just came back yesterday from our Bohol trip. it was so far the best domestic trip we ever had. maaraw naman pala ang weather kinabahan pa naman ako sa weather forecast puro thunderstorm ang nakalagay.
So here are my itinerary plus reviews/comments. We are a 2 adults plus 2 kids (7 & 11yo).
Day 1 - we arrived 9:40 am Deretso na sa countryside tour c/o Tatsky. Our driver is Rikrik - very much recommended. Sobra tuwa husband ko malaki-laki rin tip naibigay kay rikrik. Very informative and educational kasi dami nya side kwento about Bohol plus mga tips. TOur guide na tour guide ang dating. Tapos ang ganda pa ng mga pics at posing namin and sya ang photographer. Ito yung mga na-cover namin ng area:
Countryside Tour: Php 2,100 + tip
*Blood Compact - dito mura bumili ng souvenirs na keychain, ref magnet etc.
*Loboc River Floating Restaurant - very nice experience, ganda ng pwesto namin sa unahan talaga kaya feel na feel ng mga kids ko ang cruise.
*Bilar Man-made Forest - my personal favorite! Ganda ganda ng mga pics namin c/o rikrik. Parang pre nup at family photoshoot ang dating
*Bohol Habitat - butterfly sanctuary
*Chocolate Hills - we availed the ATV Ride. super enjoy naman kahit masakit sa butt! hehe
*we skipped the bamboo bridge kasi takot ako sa hanging bridge
*Baclayon Church
*humabol pa kami sa Hinagdanan Cave but napagsarahan na kami. Okay na rin kasi pagod na rin ang mga kids. Sarado na rin ang Bohol Bee Farm.
Over-all, I would recommend ang tour ni Tatsky kasi wala syang time limit kahit saan mo gusto ng tourist spot. Yung iba kasi na napagtanungan ko, hiwalay pa yung Panglao tour sa Countryside Tour. Kung hindi lang kami nagtagal masyado sa ATV ride, ma-cover din sana namin yung cave and Bohol Bee Farm.
first night namin at Paragayo Resort in Alona Beach. I wanted to see & experience din kasi yung Alona Beach. Got the family room at super price of 1600php instead of 1900php. Room is just okay for the price. As in tulog and ligo lang ginawa namin dito. We liked the location, its along the highway and very accessible sa kainan, Katabi lang din nya Dunkin Donuts, and grocery yung Rona's Corner.
Day 2 - Sea & Island Tour c/o Tatsky pa rin. Php 1500 + tip
before 6am - sinundo na kami ng boatman from our hotel. 6am umalis na boat namin. Unfortunately, walang nagpakita na dolphin kasi maalon daw the night before. So we proceeded to Balicasag Island for snorkeling. Nag-enjoy naman mga kids ko mas maganda kasi and makulay yung mga fishes dito compared sa Boracay. Bale we paid additional 250/head for the small boat, snorkel masks and entrance fee.
Then we went to Virgin Island. Ganda rin. Though high tide pa, di pa masyado nakalitaw ang sandbar. Though its good na maaga kami mga 9am kasi konti pa lang ang tao. Sabi ng boatman namin kapag lunch time na daw, sobrang dami nang tao puro photobomber na sa picture mo - either mga tourists din or mga bangka ang background mo sa picture. After the virgin island, we want back to the hotel na to check out then off we go to South Palms Resort. Nag trycicle lang kami to go there Php 150.
South Palms Resort - WOW!!! Very serene and tranquil ng place na ito. As what they claim to be, It is what a Bohol beach holiday should be! We were in awe talaga! Yung pics namin parang postcard material. Hindi ganun karami ang tao plus the long stretch of white sand beach is very very nice and relaxing! The hammocks, the beach bed, bamboo bikes, plus marami ring sports recreation that you can do. The people are so nice din to help us here and there. This resort is highly recommended for those who want a very private vacation! We had a stroll sa beach in the afternoon. Mga kids ko kung ano anong sea creature ang nahanap so it was a different experience for them. The skyline is very colorful din during sunset. Plus the best part is nakuha ko lang sya ng around 6k mas mura than other booking sites. Winner! We had a kayak ride din pala the next day. You can choose between Stand Up Paddle or Kayak ride. Sobra nag enjoy mga kids ko, hindi naman sila strict sa 30mins kasi kakaunti lang ang gumagamit so yung bunso ko nag solo kayak ride pa for another 40mins yata. Our Bohol vacation became very special because of South Palms.
For our 3rd night, we transferred to Bellevue Resort this time in Doljo Beach. Hmmm. Medyo maraming palpak sa amin ang Bellevue. First, yung transfers nila ay very late!. We requested for 1pm pick up from South Palms, late sila ng 1 hour. Hindi na kami naglunch sa South Palms, we are thinking sa Bellevue na lang pero late ang driver nila ng 1 hour. Ayun, sa pick up pa lang nila, ekis na sila. South Palms people are very nice pa to call Bellevue every now and then para magfollow up sa driver nila. So we arrived sa Bellevue mga 230pm na plus the check in procedure, we had our lunch mga 330pm na. Sa lunch nga nagkaproblema pa rin sa order sa restaurant. Sa room, we found out din na walang towels provided and we had to request for towels pa. Nakakainis lang kasi, we were very much pampered sa South Palms tapos eto si Bellevue puro palpak. Sana nag-2 nights na lang kami sa South Palms. I just wanted us to experience lang kasi yung different hotels in Panglao. Had I known na ganito sa Bellevue, hay sana nagchichillax pa rin sana kami sa South Palms. So hubby requested to talk to the duty manager to air our complaints. As compensation, we were given a room upgrade and some discount dun sa late lunch namin. Well, okay na rin though sabi ni hubby, next time skip na si Bellevue. And marami rin palang tao sa Bellevue parang public pool ang dating ng pool nila and yung beach is not much private. Daming tao from other side of the beach na nagpapapicture dun sa parang artificial sand castle nila sa may beach.
Nakita rin namin yung Bluewater and Be Resort. Be Resort, okay naman yung pool pero yung beachfront is mabato. Hennan is Alona side so medyo marami rin talagang tao and boat sa shoreline. Perfect would be South Palms talaga for the ambience and the beach itself.