Sometimes I am tired of dining in traditional restaurants, I like to have something quick and cheap but still reasonable good. Then the Food Court in Island City Mall (ICM) is a good option for that purpose. The Food Court is located under ground floor near the supermarket. It's noisy, lively and lot's of people but the food is good. It's simple traditional Filipino food to very reasonable prices. You get two main dishes like Pork Humba, Chicken Adobo together with some additional vegetables, rice and a bottle of water for under PHP 200. The food is not always warm, so if you want it warm ask them to micro it for you. Yeah, I know how this might sound, but despite this the food is fresh and tasty. Hey! You get a meal for under PHP 200 after all!

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
3 Service
5 Value
2 Atmosphere
I have been here a many times times 2016- 2017

Island City Mall
Rajah Sikatuna Ave, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
Phone +63385016255

Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!

There are many dishes to choose between The staff is usually nice and helpful Some dishes need to be warmed up in the micro From the upper left we have Bicol Express, some vegetables, some kind of sea snails together with the rice. Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

White sand beach in Panglao Sonculan Lake Panglao The amazing Chocolate Hills in Bohol Rice farmer with his carabau in Tabuan Garcia Hernandez, Bohol Rainforest in Bohol, once the Tarsier territory The two shy sisters in Tabuan, Bohol Bohol and Panglao have it all ​Bohol together with Panglao are two very nice islands where you can have it all. I have been here many times. Either you can have a quiet beach life at some nice resort in Panglao or a more hectic party life in Alona Beach. I usually have Tagbilaran as my base and going around with tricycles or Habal Habal. I like Reyna's The Haven and Gardens hotel. It’s a nice budget hotel with breakfast included for 1000 PHP. From here I use to make trips out to Panglao or elsewhere on Bohol. Depending on where I am going I decide what transportation is suitable. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! The Hanging bridges over Loboc River, Bohol The cable car at Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park Loboc River in Bohol where you can do river cruises. My highlights Panglao Island Nature Resort, for its ambience, pools and nice location by the sea. See a review here >>> Buzzz café, for its healthy and delicious food.  See a review here >>> Virgin Island, for its beauty. Good for the budget traveler because everything is based on donations. See more information about Virgin Island >>> Loboc River Cruise, for its evening cruises. Nice and romantic to eat dinner on Loboc river with the loved one. They also have day cruises. Chocolate hills, for its beautiful landscape and it’s a nice day trip going there to see other parts of Bohol. See more information about Chocolate Hills >>> The tarsier, but try to see them in a real tarsier sanctuary. Not in a narrow cage, they are very shy animals and they don’t like to be disturbed. Avoid those places where they have them in small cages and go for the real tarsier sanctuary instead. For example visit the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. near Corella town. See more information about the Tarsier >>> The Philippine Tarsier has been a recorded life span of 12 years at most in captivity. However, a great many of these Tarsiers die only after a day or at most a few days if kept unhealthily in small cages and/or put under great strain while in captivity. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! The amazing Chocolate Hills Nice beach with white sand and shallow water in Panglao Two hills marked by the earthquake 2013 Talibon, a small city in north of Bohol Going around In Tagbilaran it’s very convenient with tricycle or Habal Habal. Going around in the central of Tagbilaran should cost 8 PHP. But as soon as you want to go to Panglao or further out in Bohol it will be rather expensive. Consequently if you are staying in Panglao you should rent a motorcycle. The price should be around 250-350 depending on the rental period and your negotiating skills. Ask around at the pier in Tagbilaran or in Alona. At Island City Mall (ICM) there is a busterminal for buses going around Bohol. Around A. Hontanosas Street, north of  the Plaza Rizal Park (City square) there are bus terminals for buses going to Panglao. When arriving to Bohol by the ferry or plane you need to negotiate hard when taking a tricycle. The tricycle drivers tend to try to take advantage of the tourists. At the airport there is a signboard with the tariffs for going to different places with tricycle. ​How to get there There are direct flights from Manila with all the domestic airlines. You can also take the ferry from Cebu. There are two major ferry companies, the Ocean Jet ferry company and the 2Go company. The fare is around 500 PHP from Cebu to Tagbilaran. But look out for promos! ​Where to stay There are numerous hotels in Tagbilaran. I prefer Reyna's The Haven and Gardens hotel at New Calceta street. 1000 PHP per night with breakfast. If Reynas is fully booked there are three other hotels just door to door to Reyna’s. One of those is Arabelle Suites see review >>>, a slightly more expensive option than Reyna's. This particular location in Tagbilaran and around the airport has very good LTE connection. Can be worth thinking of if you are dependent of a good internet connection via your portable WiFi device. You have also Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast near the airport, see review >>>. Staylite is a relatively new hotel. Nice and clean and suitable for the budget traveler. In Panglao you have tons of resorts from very cheap up to very expensive and luxury. ​Where to eat There are of course plenty of alternatives in both Bohol and Panglao. But here is a list of places where I have been to in Bohol and made reviews of. Click the link and you will see the review. Swiss Zurigo Restaurant Bojol Grill Restaurant A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant Bo's Coffee The Buzzz Café, my favourite. Golden Cowrie In Panglao there are even more choices specially around Alona Beach. Click the link and you will see the review: Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa Henann Resort Alona Beach Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

