Bohol Part II

Famous for its white sand beaches, clear blue waters and the majestic Chocolate hills, Bohol is a province in the Philippines that can boast its beauty on both the land and sea category. To get there, you can fly domestic from Manila to Tagbilaran Airport or even travel by water if you're coming from Cebu by taking a ferry. Once you're in the Airport or Port, there are plenty of transportation you can rent that will bring you to any hotel of your choice. They will also give you recommendations based on your budget.

As for accommodations, there's a lot of options that will suit anyone's budget. You can get rooms or lodges nearby the beach that's more budget friendly. But if you're looking for high end hotels, there's also plenty to choose from.

I was torn between Bohol Beach Club and Bellevue Resort. I like Bohol Beach club because it's where most of the restaurants and shops are. The beach is also cleaner and prettier on this side. But after reading so many Tripadvisor reviews, I ended up choosing Bellevue despite it being more expensive because of its exclusivity and being a more family friendly resort. The hotel have a big kids playroom that entertained both my children and my husband on Day 1. Plus Bohol Beach club being an older hotel also have a couple of consistent bad reviews on how the rooms and facilities are mostly worn out.

Here's my short take on Bellevue Resort.

+ Close to the airport
+ Exclusive, not crowded, specially the beach area since you don't share it with other hotels
+ Huge hotel with beautiful exterior and tasteful details
+ Great facilities and offer various activities like Zumba
+ Big Kids Playroom with Arcade, Xbox, Table Tennis, Swing sets and got plenty of toys for girls and boys
+ Food in the restaurant taste great and reasonably priced
+ Free shuttle service to the commercial area of Panglao island
+ Spacious and clean rooms
+ Free Airport and hotel pick up (if you book directly)

- The beach is not that well maintained and its shallow specially during low tide
- Limited options for dining within the resort
- Day tour package in the hotel is pricey

Overall my husband and I felt we made the right choice. We had a fun time at the resort and was able to utilize all their amenities. Most importantly, my children particularly my boy enjoyed the trip!

Tip: When you book the resort, compare the pricing with Agoda, or Booking.com with the Bellevue Resort website. They also have promotions and you might end up saving when you book directly on their site because they offer free Airport/hotel pick up.

BOHOL DAY TOUR

Since this is our 2nd time, we know that there are plenty of places to visit that showcased the beauty of Bohol specially to my 5 years old boy. Typically I book in advance but from experience, I know that there will be plenty of agents who offer day tours in the Airport itself. And I wasn't wrong. The price is very similar so I when I reached the hotel, I called one of them to schedule a day tour the next day and it was all settled.

It was a private tour so we got a new, big, van all for ourselves. The guide dropped us from one place to another and also gave recommendations on other activities that's not part of the tour. The tour guide was really friendly and very attentive to all our needs. We had a wonderful time and I felt the tour made my son appreciate the beauty of Philippines more. It was a full day trip with several trekking and walking so I wouldn't say its not tiring specially if you have a baby with you but it's totally worth it!

Here's the Itinerary we had from Bohol Life Tours

• Blood Compact Marker
• Baclayon Church & Museum (optional P 50 / person)
• Tarsier Conservation Area
• River Cruise with Lunch (lunch is paid separately @ 450/adult, 250/children aged 4 and above )
• Bilar Man Made Forest

• Bohol Habitat (formally Simply Butterflies)
• Bohol Wildlife Park
  
• Chocolate Hills Complex Viewing Deck
• Aproniana Souvenir Shop
  

Additional activity - ATV Eco Adventure Tour

• ATV - Php 450 – 30 minutes;  Php 850 – 1 hour
  
• Buggy - Php 850 – 30 minutes;  Php 1500 -1 hour
• Php 250/per head – back ride of ATV

Unfortunately the viewing deck is under construction when we were there but the Chocolate Hills is still majestic!

Bilar Man Made Forest

Tarsier Conservation Area

Eco Adventure Tour - Dune Buggy

Loboc River Cruise

Baclayon Church - was affected during a big earthquake in Bohol

Blood Compact Marker

Bohol Habitat (Simply Butterfly), Bohol Wildlife and Aproniana Souvenir Shop

We really enjoyed our short family get away! I I am very happy that Bohol tourism is doing their best to ensure the availability of easy and reasonably priced tour packages to showcase the beauty of the province and also provide livelihood to the locals!