THE BEAUTY OF BOHOL: BELLEVUE RESORT

       I have an embarrassing confession to make. Despite the fact that I lived in Cebu for nearly ten years, I had never been to the beautiful island of Bohol. Strange, huh? It's a short "Super Cat" ride away, but still, I had yet to lay a foot on Bohol soil. 

       When a 7.2 Earthquake struck Bohol last October of 2013, I, like all my fellow Filipinos was horrified at the aftermath. It was painful to see the terrifying images on the news of the casualties. And seeing the structures that had made Bohol the popular tourist attraction it has been for decades crumble in a matter of seconds was heart wrenching. I was also saddened to hear that the beloved Chocolate Hills was damaged.. Especially since I had yet to see it in all its splendor. Nonetheless I remained confident that the resilient people of Bohol would rise to the challenge, and make sure their beautiful island paradise bounces back to become even better than it once was before. 

       Still, I couldn't help but feel a huge tinge of regret about taking for granted the close proximity of Bohol to Cebu. However, you have to understand.. Cebu is also known for its beaches, and I had easy access to a beach resort growing up.. Making the need to travel to Bohol pretty much unnecessary.

      Just less than a year later, I finally had an opportunity to visit Bohol. If I had let my chance to see the beauty of Bohol slip by when I was a younger, I wasn't going to let the same thing happen to me when I was older.. And not to mention my daughter, Rain, has proven to be quite the Beach Baby. 

       Not to mention, I would be absolutely insane to miss out on staying at one of the finest premiere luxury resorts that Bohol has to offer.. Bellevue Resort, Bohol. 

  

        Sadly, our Air Asia flight going to Bohol was delayed. All us passengers had been seated already and were waiting for take off, when we were asked to deplane due to technical difficulties of our Airplane. Though it was very inconvenient, Rina and I chose instead to appreciate the stones the pilot showed in making his decision. Although he knew it would be a rather unpopular choice, he took his passengers safety first and foremost, and decided that the 30 minute wait would be worth it. Considering my daughter was on board, I felt he made the right call.. Something other passengers didn't seem to understand. 

     Although, clearly the airplane should have been well maintained in the first place, mechanical failure can happen at any given moment. Risking our lives is definitely not worth it. 

     Anyways, instead of getting to Bohol by 11am as originally planned, we touched down by around 1pm, and headed straight for Golden Cowrie Hukad, which I had dined at in their Cebu branch years earlier. Once we got food into our bellies, we decided to make our way to the popular tourist spots before heading out to the hotel. 

TARSIER CONSERVATION AREA

           Our first stop was the Tarsier Conservation Area at Loboc, Bohol. Entrance is P60 per person (Rain was free).

         I'm really not an outdoorsy person. And my trip to the Tarsier Conservation Area reaffirmed that. You basically go up a hill, and when you get to the top, there are a few Tarsiers hanging from the trees. Naturally, you can't touch them, but you can get close enough to take photos with them in the frame. Rain saw them, pointed and yelled out, "Monkey!!". 

            Speaking of Monkeys, Jeff, Richard and I, monkeyed around a little bit once we got back down from that treacherous hill (I love how the statues of the Tarsiers have that Tito, Vic, and Joey "Nyecheche!!" look on their faces). 

CHOCOLATE HILLS

                The most iconic landmark of Bohol is undoubtedly the Chocolate Hills. We were taken up to the viewing location, where we were greeted by one of the longest staircases I had ever seen in my entire life. I'm a firm believer that if God wanted us to walk up stairs, he would never have made sure that escalators were invented.

           Unfortunately, my wife, with our 2 year old daughter in her arms, made her way up the stairs at lightning speed (In my defense, she does "Zumba" and "Hip Hop Abs"), so if I chose to stay down, I would look.. well.. Like a wuss. 

          Look, I'm the first to admit that I'm very much out of shape. I have a huge tummy and very short legs.. When you do the math, it equates to a body that was not built to climb 214 steps. Yes, you read that right. The staircase to the top is 214 steps. Which is why I can't help but be a bit proud that I actually made it to the top of the Chocolate Hills Observation Deck. It came to a point where my knees felt like they were locking.. Almost as if it was difficult to bend. 

       If you think I was posing here to be funny, I wasn't. By the time I got to the top, my knees hard turned into jelly. I felt loads better, when Baby Rain saw me on the floor and said, "Daddy, what happened?". Rina told her, "Daddy, is tired, he needs energy. Give him a kiss!". So she planted a big one on my lips and gave me a tight hug. Sadly, I wasn't able to take a picture of the moment, but my friend Jane and her kids were able to! 

     That alone, was worth the long climb. 

