Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Life begins where WIFI is weak
Published on

Island of Bohol in the Philippines

They are both connected in its way to the island of Bohol in the Philippines. The Chocolate Hills and the Philippine tarsier are two major tourist attractions well worth a visit!
The Chocolate Hills Mga Tsokolateng Burol Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The Chocolate Hills. In Filipino: Mga Tsokolateng Burol

​​The Chocolate Hills and the giant Arogo

The Chocolate Hills, are a geological formation in the Bohol province. There are at least 1,260 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres. The romantic version how these hills were formed is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.
Tarsier Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The Philippine tarsier

Tarsier Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Tarsius syrichta

​The Philippine tarsier

The tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult men's hand. Mostly active at night and it lives on a diet of insects. ​They have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal. Each eyeball is around 16 millimeters in diameter, which is as large as the tarsier’s entire brain!
The majority of tarsier species are now endangered or threatened, and some are designated critically endangered. Threats include habitat destruction and fragmentation, hunting, agricultural pollutants and human disturbance.
Wild tarsiers which are caught and kept in captivity only show around a 50% rate of survival and in many cases they die quickly of overstress by committing “suicide”. So conservation efforts should focus on their wild populations and habitats.
Notice, that the information about which primate which actually is the smallest in the world vary and I leave it to the meticulous reader to find out which it is.​
Published on

My favourite beach resort

Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa is located in Bingag area just 8.5 km from Tagbilaran city. This is my favourite beach resort, maybe because it's not the usual beach resort style with a big complex of buildings and down the sea front you will find the usual long beach with white sand. This resort consists of a reception, restaurant and some other minor buildings.

Overlooking the pools and the sea with a fantastic view

The whole area is overlooking the pools and the sea with a fantastic view. There are bungalows here for accommodation and they are scattered around the area nicely hidden in the vegetation. And yes, there is a smaller natural beach here as well. You reach it through stairs from the main area down to the actual beach.
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa

Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa reception Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The reception area

​Suitable for easy snorkelling and swimming

Just outside the resort a few 100 m out  in the sea you have a small island, partly artificial I believe. Around this island it's suitable for some easy snorkelling and swimming. If you prefer to swim in the pools there are three big pools and a smaller bubble pool available, all with different temperatures of the water. The  food in the restaurant is tasty and the service is good. They have a dinner buffet here which also is good, although not comparable to the one you find at Henann Resort, see the previous blog post. WiFi was only working in the reception area. 
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa 1 Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

View from the reception area

Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa restaurant and me Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The restaurant from where you have a beautiful view over the sea

Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa view over sea Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The view from the restaurant

Perfect for a day visit

It's perfect to make a day visit here, you can relax, swim in the sea or in the pools and enjoy some nice food in the restaurant. To enter the resort you need to pay an entrance fee, around 800 PHP per person and most of it is consumable in the restaurant. Access to the dressing rooms and showers is included. Notice, that this review comes from a one-day visitor's point of view because I have never stayed overnight here.  

​Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
5 Service
4 Value
5 Atmosphere
I have been here many times over the years, but last time was December 2015. 

Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa
Bingag, Dauis 6339, Bohol, Philippines
Phone: (63-38)510-8495 / 510-8497
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa view over pool Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Relaxation in the pool

Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa view from sea Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The bungalows are nicely hidden in the vegetation

Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa view sea front Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Mmm which pool shall I choose today?

Published on

​Heaven for the hungry ones!

This review cover only the fabulous dinner buffet you can eat at Henann Resort. By the time I was there they also offered a lunch buffet. Henann Resort is the biggest beach resort in Panglao Island and beautifully located at Alona Beach. The price for the dinner buffet was around 1000 PHP and definitely worth its price.
You could choose between a huge selection of dishes. One of the highlight was the barbecue section where you could choose between fresh meat, fish and seafood and get it barbecued according to your tastebuds.  Another highlight was the pasta section. Select your favourite pre cooked pasta together with the other ingredients and they will fix it while you wait. There were many other side dishes like different types rice, potatoes, veggies,  delicious sauces etc etc. Last but not least they had a huge selection pastries and other sweets for dessert.
​So be sure you come starved and you will get full satisfaction and value for your money!

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Food 
5 Service
5 Value
5 Atmosphere
I was here December 2015. 

Henann Resort Alona Beach
Alona Beach, Tawala Panglao Island, Bohol 6340, Philippines
Phone: (63) (38) 502-9141 to 44
Henann Resort, view over the pool and beachfront
The chef fixing your choice of pasta while you wait
Some of the ingredients you could choose for your pasta
Published on

Service with a smile!

Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant is located 10 min by car from Tagbilaran city square along the main road. It is a big place with many seats but when we were there it was relatively empty of people. The service was excellent and the food was good with good value for the money.

​Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
5 Service
4 Value
3 Atmosphere
I was here December 2015.

Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant
Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, 6300 Tagbilaran City
Phone: +639176588654
Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The entrance

Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant the waitress (Bohol, Philippines) © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Service with a big smile

Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant everybody happy with the food (Bohol, Philippines) © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Everybody liked the food