Island and Province of Bohol. My wife and I made an exploratory visit in April of 2005. Here's our impressions based only on a few days. Bohol is only 1 1/2 hours from Cebu City by Supercat fast ferry so access to shopping, medical care etc. in Cebu City is fairly easy. The port facility was clean and very well-managed. The capitol and main city, Tagbilaran is a usual small Philippine city, for the most part an unplanned jumble of concrete buildings, crowded with trikes, trike fumes and trike noise. It does not have the charm of Dumaguete. We did not see much to recommend it except for a nice central shopping mall with a good grocery store. However, it does not take long to get out of the city into pleasant places. Many of Bohol's small places retain quite a lot of historic and environmental integrity and could be nice places to settle into if you want a quiet rural life.

Boholanos really seemed into keeping their island clean and preserved. We saw garbage trucks operating even in small rural towns. Historic houses in Baclayon threatened by a road widening project had signs asking that they not be damaged. There is also a website protesting the threats to the houses and the historic Baclayon Church. We also saw signs indicating various types of ecologically-friendly projects. We found the Alona Beach resort area to be pretty pleasant; decent tourist facilities not not really too overdeveloped. The beach/water quality in that immediate area did not seem up to the standard of Malapascua or Bantayan but there are numerous unspoiled islands, beaches and dive sites to explore. We stayed at the Crystal Coast Resort which is nicely situated on a bluff overlooking Alona Beach

Later, when the ferry was closed down because of a typhoon alert, we stayed at the Bohol Tropics Resort one night. It seemed to be the social center of Tagbilaran. It was very well managed but we found it a little contrived compared to the Panglao resorts. We also stayed at the Crystal Coast Resort which is prettily perched on a cliff overlooking Alona Beach beach. We liked that it was quiet, removed from the hubbub of the beach. Others may prefer being in the midst of the beach nightlife.

August 2007 update. During our 2005 visit we were charmed by the heritage houses of Baclayon. We understand from an article in the Inquirer, that owners of historic Baclayon properties have formed a bed and breakfast association offering 20 rooms in these old landmarks. Staying in one of these grand old houses could give a feel of Philippine life in the Spanish era and be a welcome change from the usual tourist accommodations.