Budget Travel Philippines | Living Asia Backpacking Guide | Tours Tourism Reviews 2012: Dakak Beach Resort Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

Dakak Beach Resort Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

It was a long anticipated trip to Dapitan City, the home of Jose Rizal in exile for four years, via Dipolog City that made the trip to Dakak Park and Beach Resort possible for Tutubi. After a hard days work, Tutubi hied off to a gem of Zamboanga del Norte.

The road to Dakak was said to be unpaved and rocky, something unexpected for a tourism magnet, but this time, construction's in full blast of a long winding road leading to the resort with the road blocked by payloaders, dumptrucks and backhoes.

Tutubi checked in early, booked a twin-sharing room for PhP2800.00 (standard room rate) that was upgraded to a super-deluxe at no extra charge. He snoozed off his first 1.5 hours then later took pictures before sunset but never bothered to take a splash in the swimming pool nor the beach, something unusual for him.

Dakak's main lobby

Tutubi's room at Dakak Beach Resort

Dakak Restaurant sporting a Subanen architectural style evident in the roof design

part of Dakak's long white sand beach sans people as there were only few people at the resort when Tutubi checked in

Dakak Beach Resort lies on a cove with exclusive beach front of white sand beach about 800 meters long with coconut trees, talisay et al lining the beach front.

Chirping birds are usual sounds you hear while you can see butterflies freely flying around the resort complex, testament to the preserved environment surrounding the place.

Sunset at Dakak Park and Beach Resort

On the origin of the name dakak, when Tutubi inquired from the front desk personnel, dakak is an onomatopeia, it originated from the sound of local birds that thrive in the area, even up to now, that why locals call the place as such.

Dakak Beach Resort Review:

Facilities are generally clean: about 800 meters of fine white sand beach, two swimming pools (one with a man-made waterfalls), basketball court, two souvenir shops, a bar shaped like a sinking ship and a main building showcasing Subanen architecture.

Dakak's one of two swimming pools has a man-made waterfalls

Looking for things to do in Dakak? Activities: swimming, beach volleyball, jet skii, kayaking, snorkeling, island-hopping to Aliguay Island, gambling, scuba diving, drinking, eating, sleeping :P

Rooms have Filipino ambiance all over the place with native huts (bahay kubo) and interior walls made of banig (native sleeping mats) and sawali ceilings. Even the bathroom, dresser and refrigerator are made to look native with rattan fittings. A glass wall divides the toilet from the shower room, no bath tub, but with 24/7 hot water available.

Service was ok with courteous staff very accommodating and helpful. Waiters would fill your glass promptly, without you asking for it, with natural mineral water sourced from the nearby mountain spring.

Food takes quite a while to be served since it's not a fast-food restaurant. Generally ok, nothing outstanding though, only bulalo was the disappointment after is was served not too piping hot and tasted more like nilagang baka.

Dakak restaurant menu consists of usual Filipino cuisine where food prices are comparable to ordinary Manila restaurant food prices. A typical meal costs PhP300.00/person up and breakfast breakfast of cornsilog/tapsilog/chicksilog cost around PhP130.00. For budgetary purposes, allocate PhP1000/day/person stay at Dakak, not cheap for the peso-pinching Tutubi but it's ok since his companion's company paid for it-- it's free!

There's a cultural show every night, around 7:30pm, at the restaurant but instead of showcasing local Filipino culture, performers danced to the beat of Hawaiian, Tahitian, Maori and Samoan beats. Dakak management ought to stop this and instead focus on Filipino culture starting with the local Subanon (Subanen) the indigenous, river-dwelling tribe of Zamboanga Peninsula.

For cheap Dakak packages, recommend you get in touch with the organizers of Buklod Dapitan that includes a 3D/2N accommodations at Dakak Beach resort plus tours to Dapitan and Rizal Shrine. Requires minimum of 10 persons though for a package.

Overall, Dakak Park and Beach Resort is not your typical backpacker haven, it's expensive and suited more for family vacations to while away time. Its exclusivity is a big plus though in addition to the presence of Dakak casino for gamblers to spend time-- and burn money!

