One may think the rural town of La Libertad in Negros Oriental has not much to offer other than nice views of the sea and wild vegetation everywhere, but when we got to Lalimar Beach Resort, I was quite surprised and impressed. This resort was quite an unexpected gem in this humble town!

At first, I and a friend (who was not from that side of the island) speculated that the resort might be owned by a rather wealthy foreigner who has married a local of the place, but we were wrong. It turns out that Lalimar is being run by the local government. No wonder the place looked like somebody had a really big budget to develop it!

We had a large group with us (extended family and a few friends), so Hubby had to stop by the reception desk to find out how things work in the resort. There was no entrance fee (which was great!), so you only pay if you’re going to be swimming in the pool, hiring sheds or cottages, or for corkage if you’re bringing in liquor. No fees either if you choose to swim only in the sea and not in the swimming pool.

As of our visit (October 2019) the rates were:

Cottage (Air Conditioned, Double Occupancy, Hot & Cold Shower)
Cottage No. 1-4 —— P 1,540.00
Cottage No. 5 ——— P 2,420.00
Cottage No. 6 ——— P 3,740.00
Cottage No. 6a ——- P 2,640.00
Cottage No. 6b ——- P 1,760.00
Cottage No. 7 ——— P 3,080.00
Cottage No. 8 ——— P 1,980.00
Additional guest —– P 220.00/Head

Budget Room (Fan, Dormitory Type)
Room 1-5 ————- P 220.00/Head

Venue
Main Hall ———— P 3,000.00
Annex Hall ———- P 2,000.00
Function Room — P 1,500.00
(Aircon)

Swimming Pool
Adult ————— P 55.00
Children ———– P 30.00
Infant (free)

Umbrella
10-Seater ——— P 330.00
8-Seater ———- P 275.00
Extra Chairs —— P 11.00
Extra Table ——- P 44.00

They also had a little shop where you can buy souvenirs. I wasn’t able to go in and have a look as I ran out of cash. Hahaha! The unfortunate thing about a lot of places, especially in the rural Philippines, is that they accept only cash. Your cards and cheques are useless around here.

This is their Main Hall, which could accommodate possibly over a hundred people. When we were there, a large group was having a seminar. I’m told this venue have also accommodated weddings and grand parties in the past.

That door leads to the ladies toilets/showers. Again, after having visited Campuestohan Resort in Bacolod City prior to this, I was impressed with Lalimar’s facility. The showers were clean and there was no foul odor, unlike at Campuestohan. The shower heads and faucet taps were also in good working order.

Another snapshot I took of the pool. The deepest part, at the middle, was only 5 feet deep, so it’s not so scary for non swimmers.

The pool was probably the only area without trees or plants, so even if you’re not going swimming, you can still keep cool while enjoying the breeze under the shade of the trees or sheds.

We were at Lalimar Resort from around 10am to around 2pm. I haven’t taken photos of the sea, but though the water was super crystal clear, the floor was all stones. Hubby told me that in many parts of Negros Oriental, the people in the past have abused the shorelines by collecting the sand to turn them into hollow blocks for constructing buildings. My reaction was, “Uh…did they think the shores would naturally grow some sand again like weeds grow in gardens?” Quite sad. But Hubby plans for us to visit Lalimar again in the future and possibly stay for a few nights to enjoy the pool at sunset so we don’t get sun burnt… fingers crossed!

Unfortunately, it seems that they do not have a website or other means of booking online. There is an unclaimed/unofficial Facebook page, but I don’t think you can book through it. They only have mobile phone numbers you can try contacting.

Lalimar Beach Resort
San Jose, La Libertad, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Mobile Phone Numbers: (+63)9082127683 / (+63)9177071409