Thursday, April 6, 2023

First time in Panglao Bohol 2023

It's been a while since I was able to travel outside of Cebu. After giving birth, it's been a challenge to go out. Good thing after some planning and despite constant hesitations, I was finally able to go to Bohol with my family and couple friends.

We didn't take the usual tours. We decided we don't want the pressure of keeping up with schedules going from one place to the next. We want to take some time to enjoy Panglao and what some of its best go-to places can offer. 

We went to 3 destinations: 1. South Farm 2. South Palms Resort 3. Alona Beach

Our first day was not very eventful, we weren't able to ride the Loboc River Cruise or go to Chocolate hills, but it was good that we skipped them anyway. We just went to Alona Beach on our first day, swam a little and had dinner there. It was great, we loved the beach and the sand. It's comparable to Boracay but with a shorter shore. 

Going to Bohol is quicker than going to the farther beaches of South Cebu. Hate the traffic, I might as well just ride a boat. We also decided to not commute, rather rent a small car going around Panglao so travel would be easier especially with a baby. We rented a car for P1,500 a day which is pretty worth it. One of us just gets to drive.

We went to South Farm and South Palm Resort on our second day. We met with a friend of my companion there. We walked through the farm, fed animals for free, rode a horse for free, and caught a fish for lunch. Entrance fee was only P198 per person and the P100 is consumable. That's like cheap compared to what we usually pay for in Cebu for some good interactive day tour. We loved our lunch, and was shocked that our whole meal was way cheaper than what we expected.

After going to South Farm, we went to South Palm Resort which is owned by the same person. We didn't pay any entrance fee, we just ordered from their restaurant and stayed in their benches. The waves were bigger since it was already late afternoon when we arrived, but the beach was really nice. We loved the place. We stayed there until dinner and got some snacks to share. There's a pool for those who pay for day use too. Out of curiosity, we checked the room rates online and it was pretty expensive to stay there.

Well, that was our experience in Bohol, we didn't really go to a lot of places but we loved our experience. We loved our accommodation, Sparrow's Nest. It has a pool with good rooms that's pretty complete with all the basic things we need. The owners were very accommodating and welcoming. We were the only ones staying there at that time, so it felt like we rented the whole place. The drinks in the bar were great, and the free breakfast was good too. 

Overall, loved our experience in Bohol. Would definitely go back!