Anda, Bohol - Amazing

The southeastern peninsula of Anda on the island of Bohol offers just about everything a family could want.  From private beaches to rugged hikes, Anda is the place to go.  There a number of resorts to stay at as you enter Anda, but we chose a secluded hilltop sport called East Coast White Sand Beach Resort.  Despite the long name, the amenities were classy, the views spectacular, food delicious, service outstanding, and beach pristine.  We spent 3 nights at this little haven and we could have spent more, as each day we found something new to do.

We could have passed each day swimming in the two infinity pools and snorkeling on our private reef, but that's just not our style so we set out to explore a bit.  Our first day there, Anna, Rosemary, my mom and I headed down to Long Beach and Anda town proper to see if we were missing anything...we weren't.  East Coast Resort lies about 5 km from Long Beach and Anda market, and when I booked the hotel I thought it was a bit closer.  We usually like to be within walking distance of a variety of things as we tend to get a bit antzy throughout the day.

Upon arriving at Long Beach, it was obvious that our spot was much better.  At low tide, the 3 km of beach looked dirty and not very enticing.  The few resorts that lined the ocean front were unimpressive and the food and drink at Boracay de Anda left much to be desired.  The highlight of being on the touristy beach was a 25 peso coconut water.  We returned to our resort reassured that we made the right decision.

On day 2, we decided to take a bit of a walk.  The walk led to a public/private beach, 40 oz San Miguel, Cave Pool swimming, and some intense heat.  Stumbling upon a local beach full of families (3) enjoying nature and jumping of rocks was a highlight.  Once again, we felt like zoo animals as the kids quickly swam over and waded in the shallow waters just in front of us so they could get a better look at us.  On our walk back, we saw a sign for Cater's Cave, and my wife wisely suggested that we check it out.  It turned out to be another local spot with a beautiful swimming hole and intriguing rock formations.

Day 3 allowed Anna and I to take a "date" adventure day.  We triked into town, then triked to Anda falls trailhead and started walking.  The trail was a wide dirt road, but provided amazing views of rice paddies and beautiful ocean.  The waterfall ended up being a piped spring that looked to be the main water source for Anda, that drained into a large pool.  We were able to cool off in a large spillover and it almost felt natural.  The highlight was the white breated wood pecker that we saw as we were leaving.  On our trek down, we realized that this was a birding hot spot and we saw 2 other new species: violet throated sunbird, and red keeled flowerpecker.  Along with those beautiful birds, a majestic Brahmini kite caught our attention as it was soaring towards the ocean.  We decided to walk back to town rather than take a trike we enjoyed the area so much.

The rest of our stay was spent enjoying our beautiful spot.  The snorkeling and beach provided hours of fun, and the relaxing waters of the pools provided a safe place to chill.  So glad that we went to Bohol, and Anda specifically.  Once again, we were impressed with the beauty of the Philippines.

Loboc River - Stefanie Grace Inn

Night 2 of our stay on Bohol was spent at the Stefanie Grace Inn situated right on the Loboc river across from San Pedro Church.  In order to get there from Panglao Island and the Bee Farm, we hired a driver at 2500 pesos for the day.  Along the way, we stopped at the Blood Compact Memorial, the Tarsier Sanctuary, and the Chocolate Hills viewpoint.  Both of my parents were feeling a little under the weather for our road trip, but the sights were pretty spectacular.

The Blood Compact Monument, Sandugo in Visayan, commemorates the peace agreement created by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the local chieftan Datu Sikatuna.

Our next stop was to visit the palm sized primates, the tarsiers.  I was surprised to see that they were not caged, but in a 1 hectare enclosure of their nature habitat.  Each morning the staff patrols the area ot find the 8 tarsiers.  On the day we arrived, four tarsiers had been located and our guide walked us to each one.  They are smaller than imagined, but just as adorable.  Three of the four were clinging to low tree trunks with the fourth half-buried in duff on the ground.  Beautiful animals and an impressive sight.

We continued through the Bohol interior to visit the Chocolate Hills.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but the geologic formations turned out to be pretty impressive.  There isn't much more to do besides have a gander and shoot some pictures, but the 360' view is worth it. We decided to have a little snack at the cafe on the way down.  The food wasn't anything to write about (I guess I just wrote about it).

