Capture Nature: Revisiting Don Salvador Benedicto's Sceneries and Fresh Air

If you're in Bacolod and you want to escape the hustle and bustle of city, the town of DSB or Don Salvador Benedicto is just an hour-drive. This provincial hill station is the summer capital of Negros Occidental with scenic winding roads, "hanging cafes", green mountain ranges, Instagrammable parks,  fresh air, resorts with dreamy clouds, cliff-side restaurants ,camp sites, Airbnb-listed villas, and other nature's bounties to behold like the Malatan-og Falls (Google map below), Pinewood forests (Google map below), choco hills and more.

"Buwis Buhay" Jump Shot at the Pinewood forest road

The fast development in DSB, may it be tourism spots and infrastructures, signifies that many people are interested to discover and rediscover its topographic and natural beauty. These days, you can find a stretch of modern glass houses, American-style cottages and camping resorts that either may collide or jibe with its environment. Before it was just a highway adorned with different forest trees, houses made of nipa or wood, and farmlands.

Camping and swimming with Mt. Kanlaon as a backdrop at Manggapuri Villas (Puri means Sanctuary)

 Somehow the trend of searching a relaxing highland respite attracts more people to explore Negros' beloved "Little Baguio". This trend opened an opportunity to many to invest in DSB's titled and, sadly, some untitled lands to be developed as a farm, themed resort or a private rest house in the future.
Lots of properties with picturesque views like Manggapuri Villas are now available for rent (though you need reservations for you to stay overnight or use them for events like wedding).

Meanwhile, if you have limited stay in Negros particularly Bacolod city and wanted to visit DSB for a day trip only,  you can check these hotels: 

Bacolod Hotels to Stay:
1. Go Hotels Bacolod  (a hotel just beside Robinsons Bacolod)
2. L Fisher Hotel Bacolod (Hotel along Lacson St.)
3. East View Hotel Bacolod (The nearest of all hotels from DSB and also near the Negros Government Center)
4. Planta Centro Hotel and Residences (Located at the South Area of Bacolod near Gaisano City) 

5. Business Inn, Bacolod (City Center, along Lacson and nearest to SM)

But if you wanted to experience sleeping over just near the border of DSB and wake up feeling the coolness and seeing the greatness of the Negros mountains, You may check this hotel:

1. La Vista Highlands (adjacent city across DSB's border- San Carlos but within the vicinity of DSB). Activities and tourism sites near La Vista is Negros Chocolate Hills and Mayana Peak sightseeing.

Cloudy and Dreamy skies over Golden fields

From Bacolod, DSB is accessible by car and bus via Murcia and turn left to drive via the Eco-Tourism Highway which connects DSB with San Carlos and Calatrava. You may call a local rent-a-car with a driver that will take you interesting spots of DSB. One of the most popular to-go-for-spots for photosessions is the DSB Lion's Park where a fierce-looking brown lion statue greets visitors along a curvy road. Donated and installed by the Lion's Club, it's almost similar to Baguio's gigantic lion's head statue but this one is smaller in size and it comes with a firm body built like Simba from the Lion King.

DSB Lion's Park

      Drone Photography POV at DSB Lion's Park

Beside the lion is a view deck structure with a observatory roof and below it a room with glass window below. A lot of visitors stop by here to take their selfies with the breathtaking view of forest mountains, rolling clouds and rice terraces. Below the park is the Padre Pio's Garden where one can go to meditate. Nowadays, the Lion's Park has fruit stands beside it. And after this, next stop would be the picturesque Pinewood forest where you may find a lot of fruit vendors too these days.

 Inside DSB's Pinewood forest

     Perspective view of the Pinewood Forest Road

An Instagrammable spot in DSB, the Pinewood Road and its forest is a sight to behold. The forest is now open to public and it has that generic I Love (put the city or town name here) signage. One can go inside for a picnic, prenup photoshoot, or just to relax with friends after traveling the zigzag roads. Years before, when the pinewood forest was still closed, most people do the so-called "buwis buhay" photoshoots in the middle of the road.  The pine trees by the road side serve as a perspective natural frame for photographers.
If you are a drone flyer, the place will give you great angles of the woods where you can fly through.

I'm glad the private property sign was taken away and now the public has the freedom to relish the evergreens that we usually see in movies shot in the European mountains.

However, with this new development, I'm looking forward for visitors to be responsible enough to take care of this place--by avoiding leaving trash in the vicinity, by not writing graffitis on trees and rocks or by not cutting pine tree parts as souvenirs. A DSB's tourism pride ever since, I'm wishing the Pinewood Forest is here to stay clean and green.

Malantan-og Falls seen via the View Deck

Drone Photo POV of the view deck at Malantan-og Falls area

Before the cliff-side resorts, hanging cafes and restos became known to the public, the Malatan-og falls was the primary destination magnet that attract tourists to come to Don Salvador. This magnificent falls, though in miniscule mode when you observe it from the view deck, still spells a serene magic specially when clouds amd mist roll over it. However, if you come closer to it, you will feel its magnificent power and coolness, literally. I flew a drone one time with the aim of reaching the falls from the view but alas I had a signal lost issue plus I was strong winds blew my DJI Mavic Air that I decide to just come back again in the future for another safer flight.

Mountain View Resort Bar and Restaurant overlooking one of the mountain ranges.

              Tourists pose at the deer statue of Mountain View Resort Bar and Restaurant at DSB

We ate at the Mountain View Resort resto, I can see they are still expanding their area with some landscaping. People are free to roam the vicinity even they don't have plans to eat there. This resto is easy to find. Once you see a family of statue brown painted bears and deer at the entrance and exit, respectively, then you found it.

Meanwhile, at Jomax Peak, I saw many people going to and fro that day. I thought one can only enter with reservations.  But I saw a Walk-in sign at the gate so I guess many got to experience the relaxing and photography-friendly site of Jomax Peak that day.
Other sites to visit or stay in DSB, Vacation Villa at KM55 (listed in Airbnb), Rapha Valley (Km 48 Brgy. Kumaliskis), Balokom Spring Resort, the hanging cafes like Doc J's and Terraza Cafe,  Bunga Highland Pitstop Mountain Resort, and more. 

 Panorama view of Mountain View Resort Bar and Restaurant 

Don Salvador Benedicto's Rice Terraces

All these new developments  made me wonder what more will appear in DSB in the near future even specially social media nowadays promotes a place, like DSB, in a lightning fast real time mode. Don Salvador Benedicto exactly offer its charms via the bloggers and social media users. Just by its features it tells travelers that DSB is  not only a relaxing place to explore but an Instagrammable spot to capture nature.

More soon about DSB's food, activities and spots!


Pinewood Forest in DSB (Location):



Malatan-og Viewing Deck in DSB (Location):

 

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