Dakak Park and Beach Resort Information for bookings, reservations and inquiries:

Ortigas Office (Metro Manila):
Suite 701 State Finance Center BLDG.
Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City
Tel. No.: +63.2.721.1461
Telefax No.: +63.2.721.2726

Taguilon, Dapitan City
Mobile Number: +63.919.795.9416
+63.915.318.5238
Contact Number: +63.65.213.6813

email: mailto:dakak28@yahoo.com

Official Website: http://www.dakakdapitan.com

How to get to Dakak Beach Resort:

To get to Dakak, you either fly in to Dipolog City (or alternately take a ferry to Dapitan or Dipolog) where resort personnel will fetch you if you're a reserved check-in guest.

There are no public transportation to the resort but there are habal-habal (motorcycle taxis) available said to cost PhP50.00/head or higher depending on your negotiating skills. Walk-in guests or day tours of Dakak Beach Resort costs PhP200.00/person inclusive of welcome refreshment.

Labels: Beaches, Dapitan, Hotels and Resorts, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Peninsula

posted by backpacking philippines @ 9:37 PM,

32 Comments:

At Feb 20, 2009 1:43:00 AM, mimi said...: lagi ko ito naririnig sa tv noong bata ako.. bago pa mag wow philipines... galing na maintain nila na malinis ito..

ganda ng sunset photo nyo!
At Feb 22, 2009 11:10:00 AM, tin-tin said...: bata pa ko gusto ko na makapunta dito kasi like mimi, lagi ko naririnig sa tv dati. hehe ;p
At Feb 23, 2009 9:46:00 PM, Shoshana said...: This is my uncle's favorite place to take his family on vacation. I've never been...but now I want to visit it. The accommodations looks fabulous!
At Feb 23, 2009 10:48:00 PM, Toe said...: That looks like an excellent place to bum out for a long relaxing holiday! :) I wonder if Rizal went swimming at the beach. :)
At Feb 23, 2009 11:03:00 PM, the donG said...: these photos reminds me of the time i visited dakak. i was still in high school and that was in 1996. it's good to know that it in a way kept it that way.

yes i was there at the backpacking pilipinas session. were you there too?
At Feb 24, 2009 7:04:00 AM, pieterbie said...: Looks like a nice enough place :-)
At Feb 24, 2009 8:19:00 AM, Sidney said...: Looks like a very nice resort... lucky you to be there as a guest.
At Feb 25, 2009 12:26:00 AM, nyl said...: i love the photos esp. the great catch you have on sunset. i haven't heard of dakak being a tourist destination for quite awhile. but when it was first developed and promoted about years had passed, a lot of people would really want to invade the place. i don't know at all what happened after. wow!i just knew it here where the term "dakak" originated.

anyway, thanks for touring us. great!:)
At Feb 25, 2009 4:44:00 AM, Lifecruiser said...: Don't show me such photos! I feel like packing my bag and go NOW! I'm not enjoying the winter over here in Sweden at all, so this did look very, very tempting to me.
At Mar 1, 2009 9:49:00 PM, bw said...: very nice shots and the beach accomodation looks great !

