J2TravelGuide: Bluewater Panglao Resort, Bohol

In my previous post, I implied that I might be shifting away from tourist destinations in the Philippines due to the onset of the rainy season. However, I just realized that it might still be a good idea to still continue to post more about Philippine summer destinations due to the following reasons

Tourists especially those from other counties usually make advanced travel preparations. Besides in 3 to 4 months, the typhoon season ends and gives way to the dry season starts (Dec - May)
It is not always raining here, especially during mornings. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are quite common though. But there will be times wherein you will have a few consecutive days of sun allowing you to enjoy the beach. This one probably applies to more domestic tourists as they can easily book a domestic flight or ride the bus during breaks from the rain.

So this post will be about a trip to the Bluewater Panglao resort in Bohol , early in July, after the Philippine summer season has long ended.

I did not actually make an advanced booking for this resort as it was the offseason so I kinda assumed that it would be easy to find vacant rooms. I just made the reservation when I arrived at the Tagbilaran port since they had a booth and a sales representative at the arrival area.

Yes there are a lot of cheaper resorts especially in the Alona beach area, but what convinced me was that this resort had a nearby marine sanctuary and provides free roundtrip car/van transfers to the resort and port. I was travelling solo and I would have had to pay extra for car/van ride and boat rental for island hopping.

I've also seen some photos of Bluewater Panglao and they look real nice. So I accepted the sales rep's offer of P6,200 (US$150) for an overnight stay at a Premier Deluxe Poolside room. She arranged the a car from the resort to pick me up at Tagbilaran port. After 30 minutes of land travel, I arrived at the resort and was given a welcome drink by the friendly resort staff. Please note that like all my other blog posts. this is not a sponsored post.

View from a Poolview Premier Deluxe Room

Another reason why I chose a more expensive resort was that I wanted to do more interior photo shots of luxurious hotels in the Philippines. And my resort room did not disappoint.

The room was so spacious that you could probably throw a party for your closest friends. And the bathroom is also massive, even by US standards. I've stayed at most Vegas hotel suites and rooms, yet Bluewater's bathroom still had that wow factor when I first entered

You also get a gorgeous view of the main swimming pool
(well assuming you don't care much about privacy)

Now let's go outside and explore the resort's amenities:

The main swimming pool

perhaps they could throw a Vegas style pool party here?

And a little further southwest, we have the swimming pools near the Aplaya bar/restaurant and the seashore:

Please note that if you are looking for a nice white beach, you would have to take the resort's free shuttle to nearby Alona beach. These free trips run on a limited schedule though.

Bluewater's seashore is not a white beach area, since it is located near the marine reef sanctuary filled with corals, seaweeds and rocks. Swimming is mostly done at the resort's pools.

Resort dock during high tide

During low tide (late PM), it may be difficult to launch your boats, kayaks, etc.

You would have to walk from your room for about 5 minutes to reach the two swimming pools in the Aplaya area. Fortunately if its too hot or raining, the resort will drive you there via golf cart.

Just let any hotel staff know that you need a free ride.

The resort offers aquatic activities such as kayaking and sailing. They actually offer free use of the equipment for those activities every morning (9:30AM - 11:30AM) on a first come-first serve basis. Please inquire about it at the front desk or at the corner office located at the back of Aplaya restaurant.