Arrived at the Amorita Resort Bohol around 12p.m and the room wasn’t ready which was fine, few hours before official check-in. Has some lunch which was shit, crappy chicken BLT with bread the thickness of a male pornstars genitals, old hard bacon and some rock hard chicken. Grobbler ordered a kids burger and that was a bit rank too. Still, the staff are friendly and professional and you don’t come to the Philippines for the food so wasn’t too concerned as we I didn’t expect much foodwise.
In the afternoon we went for a swim in what is basically a spa pool, must have been about 40 degrees because when you got out, you felt colder and it was about 36 degrees outside. It’s one of the hottest outdoor pools I’ve ever been in and we couldn’t stay long in there as it was just too hot with not much shade. Of course it was 3 in the afternoon so hottest part of the day. After that we decided to go for a snorkel near Amorita Resort Bohol, not great but not too bad. Saw a few fish bit to be honest the Shangri-La Cebu was better.
For dinner the first night we decided to go for a walk down the beach and find a restaurant there. That was a shocker, waited almost an hour for the food and Grobblers Sweet and Sour Pork was horrendous, and my “fish n chips” was equally horrible. Don’t go to that restaurant, think it was called Coco Vida Shisha. The staff were not rude but just didn’t give a fuck and wouldn’t go back there if somebody paid me to. The foods not great at Amorita Resort Bohol but I’d recommend staying there instead of one of the Alona Beach restaurants because honestly they all looked pretty rank.
Second night dinner we just went for something sure and steady at Amorita Resort Bohol, margarita pizza after a few hours swim in the pool. The infinity pool by reception was a bit cooler and has more shade than the other one. Pizza was alright, not great but not bad. Ordered a beer but that never arrived but the staff are so friendly that you don’t really care that much. Also had some ice cream and Passionfruit and Mango Panacotta at the other restaurant and that was mediocre. Again, not bad not but great. Grobbler thought the pizza was so good he wanted that the next day for lunch so for kids, they’ll be fine.
Next to Amorita Resort Bohol is the Hennan Resort, which has a DJ and looked liked it was full of young ones about to get pissed up, Being Easter the beach (which is Alona Beach) was chocker full of locals and tourists. Not our scene at all and you’re better off staying in Amorita. We went down for breakfast at 630ish and there were quite a few people there. Typical asian hotel buffet breakfast with most things most people want for breakfast. We had a break from eggs and went for the pancakes which were better than average. Oh actually we also had a boiled egg and some toast, both of which were better than average although it’s pretty hard to fuck up either of those.
After breakfast we booked a tour to Balicasag and Virgin Islands. At Balicasag you snorkel and while it’s better snorkeling than off Amorita Resort, it’s not fantastic and again, Shangri-la Mactan was better. It’s about a 45 minute boat trip out there to it. We booked this through the hotel but apparently you can book it online for probably a whole lot less. It was private so that was good, you can read more about this in our things to do in Bohol Guide. The sand bar at Virgin Island I had read about being crowded and touristy, which it was a little bit, but that was actually one of the coolest things I’ve done in a while. Again, read more about that in our things to do in Bohol guide.
Beds were good at Amorita Resort Bohol, very comfortable, clean, not too soft and not too hard. No complaints here. We booked a standard room, which is big and has plenty of room. Shower is fine and bathroom is large as is the living room. This would probably be one of the better rooms I’ve stayed in for the price. No balcony but that’s not a deal breaker. They give you a free mini bar but don’t get too excited, it’s just some soft drinks, coke and Sprite I think, but hey it’s free so can’t complain and for the price, you can’t really expect free alcohol in the mini bar.
There’s two outdoor pools at Amorita Resort Bohol, both of which are far too hot and not covered until later evening. The infinity pool is nice and overlooks Alona Beach. Speaking of which, you have to walk down a few steps to get to Alone Beach. It’s not the best beach in the world, bit rocky but ok for swimming. Ignore the absolute toffee nose loons who complain about having to walk down steps, it’s really no big deal and if you complain about having to walk up and down them, you really shouldn’t be going anywhere on holiday.
There’s a private beach at Amorita, we had a nosy our first morning after breakfast but it’s a bit crap and nobody goes there. There’s no umbrella’s and no shade, has some rubbish and generally not that hospitable. I guess if you wanted some privacy you could head down there but calling it a private beach is a bit of stretch because it looks a bit crap and isn’t really suitable for swimming due to the rubbish, rocks and general shittyness of the beach. On the plus side, Grobbler loved it as it’s full of little hermit crabs and we spent a good hour down there for 2 days so although it’s not suitable for the purpose they intended, it’s a great little cosy spot for kids to play with some hermit crabs.
Bikes are available for hire, there’s a pink double cycle for two people (what is the proper name for those), you can use those to ride around the resort, not sure where you go but probably worth it if you’re staying here and get bored. I don’t think I’d spend more than 3 full days or 3-4 nights here as there’s not that much to do in Bohol that’s decent, but for a short holiday it’s great.
The staff at Amorita must be worth a mention, everybody was friendly, very helpful and as good as anywhere I’ve stayed in Asia in the last 20 years. We arrived around 12 but the room wasn’t ready which is understandable being Easter and and the fact that check in is 2p.m, but they had the room ready around 1p.m after we had some lunch. Booking the Balicasag and Virgin Island Tour was done with the help of the hotel staff and the dive center and both of them were excellent. Grobbler spotted 105 gecko’s by the second night so if your kids are into things like that that’ll keep them happy. They stick to the walls and roofs so if they’re not your thing you don’t need to panic as you either won’t notice them unless you’re looking or they won’t bother you.
Not sure I’d go back to Bohol, but if I was, I’d have no problem staying there again and if you’re thinking about it, don’t think you’ll regret it. There’s a few little idiosyncrasies about it but nothing major and for half the price of the Shangri-la Mactan in Cebu, even with the addition of the 2 hour ferry ride and 40 minute car trip to get there, I still think it’s worth it, especially if you’ve already stayed at the Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu and want to try something different.
We had a 6a.m transfer to the Tagbilaran to Bohol ferry. Breakfast opened at 6a.m, I specifically asked the staff to pack a breakfast the night before but they weren’t keen on that and suggested I just go to breakfast at 6 and take something away. I then asked them if they were absolutely sure breakfast would be open at 6 sharp and everything would be out, to which the reply was yes. I asked this because I know in places likes this, breakfast can often not be ready by 6 or whatever time they promise. Again, they assured me, yes, all the food would be out.
Of course when I get there in the morning at 6, hardly anything is out, no eggs, some bread and few other bits and pieces. Found some banana bread. Ordinarily if we were there for the day, it’s no big deal but when you were specifically told, and after specifically asking, that there would be stuff out, it’s pretty crap, and reminds you that the staff, although very friendly and helpful, were a bit clueless on some things. I ordered a beer with pizza and that never came, made a few other minor requests and asked a few basic questions which were greeted with blank stares. Again, nothing that bad but the ending kind of left a sour taste in my mouth.
You can book Amorita Resort Bohol directly at their website or on booking.com or agoda.com or any of those Bohol hotel booking websites. I booked it on booking.com. Overall it was a good stay and nothing that bad about it, nothing that spectacular about it. Would I recommend it to friends and family? Yes, but would tell them not to get their hopes up. The food is pretty ordinary at best, the rooms are excellent, service is generally good and for the price, it’s good value for money. If you have other questions about the Amorita Resort Bohol, contact us or ask us on Twitter.
