Every year, Ken and I make sure to celebrate our birthdays somewhere out of town. In 2012, we decided it will be in Bohol. He’s been there before, and he can’t forget their wonderful stay at Bohol Bee Farm. He said it’s a truly memorable experience so I decided to check them out for our vacation.
Before anything else, I just wanted to say that this post shouldn’t have been delayed for more than a year. I wanted to write about our 2012 vacation in Bohol and our stay at Bohol Bee Farm as soon as we got back because we had an extremely fabulous time there, especially with the outstanding customer service we got from the farm’s staff. Sadly, too many things got in the way, including, I’ll admit, procrastination. 😐
After everything that has happened to Bohol in 2013 and our recent trip to Palawan for our birthdays (I’ll get into details of this on our post about it), I was determined to finally finish this series of posts to share with you why you must visit Bohol.
A rainbow appeared on our first day in Bohol. I didn’t have my DSLR with me so I took this using my smartphone. Couldn’t miss this shot. 🙂
Going back to the planning stage of our Bohol trip, initially, it was just going to be me, Ken and our nanay. Upon checking Bohol Bee Farm’s tour package rates (which included all the amenities Ken got to experience during his first visit here), I learned it’ll be too expensive for us to take advantage of what they’re offering. Thankfully, one of my close friends, Badeth, was already scheduled to go to Bohol in late October 2012, which happens to coincide with my birthday. We all agreed to go together, so I booked our flights making sure we get on the same ones as Badeth’s family.
They were about 10 in the group, including kids, and there are 3 of us. Checking the rates table at Bohol Bee Farm, I knew we’ll get a big discount. So it was really amazing that my friend Saji and her partner Buena also accepted my invitation to join us. Whew! In total, there were 15 of us, but we later found out 2 of Buena’s friends are also joining. 😀 That’s 17, including 3 kids. 😀
Our BIG family. 😀
I’ve been emailing Bohol Bee Farm for months (with Josephine and Celsa), and they’ve been very quick in responding even amidst all the changes I had to make because our group was growing.
Since we’re a big group, we ended up paying Php 6,800 per adult, while 2 kids were charged half (they counted them as one adult), and the youngest can join us for free. That’s for 4 days, 3 nights, inclusive of tours, 3 meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), and even 1-hour massages! TRUST ME, it was all fricking worth it! 😀
In fact, the customer service we received from Bohol Bee Farm has set the standards for us when it comes to hotels and resorts. We were talking about it nonstop during our Palawan vacation because we just can’t help but compare the level of attention and care that the staff of Bohol Bee Farm were giving to their guests. You’ll learn more about this as you read on. 🙂
Fast forward to October, we were all giddy with excitement for our 4D3N vacay. It’s my first time there and for the rest of our group, except for Ken and nanay. I expected a hot day, but it was raining cats and dogs when we finally arrived at the Tagbilaran Airport in Bohol where a big van was waiting to take us to Bohol Bee Farm.
Upon arrival, we were all amused by the lush greeneries that surrounded us. I’ve always dreaded staying in hotels during vacations like this, so Bohol Bee Farm was the perfect venue for me to finally relax. We wanted to roam around the farm, but we know there’ll be a tour for that so we decided to rest first.
Bohol Bee Farm has this rustic yet cozy feel. It made me feel like we were just there to relax. It had this serene ambiance that made our stay more unforgettable.
After settling our bills and finalizing the itinerary for the Nth time with Celsa (not their fault, I’m just OC 😀 ), we were led to our rooms so we can prepare for lunch. We were assigned 5 rooms: Honeycomb Suite 1 and 2, Beehive Suite, and the Squash and Langka Garden Rooms. All rooms have air-conditioning, cable TV, hot and cold shower, and a refrigerator.
We were allowed to check in early, but my family’s room – Honeycomb 2 – wasn’t available yet. Since Saji’s group was coming in late in the afternoon, we stayed in their room first. The Beehive Suite has one Queen-sized bed and a single sofa bed. They have 4 rooms like this. Good thing the one they gave our group was closer to the Honeycomb Suites and the dining areas.
After lunch, we were able to settle in our room. Honeycomb 1 is wood-inspired, while the second, where my family was staying, is bamboo-themed, so you’ll see many of the furnishings were made of, well, bamboo. 😀 The Honeycomb suites that were reserved for our group were next to each other, by the way, and you have to climb some stairs to get there.
The Honeycomb Suite has 3 beds – Queen, a full-sized bed and a single sofa/pullout bed where Ken slept in. We were surprised by how spacious our room was.
There’s also a veranda/porch where you can stay while you enjoy the view. Aaahhhhhhh… love it!
Oh, the TVs inside our rooms were all small, but I mean, I really wanted to relax and somehow disconnect myself from the world so I didn’t mind. I don’t think anyone of us did. 😉
The bathroom was roomy too. However, if there’s one thing I can complain about, it’ll have to be the shower area. You have to step into the tub when you take a bath. I wish they have a separate shower since elderly people might have a hard time climbing in. It’s not slippery though, but you have to be careful.
