Country > Philippines > Bohol > Panglao
Date > 2017 > Jun
Activity > Traveling

Jun 12-18, 2017

Exploring Panglao

Location : Panglao, Bohol, Philippines

Oasis Resort
My stay in Alona Beach and visits to other places in Panglao would not have been as pleasurable without Oasis Resort as my base and SeaQuest as my dive go-to. I knew that at the end of the day, I would be resting my weary body on a very comfortable bed in a well-appointed room in this luxury resort.

Alona Beach
Alona Beach is a 1.5km stretch of fine white sand beach in Panglao, lined-up by restos, bars, dive shops and resort hotels - think Boracay but smaller and less grandiose. Touts and hawkers offer tours, dives and transport rides. This is a very commercial area. A coldie on a beach bar watching people promenade before sunset is Alona's most catchy moment.

TRIVIA - it is only now that I learned Alona Beach was named after a very popular 70s actress, Alona Alegre, who made a film here when there was still no name to the beach. I was delighted when I learned about this. I know Alona personally back in the day. I was seeing her younger sister Tess and I would chillout at Alona's digs in Forbes Park. She and Tess were living the high life. She would be driving her Jaguar while Tess (and I) would follow in her 450SL Mercedes Benz convertible. She likes hanging-out at Stargazer and lavishly down Champagne bottles. She would spend for everyone in her dozen-strong entourage (Tess and I would be a part of that entourage). Good old days. They were good people. Now, I begin to wonder where they are.

Tourist Prices
Alona Beach prices perhaps equal that of Boracay. It is expensive! Cheapest lodging starts at P300/night on a hammock but it goes up steeply to US$ 4,275/night (Eskaya Beach Resort And Spa). An average viande would be in the P250 range. Beer is about P70 but you get it for P50 on happy hour in some bars. Shakes? P100!

Bohol is safe!
With the current siege in Marawi City plus the recent attack by extremists in April 2017, business is slow marked by booking cancellations. Some establishments have cut down on operating hours while some have closed shop. The lingering thought of the news-reading public is that Bohol is not safe.

I'd been in Bohol now for a week and I can safely say the place is far removed from all that turmoil. It's fun here with security measures well in place.

Bohol Coco Farm
My Tagbilaran hostess, Dang, took me over to Bohol Coco Farm in Panglao to visit her friends, Julia and EJ, who own and run the place. Coco Farm resonates. Lodging price of P350 with Filipino breakfast is competitive. It's my kind of environment - backpacker crowd, natural food, organic farm, nature all around, wifi, hammocks, wellness-thinking, etc. Its energy also attracts like-minded people - the forward-thinking type who wants to make a difference. This overall vibe is exemplified by the family who runs the place.

Bohol Bee Farm
Raisa and Geraldine took me here at the main Dauis location. It is a 3-acre seaside property with elevation for a scenic view of the waters and the surrounding islands - great spot for good eats. Within the grounds is a hotel, boutique shop and resto. Their honey bahalina is a must! With their free-tasting station, we could be forgiven for throwing our own party-shots - to the concerned look of the staff! They have branches across Bohol, whether it's the Buzz Cafe or just the ice cream parlor.

Meditation Sit
I invited my Tagbilaran-based Vipassana sis, Kins, to visit me at the resort. Vipa-Theosophical Society member,Ludwig, came with her and together, we did our 1-hour meditation sit. We were joined by Raisa who was new to the practice. We helped ourselves to daku-bananaQ and tuba after. Later, we settled at Shaka resto for healthy eats.

Ending Thoughts
I have really just scratched the surface of Panglao. There is a rich culture underneath all that commercialism but it takes trust by the locals for an outsider like me to experience it. I am simply thankful to have met great people, privileged to have stayed in a plush resort and have all that wonderful experience. Panglao has many layered dimension to it that needs further discovery, but I've reached the end of the line. Next time should be exciting.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Hello Tagbilaran!

(Jun 19-25, 2017) Tagbilaran is the first small city I've encountered without an SM, Robinsons or an Ayala Mall - my unfounded benchmark for a progressive city. I therefore thought Tagbilaran was backward and sleepy for that reason. I was in for a rude awakening!..more »»

Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions

Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies

hotel

Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

yoga

Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue

Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,

don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule

Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km² area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.

Blogs

Bohol blogs