If you have read our blog posts, you will quickly realize that we are low-budget adventurers at heart. We are fine with rudimentary accommodations, simple budget meals and inexpensive public transportation. We have been okay with that for years! But in all honesty, sometimes, we do want to indulge in splendor and luxury. We can only imagine just how wonderful it is to stay in a five-star hotel, taste world-class cuisine, walk in manicured gardens and be treated like VIPs. That would truly be one great experience!
Never in our wildest imagination did we expect that dream, seemingly so far from our grasp, to come true. You can just imagine how we screamed in delight when we received an email from The Bellevue Resort in Panglao, an elegant five-star resort that is considered one of the best in Bohol. They invited us for a weekend stay in their beautiful resort. Needless to say, we readily accepted the invitation.
Upon arrival, the concierge staff brought us clean, moist towels and cold welcome drinks to refresh ourselves. After the friendly front office ladies completed the check-in process and briefed us on our activities for the next few days, we were introduced to The Bellevue Resort Resort Manager Rommel Gonzales who formally welcomed us.
He then instructed some staff to escort us to their Lamian Restraurant so we can have dinner. As it is a buffet, we had a late-night gastronomic feast! As low-budget travelers, it is not every day when we can enjoy unlimited 5-star menus like this!
After having filled our tummies to the brim with all that sumptuous food, we went to our assigned room so we can settle down and rest. Check out the beautiful designs on the hallways.
Rooms
Don’t laugh at us, but we were actually speechless when we entered our room. I mean, just look how grand that is! And this is just the basic deluxe room! Our deluxe room has a comfortable king-sized bed with soft pillows and silky sheets. One side table has an iPod dock, and another has a phone. Room lights can be centrally controlled via a panel above one of the side tables.
Our room also has its own sitting area where we can eat meals, read a book, chat, or, if the hotel permits, entertain guests.
We also have our own mini-refrigerator filled with ice-cold beverages and snacks. Sachets of coffee and tea as well as snack packs are offered. A small electric kettle is also provided so we can heat water for our coffee or tea.
Check that out! We have our own workspace! Busy executives could keep in touch with their business here without compromising the pleasure of a vacation. Oh, did we tell you that the hotel has a very good Wi-Fi signal?
The Bellevue Resort also provides bathrobes, garbage bags, and a suit cover to keep your business suits and formal dresses wrinkle-free. Each room also has a safe for guests to place their money, valuables, and gadgets. We also have a rechargeable flashlight to use in case of emergency.
Let’s check out their bathroom. Very cool, isn’t it? The toilet has a bidet so you don’t need to worry if, like us, you’re not used to using toilet paper. Additionally, since hot and cold shower is provided, we won’t blame you if you stay in there longer than necessary! In Bellevue, bathing is indeed a pleasure.
There’s also a bathtub opposite the shower.
What a classy sink, and the spigot produces hot or cold water as well. The hotel provides guests with a complete set of fine toiletries that makes them feel oh so refreshed!
For us, the best thing about our room—and our stay as a whole—is this welcome letter. Yes, it is addressed to us! It made us feel really special.
We received a nice customized invitation and welcome kit from the management of The Bellevue Resort. The kit details the facilities, amenities, schedules, rules, and other information that you need to know during your stay in the facility.
We spent an extremely restful first night. Early the next day, we went out to the balcony to breathe the morning air. Each room has a balcony like this where one can drink coffee, admire the view, read the dailies, or simply sit down and relax.
Check out this beautiful, refreshing view of the bay at 7AM. Don’t you just want to say, “It’s a beautiful day today!”
Later in the day, a lovely and friendly hotel staff named Brigeth toured us around the other rooms in the resort. All 159 exquisitely appointed luxury rooms have the same basic amenities as ours. However, they differ in floor area, luxuries, and extra goodies. For instance, some deluxe rooms are equipped with two double-queen beds like this to accommodate families or a small group of friends.
More luxurious rooms and suites feature more spacious living areas where guests can socialize. Just check that out; we would definitely love to have our house’s living room designed like this.
All rooms have state-of-the-art LED TVs hooked up to a satellite cable network.
A guest can choose to book an Ocean View room. An Ocean View room provides the guest a beautiful and expansive view of the verdant resort gardens and the azure bay beyond the resort’s borders.
Waking up in an Ocean View room makes your day even more beautiful, don’t you think?
Rooms at the first level do not have balconies. Instead, they have terraces, small gardens, and pathways which lead directly to the pool area, garden, beach, and restaurant. Feeling lazy this week? Get a first-level room, and you’ll enjoy first dips. Hehehe!
For an ultimate staycation experience, guests can opt to book in any of Bellevue’s grandiose suites, all of which face the ocean. Not only do these rooms have larger spaces and better amenities, they also have with their own jacuzzis!
Yes, you can have a relaxing vacation or a romantic date while immersed in your very own whirlpool. Add in a glass of cold, sweet piña colada at your side, and you are in heaven!
The Presidential Suite is features multiple bedrooms with their own balconies and living areas. Furthermore, it has its own fully-functional kitchen and granite-topped bar. This is perfect for groups of executives and VIPs who have their own chefs, families with moms who love to cook, or cliques with members who have an immense passion of the culinary arts.
The Presidential Suite is also has an elegant conference table which guests can use to hold meetings, family dinners, buffets, and more.
Amenities
Let’s check outside, shall we? The Bellevue Resort knows the importance of making guests and visitors comfortable. Thus, warm, cushioned seats are placed in every corner of the reception area and lobby.
Adorning the lobby are numerous frames, jars, reliefs, lamps, amakan panels, wooden beams, and other accessories with tribal designs. Everything blends together into a very traditional, warm, and charming Filipino ambiance.