Anyway, I still enjoyed my bath times there because of the view from the window. You just have to make sure you move the curtains for cover while you lather up. 😀
By the way, all 3 of us availed of the complimentary 1-hour massage. There’s actually an area by the cliff that’s meant for spa services, but we all preferred to stay in our rooms ’cause we’re more likely to fall in deep slumber right after the massage, which Ken promised to be awesome. And it was! I think I was even talking while I fell asleep for a little bit during my massage. 😀
I don’t have a photo taken during our massage sessions, but our friends Buena and Saji gave us permission to share the photo above. 😉
The staff can be easily reached through the landline phones inside our rooms. I even used it to wake up Badeth and her family. 😀 You can order food to be delivered to your room as well. However, I would recommend you enjoy the view at their dining areas than be locked up in your room.
Bohol Bee Farm’s Restaurants
One of the main reasons why we picked Bohol Bee Farm was because of their food, which Ken can’t stop raving about. We weren’t disappointed for even one bit. Even the picky eaters in Badeth’s family enjoyed the food. How can you complain when you’re getting yummy food made with fresh, organic ingredients?! 🙂
There are 4 dining areas in Bohol Bee Farm: Lantaw, Cave, Bamboo and Honeycomb. Since our big group was served buffet-style, we got to eat everywhere except for Honeycomb (reserved for tourists who just drop by) and Cave (for conferences or bigger groups). You can also opt to order a la carte from their menu if there’s something you fancy.
Everything was healthy and organic, meaning they used ingredients that were grown and produced without fertilizers, pesticides or anything harmful for our body and the sources. We won’t be talking in detail about the all the food we ate at the farm since we’ll be blogging about them on our food blog, Certified Foodies. Check out the links below (some are not yet active – please stay tuned!):
- Bohol Bee Farm Restaurants and the healthful food
- Bohol Bee Farm : The Buzzz Ice Cream
- Bohol Bee Farm Store for Pasalubongs
Bamboo Restaurant
This is where we had our first lunch at Bohol Bee Farm. We considered it a special preview of what we’ll be experiencing at the farm.
Check out this Flower Salad! 😀
Lantaw Restaurant
We had our first dinner, all breakfast and lunch at Lantaw, which was a bigger dining area than their Bamboo Resto.
Even when you woke up in a grumpy mood, the spectacular view of the sea will put a smile on your face while you’re having breakfast or brunch. 🙂
BOHOL BEE DIVE CENTER
On our first day at Bohol Bee Farm, right after lunch, we went down to the dock so we can check out the beach and take photos.
We found the Bohol Bee Dive Center downstairs and we learned you can rent a boat and the necessary equipment for diving.
The weather wasn’t cooperating when we were supposed to go dolphin-watching, which is why we had to cancel it, and we weren’t in the mood on our first day to do anything tiring. So, we just hung out at the dock for a little bit.
The tide was low so you can easily walk in the water to the beach on the side of the dock. We didn’t have any sunscreen on and we weren’t beach-ready yet, so after taking some photos, we went back to our room to rest.
Can you tell how much our nanay was enjoying? 😀
During our stay, we found a couple of people swimming here, but we didn’t take the plunge since we were going to a beach resort in Panglao anyway.
The stairs going down to the dock are a little steep, so we didn’t think about coming back anymore even though we wanted to watch the sunset from there. If you like to sunbathe or just stay under the sun, their lounge is perfect for you. 🙂
Haggard lang, teh? 😀
Here are photos taken by our friends Buena and Saji at the dock while the sun was setting. Gorgeous, right?!
Bohol Bee Farm’s Surprise
The staff already knew that Ken and I are celebrating our birthdays there, and that mine falls exactly on our 3rd day. I was aware that they’ll surprise me, but I didn’t expect to receive this bonggacious organic carrot cake. 😀
Thank you, Bohol Bee Farm! This was yummy! 🙂
Because we cancelled one of our tours – dolphin and whale watching plus diving – we decided to spend the extra money for my birthday celebration. We ordered their pizza, which were all so scrumptious that Ken and I still have dreams about it til now. 😀
The Buzzz Ice Cream
Since it was hot and humid during most of our stay in Bohol, their all-natural ice cream at The Buzzz was ideal to beat the heat. They were all very good! Read our full review on our food blog (very soon!!).
Their ice cream flavors range from regular flavors such as mango, pandan, ube and chocolate, to more unique flaors like tomato, spicy ginger and malunggay. It’s Php 80 per generous scoop. They use cassava for their ice cream cone.
