Anda, Bohol: Anda White Beach Resort
I'm excited over our Coron vacation this Friday. But let me share where My Bibe and I have been to Holy Week of last year - Anda, Bohol.
Anda is a municipality in the province of Bohol that's around 1.5 to 2 hours from Tagbilaran City, the capital. Five years earlier, our travel time clocked in at 3 hours. Oh, and we had to endure a hefty powdering of dust as there were no air-conditioned buses plying that route then. Thankfully, the roads are now concrete, allowing for a faster drive. So much has changed.
Back in 2005, My Bibe and I were as gung-ho as we could be. We went to Anda and didn't have any reservation but we managed to find a room at Dapdap Beach Resort where amenities were very basic back then. Last year, however, we opted for some comfort instead and booked a room with Anda White Beach Resort.
The resort had a small strip of beach in front, and this was how it looked during low tide:
It's not very inviting for a swim but it's much better during high tide, as you can see here:
The resort is owned by Grace, a Filipina married to a German I think. She was very welcoming and was frequently engaged in conversations with her guests without being intrusive. I remember her worrying over finding a jeepney for hire because she had guests arriving soon who wanted to ride a jeepney from the airport all the way to the resort. Funny but their bags will be in an air-conditioned vehicle.
Accommodation can be relatively expensive at close to Php 5,000 a night but personally I thought it was just fine. First of all, our room was really huge. And so was the bed.
Grace said she had the beds customized since her clientele are primarily Caucasians who might find the usual beds around too small. Cabinet space is also generous as you can see here:
The room's air-conditioned with satellite TV and a personal fridge.
There's also a coffee table and two chairs. There's just so much space available!
There's a restaurant and bar where servings are considerably huge. Everything is seemingly meant for sharing, at least by Filipino standards.
There's a pool table at the restaurant, and some books and magazines at their reading area.
Although the resort's land area is not that big, they've managed to build a pool fronting the restaurant and overlooking the beach below.
The pool's well-maintained, with someone cleaning it every morning.
With Bohol's landscape of limestone rocks, the resort itself is elevated. So you have to descend a paved flight of stairs to get to the beach.
The beach below is shaded by coconut trees with sun beds provided for lounging around. And if I might add, the sun beds are not the white plastic ones I see in most resorts.
You can also play some beach volleyball with a net already set up. Didn't see anyone play while we were there, though.
This cute little doggy was always following us around. If my memory serves me right, I think her name's Princess. But Grace said she's not her dog. I think the dog simply staked her claim so now she's free to roam around as she pleases. Notice the tag? It means she's already received an anti-rabies injection, a project of the municipality, Grace says.
I told you she was always following us around. She's always at our doorstep.
One more good thing about the resort is the courtesy and efficiency of their staff. While dining at the restaurant, housekeeping flies under the radar and cleans your room. They're like ninjas that we never noticed them. We were just always surprised to see our room already made up.
If you want some action and partying, Anda White Beach Resort is not the right place for you. It's basically a venue for some peace and quiet. Grace says some of her guests come over to escape the noise of Panglao Island. But then there are also a few who check out complaining of the lack of anything to do. Guess they're not familiar with the art of doing nothing.
But to me there can always be something interesting, like this bird I've been patiently stalking:
She was watching over her nest. So I kept my distance.
My Bibe and I were both satisfied with our stay and will definitely be coming back. In my next post I'll feature the beach in Anda, particularly within the resort's immediate vicinity.
For more information about Anda White Beach Resort, go to http://www.andabeachresort.com/about.php.
Anda is a municipality in the province of Bohol that's around 1.5 to 2 hours from Tagbilaran City, the capital. Five years earlier, our travel time clocked in at 3 hours. Oh, and we had to endure a hefty powdering of dust as there were no air-conditioned buses plying that route then. Thankfully, the roads are now concrete, allowing for a faster drive. So much has changed.
Back in 2005, My Bibe and I were as gung-ho as we could be. We went to Anda and didn't have any reservation but we managed to find a room at Dapdap Beach Resort where amenities were very basic back then. Last year, however, we opted for some comfort instead and booked a room with Anda White Beach Resort.
The resort had a small strip of beach in front, and this was how it looked during low tide:
It's not very inviting for a swim but it's much better during high tide, as you can see here:
The resort is owned by Grace, a Filipina married to a German I think. She was very welcoming and was frequently engaged in conversations with her guests without being intrusive. I remember her worrying over finding a jeepney for hire because she had guests arriving soon who wanted to ride a jeepney from the airport all the way to the resort. Funny but their bags will be in an air-conditioned vehicle.
Accommodation can be relatively expensive at close to Php 5,000 a night but personally I thought it was just fine. First of all, our room was really huge. And so was the bed.
Grace said she had the beds customized since her clientele are primarily Caucasians who might find the usual beds around too small. Cabinet space is also generous as you can see here:
The room's air-conditioned with satellite TV and a personal fridge.
There's also a coffee table and two chairs. There's just so much space available!
There's a restaurant and bar where servings are considerably huge. Everything is seemingly meant for sharing, at least by Filipino standards.
There's a pool table at the restaurant, and some books and magazines at their reading area.
Although the resort's land area is not that big, they've managed to build a pool fronting the restaurant and overlooking the beach below.
The pool's well-maintained, with someone cleaning it every morning.
With Bohol's landscape of limestone rocks, the resort itself is elevated. So you have to descend a paved flight of stairs to get to the beach.
The beach below is shaded by coconut trees with sun beds provided for lounging around. And if I might add, the sun beds are not the white plastic ones I see in most resorts.
You can also play some beach volleyball with a net already set up. Didn't see anyone play while we were there, though.
This cute little doggy was always following us around. If my memory serves me right, I think her name's Princess. But Grace said she's not her dog. I think the dog simply staked her claim so now she's free to roam around as she pleases. Notice the tag? It means she's already received an anti-rabies injection, a project of the municipality, Grace says.
I told you she was always following us around. She's always at our doorstep.
One more good thing about the resort is the courtesy and efficiency of their staff. While dining at the restaurant, housekeeping flies under the radar and cleans your room. They're like ninjas that we never noticed them. We were just always surprised to see our room already made up.
If you want some action and partying, Anda White Beach Resort is not the right place for you. It's basically a venue for some peace and quiet. Grace says some of her guests come over to escape the noise of Panglao Island. But then there are also a few who check out complaining of the lack of anything to do. Guess they're not familiar with the art of doing nothing.
But to me there can always be something interesting, like this bird I've been patiently stalking:
She was watching over her nest. So I kept my distance.
My Bibe and I were both satisfied with our stay and will definitely be coming back. In my next post I'll feature the beach in Anda, particularly within the resort's immediate vicinity.
For more information about Anda White Beach Resort, go to http://www.andabeachresort.com/about.php.
Beautiful place OMG I want to go there and meet that dog LOL
ReplyDeletego! i do miss that dog.
DeleteThe dog's still there. I just went there last weekend. A bit old now. :( But was following us around, too.
Deletethe bird might also trying to stare and wait until the Christmas light bulb lights up..... :-D don't you think so halfwhiteboy?
ReplyDeletewell, maybe :)
Delete