Right after we celebrated our 3rd year anniversary in Leyte, JR surprised me with a ticket to Tagbilaran for my birthday. I’m so excited to take this trip because I’ve always wanted to see the Chocolate Hills. I heard several myths about it when I was in grade school and I remember believing them too 🙂 I had 5 months to plot the whole itinerary and I’m so happy everything turned out as planned.
Let me walk you through our 4 day adventure.
Day 1
We stayed at Villa Formosa through Airbnb, it was the cherry on top of our trip. It’s a few minutes away from Dumaluan beach, away from the crowded Alona Beach. Staying on this side of the island is divine! Since we arrived in the afternoon on our 1st day, we decided to just stay in – the place is amazing! It’s serene – exactly what we ask for. If you’re looking for a resort that has lesser people, this is the best place! We had the pool and jacuzzi to ourselves during our whole stay, it’s well-kept and clean. Their staff is very accommodating that catered to our every need. They’re friendly which made our stay very comfortable.
Book Villa Formosa through Airbnb or you can visit their website directly.
We grabbed our early dinner at DBR Grill in Dumaluan Beach Resort which is a few minutes away from our place. They charge P25 entrance fee though. We ordered calamari and prawns – the food is okay and the view is great!
Dumaluan Beach
Did I mention that this beach has creamy fine white sand and crystal waters?!
Day 2
And so our land shenanigan begins! For me, it’s definitely the highlight of our trip! We crossed out another adventure on our list. We rented out a motorbike for P500 for 24hours, the receptionist from Villa Formosa booked it for us. We drove from Panglao to Chocolate Hills in Carmen to Loboc River and back to Panglao. It took us roughly 2 hours to get to our 1st destination because we had to stop twice due to the sudden rain.
Chocolate Hill, Carmen
360 degrees view of the Chocolate Hills – from Hilltop view. There are at least 1000 of these scattered hills in Carmen, Bohol.
We had to stop for photos at the Bilar man-made forest.
Loboc River Cruise and Buffet
For P400 you get to eat a Filipino buffet on a boat cruising Loboc River. It’s a must try! The river is so nice and calm, there are also local performers serenading guests during the cruise.
Day 3
We opted to just stay at the resort to relax and take a dip at Dumaluan Beach. It’s not crowded and it seems like we had the whole beach to ourselves.
We had our early dinner at Alona beach which is only a tricycle away from Villa Formosa.
Day 4
At 6AM, we embarked on Alona Beach to Balicasag and Virgin Islands. It’s not what I expected but it’s always good to plunge into an island for the 1st time. We availed a tour package that includes island hopping and lunch set meals. When we got to Balicasag we transferred to a smaller boat for snorkeling.
Virgin Island
Bohol Bee Farm
We got back at the resort in the afternoon and decided to have an early dinner at Bee Farm. It’s only 4km away from our resort. Everything they sell is organic, my favorite would be the Salted Caramel Icecream on Cassava cone. The interior is so lovely, every corner is Instagram worthy! The food is delish too! I ordered Seafood pasta and it’s so good 🙂
We went back to our resort at 6PM and packed our luggage. It’s always heartbreaking leaving a nice place but every after an adventure a new journey awaits! 🙂
That wraps our 4 day Bohol escapade. Don’t skip this on your list. It’s truly beautiful and full of culture. There’s so much to see and experience.
Lust for Life 