Wandering Around Camarines

In the previous posts, I talked about my travel from Metro Manila to Naga City by riding a Philtranco bus. The reason that I went to Naga City is that my office sent me to do some work around Camarines.

Camarines is composed of the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. Camarines serves as the gateway to Bicolandia because it is the northernmost area of the Region 5. The province of Camarines Sur is famous for its patroness, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, whose feast is celebrated every September. Unfortunately, I have been busy with my work around Camarines that I failed to visit the famous Basilica Minore in Naga City. The basilica is the church where the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is located.

I also failed to visit tourists sites around Camarines like the Lake Buhi that is famous for tabios, which is the smallest species of fish in the world. I also failed to visit the famous Caramoan Beach.

I failed to visit the famous areas in Camarines but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the whole duration of my stay there. I enjoyed learning about the Bicolanos and the way of life of the people of Camarines. What I like during my visit in Camarines are scenes like this:

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The people of Camarines still enjoy the lush environment that I miss in Metro Manila. Rows and rows of farms and plantations are present in Camarines. These scenery can still be seen even in urbanized part of Camarines like Naga City.

Another scenery that I like is the sea of Camarines that is still clean as opposed to the smelly Manila Bay.

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Clean sea of Camarines. Mount Isarog is at the background.

I saw a large number of jellyfishes while I cross the San Miguel Bay from Camarines Sur to Camarines Norte. Our boatman said that catching jellyfish is one of the major livelihood in Camarines. Many fishermen catch white jellyfishes, which are dried and imported to other countries.

I feel that my visit to Camarines is incomplete because I failed to immerse my self to the culture of Bicolanos. Though my stay is brief, I managed to have a preview of what Camarines is. I wish I can go back to Naga City this September and join the feast for Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

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One Night Stay at CBD Plaza Hotel

I reached Naga City at around 7 in the morning after traveling from Metro Manila to Naga City for 10 hours. I have a long day ahead so I decided to snatch few hours of sleep to reduce the exhaustion caused by the bus travel. Fortunately, my friend in Naga City already arranged everything. So, all I did was to walk a short distance from Naga City bus terminal to reach CBD Plaza Hotel.

CBD Plaza Hotel is one of the new hotels in Naga City. I believe that it is one of the most decent lodging places in the city. CBD Plaza Hotel is a four-storied building located along Ninoy and Cory Avenue, which just on the opposite side of the Naga City Bus Terminal. The hotel is just a walking distance away from SM City Naga.

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CBD Plaza Hotel, Naga City

My friend placed me in CBD Plaza Hotel’s “Single Room” that costs 1,000 pesos per night. The room is decent enough and is much better than the room that I stayed in when I am in Cebu. I forgot to take a photo of my room so I grabbed one from CBD Plaza Hotel website.

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(Source: CBD Plaza Hotel website)

CBD Plaza Hotel offers six kinds of accommodation. The cheapest is the Economy, which cost 600 pesos for one person. The most expensive accommodation is the Executive Suite that has one queen-sized bed and two single beds. Executive Suites costs 2,800 pesos per night.

I am glad to discover that the hotel offers free breakfast for its patrons. I almost missed the free breakfast because the concierge didn’t inform me of the free breakfast. I am lucky enough to read about the free breakfast on the back of their key holder. The free breakfast is availed at Kakanon Bikol, which is the restaurant beside the hotel entrance. Usual morning meals available at Kakanon Bikol are coffee, sunny-side up egg, tocino, hotdog with fried rice. One person is entitled to one meal only. Kakanon Bikol doesn’t live up to its name because the restaurant lacks authentic ultra-hot Bicolano food. I ate dinner during my last night stay in Naga City and I failed to see any Bicolano dish in their menu.

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The view from my room.

I experienced no problem during my whole stay in CBD Plaza Hotel. It is conveniently located near public transport terminals. The hotel has courteous personnel that are prompt to answer my calls. The only complaint that I have is the coupon for free breakfast. It is inconvenient for patrons to go to the front desk to ask for the free breakfast coupons. I think that it will be better if the coupons were given together with the room keys during check-in.

If you want more information about CBD Plaza Hotel, I suggest that you visit their website.

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