            Baby Rain's hugs and kisses aside, the view from the top makes your arduous climb up worth it. The majestic view of the is truly spectacular, and something you absolutely must see at least once in your life. 

          The area at the deck in which the popular "Jump Shot" view that tourists take with a broom was damaged by the earthquake, but when you're taking photos with your loved ones, it doesn't matter where you take your photo, as long as you guys are together! 

         Here's a sidenote:The way to both places is through an uphill zigzag road. I am susceptible to motion sickness (especially when I stay in the backseat of the car), and I wasn't able to take some Bonamine, so by the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was very woozy and needed to make a quick stop at a gas station to let out everything I ate at Golden Cowrie.   

          Make sure you're properly prepared with medicines when you visit!

BELLEVUE RESORT BOHOL: PARADISE FOUND

              

          Bellevue Resort Bohol is one of the beautiful places on Earth. There is no other way to put it. It's the perfect marriage of the land, meeting the sea and the sky. 

           

             I was still a little shaken from the zigzag road debacle, but it was refreshing to finally get to the Lobby of Bellevue Resort Bohol, where we were greeted with Welcome Drinks by the very hospitable staff. The open air lobby provided numerous seating options, and with the cool breeze, was a very relaxing place to hang out in. 

THE OCEAN VIEW DELUXE ROOM 

        I was anxious to get to our room to relax, but of course, as soon as we arrived, my wife asked me to stand in the corner as she took pictures (It was elementary school all over again). And I couldn't blame her. The room was stunning. Considering it wasn't even a "Suite", it was still HUGE nonetheless! 

       We were given a room with a King size bed, while there are options for Deluxe rooms with two Queen size beds. 

           Beside the bed is a little "living room" area, that consists of a couch that is easily convertible to another bed, a comfortable lounge chair and a table-slash-ottoman. 

        If you may notice, Rain was allowed to run around the room while Rina took pictures, while I was asked to stand in the corner. 

         In the event that you need to get some work done, you may do so at the business desk to the side of your flat screen TV.  Our room also included complimentary Wifi access, which amazingly had connectivity all throughout the entire resort! 

       As you can see, I stepped away from my corner for a second to get something from my bag, and accidentally got into Rina's shot. Naturally, she got upset, then when I pointed out to Rina that Baby Rain was in the exact center of her shot, all she could say was, "That's ok. She's cute.". 

      Ouch.

         The spacious bathroom has a sexy shower with glass walls, and a bathtub with ample room, for optimum relaxation. 

       I was actually in the bathroom when Rina let out a shriek. Thinking something terrible had happened, I quickly finished up my "business" in the bathroom and ran out to the bedroom.

           Apparently, the shriek was Rina freaking out over the slippers provided in the room. Usually hotels provide those paper thin type of footwear for room use, but Bellevue Resort Bohol completes its island vibe with these floral slippers, for you to use even when you're at the beach. 

            Given that it was an "Ocean View Room", of course we had a balcony that was adequate enough for to relax with a good book on a sunny, yet breezy Bohol afternoon. 

         The main attraction of the room is most definitely the view of Bellevue Resort's spectacular swimming pool, and view of the beautiful Bohol beach. The ground floor rooms offers straight access, from your "Balcony" to the outdoor area, but I like the privacy the higher rooms afford you.

THE JUNIOR SUITE

           The Junior Suite is like an ample sized One Bedroom Condo, which includes a "Living room" for receiving guests or lounging around.

            The Balcony opens out and gives you a stunning view of the sea, although admittedly, none of the pool, which I would have preferred. Still a gorgeous room, nonetheless.

THE PREMIERE SUITE 

          The Premiere Suite is also another sight to behold. Like the Junior Suite, it is reminiscent of a One bed Room Condo. Space-wise, you might not feel such a huge difference between the Junior and Premiere. 

          But trust me, the huge difference between the rooms is revealed once you step out to the balcony..

        .. AND ON TO YOUR OWN PRIVATE JACUZZI! Yes, you read that right.. Your Premiere Suite has a Jacuzzi in its balcony! Perfect for Honeymooners and other couples looking for a romantic getaway for some quality (boom-boom) time.

          The large balcony offers two sides, one with the Jacuzzi, and the other with a pair of lounge chairs, where you may do some sun bathing in the privacy of your own room.

The view from the Premiere Suite is phenomenal. 

THE INFINITY POOL 

        Bellevue Resort's Inifinity Pool is one of the highlights of the resort. It really feels like the pool extends out into the sea. It's got three sections to it, one side for children that is around 2 feet in depth, the center portion has average depth, while a small section at the far end goes all the way down to 12 feet!
        The pool has two "Docks" for sunbathing or hanging out, and pool side chairs all around the area. 

