Did you know that my Hong Kong trip with high school friends last March 2018 had a follow up trip? We (a group of 8 people) recently went on another weekend trip, but this time to a nearby domestic destination – Bohol. Yes, we only spent 48 hours in the beautiful island of Bohol. It may be too short, but I think we covered the places we wanted to visit. This barkada trip was more of a rest & relaxation one, so there was no pressure for us to explore everything the island has to offer. Let me share with you the details of this quick weekend trip.
Bohol squad with the Chocolate Hills! Photo credits to Mark 🙂
In case you missed it, I’ve been to 2 other 48-hour weekend trips this year – Hong Kong & Port Barton. Check out these stories to know more about these quick but super fun trips!
Airfare & Accommodation
We didn’t wait for any airline offer or promotion when we booked our tickets. We used Traveloka‘s discount codes instead. Our Tagbilaran return ticket cost us ₱3,264.12 each, after the discounts.
We were a big group of 8 so we had a hard time looking for a place to stay. Good thing we found this newly-opened accommodation called Casa Teofista. This accommodation is located a few meters off the main highway & about 8-10 minutes walk from Alona Beach.
We only stayed in Bohol for 48 hours but we fell in love with the place.
We got 2 spacious family rooms with 2 double beds each for ₱9,856 for 2 nights – that’s ₱1,232 per person already for 2 nights. We didn’t choose a beachfront & luxury accommodation because we were only there for a short time anyway. I forgot to take photos of our accommodation – I’m sorry. If you want to contact Casa Teofista, head over to their Facebook page & shoot them a message.
DIY Countryside Tour
My friends & I opted for a do-it-yourself countryside tour because we wanted to skip a few places (Loboc River, Blood Compact Shrine & Loboc Hanging Bridge) from the usual tour, plus we planned to go to Bohol Bee Farm for lunch (instead of the Loboc River Cruise). We hired a van with driver for ₱2,800 for a full 8 hours including gas & parking fees. We asked the driver to pick us up from the airport & we went straight to our countryside tour. We asked to be dropped off at Casa Teofista at the end of our tour.
This was a DIY tour so we paid the following entrance fees – ₱50 for Chocolate Hills, ₱60 for the Tarsier Conservation Area & ₱45 for the Butterfly Garden. Check out the countryside photos below.
Chocolate Hills
Tarsier Conservation Area
Man-made Forest
Butterfly Garden
Baclayon Church
Bohol Bee Farm Organic Lunch
We had mango pizza for appetizer? Lol so good!
Filipino food for lunch – everything organic!
That’s us having lunch at Bohol Bee Farm!
Also tried Bohol Bee Farm’s famous ice cream. Got Guyabano & liked it.
If you are travelling alone, you can always rent a motorbike & explore Bohol by yourself. You can also join countryside group tours. Rates vary from one agency to another.
Alona Beach Dinner & Night Out
Alona Beach at night
After a few hours of rest & sleep, we headed out to Alona Beach to explore the area. We had dinner at Pyramid Beach Resort & transferred to Outback Bar & Grill for drinks. I also met up with James, another friend of mine who was in Bohol, in Outback Bar & Grill.
Met up with James who was also in Bohol that weekend. Photo c/o James 🙂
Private Island Hopping Tour
We hired a boat for a private island hopping tour for our second & last full day in Bohol. The boat cost ₱2,500 for the whole day including gas & guides. We left Panglao Island at 7:00 am & went dolphin watching. We then went to Balicasag Island for snorkeling & swimming with the turtles. The last stop of the tour was Virgin Island, which is known for its long & beautiful sandbar. We were there during lunch time, so the sand bar was still submerged in water. We were back in Panglao at 1:00 pm.
Given ours was a private tour, we paid ₱650 each in Balicasag Island for entrance fee, environmental fee & snorkeling gear rental. Solo travelers can join group island hopping tours for a certain rate. Again, rates vary from one agency to the other.
View of Balicasag Island from our motor boat
I don’t have photos of the dolphins, turtles & the underwater creatures because I forgot my adventure camera. Let me share with you photos of Balicasag Island & Virgin Island’s (almost) sandbar.
Balicasag Island
A beautiful & sunny day in Balicasag Island 😍
Virgin Island Sandbar
Crowded Virgin Island Sandbar
Last Night In Bohol
Inside St. Augustine Church in Panglao
We started our last night in Bohol by attending Sunday mass in St. Augustine Church in Panglao. We went back to Alona area afterwards to have dinner at Irene’s Restaurant. Majority of the group went back to our hotel after dinner. Marc & I went to Aluna Bar & met up again with James for a few drinks.
Last dinner in Bohol with the whole gang
That sums up our 48 hours in Bohol. The place is very beautiful & relaxing. We may be there for only 2 full days but we surely enjoyed the place with great company. We made memories which we will treasure for the rest of our lives.
Have you been to Bohol? How many days did you spend there? How do you think of the place? Are there other places that are worth-visiting? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. If you want to keep your identity, feel free to send ’em to contact@thewkndtravel.com. You can also drop me a message on Facebook, post a comment on Instagram or send me a tweet on Twitter.
Thanks for the time & see you in the next 48-hour or maybe 24-hour trip?
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.