Cebu to Bohol the journey continues.
Hello to all you #hivers out there, about a week back I started a series of posts about the various destinations within the #philippines. This vast archipelago with 7641 islands has much to offer but with so much choice it is difficult to know where you should visit. My aim is to break it down into small parcels and highlight some of the main attractions in each area.
In two previous posts I covered Cebu with it's many wonders and the small island paradise of Malapascua I will leave links at the end of this post for those that missed them.
Today I would like to show you the beautiful island of Bohol, a popular destination with plenty of attractions, its so much more than just sandy beaches so lets delve a little deeper.
Bohol beaches and more.
How to get there.
If flying there are daily flights from Manila and Cebu which arrive at Bohol's only airport on the southern island of Panlao.
Your other option would be to take a ferry from the main port in Cebu city, I prefer this method if already in Cebu, as inter island travel is more fun by boat and it only takes a couple of hours. I love seeing one island disappear as you leave and then the next coming into view and growing in size as you get closer, it builds the excitement.
I recommend ocean jet.
Time to explore Bohol.
Welcome to "Gods little paradise" as the island is known, most new arrivals jump in a taxi and head to the nearby Panglao island, it's connected to Bohol by two roads so feels like part of the mainland.
This island hanging off the south west of Bohol is fringed by stunning beaches the most popular being Alona beach.
A slice of paradise.
what more could you ask for?
Why here?
This is Bohol's diving Mecca, Panglao has a large number of quality dive sites and the satellite islands of Balicasag, Pamilacan, Cabilao and the sunken Snake island are all in short reach by boat.
As well as diving, the whole area has a nice mix of local and international restaurants and lots of chilled out beach bars.
Lets take a look at the main attraction first, diving. From small dive shops to large dive resorts all budgets are catered for, my recommendation is Alona Bohol divers club.
The resort.
A well established centre with friendly helpful staff and experienced instructors and dive guides.
New divers in the making.
They have quality well serviced equipment, small and large dive boats, providing options for local dives or visiting the many small islands nearby.
Boats a plenty.
Positioned looking out onto Alona beach gives you the best of both worlds, diving and beach life and there's plenty of life on the beach with, volleyball, kayaks and Yoga available.
Fun on the beach
So, what will you see underwater? The area has a very healthy reef system and therefore plenty of wild life, expect the usual reef fishes, Nemo of course, possible Whale shark sightings and plenty of turtles.
OK that's diving covered, suffice to say that there are many places of the same high quality, just do your home work before booking anything.
Bohol has been clever to not allow businesses to build too close to the shoreline, this means you can take long uninterrupted walks along stunning sandy beaches.
Anda beach.
Alona beach.
Where to eat and drink.
Take a stroll down any of these beaches and you will find plenty of cool bars and restaurants. With so many to choose from it is difficult to single out any one, below are my favorites. I would suggest you look around and find the one that fits your vibe. With lively music bars to suit the younger crowd to relaxed secluded family orientated establishments there is something for everybody.
cheers, Bon appetit.
One restaurant worth a mention is the Isis Thai, serving authentic Thai cuisine it is very popular and the food is of a high quality.
Tom yum anybody?
A short distance to the east of Alona beach is a must visit eatery called the Bohol bee farm, where else would any avid #hiver go to eat!
Combining a small farm and restaurant this cosy little eatery, caters for vegetarians, vegans and of course us carnivores. Much of the produce prepared in this restaurant is organic, coming from the farm. Owner and chef Vicky Wallace really knows her stuff and serves amazing tasty food.
Beehive yourself.
Well the answer is pretty simple, they keep bees and produce honey, this is available for sale in the quirky restaurant. They also sell pesto's jams and many other homemade products.
Buzzzzzzzz.
This place is so much more than somewhere to go for food, perched on the cliff tops it has stunning views and the owners are happy for you to spend the day there looking around the farm and taking in the relaxing atmosphere, they get a real buzz from sharing their world.
That brings me to the end of this post, I would like to thank Vanessa from https://www.alonaboholdiversclub.com/ for her help with some of the images marked with * If you find yourself in the area pop in and say hello, they have a lovely crew of people working for them and they will point you in the right direction of the best places to explore.
For those that missed my previous posts here's a couple of links.
TRAVELING IN THE PHILIPPINES; Where to go what to do. Part 1
TRAVELING IN THE PHILIPPINES; Where to go what to do. Part 2
Next time I will take you onto the mainland and we will visit some of the non ocean based attractions, until then stay safe folks!