PHILIPPINES EXPERIENCE
It's been almost a year since I posted something on this blog. This recent travel in the Philippines (end of July 2018) made me want to share some pics and great addresses for the ones that can be interested by this amazing country for a future trip or by simple curiosity.
My friend Laura and I spent a week in Panglao and Bohol. It was her 3 times in the Philippines and she never explored this Island. It was my first time ever there and had barely heard about Bohol but was game for it immediately. Do not hesitate to zoom out on the map to better see where Bohol is located.
I flew from LA which means the trip was about a 14h flight to Manilla, a 1h flight to Cebu and a 2h ferry to Bohol. Long? Yes. Tiring? Yes. Worth it? Hell, Yes.
Alona Beach & Island Hopping
We started our journey with 3 days in Alona Beach in Panglao. We stayed at the Oasis Beach and Dive Resort and had a very great experience with this hotel. Highly recommended if you are staying in Alona Beach! First of all, they answered to us very fast when we were asking for their availability. Also, they were very proactive and contacted us to let us know that one of their room was available if we wanted to stay for another night (and we did so).
Furthermore, they do have one of the best restaurant on the beach (try the sesame tuna and the curry veggies), a nice breakfast option and the Dive office is right at the hotel. We did book a Island Hopping tour with them then. We basically did 3 stops. Dolphins watching, Balicasag Island and Virgin Island. The tour was for about 5 or 6h.
In Balicasag, we snorkeled and swam with turtles for a couple of hours. Such an amazing experience! For both of us, it was the first time we were that close to those beautiful animals.
We left then for the Virgin Island which was about an hour away from Balicasag. You have to wake up super early to actually see an island. Around 11am, you can still swim in this very unique turquoise and enjoy some coconuts and various fishes there.
Anda White Beach
After 3 days in Panglao and Alona Beach, we made our way to Anda White Beach (about 2h away from Alona by cab). Here again, we picked the right hotel to have the perfect experience in this part of Bohol. If you stay around Anda, you have to book a room at the Anda White Beach Resort. I will make the same comments as for the Oasis in Alona: nice room, perfect location (private beach, nice pool), great food. Be careful if you are booking through hotels.com, as we had a bad experience with them (they overbooked Anda and still approved our reservation so the hotel had to move us to a different room).
I found this part of Bohol very different from Panglao: wilder, quieter with, obviously, with white sand.
Loboc & the Chocolate Hills
Time for some Jungle Adventure! On our way back to Panglao (we wanted to come back to Alona Beach before leaving Bohol), we stopped a couple of days around Loboc. We stayed one night at the Loboc River Resort and again, very good hotel choice. The resort offers some activities including paddling on the Loboc river. Highly recommended!
In Carmen, kind of in the center of the Island, we stopped at the Chocolate Hills. You have probably already seen those hills somewhere. This unique geological formation (about 1,300 hills) has been proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first picture of this article is giving you a nice overview of this incredible place.
I'm contemplating the Hills, not peeing in nature ;)
We could not leave Bohol without seeing the most popular animal of the Island. We stopped at the Tarsier Sanctuary, very close to Loboc, to meet those tiny monkey with big eyes. Adorable!
This concluded our stay in the Philippines (well, a ferry cancelation to come back to Cebu was actually another event of the end of the trip but we were lucky and managed to go back to Cebu on time for our flights anyway)!
I really enjoyed my time there and despite some rainy days, I recommend this time of the year to go to Bohol (July). Bohol is less famous than her counterparts Palawan or Coron but offers an unique combination of amazing beaches (Alona and Anda) and Jungle (Loboc and the Chocolates Hills).
Do not hesitate to ask me if you need any recommendation! Until next times Philippines :)