BOHOL BEE FARM
For eating and relaxing

This expansive farm in the town of Dauis on Panglao Island is all about embracing the natural, organic lifestyle. The small herb garden by the main entrance is a lush home to pots of tarragon, basil, dill, fennel, coriander, peppermint—all of which you can touch and smell one by one on the free farm tour for guests. Included in the tour is a 101 talk on bees and how they work. But before you set off for the tour, take a seat and eat. The menu is a page-turner—Yoga Salad with Cheese, Organic Vegetables Stir-Fried with Shrimps, Grilled Marlin, Seafood Pasta with Cocomilk, Ube Fries with Honeyed Latik, and so on. Not strong on decision-making? Treat your group to a generous buff et spread for P420 per head for a group of six.

After lunch, look for a nook you can claim your own. The real charm of Bohol Bee Farm is to be discovered in the many cozy couches and hammocks spread all over the property. Yes, lazing around is required here. Look for the viewing deck and let the sound of crashing waves serenade you. Get a traditional hilot massage to work out the kinks. Before you depart, stop by the Buzz Shop to load up on spreads, teas, and muffins.

For inquiries or reservations, call Vicky Wallace at (0917) 304-1491 or email her at vickywallace@boholbeefarm.com. Website: www.boholbeefarm.com.

AMORITA RESORT
Fall in love

Located in Tawala, Panglao Island, this picturesque, romantic getaway nestled atop a beachside cliff offers breathtaking views of Mindanao Sea right from the balcony of your own private villa. The Bali-esque villa setup is what makes Amorita such a dreamy retreat in our book. Each villa—garden or ocean—comes with a plunge pool and patio. The large space—it feels like having your own apartment, really—also comes with a huge, sink-into-it bed and an open-plan bathroom that makes you feel one with nature. Around the resort, there are lovely paths for long walks, which can end with a dip in the infinity pool fronting the restaurant area. When you retire to your room for the night, a soothing, aromatic fragrance and a jar of homemade cookies (with a note to call for your glass of milk) await. It’s the kind of pampering we deserve when we’re on vacation.

A special note: The YUMMY team fell hard for the breads created by resident chef Elaine Angelo—the basket of flatbread, sesame bread, and foccacia is served with a lovely tomato salsa and addictive pesto-cream cheese spread. Needless to say, we gorged. Then come breakfast time, the banana muffins stole our hearts.

Feast
Amorita’s Saff ron Restaurant offers the Boholaño Feast, a sumptuous array of the finest Bohol fare exclusive to the resort. The spread starts off with fresh appetizers—Guso Salad (seaweed with tomatoes, onions, and ginger) and Swaki (sea urchins sautéed in tomatoes and onion). Next up, the warm and refreshing Tolang Clam Soup served in coconut shell. Sinuglaw (grilled pork belly and kinilaw na tangigue) and Inihaw na Pusit are served as main course. The Peanut Kisses Sans Rival and Turon de Bohol end the meal on a sweet note.

Amorita Resort offers packages to meet your preferences, whether it be diving, touring the city, or even just sleeping in. For reservations or inquiries, call +632-914-0584 to 85; email inquiries@amoritaresort.com. Website: www.amoritaresort.com.

WATERWORLD
Watch the dolphins

No Bohol experience is complete until you’ve been underwater. Its beneath-the-shores beauty is a definite must-see. So gear up and dive in! Experience life “down under” through scuba diving or snorkeling. FYI, dolphins like to hang out around Panglao so you will most likely catch a glimpse of them. Balicasag Island, located near Panglao, is known for being one of the best dive spots in the country. With more than 30 dive sites to choose from, diving is possible here all-year round.

LOBOC RIVER CRUISE
Float away

A ride down Loboc River is a ride through simple, serene living—eating green mangoes, strumming a guitar, children swinging from a coconut tree and splashing into the river. The cruise, a boat ride from a point near Loboc Church to Busay Falls and back, lasts for about an hour. As the boat takes off, passengers dig into a lunch buffet of fresh and delectable local dishes. On the table: mangga’t bagoong, pinakbet, adobong pusit, and native kakanin of all sorts. Meanwhile, the boat travels through the seaside towns of Loboc, Loay, and Bilar, offering breathtaking views.

PASALUBONG
Go food shopping

Spread the Bohol love. Visit a strip of shopping centers and gift shops located in Taguihon, Baclayon where you will come upon every Bohol pasalubong imaginable—from handicrafts and shirts to keychains and delicacies. Where did the YUMMY gang spend most time in? The food section, of course. Most likely, you too will go giddy sorting through hundreds of different delicacies available. The most popular Boholaño pasalubong include Peanut Kisses (crisp and crunchy miniature Chocolate Hills look-alike cookies made of peanuts, sugar, egg whites, and vanilla) and calamay (coconut milk candy jam uniquely packed
in coconut shells; think coco jam with a much thicker consistency). We also spotted not-so-usual stuff like baked polvoron, salvaro, caycay, and tartlets. Other food items for sale include lengua de gato, peanut cookies, puto seko, tableya, peanut butter, tamarind bites, egg puffs, even danggit and dried mangoes from Cebu. The list goes on.

Ask your guide to swing by Aproniana Gift Shop. To inquire about what’s available or reserve goodies, call (038) 540-9411.

COUNTRYSIDE TOUR
Bohol in One Day

Practically every resort in Bohol offers a “Countryside Tour.” It might seem cliché, but because Bohol is rich in culture and heritage, the tour is something quite special. Bring a camera for all the scenes and an ear for all the interesting stories.

The must-sees in our book:

1 BLOOD COMPACT SHRINE
This marker commemorates the Sandugo (in Visayan, it means “one blood”), a blood compact performed between the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna on March 16, 1565 to ensure friendly relations between the two parties.

2 BACLAYON CHURCH
The second oldest stone church in the Philippines was constructed in 1595 by Jesuit priests. Inside the church and the museum, pieces of the past are well preserved, including vestments, hymnals, and the tribunal, a hidden balcony where the rich used to hear mass unseen from the crowds.

3 TARSIER SANCTUARY
Bohol’s tiny, wide-eyed tarsiers are believed to be about 45 million years old. Tarsiers are shy, nocturnal animals, and have the amazing ability to maneuver around trees and avoid humans before we even notice them.

4 MAHOGANY MAN-MADE FOREST
In the 1960’s, a nationwide reforestation program made the planting of thousands of mahogany seedlings in this area possible. This forest, now a two kilometer stretch of full-grown mahogany trees, can be seen along the road as you travel to Chocolate Hills.

5 CHOCOLATE HILLS
This top attraction consists of 1,268 haycock hills ranging from 40 to 120 meters high. These dome-shaped limestone hills are covered with grass. During summer, the hills dry up and turn chocolate brown, transforming the field into rows of “chocolate kisses.”

Tour guide Vicky Visarra is a font of Bohol history and knowledge. For bookings, call her at (0920) 901-1008.

DETOUR
Behind Baclayon Church, you can find one of the original makers of another Bohol delicacy—the melt-in-your-mouth broas. The signage is tiny so keep your eyes wide open for “D Original Osang’s Homemade Pastries.”

D Original Osang’s Homemade Pastries, Poblacion, Baklayon, Bohol; tel. no.: (08) 540-9072.