We headed back down the mountain to our hotel passing the adventure park and hanging bridge on the way down.  We decided not to stop at any other locations as everyone in the car was tired and/or sick.

The Stefanie Grace Inn has basic, but clean rooms, a small swimming pool, and a large patio that faces the river.  The restaurant is slow, but serves quality Filipino fair that's worth a try.  Downtown is a short walk across the bridge and you can meander through the roads that run behind the hotel.  The highlight of our stay however was our evening firefly tour  We hired a personal banka to take us up river about 6km and what awaited was sure amazement.  Whole trees were pulsing with thousands of illuminating fireflies.  We went from tree to tree and just soaked up the mesmorizing patterns that the fireflies provided.  Truly spectacular.

Bohol Itinerary and Overview

The island of Bohol is found in the southern Visayas, just north of Mindanao.  It is a diverse island with exotic beaches, dense rainforest, huge rivers, and rich wildlife.  We found Bohol to be our favorite island thus far.  Each day we stumbled upon something remarkable and were eager to explore some more.  We saw lizards, Tarsiers, and 4  new bird species along with beautiful views, delicious food and easy travel, make this island one not to miss.

Itinerary:

Sunday, April 5 (Easter) - Arrival and Panglao

Summary:  Our first day was mostly spent enjoying Bohol Bee Farm.  We ventured to Hinandagan Caves, but would not suggest it.  We didn't go to Alona Beach, and I'd like to check it out next time.  The Bee farm has amazing food, nice swimming pools, and peaceful grounds to lounge around in.  Very happpy with this stay.

Flight - Manila to Tagbiliran (arrival 8:35am) - $105 US round-trip
Transfer to Bohol Bee Farm via private van -300 pesos
Bohol Bee Farm to rooms - $145 for both
Hinandagan Caves - 20 pesos/ person
Taxi to Hinandagan - 800 pesos (not worth it, should be about 100)

Monday, April 6 - Tour of Interior and stay at Stefanie Grace on Loboc River

Summary:  This was our big sightseeing day.  We hired a driver and visited the Blood Compact Monument, Tarsier Sanctuary, and Choclate Hills en route to our next resort.  Each place was spectacular, but the Tarsier Sanctuary was the highlight.  Those fuzzy little guys are just amazing and we enjoyed their surrounding habitat.  Unfortunately, our van was full of sick people we weren't much in the mood to make unnecessary stops, so we missed the Hanging Bridge.  The Chocolate Hills were beautifully bizarre, but you don't need much time there.  I would suggest taking an interior road to drive through them.  Our resort, the Stefanie Grace, was situated on the Loboc River on the opposite side from San Pedro church.  A beautiful spot with good food and nice walking nearby.  The highlight had to have been the Firefly tour, a must for anyone staying on the river.

Private Driver for day(same driver as shuttle) - 2500 pesos
Blood Compact Monument - free
Tarsier Sanctuary - 20 php/ person
Chocolate Hills - 25 php/ person
Lunch at Chocolate Hills - 200 php for group of 4
Stefanie Grace Hotel - $43 per room
Firefly Night Tour - 800 php for private boat

Tuesday, April 7 - Travel to Anda about 2 hours

Summary:  The drive was much easier and shorter than expected. We probably should have only paid 2000 pesos, but oh well.  East Coast White Sand Resort is absolutely stunning.  With only 9 rooms, two infinite pools, and private beach access it is the perfect spot for a quite, secluded get away.  We did take a trike into Anda Town and Long Beach and we enjoyed both the ride and the walk along the beach.  However, we were convinced that our hotel away from the town was the right decision.  The beach does not have a lot to offer aside from shallow swimming areas.  There's a little market about a 100 meters from the ocean with everything that you need.

