Bayawan City’s Casa Rosario Pension

My Negros Oriental Tour: Bayawan City’s Casa Rosario Pension
That is more formally called Casa Rosario De Bayawan Pension House. And I don’t know if they’re related to Casa Rosario in Cebu!

Entering the small hallway with a few steps to the small counter called front desk, the woman in charge was all smiles and said “haaay finally”! They were waiting for me and were a bit worried since they called up Ceres and the air-conditioned bus from Cebu has already arrived, yet I was nowhere. Ha ha, how sure were they I would be riding that aircon bus, anyway? All I said last night was I’d be coming from Cebu! Sometimes, some pesky bus leaves some sleepy heads behind y’know! And that was my case hehehe! But hmm, that was nice to know that they were concerned about my whereabouts. So, after paying P900 for the overnight stay and signing the guest folio, I was ushered upstairs to my room.

Nice enough room. Has a big bed for two that my mom would have loved – that means I did not like the covers hehe. They use a glittering golden hard material that for me is more for curtains than bed covers. Too shiny and bright! And, there are throw pillows in the same material which for me are good in a sala-set than a bed. Magaspang! Dig deeper and under the cover are the real pillows that seem good for babies with very flimsy white cases so that you see the red pillow and the cartoons printed all over the cloth ahahaha! Not sure what theme Casa Rosario wanted this room to come out as, but I liked it still hehe! Everything in the room seems to be a fusion of Mexican and Chinese styles / decors. The bathroom is cramped. How small? If you don’t stand in front of the shower, water pours directly to the back of the bathroom door. And if you leave that door open, you are certain to flood the room hehehe!

Everything is clean and tidy though. There is a big closet that stands directly in front of the room’s door. I thought it was rather dangerous since if a burglar was able to open the room, it would have been easy for him to grab everything. Why the apprehension? Because my room’s door knob seemed a bit loose and shaking it would already open the door even if the knob was locked and you did not use the room key! But everything is clean and tidy hehe! Oh, the hallway, though dark, is actually a beautiful combination of greens, creams and pinks. There are even framed pictures and a waiting area with an old rug – just outside my room. And the stair has nice wooden baluster with chandelier above! O ha?!

Ah, while the “front desk” is just a small space under the stairs, across it is a big wide Golez Gym and behind it is the big wide and nicely decorated Dragon King Restaurant of the pension that attempts to fuse Chinese, Japanese and Korean foods and decor. Both resto and gym face the road while sandwiched between them is the main entrance and hallway going to front desk. After settling my things at the room, I went down to the restaurant to grab a snack. Ack! Its was too hot in there. They do not open the airconditioners UNTIL a customer is already seated inside which makes the air musty and the atmosphere a feeling of like in a beautiful but steamy dungeon hehehe! Frugality in the wrong way, I must say! I suggested they at least open one glass door when the aircon is not on. A crew courteously retorted with “papasok ang langaw sir”. So I said “a bahala kayo” and went out to have a walk and find my snack elsewhere!

When I returned in late afternoon, lights were dim at the Dragon King Restaurant. I just thought, how would it attract customers in such a sordid look. When I went down for dinner, it was about 730PM and there was no human being in the same restaurant. Too bad since I think that restaurant is probably great. But who wants to enter a glass encased fancy beautifully decorated restaurant when upon entry, hot air punches his nose. So I went forth for nearby Chicken Ati-atihan - even if smoke billowed from the grillers I was sure at least some air from the outside world circulated. And, when I finally returned about midnight from the boulevard, Dragon King was totally deep asleep!

Following day, it was a different story. I had to stomp a foot – so to say! Breakfast is free (inclusive in my P900 overnight rate) and can be had at said restaurant. OMG I thought while taking a bath. Am eating my first meal of the day at that steamy place hehehe! And mind you, I was entitled to two set breakfasts as my P900 room was good for two people! Went down at about 730AM opened the door ajar, a waitress was by the door and after telling her what I wanted to eat, I told her to please put the air-conditioner on while I smoke out on the street waiting for my breakfast. I followed it with, “otherwise, if the aircon does not work, have my food sent to my room”. She was a bit taken aback as I was not my usual cheerful whacky self they saw yesterday hehe. They might have thought I had hangovers hehehe!

Hah, waiting for that breakfast I roamed the nearby ukay-ukay and watched the rice-grinding stalls. I know some of the crews were watching me as that is just across the street. Don’t get me wrong folks, am not an aircon addict. In fact I do not at all like artificial cool. I ride non-airconditioned buses and multicabs, remember? And in fact I did so yesterday all the way from Cebu to Bayawan, right? But neither do I want hot uncirculating musty air in any room – be it a dining room, bedroom or bathroom. It just feels sick and makes me really sick. Wouldn’t you be?! Para kang nasa loob bg kabaong ba. Would you like it?! I would rather out on the sidewalk if that is the case haha!

About 8AM, I re-entered the Dragon King Restaurant from its roadside entrance. Everything is glass btw – walls and doors. And presto! The place was nicely cool. They even had an electric fan on, to circulate air. Wow! And the place really looks so daintily beautiful. Wow! Décor is different on each half of the place. The first half (nearer front desk) attempts a fusion of Japanese and Korean arts designs and colors. A lot of pastels. The other half is a Chinese restaurant screaming in bright red all over. Both are beautiful and they try to conform to the theme down to table amenities.

By the way. My table was set, TV was already playing Unang Hirit and the remote control was beside my utensils haha! They only brought my food out when I sat down on the table. Wonderful place after all and to think I hated it since arrival! I hope they learned their air-conditioner lesson. I left the restaurant with three other set of hotel guests also having breakfast.

I have had things to rant about Casa Rosario De Bayawan Pension House but I can dare say, I’ll definitely be back!


If you want to read the chronology of all stories on this tour, click the following:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65



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2 Comments

  1. thank you for this

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  2. This is a very good blog. I really enjoyed reading your posts about bayawan (I'm bayawanon btw). I can't stop laughing at your comment on the electric fan-bearing trees grown at most church in the district. It's really an eyesore, you're not alone at thinking that. :)

    You really should have visited the tourism office in IBT. They could have given you better accommodations.

    Thanks for writing this. I really enjoyed reading it. :)

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