Overnight Stay at Family Cottage #3, Mambukal Mountain Resort

“We can stay here for three days!” exclaimed one of our guests as he saw the scenic view from the balcony of one of the family cottages at the Mambukal Mountain Resort. Uh-oh. It was simply wishful thinking and I knew he was kidding so I just smiled at his remark. He knew they will only be staying overnight as they will be flying to Manila the next day.

As Mom would always tell first-timers to our province, “You’ve never been to Negros Occidental if you haven’t gone to Mambukal Resort.” So, when my sister’s father-in-law from Czech Republic and his three friends scheduled a tour here, we made sure Mambukal was on their list of places to visit.

With their jam-packed travel itinerary for Negros Occidental, which Mom and I carefully planned, there was no other way but to limit their stay in Mambukal Resort to just an overnight accommodation. At Php4000 per day, we chose the Family Cottage which offers the best view of the resort’s boating lagoon and is more spacious than the LGU Cottages.

The family cottages as seen from the other side of the boating lagoon

Family Cottage No. 3, where our guests stayed overnight

The Family Cottage can basically accommodate six (6) guests, although the resort allows up to a maximum of twelve (12) ten (10) persons provided they get extra foams at Php100 each. This cottage has two bedrooms (one room has a queen size bed and single bed, while the other room has three single beds), living room, dining room and kitchen. It’s the best accommodation for groups and families planning for an overnight stay.

Bedroom with three single beds

Bedroom with queen-size bed and single bed

Dining area with glass doors offering a nice view of the outdoors

From the cottage balcony, the boating lagoon is right in front of you; to the left are the picnic huts and mini-waterfalls. The road, the bridge and the steps leading to the Butterfly Garden are on the right side. With such a picturesque scene, I can’t blame our guests for wishing to stay much longer.

View from the family cottage balcony

Hope to visit this place soon...

Such a refreshing and relaxing scene offered by the boating lagoon

Let's go boating!

Some guests waiting for their turn

Few steps below the cottage is this open area with shed (provided with table and chairs) for group gatherings

The nipa huts of the Butterly Garden can be seen here (right side)

It was a Sunday so the place was reasonably busy and crowded particularly at the picnic huts, dining stalls, swimming pools and parking areas. Fortunately the family cottages are situated away from the crowd and you need to walk additional steps to reach most of the resort’s amenities, but the location is worth it.

For overnight guests on a budget, they can choose to stay at any of the LGU Cottages. We know most tourists would love to spend less on accommodation such as families looking for affordable Europe hostels or one of those cheap holidays Gran Canaria trips. Budget travelers can actually stay in Mambukal for less. Compared to the family cottages, the LGU cottages are more affordable at Php900 to Php1500 per day. I remember our family had an overnight stay in one of the LGU cottages located at the busy area of the resort near the swimming pool. It was just a small room with four single beds, mini-kitchen and T&B for Php1200 per day. We even got the room at a lower cost because my Dad and Mom were given senior citizens discount. There are other types of accommodation offered by the resort, i.e. dormitory, tourist lodge, picnic huts for day trippers and even a camping area.

Our European guests really enjoyed their overnight stay at the resort despite the limited time. They tried the relaxing and therapeutic dipping pool which we highly recommended. Aside from exploring the resort, their major activity was an early morning trek up to the seventh waterfalls with a guide. Then they hiked on their way back passing through rice fields and were able to see a bit of the rural way of living which was “very interesting” according to one of them.

During that latest visit when we accompanied our guests to Mambukal, there were some ongoing construction of buildings along the resort road. I bet these buildings will be additional cottages to accommodate more visitors. This is a good move by the resort as I noticed that their buildings and facilities, such as their cottages, needed to be upgraded.

Presently, with more guests coming in during peak travel season, Mambukal can’t easily accommodate walk-in guests who wish to stay overnight or for few more days. A reservation with downpayment is required. For instance, one guest was politely refused an accommodation by one of the resort staff who told her that all of their rooms are full, and she should have made a reservation ahead. Mom and I anticipated this scenario about how filled-up the resort would be especially it was a long weekend holiday around the first days of November with All Saints Day on November 1. Thus we made a 50% down payment for the family cottage more than a week before their scheduled stay.

A pose with our Czech guests under the hot midday sun

For more details about the resort rates, read here: Mambukal Resort: Rates for entrance, accommodation and facilities

Reservations and Inquiries

Mambukal Reservation Office (at Provincial Capitol):
+63 34 709-0990 / +63 34 433-8516
Mambukal Resort: +63 34 473-0610

DISCLAIMER

To our dear readers, please be informed that this website is NOT AFFILIATED with Mambukal Resort or the Negros Occidental Provincial Government. We are not in charge of booking and reservations. Please obtain the latest information (e.g. resort accommodation, discounts, facilities, etc.) by contacting them at the numbers given above.

Like and share this post!

1. Like, G+, Pin and Tweet this post to share with your friends.
2. Like our Facebook page to get updates.
3. The syndication buttons are just below this post. Thanks and you’re welcome to share your travel ideas and experiences on our Facebook page at facebook.com/happystepstravel. See you there!