Rhed Flower Restobar, Valencia

The Valencia AA meeting is at Rhed Flower Restobar on Luna Street in Valencia. The meeting is held on the ground floor of the grey building with large glass windows. Coming from Dumaguete, Valencia is uphill from town. Give yourself a little extra travel time on your first visit.

Rhed Flower is a bright, casual restaurant and coffee spot. The room has open restaurant-style seating, a counter area, framed artwork on the walls, and a relaxed daytime feel. For a nervous first-time visitor, it is a comfortable place to walk into. You can arrive, look around, find a seat, and get your bearings.

If you arrive early, sit down, have coffee, order breakfast, or wait quietly until the meeting starts. The food is not part of AA, and no purchase is required to attend an AA meeting. It is a useful local landmark that makes the meeting easier to find.

Local color: Rhed Flower is a good Valencia stop for coffee and breakfast. It has western-style breakfast plates, Filipino meals, sandwiches, shakes, and simple drinks. The American breakfast is one of the better-value breakfasts around Dumaguete and Valencia. Menus and prices change, so use the food details as orientation, not meeting information.

Newcomer note: You do not need to buy food, explain yourself, or know anyone before attending. You can simply come in, sit down, and listen.

Bethel Guest House and Cafe Filomena, Rizal Boulevard

The Balcony by the Sea AA Meeting is at Bethel Guest House on Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City, on the 5th floor. Bethel is one of the easiest local landmarks for visitors because it faces the Boulevard and the ocean.

Cafe Filomena is on the ground floor of Bethel Guest House. It is bright, friendly, and easy to find from the Boulevard side. Bethel is a long-time AA meeting venue in Dumaguete, and Cafe Filomena is the easiest place to arrive early, order coffee or breakfast, and settle yourself before going upstairs.

The cafe has a cafeteria-style counter with Filipino food, breakfast choices, sandwiches, pizza, halo-halo, coffee, and desserts. Prices are fair. Bethel is known for buko pie, and they will warm it for you if you ask. Pancakes and eggs are a simple, good-value breakfast before a morning meeting.

One useful local trick: if you order food downstairs before the meeting, tell the cashier you want to take it up to the 5th floor. They will plastic-wrap your tray for the elevator. Take your coffee, buko pie, breakfast, or halo-halo upstairs and sit at the 5th floor balcony tables before the meeting begins.

The 5th floor is an open balcony with tables, facing the Boulevard and ocean. There is almost always an ocean breeze. Smoking is allowed on the 5th floor balcony where ashtrays are on the tables. Bethel also has a quieter smoking balcony on the 3rd floor. It is more private than the 5th floor and catches the same ocean breeze.

Local color: Cafe Filomena makes the first visit easier because you do not have to stand around wondering where to go. Arrive early, order coffee, breakfast, buko pie, pancakes and eggs, or halo-halo, then take the elevator to the 5th floor when it is time.

Newcomer note: You do not need to buy food, explain yourself, or announce yourself before the meeting. You can arrive quietly, take a seat, and listen.

Uzi Beach Resort, Dauin

The Beach Sand AA Meeting is at Uzi Beach Resort in Dauin, south of Dumaguete City. This is a real toes-in-the-sand venue. It is not a city meeting room. It is a beach setting, and it is worth planning your travel like you are going to the beach.

Coming from Dumaguete, head south toward Dauin. After the Dauin public market, turn left toward the beach area. The big Dauin church will be on your left as you pass through town. Veer right onto Lopez Jaena and make your way toward the beach. Uzi’s is literally on the beach.

The place has native-style beach cottages, tables, hammocks, shade trees, and a gentle sandy beach. It is family-friendly, quiet, and well kept. There are toilets, shower areas, changing rooms, and places to grill or prepare food. There is a small entrance fee, less than PHP 50, with native cottages and tables.

This is a good place to plan a beach day after the meeting. Bring a swimsuit. Stop for breakfast or buy food before going if you want to stay later. People bring grilled food, and local restaurants or cafes deliver in the area. The beach and food are not part of AA; they are just part of knowing how this venue works.

Local color: Uzi’s is one of the relaxed beach-style venues around Dauin. The shoreline slopes gently, the setting is quiet, and it is a good place to swim or sit after the meeting if you are not rushing back to Dumaguete.

Newcomer note: Leave early enough to find the beach road without rushing. You do not need to know anyone before you arrive. You can simply come to the meeting, sit down, and listen.

Across Sierra Resort, Lipayo, Dauin

The Last Resort AA Meeting is listed across Sierra Resort in Lipayo, Dauin. Use Sierra Resort as the landmark. That is the name people are most likely to recognize when you are looking for the area.

Lipayo is south of Dumaguete, in the Dauin area. This is not a quick city-center stop. Give yourself travel time, use the map, and aim for the Sierra Resort area first.

Location note: This is the one listed meeting venue on this page still waiting for a full first-hand site note. The practical direction is simple: go to Lipayo, use Sierra Resort as the landmark, and look for the meeting location across from it. This section will be updated with exact entrance notes, photos, parking, and local landmarks after an on-site visit.

Newcomer note: It is normal to feel unsure when visiting a meeting for the first time. Use the map, leave extra travel time, and do not worry if you are new. You can simply attend, take a seat, and listen.