Private Driver to Anda (arranged through Stefanie Grace)- 2500 pesos
Arrive East Coast White Sand Resort at 1:00pm - $400 US 2 rooms for 4 nights
Tricycle into Anda Town (10 minutes) - 10 pesos/ person
Snack at Anda de Boracay (3 drinks, sandwich) - 200 pesos
Dinner at Resort

Wednesday, April 8 - East Coast White Sand Resort - Lounge Day

Summary:  of the day was finding a "local beach" and swimming in Caterer's Cave.  We just decided to take a stroll down the road and we ended up finding two hidden gems.  Neither cost a centavo and we enjoyed both thorougly.  The walk was pleasant as we passed through some private property and open farmland.

Walked down the road to beach and cave - 20 php Environmental Fee
San Miguel Grande - 90 pesos
Cave Swimming - free
Dinner at Resort

Thursday, April 9 - Date Day/ Exploration Anda Falls and Lagoon

Summary:  Absolutely Amazing Day!  Today was one of the few days that Anna, my wife, and I were able to explore sans our daughter and we made the most of it.  We hiked up to a "waterfall" which I think was the water supply for Anda Town and walked back to town.  Along the way, we saw countless birds including 4 new species for us.  It was beautiful country with rice paddies at the foot of a mountain range, and we just soaked up our time together.  We also spent an hour snorkeling together outside our hotel and were thoroughly impressed with the marine diversity, so much so that we went the next day.

Trike into town - 10 php/person
Trike to Anda Falls trailhead - 10 php/ person
Hike to waterfall and entrance(45 minutes) - 10 php/person
Trike home - 20 php/person


Friday, April 10 - Departure Day - Anda to Manila

Summary:  Although this was our day to leave, we were able to get in another hour of couple snorkeling and some quality pool time in.  The snorkeling outside the resort was pretty amazing despite most of the coral being dead.  We saw a number of local fisherman and got a tutorial on spear fishing with a wooden fin.  Really nice day to top off our trip.

Private Van to airport - 2000 pesos
Flight home leave at 3:45 arrive Manila at 5:10

Bohol Bee Farm

Easter Sunday, April 5

Our first day and night on Bohol was spent at the Bohol Bee Farm.  From the airport, we hailed a van for 300 pesos to take us to our destination.  Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by our choice.  Entering the Bee Farm, you are greeted by the "production" facilities where the souvenirs and goodies for purchase are made.  You then pass the ice-cream shop and mini-store as you enter the check-in desk.  Arriving at 8:30am, we were surprised to find that they had two rooms available for us, and we received an upgrade on one of the rooms.  The rooms were $63 for the garden bungalow (that one was upgraded) and $84 for the ocean view suite.  

The rooms are surrounded by herbs wherever you turn.  My parents' room entrance was lined with cilantro and it was breathtaking every time I entered.  Our room, on the second floor, overlooked the 4 mini-pools and the Philippine Sea in the distance.  The rooms were spacious with a queen sized bed, twin bed (perfect for Rosemary), TV, large bathroom, and a large deck.

Our first order of business was food.  We sat down for a delicious breakfast of all home-made and home-grown items.  The Bee Farm has some of the best food in the Philippines.  The dishes are authentic, creative and full of fresh produce.  

The farm offered a number of things for our 20 month old to do, as well.  We took a little "pool crawl" swimming in each of the four mini-pools, played on the see-saw and tire swings, and toured the grounds.  For adult entertainment, there is a nice deck which provides an easy in snorkeling spot or refreshing place to take a dip.  

Our one excursion on Panglao Island turned out to be a bit of a rip off and waste of time.  We asked the hotel to arrange a car to take us to Hinagdanan Cave, which we read was an interesting geologic spot and possible swimming hole.  The trip from the Bee Farm to the cave was about 7 minutes and the hotel arranged an 800 peso round trip fee.  This trip should have been about 100 pesos, and I was extremely disappointed in the Bee Farm staff for arranging such an overpriced trip.  The cave itself was nothing spectacular.  It was big and beautiful with clean cool water, but a bit of a tourist trap.  The caves in Anda were much less visited and much more unique.  I would skip this cave and find a different one to explore if you have the time.

Aside form the disappointment in the cave, and a night of puking by our daughter, we were very pleased with our stay on Panglao Island, and especially the Bee Farm.  It's vibe, amenities and location are idealic.