The Philippines has a fair number of luxurious boutique hotels, and one of the best resorts in Bohol must be the Amorita in Panglao. “Amorita” means little darling, and this is a darling of a resort. It is a perfect place for those on honeymoon, seeking romance and a little “alone-time”, or families who want to relax, particularly if you are looking for an excellent kids club. Foodies will appreciate the food choices, and gym and spa lovers will enjoy the excellent facilities. And for those who have come to experience why it is More Fun in the Philippines, you are perfectly placed to enjoy everything Bohol has to offer.
The Amorita is set on a limestone cliff, overlooking the Bohol sea, so we are starting with a perfect view. Can you imagine sunsets and sunrises? The hotel has just over 90 rooms, and with so much space it will never feel crowded, the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Manila or the other big towns and cities of the Philippines.
Accommodation
The rooms and suites are all spacious, with the smallest, the Deluxe, offering 35 sq metres of space and the suites going from 40 to a whopping 80 sq metres. And then of course you have the pool villas, at 120 sq m, a garden, private plunge pool, and an oasis of calm.
You’ve not come for a Holiday in the Philippines to stay in your hotel room, but the hotel has enough facilities to keep you occupied for a good few days while you recover and relax from the journey to get there and before you start to explore the island.
Restaurants
The Saffron restaurant provides the fine dining experience, a re-interpretation of the best of Filipino tradition and international cuisine. The Tapas bar gives a gentle nod back to the Spanish influence on the Philippines, and includes other dishes such as paella and pintxos as well as a good selection of tapas. The Azotea is where you would go for your comfort foods, pizzas and pastas and the like. There are times when you do need a rest from fine food!
Facilities
The facilities are excellent. There is of course a Spa, the Sea Tree Spa, offering a range of treatments. The traditional Hilot massage of the Philippines is highly recommended. Hilot is a deep tissue massage where the therapist (or Manghihilot) will intuitively scan the body with his or her hands to diagnose areas where the body is energetically imbalanced. The Manghihilot will then focus on those areas to heal.
The spa can also provide romantic bathing rituals and beauty treatments. The gym is well appointed with equipment, but you can also take twice weekly yoga sessions, and boxing sessions. Boxing lessons in the country that produced all time great, Manny Pacquiao is a surely a must-do for any fitness fanatic.
The resort provides kayaks, paddle boards and bikes. The rivers and walks in Bohol are pretty spectacular so you really need to be taking these out during your stay at Amorita.
You are of course over looking the Bohol Sea and you will want to experience some of the world’s best diving here. Experienced divers might want to try the Habagat Wreck site, which drops to about 35 metres. Less experienced divers will still find plenty of reef and marine life to interest them at a more manageable 12 metres. Pamalican Island is formed out of coral and fossilised shells, and is an excellent place to see barracudas, manta rays, dolphins and possibly whales.
One of the advantages of booking your travel with a travel consultant is getting advice on when to book and when to travel. While most families will want to take their main summer holiday during the UK school summer holiday period, late July through to the end of August, this does not always represent the best time to go away to particular destinations, and certainly does not offer value for money. Holiday providers generally hike their prices up substantially during the summer months, so it can make excellent sense to consider taking the main family holiday at Christmas or Easter. It will still be as expensive, but not quite as expensive, and for many destinations, the weather will be better.
A great example of this is the Philippines, whose summer runs from March through to June. Let me illustrate this with a fantastic two week holiday in the Philippines for a family of four over the Easter Holiday, 2019.
Holiday Plans
You will depart from Heathrow (other UK departures are available) on the evening of Saturday 13thApril on a direct flight to Manila, arriving on the following evening. There are of course indirect flights, which will take slightly longer, but will be significantly cheaper.
Manila
You could stay at the Conrad Manila, a Hilton Hotel, which is about 15 minutes from the airport by private transfer. I would recommend organising a transfer from the airport to the hotel in advance for all but the seasoned traveller to the Philippines. You will almost certainly travel by taxi, and the taxis waiting at the airport can be a little unscrupulous with unsuspecting tourists.
Many travellers to the Philippines are tempted to transit straight through Manila and head straight off to some of the best beaches in the world, but I always think that this is a mistake. There is plenty to see and do in Manila, and I like to offer as much variety and interest in my holidays as possible.
The Conrad has fabulous rooms, two very good restaurants and bars. It boasts a great infinity pool, 24 hour fitness suites. And then of course there is the view of the Bay.
Manila has hotels to suit every budget, and I will be featuring some of these in future blog posts.
On Wednesday 19thApril, we will take a private transfer to the airport to fly to the Island of Bohol. We will stay 4 nights at the Henan Alona Resort. This is the biggest beach resort in Panglao Island and is right on Alona Beach. This will be about getting some tranquillity after the hustle and bustle of Manila. One of the many things that I love about the Philippines and especially their beaches is that they rarely seem busy. Quite why there are not more people about on such incredible beaches is a mystery, but a mystery that I am perfectly prepared to remain unsolved!
The children will of course enjoy the 120 metre beach front and the 3 swimming pools. There are the usual array of activities from diving to paddle boarding to cycling, and the main part of town is only a short walk away.
Now we get to a really exciting part of the holiday. On the 21stApril we are picked up from the hotel and taken to the terminal where we take the Ocean Jet to Dumaguete, and the Atmosphere Hotel and Resort. I have chosen this hotel because it is one of the best places in which the children can learn not just to dive, but also, thanks to the lessons in Marine Biology, what it is that they will be seeing when they are diving. The PADI dive center also offers classes in photography and marine life presentations, and caters for pretty much every level of diving, from beginner to snorkeler, to diving from the beach to off a boat and from day time to night time.
The hotel offers so much more in terms of activities, spas and wellness treatments, great food and drink, and there is a wealth of opportunities to discover outside the hotel.
Sadly, the 26thApril has come round so quickly and it is now time to head back to Manila where we will have one evening, again at the Conrad before returning to the UK on the 27thApril.
The budget for this family of four over the Easter holidays would be in the region of £10,000, excluding the cost of any activities undertaken. For adults, it would cost £2,700 each. The cost could be significantly reduced by taking a non direct flight or staying in less expensive and well known hotels. Most visitors to the Philippines cannot help but be struck by the warm and welcoming nature of Filipinos, and will be more than comfortable in much more basic hotels, freeing up the budget to spend less on fancy soaps and more on unforgettable memories.
The children will of course enjoy the 120 metre beach front and the 3 swimming pools. There are the usual array of activities from diving to paddle boarding to cycling, and the main part of town is only a short walk away.