggle until P100. If you want to take a tricycle, fare could be around P400.00.

 

How much is Dakak’s Day Tour Rate?

Dakak’s Day Tour rate increased from P500 to P1000.00 per person. Time is from 8AM to 5PM. The amount is consumable (food and activities).

If you are like us who came in late (3PM), you will also get a 50% discount, P400  of which is consumable in their cafe.

 

How much are the accommodations in Dakak?

Casas and Casitas range from P10K to P24K per night depending on the location and size. Prices may change without prior notice. Check their website for the latest update: http://www.dakakresort.com/accommodation/

 

So that’s Dakak for now! Do watch this vlog I made to give you a glimpse of what it was like for us during our day trip there. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Til my next budget travel post!