The Island Explorer

A Bohol experience will not be complete without a visit or probably a stay in Alona Beach, Panglao Island's premier beach spot. Alona Beach is actually older than Boracay in terms of development. Alona Beach is actually named by a famous celebrity Alona Alegre, who shot a film on this beach in the 1970s. Alona Tropical Resort was one of the my favorite resorts in Bohol, before it was demolished to pave way for a more modern hotel. If you wanna look back, read my experience  here .    Alona's charm comes from the fact that it was very family oriented, mostly because of the accommodating spirit of their previous hotel owners who were long custodians of Alona Beach. The pandemic has changed the tide and has forced some to finally sell out to bigger hotel chains.  These people will truly be the reason why Alona has grown to much popularity over the years. During sunset, unike Boracay, Alona's tide creeps in, making the shore narrow for its visitors. As planned by nature,...

I’ve heard of Amarela from a lot of my friends and peers in the industry. Having been opened in 2006, it is one of the most established boutique resorts family built and run in Bohol. The 25-room charming Filipino designed escape is tucked away in lush foliage of bright pink bouganvillas and verdant bushes and hanging gardens.

I must admit, I had low expectations of the Peacock Garden in Bohol. It bills itself as Bohol’s premier luxury boutique resort. Those many descriptions made it look very pretentious. I was also a bit off with its European design since it was located in a tropical island. It just seemed out of place. So when I entered the imposing gates of the resort and drove across a grand and manicured driveway that led to what looked like a clubhouse from afar, I still didn’t know what to expect.

Our newest resort experience was spontaneous. I thought of going to Bohol because I finished my work early in Cebu. Since I need to do some work in Bohol as well, I decided to stay at one of the newest resorts in the island - Bluewater Panglao.

Most cruises to the Loboc River in Bohol take place during lunch time as part of the standard countryside tours in the island. However, I discovered that taking the night cruise is a better experience.

Bohol's accommodations are a bit tricky for me. For one, I still haven't found the perfect resort even after being here for more than 8 times already. I get to check out most hotels as part of my work in events, and the last event that we had in Bohol was set in probably the best looking resort in Bohol. This is the Amorita Resort.

So I've been to Bohol several times, but I haven't been to this popular cafe till now. Cafe Lawis has always been recommended by my friends who have toured Bohol. Well, it's probably because I don't take the tours when I'm in Bohol.

The Bohol Bee Farm is a popular destination in Panglao Island. The resort and restaurant is located on the way to Alona Beach, so one can stopover for breakfast, lunch or brunch there.

My choice of resort in Alona Beach has got to be Alona Tropical. We spent a night in a fan room that was facing the beach for only P1,100. Yes, that was a prime beach front location. Its patio had a great view of Alona Beach. Panglao has a lot of luxury and exclusive resorts like Eskaya, so Alona Tropical is a relatively inexpensive option. The aircon rooms range from P2,500 to P4,000, depending on the size. We were really surprised that the fan rooms faced the beach. I was told that these three fan rooms were the first rooms of Alona Tropical, and had sentimental value already. But I also heard that they were tearing them down soon to give way to a Presidential Villa, complete with a private pool. I wanted to convince them not to destroy their old fan rooms, but business was still business. What I liked about our bargain room is that we could use all the facilities. Alona Tropical had a huge pool, and landscaped gardens that made the resort so relaxing. But what I really liked about t...

Alona beach is the premier beach destination in the famous Panglao Island of Bohol. Fine white powdery sand is matched with a chill out ambience that Alona is known for. The water wasn't as clear, since the weather was quite disturbed. Nevertheless, Alona Beach had its fair share of visitors and bums. Alona Beach stretches for about a kilometer. A lot of resorts with restaurants and bars dot the shore, similar to Boracay. There are also more resorts and restaurants inland, like the famous Bohol Bee Farm, around 1 km away. Though it can't be helped that Alona is compared to Boracay, I conclude that Alona is more laid back and relaxed. Hence, there are really no loud parties left and right. There is a bar that plays dance music, but that's just it. Alona is perfect for families, or couples who just want to spend a quiet time in a nice beach. Though there are more beaches in the Philippines that are better than Alona, its more structured tourism facilities draw the crowds. Alo...

We descended from the Chocolate Hills, and realized it was too late to tour the other attractions of Bohol. So, we tried our luck in seeing the tarsiers near the Loboc River. When we arrived, the tarsier sanctuary was closed already, so we tried to talk to the caretakers to let us in for a while. We agreed to pay a higher than average price (P100) to have a glimpse of the world's smallest monkeys. We were surprised that we were allowed to hold the tarsiers! I knew it wasn't allowed, but since we were a special case (meaning no other tourists), the caretakers let out the furry little creatures and let us take pictures of them while they were in our arms. We took so long taking pictures, and I guess some of the tarsiers got stressed. I was even bitten by one, but it was just a shallow bite. The Loboc River was beautiful at dusk. It looked so mysterious and alluring. The sun has set, so we headed our way back to check-in in Alona Tropical Beach Resort in Panglao. NOTE: On the way ...

I never thought getting into Bohol would be this easy. Sure, I've heard from most Cebuanos that it's just two hours away by boat. Some of my other friends say you can even do just a day trip to Bohol and be back in Cebu by night time. Bohol has been an elusive destination for me. I've been meaning to go for so long. Unfortunately, all my planned trips to Bohol get messed up. So, one day, while in Cebu, we decided to be spontaneous and head for Bohol, just to spend one night. Our trip started by going to the Supercat terminal in Cebu (near SM City). The ferry terminal was efficient, and had ample security. It actually felt like an old airport. There are 3 to 4 ferry companies going to Bohol, and Supercat is just one of them. I heard they have the best fleet. Weesam is the next best thing. I was surprised to see a modern catamaran, much like the ones used in the Macau-HK link. And this one was quite new. We got business class tickets (P850 one way), because the economy seats ...