When I have been eating rice every day in a couple of weeks I can feel the craving for potato. Ok sure I can go to McDo and eat fries... But no, I mean real potato. I am from Sweden where we eat potato like they eat rice here in the Philippines.
So I decided to try Swiss Zurigo Restaurant. In my mind I was thinking delicious fried potato or why not mashed potato with good tasty Schnitzel.
There were no Filipino guests there, just some foreigners sat and talking by a table. One of them was probably the owner. He seemed to be a nice guy. I ordered the Jägerschnitzel. Fried pork tenderloin with mushroom and bacon gravy served with... yes mashed potato! I got delicious bread with butter when I was waiting for my food. So my expectations were high.

The Filipino staff was friendly and the food came quickly to my table. But sorry to say I was disappointed. Not a single vegetable in sight. The mashed potato was semi-manufactured, potato powder which you mix with boiling water and then stir. A kid can fix that. Real mashed potato is made of fresh boiled potato which you mash with butter and fresh milk and then add spices. It's not that hard to do. The meat was ok. The sauce was a watery mixture of gravy with spongy pieces of bacon. All this come with a relatively high price tag. If at least the mashed potato had been done in the right way, then it had been ok. But now, no I was not satisfied.

​Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
2 Food 
5 Service
2 Value
4 Atmosphere
I was here in December 2016

Swiss Zurigo Restaurant
Corner Ma.Clara&Gallares st., Pook Pantalan, Tagbilaran City, 6300 Bohol, Philippines
(At the pier in Tagbilaran City)
Phone: +63 939 909 8911

​Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!

Swiss restaurant in Tagbilaran The menu, I went for the Jägerschnitzel It started good, with some freshly baked bread and butter But it ended in a disappointment, no vegetables and a horrible mashed potatoes! Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

Bojol Grill is located at the city square of Tagbilaran. They mainly have Filipino dishes on their menu. I ordered their squid adobo in its own ink. May not look so much for the world, but it tasted good so I ate all with a good apetite. In the evenings it's usually crowded here. They also have videoke room for rent. Everything was fine, food, service and cleanliness. I have a special memory though from this place... Last time I was here, a year ago, I accidentally bit hard on a small piece of bone so that one of my teeth cracked. Which resulted in an expensive visit at the dentist back home. Notice, that I don't blame the restaurant, it could have happened everywhere.

 Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
4 Service
4 Value
3 Atmosphere
I have been here many times but the last time in December 2016

Bojol Grill
Carlos P. Garcia Ave, Tagbilaran City, 6300 Bohol, Philippines
Phone: +63 38 235 7311
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!

Bojol Grill In the evenings it's usually crowded here Squid adobo in its own ink Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

This morning the regular breakfast room was occupied with conference guests, so I was transferred to another place which also was occupied with conference guests... it's always more fun in the Philippines!

In Galleria Luisa near the city square in Tagbilaran city they have a food court with a beautiful view over the sea. When I am here in the Philippines where fresh squid is available everywhere I really take the opportunity to satisfy my cravings. So this evening I ordered one of my favorites, sizzling squid. Squid is healthy, nutrious and less fat compared to pork meat for example. 
​Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!

The staff was friendly and service minded The view is beautiful night and day Unlimited rice is included in some meals (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Food is fresh and tasty The portions are reasonable in size but if you are really hungry you may order some additional dish. The food is always newly prepared, fresh and tasty. In some meals there are unlimited rice and one glass of ice tea included for free. You can enjoy Wi Fi or the beautiful seaview for free. ​Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! I went for the sizzling squid this time Sizzling squid Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent 4 Food  4 Service 5 Value 5 Atmosphere I have been here many times but the last time in December 2016 ​A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus Galleria Luisa Mall 6300 Tagbilaran City Phone: ​(038) 501 0261 Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, 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, 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.

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.​

Related links:
Where to eat in Tagbilaran?
Find a house for rent in Panglao
Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines)
Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines
Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines
Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

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.

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.

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. 

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

Related links:
Where to eat in Tagbilaran?
Find a house for rent in Panglao
Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines)
Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines
Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines
Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines)
The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common?
Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

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

Related links:
Where to eat in Tagbilaran?
Find a house for rent in Panglao
Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines)
Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines
Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines
Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines)
The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common?
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

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

Related links:
Where to eat in Tagbilaran?
Find a house for rent in Panglao
Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines)
Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines
Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines
Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines)
The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common?
Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines)
Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines)
Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)