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

1. 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)
2. 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.

Talk to the guys at the structure on the right

Even the boat is included in that promo as the marine sanctuary is just 15-20 minutes from Bluewater's shore.

Even without snorkeling or looking at the boat's  glass bottom view,
you can still spot them fish.

And if you get hungry after  all that swimming, snorkeling, and boating, you can eat and drink at the resort's Aplaya restaurant.

Sinugbang Pusit (a Cebuano squid 

After a full meal, there are cushy seats for guests who just wish to chill and enjoy the view

Or have an impromptu photo shoot with the friendly resort staff

Of course, we had to do one with the front desk staff as well:

She handles the Panglao tour inquiries
(located near the front desk)

Alrighty I'm done, Zzzzzz......

Vegas Pools: MGM Hotels' Resort Pools

Since it is now raining most of the time here in the Philippines,we are temporarily shifting this blog's focus to places where you can still enjoy warm sunny days.

Mandalay Bay pool

So let's forget about a long segue (or excuse) and just cut to the chase immediately.  Yes, this will be another Las Vegas post. Its the peak of summer right now in the US, so I will be featuring some of the massive swimming pools housed in Las Vegas Boulevard hotels.  Note: this is not a sponsored post.  All my travels were paid for using personal funds. 

The wave pool is the main attraction in Mandalay's 11 acres of water fun

Mandalay's swimming pools, which were launched in 2006, are often featured in top ten  lists of swimming pools.  I guess that is why I often notice a lot of international tourists whenever I stay  at Mandalay or TheHotel.

It can get pretty packed during summer, especially weekends, so if you prefer a less crowded venue, you may check out another MGM Resort, the newer Aria resort.  I really liked the hotel's lazy river pool (shown below)

the view from my 10th floor hotel room

And if you are into the over-21 summer pool parties, Aria offers the Liquid pool lounge.  Well Mandalay offers them as well, I just did not have the appropriate photos.

If Aria's and Mandalay's suites and rooms are too expensive for your summer budget, Luxor, another MGM resort at the southern end of the Vegas strip, offers cheaper rooms.  And you can still have your Vegas swimming pool vacation, without breaking the bank.

Well its Vegas, so expect the pools to offer alcohol drinks within easy reach.

Have some wet summer fun at whichever Las Vegas hotel pool you chose!

Coron (Palawan) Underwater Part 1

Here are some underwater photos I took in the coral reefs of Coron, Palawan last week. Most of these photos were taken at World War II era shipwrecks of Japanese gunboats.  Since I am still gathering more information about corals and fishes in the photos, this post will be mostly a photo blog of the underwater world of Coron, a paradise for snorkelers and scuba divers.  Well, even if you are not into underwater activities like those, trying them out might get you hooked.

 

But before we proceed further, here are some important reminders in case you suddenly decide to go to Coron immediately after seeing these photos

1. The good places for awesome coral reefs can only be reached by hiring a boat in Coron town.  Or if the boat rental is too expensive, you may join a tour group and shell out around P1,200 (US$30).

2. Even if you can still snorkel or dive when its raining, a beautiful sunny day significantly helps with the underwater visibility especially for taking photos.  This effect is further highlighted when the coral reef is in shallow waters as the sunlight easily reaches the corals.  In my photos, you can easily see which ones were in shallow waters.

3.  There is a caveat though when swimming in shallow waters.  You can easily scrape or hit the corals, hurting you and the corals.  Please be careful.

4.  Watch out for the jellyfish here.  They may be smaller here, but their stinging cells can still pack a wallop.  Wetsuits and rashguards may help protect you against the smaller jellyfish.

Enjoy!

What are you looking at, Mr Fish?

I could not find Nemo, but here's one who may be related to him

The underwater world has creatures unfamiliar to most people,
(me included)

If you prefer to see fish, this is also the place to go to.

Appropriately named coral sea garden

The hull of the gunboat sunk almost some 68 years ago

I never expected Coron's marine life to be this rich and diverse

You will also find corals with a mesmerizing blueish glow

Scuba diving lovers?