30th December 2022 – 6th January 2023
Where we stayed:
Bohol Beach Club
Bo. Bolod Island of Panglao, 6340 Bohol, Philippines
We stayed in Bohol Beach Club whilst in Panglao. It is a beautiful resort with private beach, its own restaurant, games room, facilities for excursions and massages too. Palm trees with hammocks dotted around on the beach, and traditional dancing performances with dinner (including a song about Panglao which is still in my head to this day!). It was bliss and a perfect place for relaxing.
We rented mopeds so we could get to Alona Beach and further. It was a bit more expensive than our previous accommodation but worth it to stay somewhere different. Everything was spotless, service was brilliant and all the staff were always friendly and helpful. There were even little notes in the evening with quotes and treats (unfortunately not vegan but it was a nice gesture!).
The room itself was really spacious, with a huge double bed, single bed and tv. Shower and washing facilities were spacious and spotless. Outside there was a table and chairs where we could sit looking out on to the landscaped garden.
Alona Beach
Alona Beach, a short 20 minute zoom from our accommodation. It is a busy hub of bars, shops and restaurants, with a strip of beach with great snorkelling too. We rang in the New Year here and it was a really great celebration. We started off at Paddy’s Irish Beer Pub, where Paddy played his bagpipes, and we could watch the fireshow with dancers just outside too, very impressive! Stages were set up, all up and down the beach strip, with different DJ’s and different music. Fireworks went off with a bang all around us and could be seen in the distance. Locals and tourists mingled and celebrated and whooped altogether. One of the most fun New Year’s I’ve had in a long time.
Just up from the beach itself, on the main road are lovely places to eat as well, including Shaka and Luna Rossa Vegetarian Restaurant.
Road Trip to Tarsier Sanctuary and The Chocolate Hills
On one of our favourite experiences here, we rented mopeds from Bohol Beach Club to visit the Tarsier Sanctuary and the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. Full post on this here.
We visited the Tarsier Sanctuary, The Chocolate Hills, Corella, and Tagbilaran City. We passed through villages, by farms, spotted carabaos and storks, rice fields and hills. It was a great way to soak in the beauty of Bohol, and go off the beaten track, as it were.
It was a great adventure, and doing it ourselves meant we had an element of spontaneity too. I’ve written a post just about this trip, as there was too much to squeeze into this one.
Momo Beach
Barangay Bil-Isan, Panglao
Whilst Oliver was getting his tattoo from the brilliantly talented Dyl at Darkside Tattoo at Alona Beach (see below), I went to visit Momo Beach. It seems like pre typhoon Odette of December 2021, this was a beach that was well looked after with accommodation and a quiet but thriving tourist scene. The remains of some infrastructure, marked as Momo Beach Escape on Google Maps, can be seen.
Momo Beach House also used to be a well to do resort here, since closed. It was very quiet when I went, and it felt a little neglected and sad. I hope there is help for the community to rebuild what was once there.
Darkside Tattoo
https://www.facebook.com/darksidetattoobohol/
Alona Bamboo House, Alona Beach Rd, Panglao, Bohol, Philippines
Okay, so, this one is a bit of a wildcard!
Oliver had been considering getting a tattoo to cover up an older one. When I was checking out Luna Rossa Vegetarian Restaurant I spotted a sign for ‘Dark Side Tattoo’, I liked the logo which was Darth Vader with tattooing equipment. We decided to check it out, down the lane a little way, passing pretty bamboo dwellings and we found Dyl.
Dyl is a friendly tattooist with incredible skill and talent. He came up with a design to suit Oliver that went well over the one to be covered up and was in keeping with the rest of his sleeve. He was incredibly accommodating, especially considering we didn’t have much time left in Panglao. He pulled out all the stops to get the ink done before we left. The studio is clean, cool and tidy, it felt like he was in good hands. The completed tattoo is definitely now one of my favourites.
And of course, I was delighted when Dyl told me that the ink used on Oliver was vegan friendly! I’m a little bit jealous that I didn’t get one too!
Excursion – Island Hopping & Dolphin Watching, Virgin Island
We booked via a company called Klook, for a tour that included island hopping, dolphin watching and snorkelling at the Balicasag Marine Sanctuary. We were picked up from our private beach at Bohol Beach Club. The boat was a bit later than stipulated and there was a bit of confusion of where the pick up point was, but eventually we spied the boat and waded out to it. It was just the two of us so that was a special.
We first headed to the spot to watch dolphins – I had had reservations about this since I had seen YouTube videos of lots of boats crowded in one spot, with rowdy tourists yelping and shouting which seems to be, intrusive, and indeed I have read accounts of spots around the world where dolphins have stopped being in the spots they used to due to this. I was almost glad that we actually didn’t see any, especially since the boat didn’t turn its engine off.
Next we headed to the Marine Sanctuary, it was very busy with boats but we did spy a sea turtle on our approach which was pretty special. Where the boat pulled in was a hub with a cafe, toilets, shops and some snorkelling and scuba diving rental places. We headed off with a local guide in a tiny boat to some spots just off the shore and saw magical amounts of fish. He had encouraged us to buy SkyFlakes to feed the fish – salty crackers in individual plastic packaging – so that we could see more fish. This made me incredibly uncomfortable, as this is obviously not the fishes natural diet. All in all, I’m afraid the sanctuary did not feel very sanctuary-like. It didn’t feel like the fragile ecosystems and fish were being conserved in a mindful way. I feel that there must be a way of providing this facility, and conserving the place without having such an impact and still providing livelihoods for local people. It made me sad to think, unsuspectingly, I have contributed to something potentially destructive.
Next off we then stopped off at Virgin Island, a small sand bar off the coast of Panglao. A photogenic spot and a breather to admire the crystal clear water.
In retrospect, I would have given this excursion miss, I felt like the way this is carried out is not mindful to ecosystems and fragile wildlife that abounds in this area. The one positive would be that we were contributing to the local economy, but there should be goverment support to ensure people have livelihoods that can also have a positive impact on the biodiversity.
All in all, our time in Panglao and Bohol was a huge highlight, there was loads to do, great places to eat and amazing things to see. Staying at Bohol Beach Club meant we had a beautiful place to stay with a gorgeous beach, within close proximity to other places too.
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The Greedy Herbivore 