Lakawon island resort, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental

Lakawon Resort is a tiny island, part of Barangay Cadiz Viejo, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental. I am from Cadiz City and the first time I went there was about 15-20 years ago, beautiful white sand island but no facilities, people just ride a boat and swim there, then go back in the afternoon. Some houses for a small fishing village.

Now things are different. Lakawon is now famous in fb and other social media. So last December, I brought my family there. 

  

View from the bridge. At high tide, the boats can dock at the beach but at low tide, they cannot so they dock at the end of this bridge and people walk to the island.

 

Huts and cottages for day visitors (they leave by 5pm)

Restaurant. Waiters and waitresses are not that trained well for the job though, they can rattle when there are too many customers ordering food, asking for water/drinks, get the bill, pay the bill, etc. so have patience. Beer is P60/bottle. Everything is "imported" from Negros mainland to this island, including drinking water.

Events/volleyball area. Below, open space between the aircon rooms and the restaurant, cottages area.

P3,500 per night. With two extra pull out beds, nice air-con, cable tv, but no own bathroom, series of bathrooms outside, which is also good so that people don't bring the sand and dirt from their feet inside the room. The two girls enjoyed the room.

There are nipa huts, P2,500/night with two beds, electric fan (no aircon). 

At the other side of the beach, high tide. Note the other islands farther away, either they are parts of Negros or Panay islands.

Morning, low tide. The "floating bar" seen from afar. This part is not deep enough for swimming even during high tide, 2-3 ft only and there are many small sharp stones or seagrasses.

The bridge at low tide, and at night.

 

The locals. The few families that used to live in the island were relocated to Cadiz Viejo mainland and they were given jobs. The resort hires lots of people -- waiters/waitresses/cashiers, cooks, room cleaners, construction workers, boatmen, etc. It should be the biggest employer in the whole barrio now, among the biggest in Cadiz.

It should be costly to develop this island. Everything like construction materials -- steel, cement, sand, tiles, roof, wood, etc. -- plus beds, food, water, LPG, etc. have to be brought from Negros mainland to the island by trucks then boats, then carried manually by the workers.

Electricity, despite being off-grid, it has 24/7 electricity from its diesel-powered genset. It should be far away because it cannot be heard humming even at night time.

Fees per head. The pumpboat fee covers 2-way, does not include boat ride to the floating bar, another P250/head 2-way ride with . If bringing food, corkage fee P50 or 75/head.

How to go there: From Bacolod City, go north and pass by the cities of Talisay, Silay, EB Magalona, Victorias, Manapla then Cadiz border. Brgy Caduhaan, then Brgy Cadiz Viejo, left at a small bus terminal, cemented barangay road about 3-4 kms.

From the airport in Silay City, you skip Bacolod and Talisay city proper, If coming from Iloilo or other provinces of Panay, better bring your car via RORO. Otherwise, it's taxi from the boat to Ceres bus terminal then bus then tricycle.

Those fees are a bit pricey, I won't go back there again in the next few years and would rather explore other parts of Negros. Nonetheless, for those living in Negros, the island is a cheaper substitute to see white sand beach and nice facilities than going to Boracay island (Aklan province) or Guimaras. If the fees are made higher, the resort will get less visitors, they will lose money. If they charge too low, the island will be swarmed by thousands daily, it will become ugly and the environmentalists will complain.