Henann Resort Alona Beach is a beach-front resort on the Island of Panglao, in Bohol province, Philippines. Set on a 6.5 hectare property, it is the biggest resort in the whole province and has direct access to the clear blue waters and powdery white sands of Alona Beach.
Last January, we revisited Bohol in response to the Visit Bohol 2015 campaign of the Department of Tourism. It has been four years since we last visited Bohol and so much have already changed in the province. Both development and natural calamities constantly reshaped the tourism landscape of Bohol, so much so that new natural and man-made attractions, as well as activities have been introduced to attract even more foreign and domestic tourists into the province.
This month of love, spend a romantic weekend stay with your loved one in some of the best hotels in key cities of Metro Manila and in major travel destinations of the country. We have hand-picked 14 romantic hotels where you can celebrate Valentine's Day with your special someone. Show how much your love is by treating her in a luxury hotel or resort, impress her with the most sumptuous dinner, pamper her with a spa treatment, and spend the night with her in the most comfortable bed in town.
2015 is an even more exciting year for tourism in the Philippines. Now that the world knows that It's More Fun in the Philippines, we can expect growth in the tourist arrival in the country in the coming months. Part of this growth is the Province of Bohol.
Here are the Top 10 Domestic Air Travel Destinations in the Philippines for 2013, according to the annual Travel Trends report recently released by Skyscanner, the world’s fastest growing global travel search site. The list is based on actual flight searches conducted on the travel website and its mobile apps.
After our late lunch at Danao Adventure Park, we were again on the road to our next travel destination, the Choco Complex located in the municipality of Carmen. This is probably the most popular chocolate hills viewing deck in Bohol. Almost all of the postcards featuring the chocolate hills are photos taken from this travel spot. This is because the area has the highest concentration of the hills.
The viewing deck itself is situated on top of a chocolate hill. An access road is constructed spiraling the hill for cars to reach the complex's parking lot, the drop off point for visitors.
Visitors will have to pay an entrance fee of Php50 per person at the complex's office beside the parking lot. To reach the viewing deck, one has to climb 214 steps up the hill.
In between the steps are benches where you could seat, pause, catch your breath or take photos.
Once you reach the viewing deck, you will have a 360 degree view of the chocolate hills.
How we went there (and back)
Carmen Choco Complex is easily accessible from Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol, through rented vans or cars. At present, it is nearly impossible to travel around Bohol through public transportation. A small group can hire a car with driver. For bigger groups, there are also vans available for rent. Rate varies depending on the number of destinations or duration of the trip.
I recommend our tourist driver, Mr. Roque Alo. You may contact him at 0948-606-2199 or 0932-140-9699 for quotations on your travel plans
From Sagbayan Peak, it was a 50-minute drive to reach Danao Adventure Park, located in the municipality of Danao. It wasn't an easy drive, majority of the road is not cemented, but only covered with ground limestone. The rain created mud-holes on the rode, making the trip extra challenging.
Finally by 11:15am, we reached our destination. Entrance fee to the park is Php25 per person, plus Php10 for car entrance. Our group tried the Suislide which consists of two half-kilometer-long zip-lines suspended between two cliffs. The first line going to the other side, and the second line going back to the park.
Each leg lasted less than a minute, enough time to enjoy the wind and the view of the trees and the Wahig river.
Because of a recent back injury, I wasn't able to try the Suislide. I just served as photographer for our travel group. I will definitely come back to Danao to experience Suislide mylsef.
Leg 1 of the Suislide
Leg 2 of the Suislide
In addition to the Suislide, Danao Adventure Park also offers other activities including River Trekking, Rappelling, Caving and the Plunge. For more details on other available activities, check Danao Adventure Park's website (see below).
How we went there (and back) Danao Adventure Park is easily accessible from Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol, through rented vans or cars. An alternative point of origin is the port of Tubigon, where rented vans are also available for visitors. At present, it is nearly impossible to travel around through public transportation. A small group can hire a car with driver. For bigger groups, there are also vans available for rent. Rate varies depending on the number of destinations or duration of the trip.
I recommend our tourist driver, Mr. Roque Alo. You may contact him at 0948-606-2199 or 0932-140-9699 for quotations on your travel plans.
The bibingka, or rice cake, is popular all over the Philippines and is prepared in different variations. The bibingka we know in Manila is dark yellow in color, and is usually topped with salted egg, and baked using charcoal, intentionally toasted to add to the flavor. It is served topped with melted butter, sugar and shaved coconut.
The bibingka we tried in Bohol is a little bit pale yellow in color with no toppings at all. The surface is only slightly toasted to golden brown. Though made with the same basic ingredient, rice flour, it did not taste anything similar to the bibingka in Manila. Rather, it has a flavor similar to the putong puti, only baked and slightly toasted. This is probably the variant called the Bibingkang Mandaue, something I need to explore in my next visit to Cebu.
