Last weekend’s quick getaway was spent in Panglao, Bohol to witness the binding of two very special people. It was a four-day vacation under the sun with friends and batchmates whom I barely get to see nowadays, surrounded by the wonderful people and beautiful scapes of the island.

For this trip, my friends and I booked at The Bellevue Bohol. While the wedding to attend was in South Palms Resort, we were not able to make a booking there due to the limited rooms that were left. Luckily Bellevue came up, and we were able to get a good deal for the Premier Suite that fit all eight of us.

Would you take a look at how gorgeous this hotel is?

My favorite part is the big open kubo that houses the restaurant, bar, kitchen, and other amenities in the hotel like the gym and playroom. Loved the interior and the Filipino meets Balinese style of it.

The vibe here was really so relaxing and light, and not only because the place is so nice–their staff was immensely accommodating and pleasant. I’m very sensitive about service in different restaurants, hotels or resorts I stay in, and I have to say that i’m pretty impressed with their staff here. Not one of them failed to happily greet me when crossing paths, and any sign of wonder or lost expression on my face would have them coming my way to ask how they could help. I even entered the restaurant holding my Klean Kanteen, and without even saying a word, the lady that lead us to our table asked if I wanted it refilled. Getting service there in general (whether in the room or anywhere around the hotel) is not a problem at all.

The Food

We weren’t able to eat most of our meals in the hotel, but the few ones we had were pretty good. For one I was really happy with the breakfast buffet that came with our room. They had a Filipino breakfast with an egg station, and even a Danggit, Dilis and fried squid area–not one I see in a lot of breakfast buffets, but it made me and my friends all very happy. They also had a variety of other food like Longganisa, Adobo, beans, hashbrown, sausage, bacon, with the usual pastry section, oatmeal, cold cuts, fruits, waffles, and others. Definitely a good way to start your morning.

For our first lunch there I ordered their Pork Sisig. Though it comes in a sizzling plate, it doesn’t sizzle, and it was a creamy type of sisig–a first for me. I never had sisig like that before and I actually really liked it. Just be careful with the chilli that they put in it. It’s also heavier than it looks.

My friend Isa ordered her Seafood Quesadilla which she said she enjoyed. Just expect it to be oily because her quesadilla was oozing with it beneath the wraps.

Thea and Anton B ordered the Caesar Salad Wrap which became the star of our meals. They enjoyed it so much so some of us ended up ordering it in our next meal, and the first two even had a second round at it in another meal. It was really so good and filling, and also healthy (sans the fries).

Anton M ordered Pan Seared Medallions of Pork Tenderloin which was also very good.

Though some people might not choose Bellevue because it’s a fifteen minute ride to Alona beach (which is like their mini Boracay, the main beach), it’s actually not so bad. The ride isn’t so far and traffic wasn’t a problem. Bellevue also had available vans for us anytime we needed it, and they could get you a trike (for smaller groups) and let you use their bamboo bikes available in the hotel. For most of the day you have to pay for transpo, but they have free shuttles from 8PM-10PM to and from Alona. Since we travelled around in a group, it was best for us to take the Php 600 (one way) shuttle to get to places. We divided it by eight to ten people, so the fair came out cheaper for us.

My friends and I were very happy with our Bohol accommodation because it was so picturesque, convenient, and relaxing. In as much as we didn’t want to spend a lot of our time in the hotel and planned to really explore Bohol, we felt pretty content just lounging around the pool and beach area, sipping on some beer and cocktails during happy hour (if i’m not mistaken, 11AM-5PM), gyming, and playing games in the game room (they have a play station, foosball table, ping pong, air hockey and other games you can enjoy). It was really such a pleasant stay and a great experience for a Bohol first-timer. In case you want to pay this place a visit, details are below.

The Bellevue, Bohol
Barangay Doljo, Panglao Island
Bohol, Philippines 6340
(6338)-422 2222

More of Bohol coming up on my next post!