Bohol Day 3 + Overall Bohol Experience
June 21, 2014 marked our third and final day at Bohol. Our flight was scheduled at 12:05 PM so we made it a point to enjoy the Dumaluan Beach Resort before leaving.
After breakfast, we headed towards the beach which was just nearby the restaurant anyways.
It turns out, the beach at the resort was even nicer than Alona Beach (not bashing this city's popular beach but this is just my personal opinion).
We were thinking we should have swam there instead of staying at the Aluna Beach the previous day but anyway, at least we had the experience which is never a loss.
The great thing about the resort is that it is a private beach so it was nice and quiet to just stay there and enjoy the calm breeze. The weather was very nice as well.
But all's well that ends well. At 10:00 AM sharp, our driver was there to drive us to the airport. He asked us about our trip if we enjoyed it and we actually did.
MY OVERALL BOHOL EXPERIENCE
Bohol is definitely a must see place here in the Philippines! Personally, my favorite parts were riding the ATV along the chocolate hills, dolphins watching and snorkeling.
According to Ruel, he enjoyed the Bohol Countryside Tour probably the chocolate hills, the tarsier and the floating restaurant but not really much the Panglao Tour. It is actually the same for me and this is something I realized about us: we are not much into sightseeing and touring. Our activities must involved something outdoorsy as much as possible or something that involves experiencing nature.
Overall, I did enjoy the whole trip. It's just unfortunate that the situation was not as we were hoping for that much: python already dead, virgin island is no longer accessible for tourists, and the historical structures have been destroyed by the earthquake.
Next time we come, I would love to drag along my family and do more adventurous stuff such as the Danao Adventure Camp! It involves more extreme activites!
1. Choosing the tour group
I actually tried to contact a lot of Bohol tour groups that I found by searching in the internet but only a few were really responsive. In the end, I chose Samantha Tours because they were the most responsive and they have the cheaper package prices (AND, they carry my name too!).
Samantha Tours Contact Details
Website: www.traveltourbohol.com
Contact person: Ms. Virgie A. Digal
Contact numbers: 0923-117-9985 /0909-814-0525 (it was the smart number that was responding to my queries)
My experience with them was satisfactory. The drivers were always on time and were very friendly. I was also happy that Ms. Virgie recommended the resort to me cause it was a really good one.
However, I had trust issues with the driver we had. In our voucher, it was said that all fees should be covered but we still paid barangay fees when we came to Rio Verde Floating Restaurant. According to Ms. Virgie, that should not be the case and she wanted to refund it. But I advised her that there's no need for that and I truly appreciate her honesty on this.
Added to that, it was the same driver who insisted for us to push through with the Panglao Tour. Initially, he offered P1,500 and then became P2,000 with his claims that it should cover all our fees as well. But during the trip, we monitored the expenses and it should not equate to P500. We were not pleased about it that even though he joked about his tip, we did not give anymore cause we knew there's a chance he'd be getting the extra for himself and that would be enough tip.
We also had a different driver going back to the airport and when we were chatting about our tour, he mentioned some places we should have gone to but did not. I guess it was a bit of my fault as well for not being prepared with a list of the places included in the tour.
But overall, we were satisfied with the driver's service since he really told us stories about Bohol and he helped us look for where we can buy food for dinner.
2. Choosing the package
Initially, we wanted to go for a 4-day/3-night package so that should be from June 19-22 so that the dates will cover our actual anniversary. Unfortunately, the flights going back on the 22nd of June was already expensive which was understandable since it's a Sunday.
Choosing the package involves choosing the accommodation and the activities. Based from my research, they do not really combine groups for their tour packages that's why ours was a bit expensive. So if you want to go for a cheaper expense, best to go on a bigger group trip. And if you are more adventurous, you can just rent your own vehicle (you need to because they don't have that much public transportation if you really want to go around Bohol and Panglao) and drive around the place.
Our package is inclusive of the following:
- 3D/2N accommodation at Dumaluan Beach Resort II (Superior Deluxe Room) - I wanted a resort with beachfront and swimming pool
- Complimentary breakfast for 2 mornings
- Shuttle service from resort to airport and vice versa - public transportation is somehow difficult in Bohol especially if you're staying in Panglao. Other choice for this is to rent a motorcycle.
- Bohol Countryside Tour with buffet lunch (day 1) - this is usually a must cause it covers that best of Bohol
- Island hopping (no meal) - anything that involves water activities is a must!
- Car rental with driving guide and fuel
- Pumpboat rental with snorkeling guide and mask
- Applicable entrance fees and permits
Our package amounted to P11,500. Initially, it amounts to P11,700 but I asked for a discount and this was the best I could get.
3. Choosing our airfare
It was kind of a short notice to be picky with our airfare. Luckily, we got promo seats for AirAsia.
Booking Date: April 22, 2014
Paid through: BPI Express Online (so easy and convenient!)
With 15-KG baggage check-in to and from Manila
Flight Details:
MNL to TAG Thu 19 Jun 2014 Z2350
Departure Time: 07:30
Arrival Time: 08:55
TAG to MNL Sat 21 Jun 2014 Z2355
Departure Time: 12:05
Arrival Time: 13:25
We actually got our ideal departure time from Manila to Tagbilaran and vice versa. We arrived at Tagbilaran in the morning and then back to Manila in the afternoon, just in time to go to the church with the family.
TOTAL COST: P2,122.08 (for both of us)
PROS: Plane departed on time going to Tagbilaran. Overall, we had a comfortable flying experience. I was able to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones going to Tagbilaran while Ruel sleeps so the seating plan did not really matter that much.
CONS: Plane got delayed going back to Manila but because another plan got delayed from leaving the Tagbilaran Airport, causing a domino effect that other planes cannot land. Added to that, their web check-in system does not allow passengers to choose the best seat for them to be seated together (which is the whole purpose of early check-in! Don't do web check-in when flying through AirAsia!)
OUR BOHOL EXPENSES
Unfortunately, I lost my record of our expenses so this will mostly be just an estimate of the expenses we made for the whole trip.
OVERALL BOHOL EXPENSES:
Samantha Tours Package = P11,500
AirAsia Two-Way Flight = P2,122.08
Bohol Stay Expenses = P5,780
TOTAL COST = P19, 402.08
Some things to consider next time:
- The cheapest peanut kisses you can buy would be at the Chocolate Hills.
- Best to buy Calamay at the pasalubong shop near the Blood Compact but best to buy when you're about to go home cause they're only good for 5 days.
- If adventurous enough, best to just rent a car and have a map on hand so you can roam around by yourself and be able to save more.
- Best to also have direct boat contacts if you want to go on island hopping or any water activities. We kept our contact there just in case we want to go back.
- Be prepared and have a list of the places you will need to go t in the tour so you won't miss anything.
- But if you want a truly carefree vacation, choose a tour package is the way to go!
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