Excellent Customer Service
I’ve said this earlier, and I’ll say it again: the customer service we received from Bohol Bee Farm was amazing and made us want to come back soon. Trust me, we made a lot of requests throughout our stay, which they gladly took care of, with smiles on their faces every time!. 🙂
What we can’t forget up until now – and this cracks us up like crazyyyyy – happened during one of our dinners. My friend Saji got this fish bone stuck in her throat for some reason (yeah, there’s always something going on with her 😀 ). We were suggesting stuff like eating a banana, swallowing it right away without chewing (*wink* *wink*), drinking lots of water, and finding a cat that can scratch her throat because there’s this myth that it’ll miraculously take out that fishbone (or tinik) from her throat.
The staff were waiting on us to finish our dinner, so they were nearby when this happened. We jokingly said to them, “Ate, meron ba kayong pusa dito?” (Do you have cats here?). Again, it was all a joke and we were teasing Saji the whole time. The thing is, I think someone from our group who asked them last did so with a straight face so one of the staff actually went to find a cat and she brought it to us. 😀 She probably also believed that myth… maybe? I don’t know. 😀
What transpired after that was too funny for words, but I won’t talk more about it ’cause I don’t want to get them in trouble. Let’s just say one of their staff is afraid of cats. 😀 But, all of us, including the staff and the girl who brought the cat, were laughing our asses off. OH GOSH. I still can’t help but laugh while writing this. 😀
Seriously, though, apart from that moment of hilarity, we now consider Bohol Bee Farm’s care for their guests as the standard for the quality of service hotels and resorts should be providing. We want to thank them and we hope to be back to Bohol Bee Farm soon. 🙂
Hopefully, this post will convince you to stay there too next time you’re in Bohol. 🙂
Other Amenities
Aside from their restaurants and spacious rooms, there are also other areas in Bohol Bee Farm where you can hang out. There’s a small pool area where you can enjoy some drinks. It also has a kiddie pool, so you can stay here with the whole family.
They also have a pasalubong store – The Buzzz Shop – where you can find their delicious spreads, fresh fruits, pastries, wild honey from their bee farm, and more! It’s open from 5:30am til 12 midnight. (We’ll be writing about the pasalubong items we bought here on a separate post on Certified Foodies)
We had our tour of their premises on our last day, which we’ll be blogging about separately since this post is already too long. 😀
Why You Must Stay in Bohol Bee Farm
To summarize this review and blog post, here are the main reasons why you should stay here at the farm.
- Captivating resort and spacious rooms. Perfect venue to relax.
- You’re surrounded by greeneries and the air is refreshing.
- Beautiful, breathtaking scenery while you dine, overlooking the sea.
- Very accommodating and friendly staff. Prompt responses to requests, polite and very professional.
- Organic food. You can opt for their buffet and eat all-you-want, yet not feel bloated.
- They promote organic farming and they also provide jobs for many Boholanos.
- Tons of top quality pasalubong items to choose from, especially their spreads!!
- Delightful homemade ice cream with very unique flavors.
- Free WiFi. Just ask them for the password.
Negatives: No major complaints here, really, but we wanted to mention these as an FYI / heads-up.
- As mentioned earlier, the shower. I wish they have a separate area where one can shower without having to step into the tub.
- They don’t have a safety deposit box per room, which might concern some people. Instead, you’ll have to go to their frontdesk and ask if they can keep your valuables in their safety vault. I always have my valuables with me anyway, except that one time we had to leave our phones in our room to recharge while we were having lunch.
TIPS:
- You need to walk a bit from your room to their restaurants, so if you have elderly people joining you, request for the suites closer to the restaurant and the lobby area like the Beehive and Honeycomb Suites we got. The garden rooms are also easily accessible to older guests, so make sure you inquire about this.
- It might be a li’l hard to go out and about from Bohol Bee Farm to some of the tourist spots. However, you can always arrange for transportation or avail of their tour packages (we did and we’ll also write about all of them separately). They have a free shuttle service. Make sure to check the schedule.
We’ll be blogging about our Loboc River Cruise, visit to Chocolate Hills, seeing the Philippine tarsiers, the Baclayon church (which was sadly ruined by the recent earthquakes), Panglao tour, and about the livelihood activities at Bohol Bee Farm.
In anticipation of our post about the bees at Bohol Bee Farm, here’s our nanay holding the drone frame where the bees were making honey.
Stay tuned for our separate post about the Bohol Bee Farm tour.
If you’re looking for a charming place to stay in Bohol where you can enjoy some quality time and delicious food, plus experience extraordinary customer service at a fair price, we highly recommend Bohol Bee Farm.
Thank you again to all the staff of Bohol Bee Farm for making our 2012 vacation so amazing and unforgettable. We will be back!!!! 🙂
Bohol Bee Farm
- Dao, Dauis, Bohol
- Contact #s: (38) 501-7819 / (38) 502-2288 / 0917-304-1491
- Email: vickywallace@boholbeefarm.com
- Website: www.boholbeefarm.com
This is a part of our Bohol 2012 vacation series of posts. Click here for the summary of posts/topics with links.