With more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines, it can be pretty overwhelming trying to figure out which ones to visit. One of the most popular places to visit due to its beaches, island hopping trips and Chocolate Hills is Bohol. It is the 10th largest island in the Philippines with a land area of more than 1,800 square miles.
Getting to Bohol
Bohol is probably one of the easier islands to get to in the Philippines. You can fly there from Manila. The airport is in Tagbilaran and it’s a quick, cheap flight.
You can also take a 2 hour ferry from Cebu. We chose to travel with Oceanjet which has a trip roughly every hour. We heard terrible things about the ferries but they actually were pretty easy. You can buy tickets right at the port though lines are long so get there early!
We only had one little ferry slip up. We had purchased ferry tickets ahead of time with SuperCat and when we showed up the next day to check-in, we were informed that the boat was broken so the ferry was canceled. The next ferry with SuperCat wasn’t for 3 hours so we got a refund and booked a ticket with Oceanjet for 10 minutes later. Very easy!
If you do choose to take the ferry, I recommend traveling in VIP/Business class. It’s roughly $20 per person and is a much roomier area of the ferry. You have wider seats, air conditioning and they play bootleg movies!
Where to Stay
If you plan to visit Bohol, I definitely recommend staying on Panglao Island. This is about a 30 minute drive from the ferry port and it’s where the best beaches and hotels are in Bohol. Most Western tourists stay on Panglao.
We stayed at North Zen Villas which is a brand new luxury hotel that opened in November 2018. It doesn’t have a beach but it is on the water and has a nice pool area. It has a beautiful bamboo walk through mangrove trees that ends at a sun deck. There are kayaks and paddle boards you can use for free.
The hotel has free breakfast and you can order from a large menu which was a great perk. I had the vegetable omelet all three mornings we were there! It was delicious! People often complain about the food in the Philippines but overall we found it was good. Though that may have been due to the fact that we ate at a lot of resorts. Everywhere on Bohol uses filtered water for cooking so all of the food is safe. It was so nice to be able to eat salads without worrying about stomach aches!
There is also a spa on site at North Zen Villas. Or you can have a massage outside on the mangrove tree walk which we did! The hotel was running opening specials so for $37 each, we got a 45 minute Swedish massage plus a 3-course dinner. Despite it being over 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside during our massages, it was great! And the three course meal had a ton of options. The food was delicious and really fresh.
North Zen does have a sister hotel, South Palms Resort, that is a beach resort. This is a much larger property with multiple restaurants, bars, a larger spa, pool and beach. Unfortunately, there is not a shuttle from North Zen Villas to South Palms. You can take a tricycle for 250 PHP or about $4.
I wouldn’t recommend staying at North Zen Villas because of its lack of beach and distance from Alona Beach. It had a beautiful sunset and absolutely amazing service but it is quite a small hotel and we felt secluded. While you can get tricycles and taxis everywhere, it is a far drive. Even though you can use the beach at South Palms, I would recommend paying the extra money and just staying there instead.
Where to Eat
One of the best things about Bohol is that everyone washes everything with filtered water. Even the locals don’t drink the water so you really don’t have to worry about getting sick from the food.
While we ate a lot of meals at North Zen Villas and South Palms Resort, I have to mention Paprika, located at Donatela Hotel. Not only does it have a huge menu offering many different cuisines but it has the absolute best view for sunset! You have a panoramic view of the sea and sky right from your table. I have never seen colors dance across the sky like they did at Paprika. Don’t be turned away by the bumpy drive from the main road to the restaurant! The food and view are worth it.
The most popular area to eat and go out on Panglao is Alona Beach. There are tons of bars and restaurants right along the beach. If you don’t stay in Alona Beach, make sure to get there for happy hour. We found most bars had 2 for 1 beers, making San Miguels (the Philippines Budweiser) only $1.
What to Do
Beautiful beaches and sunsets aren’t the only things to see in Bohol. A visit to this island is not complete without checking out the countryside. The 8-hour day tour cost us roughly $45 each.
Chocolate Hills – This beautiful land formation is not actually where chocolate is made! There are more than 1,200 hills that are covered in grass which turns brown in the dry season. A foreign tourist visited the hills and said they looked like Hershey kisses and the name “Chocolate Hills” was born. This is about a two hour drive from Panglao Island.
You can see the Chocolate Hills from a viewing deck but I loved seeing them while ATVing! There are several ATV rental spots near the base of the Chocolate Hills. We went with Sotera’s thanks to some recommendations from friends. Our guide spoke very little English but we got some hilarious photos that he directed.
Tarsier Sanctuary – Another popular spot on any Bohol countryside tour is the Tarsier Sanctuary. Tarsiers are nocturnal primates from Southeast Asia. They are only about 6 inches long and so, so cute! Even though they were sleeping when we were at the sanctuary, it’s a fun, quick photo stop and bathroom break during the full day countryside tour.
Loboc Adventure Park – I’m not sure if the Loboc River is anything more than a tourist attraction in Bohol but it is beautiful! There are tons of activities you can do at the Loboc Adventure Park from ropes courses and ziplining to paddle boarding and river cruises. The river cruise reminded me of the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World! We decided to skip the cruise and just went with ziplining. The cruise stops at a floating restaurant on the river but it felt a little too touristy for us.
Island Hopping – This is one activity I missed while visiting Bohol. We chose to stay at the beach at South Palms during our last day instead of hopping on a boat. But for roughly $40, you can rent a private boat for the day and visit dozens of islands surrounding Bohol. I recommend asking a tricycle driver. Most of them either have a boat or can connect you with someone who has a boat for the cheapest price.
I’m very happy we decided to include Bohol as one of our island stops. I loved the mix of beaches and sightseeing. It was also helpful that it was so easy to get to. We didn’t have to waste too much of our time in the Philippines traveling! I definitely recommend including Bohol in your Philippines itinerary.