At the beach – time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted
T. S. Eliot
My idea of a good holiday is not sitting on a beach, I much prefer exploring. Why fly for the best part of a day or more and spend good money just to sit and see nothing of the country youβre visiting? Yes, the weather may be better than if you were sitting around at home, and a dip in the sea is fun, but to me it is a waste not to get to know the culture, the people, the history, the food β¦
However, T. S. Eliot has a point. Time spent at the beach isnβt wasted if you are enjoying it. And for a few days at least I do enjoy it. I love the sea, for a start, so a walk by the edge of the waves is always a pleasure. And having escaped the chill of an English winter, of course I appreciate the opportunity to soak up some sunshine and relax a bit, especially towards the end of a trip.
On our recent Philippines trip, we stayed in two very different beach-side hotels, one on Bohol Island (or more properly its near neighbour, Panglao) and one on Miniloc Island, a tiny island off Palawan. While I took fewer photos during these stays, that doesnβt mean I took none, far from it! So here are some of my favourites from each place. And Iβve thrown in some pretty pastels for Terriβs Sunday Stills monthly colour challenge.
Bohol Beach Club
We stayed here mainly as a base for a tour to visit the islandβs tarsier sanctuary and the Chocolate Hills. Itβs very much a resort hotel, and larger than we would normally choose. But it did have some very attractive gardens and a long stretch of beach, lined with palm trees. The weather during our short stay wasnβt always great, we had a few showers, but that didnβt stop us exploring the grounds a bit as well as taking several walks along the beach.
Our stay here also gave us the opportunity to meet up with our friends and fellow bloggers Phil and Michaela, aka the Hungry Travellers, who by a wonderful coincidence were staying nearby. We had a great evening at a beachside restaurant comparing travel notes!
Miniloc Island
This really couldnβt be much more different than the Bohol Beach Club and was much more to my taste. Smaller, more laid-back, with a gorgeous setting beneath tall cliffs and with stunning views of the karst outcrops that dot the sea here. There are lots of activities on offer, mainly water-based, and we intended to do some but in the end spent most of our time relaxing and enjoying the lovely pool.
I did however do a bit of snorkelling; you can swim to the reef in just a few strokes from the jetty. I especially loved swimming with a sea turtle who turned up on both occasions. Unfortunately I hadnβt thought to take our underwater-safe camera away with me but I did manage to capture him from above after getting out of the water. And talking of wildlife, we also enjoyed the regular visits from the macaque troop that lives nearby. Not to mention the pretty little snake who turned up on the pool deck one day!
My feature photo was taken from the jetty here quite early one morning, but I confess has had a bit of help from Luminar Neo to increase the warmth of the sky.
I visited Bohol in late February and Miniloc in early March 2025
39 Comments
Annie Berger
I couldn’t help but smiling, Sarah, at T.S. Eliot’s comment about spending time on the beach, as Steven and I love being beach bums! Perhaps, I should clarify that and mention, we loved being beach bums every summer on Florida’s Panhandle, when we plopped ourselves down on the white sand and read to our hearts’ content, day in and day out. When we go on overseas adventures, they’re pretty intense and non stop, day after day. Our Florida trips were true vacations, a break from our hectic lives. I can certainly understand that it would be tough to fly a great distance to a distant land, only to plop down on the beach, and rarely see the sights. I like how you mixed things up on your trip, and were able to do some of each!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, I couldn’t do that, wherever I was, home or away! I enjoy reading but prefer to do it indoors as hot sun and I don’t mix well at all. Although if interspersed with frequent dips in the sea, and with plenty of shade to sit under, I could certainly enjoy a day or two like that π
thehungrytravellers.blog
Wow thereβs some terrific wildlife shots here Sarahβ¦.the sunbird and the snake in particular, love em both! Now that a bit of time has elapsed, I think the joy of the Philippines (apart from its people) was the amazing variety provided by the trip, such a cool trip in that respect. And then I find myself looking at a photo of us all down in Alona. Good, wasnβt it? I wonder where our next rendezvous may beβ¦
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Phil π I totally agree about variety. Although we were only there for just under three weeks, it felt like several different holidays – especially the contrast between our time on Luzon and these other more ‘beachy’ islands. And yes, that was a great evening in Alona. As to the next rendezvous, closer to home I suspect! Let us know when you’re back in the country and we’ll try to pop down to Canterbury for a day, a city we’ve (shamefully!) never visited, and meet up for a pub lunch perhaps? We’ll want to hear all about South America – from the photos Michaela has shared on Facebook it looks like you’re having a great time already!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Would be delighted to be your Canterbury hosts!