      My little minion had so much fun with her Ate Lauren at the Kiddie pool! 

         While me, I had so much fun at the big boy pool (Ok, perhaps a little too much fun).

          As the day wound down, I rested upon the ledge of the Infinity Pool and  was admiring the incredible view of the sunset. After seeing me in a seemingly pensive mood, Rina began taking candid pictures of me in deep thought. 

       When I finally noticed, I made sure to give her an eyeful, by copying the poses some that I saw some lovely ladies do earlier when they took pictures of one another. 

   The girls looked sorta like this.

          
  

         For some reason it didn't look quite the same. Rina told me to get back into the pool, before Green Peace tries to throw me back into the ocean.

DOLPHIN WATCHING, SNORKELING AND ISLAND HOPPING

           As awesome as the Bellevue Resort Bohol is, no trip to Bohol is complete without taking to the sea. Bellevue can assist you in making Pump Boat arrangements to go island hoping, and even more importantly, Dolphin Watching! 

         The gang got up at 4am, just to make sure we don't miss the 5am pump boat out to the sea. 

         You must understand though, that the appearances of dolphins aren't guaranteed. In fact, after circling the area in which they supposedly frequent, we were so frustrated from the lack of presence from our Dolphin friends, that we decided to turn around. 

       And then that's when something magical happened.

       Out of nowhere, a pod of Dolphins sprung out from the sea, and for roughly around 5 minutes or so, swam alongside our pumpboat! Baby Rain was ecstatic to see dolphins, and started screaming "Hi Dolphins!" at the top of her lungs whenever they would surface.

(Photo courtesy of The Tummy Traveler)

               After the dolphins went along their merry way, our guide took us to a nice snorkeling spot in the middle of the ocean, so we could enjoy what the marine life of Bohol had to offer. Armed with her kiddie life jacket and lifesaver, Baby Rain fearlessly joined Rina and I for a swim!

(Photo courtesy of The Tummy Traveler)

              After a few minutes of floating around in the ocean, I decided to go back on the boat before Spain tried to claim me for the free world.

    After our snorkeling session, our pump boat took us to Isola Di Francesco, a beautiful sand bar in Panglao, Bohol. Tourists can eat some exotic seafood literally just pulled out from the sea by local Fishermen.

         

          Till this very day, Rina gushes about the freshly caught grilled Abalone she tried during our short stay there. 

(Photo courtesy of The Tummy Traveler)

         You can see how Baby Rain was so angry with me after I took her away from her swimming and back on to the boat. Rina eventually had to take her back down just to appease her. 

THE BEACH   

      When we got back to the hotel, we made sure Rain got enough beach time. The smile she gets on her face whenever she sees the open sea is priceless.

         Bohol's beach shore may not as be as vast as Boracay, but the enclave of Bellevue gives it a sense of privacy, not to mention tranquility, that is not available in Boracay Stations 1, 2 and 3.  

           I'm really not into the party scene, which is why I'm not overly impressed with Boracay's nightlife, and appreciate more the calming serenity of Bellevue Bohol's beach.

THE KIDS PLAYROOM

               Children will surely love the Kids playroom of Bellevue Bohol. The fun environment will most certainly appeal to kids! 

             The slide that goes straight to the pool of balls was Rain's favorite!

She must have done it over and over again hehe

She did it so many times, I kinda got jealous and had to try it for myself.

I think this marked the first time I was too tall to do an activity. 

The Kids room also include a basketball machine, 

sort of like the ones you find in arcades!

There were also computer stations available, perfect for network gaming.

Apart from that, other games they have are Air Hockey, Playstation, Xbox and other board games!

              Other ameneties include a Volleyball court and a Basketball court.

THE KTG TAKES ON THE ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

             While we were in Bellevue, Me and my blogger friends took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! We also proceeded to donate to foundations that focus on ALS Research. 

          Check out the video here: 

         The standard set by Bellevue Resort Bohol, is so high, I don't see how my future returns to Bohol can top this.. Unless I stay at Bellevue again. 

        Much love to the hard working staff behind Bellevue Resort Bohol for the wonderful experience. The service was truly world class, although the stay was rather short, it was truly memorable. 

        Especially when taking price and overal quality in to account, I don't see how any other resort in Bohol could be better than the Bellevue Resort.

 Stay tuned for the next Episode of our Bohol Escapades..

  I'm going to show you THE FOOD!!

Here's a little bit of a teaser! 

Watch out for the next post!!

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebellevueresortbohol

Official Website: http://www.thebellevue.com/bohol/