Cebu – Bohol Day 2 (Whale Shark Watching – Staying at Bohol Bee Farm)

April 9, 2017 Kevin

Itinerary for the Day: Oslob Whale Shark Watching, Liloan Port, Simulan Port, Dumaguete Port, Tagbiliran Port, Bohol Bee Farm

Random thoughts: Waking up to a view like this every day? Life goal!

We started our second day early and woke up at around 6:00 am to prepare for Oslob’s Whale Shark Watching. Since one can avail of the free breakfast at Seafari Resort until 10:30 am, we decided to have our meal after the activity. Once we were ready, we took the free transfer from the resort to the whale shark watching site.

Note: According to the resort advertisement, a 5-minute boat ride is provided for the transfer to the site and back. However, I’m guessing that because of the strong waves that day, the resort’s management opted for a motorcycle instead.

Swim with the Gentle Giants

After a less-than-5-minute ride, our driver dropped us off near the site’s entrance and told us that he’ll be waiting outside for our return trip to Seafari Resort. When you reach the site, you’ll have to register at the desk and pay the corresponding fees. For locals, simply staying on the boat costs PHP 200.00 while snorkeling / swimming with the whale sharks costs PHP 500.00. The rates, however, are more expensive for foreigners.

Random thoughts: Some photogenic rocks I saw along the beach. You can also spot a few crustaceans strolling about.

Upon payment, you will receieve a number. Wait for the announcers to call your number, hand you off to your guide, then queue up in the preparation area. This is where you wear your life vest and snorkeling gear, if you opt for swimming with the whale sharks. You will then be led to a boat to start your adventure.

Random thoughts: I personally liked the view from the boat better. Aside from the butanding, you can pretty much relax and enjoy the scenery around you as well.

Notes:

Do a rain check. While this isn’t predictable, inclement weather can cause cancellation of the activity. You might also want to check on the season to ensure everything goes smoothly. We went there during February when the waves were strongest so that was pretty much a bad idea.
Come early. The site was already crowded at 7:30 am and waiting time for the actual activity can take up to 1.5 – 2 hours. Now I see why some people travel to the site early in the morning instead.
Gear up. Although snorkeling gears are provided, you are free to bring your own, even your diving stuff if you’re up for it.
Be clean and chemical-free. If you’re snorkeling, refrain from putting anything on your body or opt to take a shower in the site before the activity. This is to ensure that the water won’t be contaminated with chemicals.

Enjoy a Breakfast at Seafari Resort Oslob

As soon as we were done watching and swimming with the whale sharks, we took our transfer back to the resort. And being the hungry tourists that we were, we went straight to the bar and dining area.

For the free breakfast, one can have ham and omelette, choice of rice or bread and peanut butter or jam and coffee, powdered juice or hot tea. It also comes with a piece of pineapple and watermelon. Since we almost had the resort to ourselves, we could pretty much sit anywhere and we chose one with another great view.

With hunger out of the way, we checked out of this resort and headed for Bohol. Why so sudden? Well, we’ve already achieved our main goals in Cebu which were the lechon and butanding so we decided to continue the rest of our vacation in Bohol. Still, there’s definitely more to Cebu than these two which I hope I’ll be able to cover in the future!

Take Different Modes of Transportation to Reach Bohol

Getting to Bohol from Oslob can be difficult, specially if you didn’t make prior arrangements with a private car. Nevertheless, it isn’t impossible. From Oslob, one could either take a Ceres bus back north to Cebu then take a ferry to Tagbiliran. The other option, which we did, will be outlined below.

First, we waited on the highway for a Ceres Bus bound for Liloan Port from Seafari Resort. Travel time was around 15 to 20 minutes and costs around PHP 15.00 per person. The bus was not air-conditioned but it will drop you off right outside Liloan port.

Next, take a small fast craft from Liloan Port to Simulan Port in Dumaguete. This takes around 15 to 20 minutes and costs PHP 60.00 per person.

Once you arrive at Simulan Port, you’ll need to take a tricycle to Dumaguete Port. The driver initially threw us a price of PHP 220.00 but was haggled down to PHP 120.00 thanks to my friends! As soon as you reach Dumaguete Port, you’ll need to look for the OceanJet ticket booth outside the port and across the street.

Finally, take the OceanJet ferry from Dumaguete Port to Tagbilaran Port. This takes around 2 hours at most.

Tip: Avoid talking to anyone when entering and inside the port, unless you really need help. There are a lot of scammers out there who will charge you for almost every single movement.

Tip 2: Be prepared for motion-sickness. Depending on the weather, the ride can get very bumpy.

Check-in at Bohol Bee Farm Resort and Restuarant

Since Bohol Bee Farm is located on the outskirts of Panglao, Bohol, I had asked the resort to pick us up at Tagbiliran Port. Of all the places to stay at, why a night in Bohol Bee Farm? Bohol Bee Farm is famous for its organic and delicious dishes so we just had to try them out! Plus, they use some of their own products such as their honey in cooking their food. Before chowing down on their food, we dropped our stuff off at our room and freshened up first.

We got the Eggplant Room, or a garden bungalow as advertised on Agoda. Outside, there’s a porch for you to relax at, though I wouldn’t recommend doing this at night.

Tip: Steel yourselves for bugs and other creepy crawlies. Bohol Bee Farm isn’t your typical, luxurious resort with fancy rooms. Nevertheless, their rooms aren’t bad.

Random thought: My make-shift bed! We had asked the front desk to prepare additional bedding and towels which they gladly provided and delivered to our bungalow.

There’s a lot of space to place your luggage at but not a lot to organize them on. You can fix your things on the floor though I would have preferred to do it while sitting or standing.

The bed Eden and Gladys slept at. It was quite comfortable from what I’ve heard.

The bathroom was clean and spacey. Not as luxurious as any hotel of course, but it did serve its function well. It was also roomy enough to change into new clothes without worries of hitting anything.

Random thought: That clear glass on the window is scary. It feels like something might just pop out.

According to the girls, the water pressure from the shower wasn’t strong so it took them a while to bathe. It was okay for me though.

After getting settled in our room, we rushed to Bohol Bee Farm’s restaurant for our long-awaited dinner! This was actually our first, proper, and delicious dinner since we started our vacation.

Our dinner came with free appetizers. Those are cassava chips on the left and bread on the right. The ones on the middle are the pesto dip, butter and probably green bell peppers? Anyway, the pesto dip is to die for!

Eden ordered the Organic Roasted Chicken which comes with red rice and organic garden salad (PHP 340.00).

On the other hand, Gladys ordered the Seafood Pasta (PHP 360.00).

While I ordered the Seafood Lasagna (PHP 260.00). The Organic Garden Salad was a weird yet novel experience since even the flowers were edible! According to the servers, they’re called Cosmos and were harvested from their own gardens. They tasted bitter alone and was actually good with the other greens and sauce. The lasagna itself was great and flavorful, with a generous amount of melted cheese. The amount of seafood however, could be more.