A simple, no-nonsense, open front desk exudes an atmosphere of warmth, hospitality, and friendliness. It is manned 24 hours by well-trained and friendly staff.
Need to send an email to your clients? Want to update your Facebook status? Want to check the latest stock market report? You can do that in their business center, which is located at one side of the lobby. Since The Bellevue Resort has actively adapted, used and maximized digital technology, they did away with bulky analog office machines such as faxes, printers, photocopiers, and the like.
Their small souvenir shop not only sells trinkets, mementos, shirts and delicacies. It can also serve as your emergency vacation shop! Yes, they sell practical items such as dry bags, mask-and-snorkel sets, rash guards, swimsuits and more. Forgot your goggles? Head directly to this souvenir shop.
The island of Bohol is chock-full of natural and cultural wonders, interesting sights and exciting adventures. The resort’s tour desk helps guests organize their Bohol adventures, from simple city tours to mysterious deep water dives.
The expansive lobby features a unique sunken bar and lounge called Flujo where guests and visitors can enjoy their favorite drinks. The bar is open air, so you can have a drink while enjoying the freshness of sea breeze and the beauty of the seascape.
As of this writing, Flujo was still closed for some minor renovations.
Paved and polished pathways lead from the lobby to the various areas and facilities in the resort. Walking along this path also treats guests to beautiful sceneries all around the resort. It also helps guests stay off the well-maintained grass.
Each day, some hotel staff members clean the lily-filled fish ponds that surround Flujo. Check out that nice round platform. Don’t you think it’s a perfect site for those who are practicing yoga?
Hundreds of colorful and jittery kois swim around the ponds, and they’re definitely a joy to watch. If we remember it right, there is a fish feeding activity in the day where children can give this cute creatures some morsels to eat.
Of course, no stay is ever complete without a refreshing dip in the resort’s swimming pool. Now, this is not just an ordinary pool. The Bellevue Resort has a beautiful azure infinity pool that perfectly blends into the seascape. The pool is divided into three sections—a shallow children’s area, the main swimming area, and a diving area that is 12 feet deep.
Get a break from the tropical sun’s blaze under the shade of these comfortable lounge beds. There are plenty of these relaxing lounge beds at the pool deck and beach area for everyone.
At one side of the sandy beach area is a colorful, open-air playground. Little children and even their parents will definitely love the slides, swings, seesaws, climbing walls, and hanging bridges.
After all that swimming, touring, and enjoying water activities, you would definitely want to freshen yourself with a cool drink. The resort has a well-stocked bar with a comprehensive array of popular alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
So fill up that glass and let’s have a toast to wonderful times!
Billiard is a perfect game that accompanies a drinking session. Feel free to play a round or two with a friend.
Don’t let rain dampen your child’s day. The resort has an indoor game room where children can have fun despite bad weather.
Guests who have important appointments or activities in which bringing kids is discouraged or prohibited may leave their young ones here. Don’t worry, they’re perfectly in safe hands with the skilled childminders.
Older children, teens, and even adults are not left out in the game room. High-tech simulators, consoles, and computers in which they can play video games to their hearts’ content are available. Soccer tables and arcade basketball units are also available.
Kids can also ask for movies, books, toys, and activity kits from the game room concierge.
Let’s head outside for awhile. Do you want to go around the neighborhood? You can rent these nice bikes. Just approach the front desk for a ticket to use one.
It was our first time to ride on one of these things. It’s quiet and non-polluting.
This passenger cart takes passengers, staff, and luggage around the resort and to the Pavilion. What is the Pavilion, you might ask?
The Bellevue Pavilion is the resort’s expansive convention center. Corporate affairs, weddings, parties and celebrations can be held here.
The entire facility is enormous although it doesn’t look like it when viewed from the outside. The Pavillon’s interiors are divided into sections that can be closed off to accommodate smaller parties.
Nature lovers would definitely love strolling around The Bellevue Resort as it is surrounded by verdant, beautifully manicured gardens.
Fitness buffs like us will surely love the fact that the resort has a small gym where they can keep up with their daily exercise routines. The small gym is equipped with top-quality treadmills and step machines as well as free weights.
After a comprehensive tour around the hotel, it was time to treat ourselves to a relaxing massage. Guests can wait in these comfy couches while waiting for their turn to have their bodies taken care of. Check out the tribal decors.
The massage rooms of Azurea Spa are immaculately clean. Soft and calming piped-in music and dim lights provide a deeply relaxing atmosphere.
Skilled and friendly therapists treated us to the most relaxing Swedish massage in our lives! In fact, it was so relaxing that we napped sometime during the session. After the massage, they brewed us some ginger tea to cool our bodies before heading out to Marea, one of the resort’s in-house restaurants.
Our tour around The Bellevue Resort gave us a glimpse of our exciting and wonderful upcoming weekend experience. We are not exaggerating when we say that this resort has truly set the five-star standard of hospitality establishments to a new level. We have seen its facilities and rooms and experienced its customer service, and they’re simply exemplary!
Of course, you, dear reader, know the restless spirit of adventure in us. We want action! We want to do something that pumps our adrenaline! We do not want to stay in our room all weekend! Well, not to worry folks because The Bellevue Resort has water activities that will truly make your stay exciting, fun, and memorable. Watch out for our next post.
Contact Details
You can get in touch with The Bellevue Resort using the following details:
- Mailing Address: Barangay Doljo, Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines 6340
- Telephone: (6338) 422-2222
- Fax: (6338) 422-2202
- Email: info@thebellevuebohol.com
- Website: The Bellevue Resort
For booking conventions, parties, seminars, and other events, contact their Sales Department using the following details:
- Telephone Numbers: (6332) 771-8181/ (6338) 266-9165