I bought one at the Sagbayan Peak for only Php20.00. Since I wasn't that hungry, I only consumed half of the bibingka and saved the other half for the trip, "Lord of the Rings" style.
There are two viewing decks in Bohol to behold the natural beauty of the world famous chocolate hills. One of which is the Sagbayan Peak, located in the municipality of Sagbayan.
Entrance fee to the complex is Php30.00. Viewing decks are connected by concrete footpaths and stairways, offering tourists with various viewing angles and countless photo opportunities.
The highest viewing deck offers the best view of the area where one can see the chocolate hills in every direction. In between hills are rice-fields, trees and houses.
It is said that on a clear sunny day, the Cebu Strait and the island of Cebu are visible at the background of the hills. Unfortunately, it was cloudy when we visited Sagbayan Peak. On the other hand, should the sun be shining and not concealed by rainclouds, this visit would have been an exhausting one. Thanks to the cool breeze that refreshed our tired, sleepy and aching bodies, we had more energy to walk around and enjoy the scenery.
panorama view of the chocolate hills from the viewing deck
The Sagbayan Peak is owned and operated by the local government. Most of the visitors are students and tourists from outside Bohol. Tourist Police is provided to the facility to ensure safety and order
A trip to Sagbayan Peak is not complete without passing by its own tarsier sanctuary. We were lucky to have a chance to see these cute little primates while awake. The tarsiers are nocturnal creatures and are usually hiding behind the foliage during daytime.
How we went there (and back) Sagbayan Peak is easily accessible from Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol, through rented vans. Coming from Tubigon, Sagbayan Peak is just a 25-minute drive away. At present, it is nearly impossible to travel around through public transportation. A small group can hire a car with driver. For bigger groups, there are also vans available for rent. Rate varies depending on the number of destinations or duration of the trip.
I recommend our tourist driver, Mr. Roque Alo. You may contact him at 0948-606-2199 or 0932-140-9699 for quotations on your travel plans.
A port having the closest proximity between the islands of Bohol and Cebu, the Port of Tubigon is becoming a preferred tourism gateway to the province of Bohol for tourists coming from Cebu.
Second to the Port of Tagbilaran in size and operations, the Port of Tubigon is reachable from Cebu through fastcrafts in just 1.5 hours, 30 minutes shorter than the fastcrafts servicing the Cebu-Tagbilaran route.
Tubigon is also very close to the municipalities of Sagbayan, Danao and Carmen where a big concentration of Bohol's famous travel destinations are located such as the Danao Adventure Park and the world renowned Chocolate Hills.
Right outside the gate of the port are tricycles and vans waiting for passengers. Some of the vans actually came all the way from Tagbilaran.
How we went there (and back) From Cebu City Pier 1, my travel group took the Super Craft going to Port of Tubigon. For more details, see Tubigon: Star Craft Ferry Ride from Cebu City Pier 1. Going back to Cebu City, we took the Ocean Jet ferry from the Port of Tagbilaran to Cebu City Pier 1.
Coming from Cebu City, there are two options of reaching the island province of Bohol. First is through the Cebu-Tagbilaran route, a 2-hour fastcraft ride that gives tourist quick access to Tagbilaran City, the capital of the province of Bohol, and to the municipalities of Panglao, Dauis, Baclayon and Loboc.
Second is through the Cebu-Tubigon route, a 1.5-hour fastcraft ride to the municipality of Tubigon, located in close proximity to the municipalities of Sagbayan, Danao and Carmen.
My travel group chose the Cebu-Tubigon route. We arrived at Cebu City Pier 1 at 6:30am to catch the 7:00am trip with Lite Shipping. Unfortunately, their vessel was under repair and we were directed to Star Craft which also departs at 7:00am.
Star Craft's vessels are colored orange and yellow and has two decks. The lower deck is air-conditioned while the upper deck is open-air. At 6:50am, passengers were signaled to board the vessel.
As it is not possible to reserve a seat, you have to make sure that you board ahead of the other passengers. It is best to take the front-most seats to have more leg room.
Super Craft's Cebu-Tubigon fare (tourist seat) is Php200.00. At the Cebu City Pier 1, you will also have to pay a Php10.00 terminal fee.
How we went there (and back) Star Craft vessels are docked at the Cebu City Pier 1. From Mactan International Airport, we took a taxi straight to Pier 1. Taxi fare cost Php180.00 (Php40.00 flag down rate).
Keep in mind that Star Craft ticketing office is located outside the Pier 1 complex (see red thumb-pin).
