The 15 Minute Drive to Vacation

Suz drinking a Kenneth Aria drink for breakfast. They were delicious.

I met up with Suzette and Mike for breakfast at their very expensive resort on Panglao called the Panglao Island Nature Resort. I’ve never visited the resort before and didn’t know too much about it. I drove my motorbike to the resort and when I got there they charged me 400 pesos admission to the resort. The resort was the nicest resort I’ve seen in the Philippines. I had no idea a resort like it was on Panglao.

The "infinity" pool at the resort almost merges the pool with the ocean.

A well furnished room at the resort.

Even for American standards, the resort was paradise. They had an “infinity” pool which looked like it was part of the ocean when viewed from a certain angle. The resort also had their own island, that depending on the tide, you can walk or swim to. Of course what fancy resort wouldn’t also have their own private white sand beach. Service was great, everything seemed well organized, and the amenities were well thought out. The rooms were very nicely furnished. It was odd, I felt like I was on vacation but I was only a 15 minute motorbike ride away.

Breakfast was buffet style which included both native and westernized food. There was even a chef that would cook you an omelette if you wanted. I drank a Kenneth Aria drink for the first time which was delicious. After breakfast, Suzette, Mike and I went down to the water to snorkel. I had to swim out quite far just to see some decent coral and fish. Though, in fairly shallow water, I managed to find a banded sea snake.

Tarsiers have big eyes to help them see in the night.

Suz and a sleeping tarsier.

Tourists surround the tarsiers for a easy picture. When do the nocturnal tarsiers sleep if they're disturbed by tourists all day?

Later in the afternoon I drove Suz around Bohol on my motorbike. She wanted to see the tarsier—an endangered small monkey-like primate native to Bohol. I vaguely knew where to go so driving around was also an adventure for me. We found where the tarsiers were kept in cages which was not the preferable place to see them. Though, it was the only place I knew where to find them. The place was littered with tourists taking pictures of the nocturnal creatures. I felt sorry for the tarsiers because they couldn’t sleep with all the tourists touching them and taking pictures of them.

A tarsier mother with her baby at the more eco-friendly tarsier sanctuary.

Afterwards, Suzette and I decided to be adventurous and to get lost and explore around Bohol. On a map, we found a road that eventually led back to Tagbilaran City. We vaguely knew the direction of it and just set off driving in that direction. Along the road, I spotted a tarsier sanctuary. People have told me about it before but I’ve never knew where it was. Suzette and I decided to check it out.

The sanctuary was nice in that it had some nice education materials about the tarsier and had a large area where the tarsiers stayed. In a way, the tarsiers were still caged but they were sectioned off in a much larger part of the forest. We hired a guide to walk us around and show us some tarsiers. The hike took about 20 minutes to do but was well worth it. We got to see a mother tarsier and her baby. I dont think I will ever go back to the other tarsier place.

By the time we made it back to Tagbilaran, it was almost dinnertime. I suggested that we eat Korean food in the city. Suzette agreed to try it out. At the restaurant, Seoul of Bohol, we ate Bimbimbop which I felt was fairly “normal” food for Suzette to eat. It included rice and various vegetables. Despite this, I don’t think Suzette enjoyed the food.

Boats at low tide. Low tide allows people to literally walk to the resort's island.

A distant island as seen from the resort's island.

Mike snorkeling and finding a starfish just off the resort's small island.

Sunset at the private beach at Panglao Island Resort.

Back at Panglao Island Nature Resort, Suzette wanted to treat me to the spa there. She said it was the best spa she’s gone to and really wanted me to go. If you know me, you know I’m not really a spa type of person. In fact, I’ve only gotten two massages in my life and have never been to a spa. The spa was better than I thought; it made me feel like royalty. Service was excellent and everything about it was very posh. Afterwards I felt very relaxed.

By 10 PM, I went home to my little humble house in Doljo.


- jason