Tagbilaran City, Bohol and Panglao Island – December 2013: Just two months after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake’s epicenter hit this island, I scheduled a trip to check on my client resorts and how they are doing. My sister decided to tag along with me on this trip which made this business trip more enjoyable.
Bohol is very accessible from Cebu. We only had to take the Ocean Jet fastcraft to get there. This was my visit in Bohol and Panglao Island so I wasn’t very familiar with how to get around. I booked a shuttle service from Tagbilaran Port to the resort. On our way to Panglao Island, I noticed that the streets were very quiet unlike the ones in Tagbilaran City where you could see a lot of tricycles and cars lining up the streets. I asked the driver what is the main mode of transportation is in Panglao and he said we could take the “habal-habal” which is technically riding a motorcycle or we could rent a car. Upon reaching the resort I opted to look up the car rental companies in the area and sure enough we were able to rent a self-driven car for PhP 2,500/24 hours. It definitely was the most convenient way go around Panglao and Tagbilaran without worries. Although driving a manual transmission vehicle after having driven an automatic transmission vehicle for a long time can be quite a challenge.
Alona Northland
Ocean Jet and Tagbilaran Port
Giuseppe and Prawn Farm
Blood Compact Monument
Bohol National Museum
Church Model and Typical Tagbilaran Tricycle
Bellevue Resort Bohol
We booked an overnight accommodation at a lovely new resort called Alona Northland for only PhP 2,500/night. The room is very spacious equipped with a flat screen TV, mini kitchen and 6 cu ft fridge. The resort has a garden and a pool where you can relax and unwind if you don’t want to head down to the beach. This was perfect for me because I didn’t have the time to go swimming at the beach during the day as I was busy working.
The restaurants we tried during this quick trip were great. The nearest restaurant from our resort that we spotted was Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast. The freshly baked thin-crust pizza was a God-send since we ate lunch at around 3:00 pm already. Another great restaurant we tried was in Tagbilaran City’s Island City Mall – The Prawn Farm. They have a great selection of seafood dishes at a reasonable price. For this meal we ordered some prawns and squid and it was very appetizing.
Side tripping as a tourist, of course we had to make sure we visit the Blood Compact Monument which depicts the “Sandugo” that happened in Bohol between Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Datu Sikatuna the chieftain of Bohol.
Another tourist attraction you should not miss is the Bohol National Museum. For a minimal entrance fee, you can see and understand the history and culture of Bohol. From stuffed tarsiers to prehistoric skulls to models of churches in the island, there is so much to see inside this museum.
In my travels to different areas of the country, the tricycle is a very common means of transportation especially for the still developing cities. Though the tricycle may be common, each province has a distinct design of their tricycle that is unique to them. I have since tried taking pictures of the tricycle I see in the area where I visit and you will soon notice that if you check out my other posts.
One client that I will feature here is Bellevue Resort in Panglao. This resort is truly breath-taking. You can see the amount of thought and detail put into creating this destination. From the landscaping to the pool and the design of the common areas. Even the restroom is nothing but ordinary with its waterfall faucet and Filipino-inspired bathroom doors with Capiz shells.
Simply Jot 