Bohol is the 10th largest island in the Philippines and one of the most popular for tourists, with attractions like the Chocolate Hills and Tarsier sanctuaries.
It’s a popular day-trip for travelers as it’s just a two-hour ferry ride away from Cebu, but if you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth spending a few days on Bohol for the white-sandy beaches and the peace and quiet.
We recently spent four nights on Bohol while gathering information for our upcoming Philippines guide. Here’s more about our time at Bohol Beach Club.
Though BBC hosted us during our stay, our opinion and review remains our own.
Fresh mango juice on the beach everyday. Happy!
BBC on Bohol
Bohol Beach Club is one of the largest, oldest and most well-known resorts on the island of Bohol. Their property is large and includes standard rooms and beach suites, all facing the white-sand beach the property sits upon.
The overall quality of a resort experience is in many ways defined by the little touches of personal service that make your stay memorable, and the Bohol Beach Club understands that fully. Welcomed with a fresh calamansi juice (local citrus and basil), and a heavenly essential oil infused cold towel upon arrival (which smelled EXACTLY like my aromatherapy tinctures from GoldBee.com), you are instantly swept into vacation mode.
If you’ve been traveling for quite some time, it’s nice to know that they’ll pick you up at the ferry and drive you straight to the resort (30 minutes, 600 pesos).
In-room amenities include umbrellas, flip flops, a beach tote, and sweet note welcoming you (again) to the property.
Staff
There are ample employees on the grounds, so all facets of service are quick and always delivered with warm energy and big smiles, which the Philippines are known for. Our favorite part of the BBC experience were the little touches: notes with sweet messages delivered during turn-down service along with fresh baked cookies on your pillow each night.
The front desk staff makes it easy to arrange for private transportation and tours on the island: a full-day tour to the Bohol highlights includes a trip to the Chocolate Hills, a tarsier sanctuary, a butterfly sanctuary, and a lunchtime river cruise and will cost you 2500 pesos with a private, English-speaking driver. Note that you’ll still have to pay entrance fees to these attractions.
Relaxing in a hammock at Bohol Beach Club: our favorite thing!
The Property
The property itself is well appointed, super-clean and and well-maintained. I spent more than one lazy afternoon in one of their many hammocks slung up between palm trees on the beachfront, reading and listening to the sounds of the calm and crystal clear ocean lapping up onto the sand.
The property also has beachfront massage cabanas, a small gym and business center (with a kids play area!), a medical-center, aquatic activities rental center, a sports bar, wood-fired pizza and pasta spot (with excellent pizza, oddly enough), a full restaurant and very clean and lovely swimming pool. They also have great quality live entertainment outside of the restaurant each night, with everything from fire dancers, to acoustic crooners and a delightful Filipino mariachi-style band (so fun!).
Every stay includes a free 20 minute glass bottom boat ride, which was incredibly beautiful and an awesome and unexpected addition to the overall experience. Not far past the shore you can view lush marine life, including giant starfish and a deep sea shelf that can only be described as a look into the world of ‘Finding Nemo,’ with a ton of fishy activity and coral to see and enjoy!
The Beach
The beach at Bohol Beach Club is heavily influenced by the tide. It’s high tide in the morning, which is a great time to swim. By the end of the day it’s low tide at sunset, and when the tide gets low it recedes by 30 feet, surfacing starfish that are sitting in the sand. It’s pretty amazing to see starfish just sitting on the sand. I’ve traveled all over the world and this is my one tried and true definition of paradise. I hope it stays this way!
The beach at Bohol Beach Club is incredibly clean and they have crew working to keep it this way, but if you walk just a few meters down the sand it starts to get a little polluted. I hope that the community in Bohol can rally together to keep their beaches clean and free of plastic. It’s too often that we see the world’s most beautiful beaches taken by pollution.
All in All
It costs roughly $130/night on Booking.com to stay at Bohol Beach Club, which puts you directly on one of the nicest beaches on the island. Though nearby Alona Beach is more happening, it’s also more busy and crowded, so Bohol Beach Club is a great place to escape that while still putting you right on the water.
You also have the option of getting a full-body massage right on the beach for just 600 pesos, which we definitely splurged on a few times and highly recommend.
The resort is very family-friendly and popular with couples, so if you’re traveling solo here you might feel a pang of loneliness–just hop in a hammock by the beach and ignore that– you’re in paradise!
Have you ever been to the Philippines?