Congrats on catching the sun :)
At Nov 11, 2009 4:44:00 PM, kat said...: love to visit your resort...im planning to have my vacation on feb 26,2010 with god's will...
At Jan 17, 2010 10:37:00 AM, itchie said...: Very memorable. My wife and I went there early 90's. Access by tourist then was by an outrigger boat. I tried how to lie in a Hammock, and I was sleep immediately; lulled by the lapping waves and caressed by the sea-wind. For the Prudish, be aware that Dakak is an international destination and you will sometimes see topless swimmers on the beach or in the swimming pool.
At Jan 18, 2010 2:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Man i Missed that Place.Been there couple of times and its really highly recommended!Mabuhay!
At Jan 19, 2010 4:32:00 PM, Anonymous said...: i was staying there for two nights the room was great and the food is good nice place to stay and we are planning to come back there one day i love that place.If u want to go for ur honeymoon this is the place i can recommend you.
At Jan 26, 2010 10:06:00 AM, Keng said...: I've been here once 10 years ago. but didn't enjoy it since we were on a budget and had time constraints. but im going back on the 31st! with my own family! im looking forward to a very well spent family time here!
At Feb 2, 2010 1:40:00 PM, Anonymous said...: We will be tapping down the place on end Feb, Im not putting any excitement yet till i see the place. sometimes its nicer when captured and i had some disappointing experience in guimaras (an island resort there that looked fantastic in photos). I will get back to this blog to tell directly from my own eyes how will it be.
At Feb 15, 2010 4:12:00 PM, Anonymous said...: a family group of us went there for 3 days and place was nice but very remote no night life and also no power on 2 separte days for many hours each day no discount was given and we had paid for 4 cottages not very good value better of going to beach divers resort bohol much cheaper and better in every way
At Feb 15, 2010 4:15:00 PM, Anonymous said...: they only put the good points on here will not let me put my experience on here so beware
At Feb 15, 2010 4:50:00 PM, backpacking philippines said...: anonymous, wrong you are. there was a 3 minute interval in your comments and not time to approve them. if you've read the dakak review in its entirety you'll see negative feedback, not much on my stay but in yours. I don't sugarcoat posts here. thanks for the feedback
At Apr 22, 2010 3:33:00 PM, maryrose of deped dgte said...: our office is planning to go there for a seminar and many of us are excited. it will be my second time, my first was with my family and we enjoy the place and the amenities. hope to be back there soon.
At Jun 8, 2010 4:49:00 PM, spouky_wizard said...: nice dakak!...there's a beautiful place also in dapitan city the rizal shrine...lots of trees,monkeys,& some replicas of rizal's house,libarary etc...dipolog city and dapitan city is a really really safe place to visit for foreigners and tourist!!!!!
At Jul 8, 2010 8:04:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ref feb 15 they say 3 minute interval so no interval this time the place has no back up genarator and power kept going down every day i was there for 4 days all in all it is cut of from every thing i wood not recommend it to a foreign traveller i wood recommend bohol half the price and much more to do and choose regards english man
At Aug 2, 2010 6:57:00 PM, Ephesus said...: We offer escorted group tours of Western and Eastern turkey and private tours to suit all budgets.Or perhaps you already have most of your travel booked and would like us to help with booking some extras such as blue cruises or Balloon Flights http://www.packagetoursturkey.com - http://www.touroperatoristanbul.com Turkey is a magical and diverse country - whether you want to get into the nightlife of Istanbul, sit around drinking tea with the locals, camp under the stars, go trekking, learn about the culture or dive into the pristine waters of the Meditteranean, there is an experience to suit you. Whatever your needs, our aim is to make sure you have a memorable experience in Turkey.We aim to provide our clients with something different when they travel with us. As our client you won't miss all of the main tourist sites, but we aim to give you something more than just the basics - for example, the opportunity to visit a small Turkish village, or the chance to learn how to cook a delicious Turkish meal.
We have many years experience in the Turkish travel and tourism industry and would like to share our experience and passion for Turkey with you.
At Nov 12, 2010 4:55:00 PM, Anonymous said...: im from dipolog but ive never been there..hopefully this coming december!!!!!!!!!
At Jan 27, 2011 7:40:00 AM, Cagayan de oro news said...: Ooh! I can't wait to go to Dakak!http://www.cdokay.com/
At Feb 15, 2011 7:24:00 AM, Sherry said...: i wish to get a chance to visit soon :) I heared so much about DAKAK!!
At Apr 17, 2011 10:05:00 AM, MAGNO said...: Loves to go there to relax.I've heard Dakak on tv.how much for 10 days? 3 person,me, husband,daughter 18yrs.old?2rooms
At Jun 13, 2011 3:12:00 PM, Anonymous said...: magkno nba entrance ngayon pra sa mga walk-in?
At Jun 13, 2011 3:32:00 PM, backpacking philippines said...: anonymous, you mean dakak entrance fee/day tour rates? please contact dakak beach resort directly as i'm in no way connected with them
At Jun 21, 2011 7:17:00 PM, zemaojme said...: aloha dakak..well be there soon..maybe this coming july 9th..
At Jun 29, 2011 4:09:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ganda
At Jan 18, 2012 10:01:00 AM, Gwyn V. Tuazon said...: pupunta kami dito ngayong march... can't wait to see the place... so excited... :)picture picture