Amy
I enjoyed your beach time in the Philippines, Sarah! Great photos of these creatures.
Sarah Wilkie
Glad to share my beach time with you Amy π
I. J. Khanewala
Miniloc sounds nice. Snorkeling is one of the things I would like to do.
Sarah Wilkie
I like snorkelling best when I can get into the water from dry land or a jetty rather than a boat, as I sometimes find I get water into the mask or snorkel if I have to jump! It was ideal here as there were stone steps down into the water π
Kirstin Troyer
These were all beautiful when you travel what do you like to use for taking photos?
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kirstin π I have a Panasonic Lumix bridge camera which is my preferred camera for travelling, although I also have a point and shoot and of course a phone which I use when I don’t want to carry the bigger one. However all of these shots were taken with the Lumix apart from the one of us with Phil and Michaela which was taken by the waiter on Michaela’s phone.
the eternal traveller
I love a nice beach holiday but like you I do need to have things to do. Just lying on the sand is so boring and not sun safe either. Both of these places look very pretty.
Sarah Wilkie
They were pretty, especially Miniloc π I certainly can’t sit or lie in the sun, so even if I do take the time to relax it has to be in the shade!
EgΓdio
What a wonderful post and photos, Sarah! It seems like there was plenty to do on the beach.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Egidio π There was certainly plenty to photograph!
Graham Stephen
wonderful!
κ§ββ‘πΒ βΒ βΒ π½πΆπ π πΒ π»ππΎπΉπΆπΒ βΒ βΒ πβ‘βκ§
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Graham, much appreciated π
Graham Stephen
π«πββοΈππβ¨
Monkey's Tale
We’re not much for sitting on a beach either, but they’re often so beautiful that we visit. I would love to go for a walk on these, except for the snake π Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
If it helps, the snake was on the decking around the pool, not on the beach – and he was very small and rather pretty I thought π
Monkey's Tale
I zoomed right past the picture π
Sarah Wilkie
I don’t suppose I can persuade you to go back up for a proper look?!
Monkey's Tale
π€£π€£ Nope
margaret21
Miniloc looks much more my cup of tea too. What fabulous wildlife shots!
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, the macaques were fun and there was lots of bird life – toucans too one day, though I didn’t manage to photograph them.
margaret21
That’s not like you, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
They were hidden high up in a tree – I only saw them in flight as they arrived π
restlessjo
It all looks quite idyllic. I don’t spend much time sitting on beaches either, unless it’s too hot to explore. Always have to see everything I can xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Jo π It was certainly hot in Miniloc, so I was quite glad to sit in the shade and take frequent dips in the pool! But I still had to go off for a wander from time to time, camera in hand.
ThingsHelenLoves
I’m with you Sarah, just sitting on the beach isn’t really my thing but intentionally exploring the coast certainly is. So much wildlife, swimming alongside the turtle sounds like a magical experience.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Helen π I can always find something interesting to photograph and the turtle was wonderful!
Anne Sandler
Two beautiful and relaxing adventures Sarah. Swimming with a sea turtle must have been fun, and I’m glad you’re not afraid of snakes. My son and daughter-in-law had a pet ball python. I would frequently wear Junior around my neck while in the house.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne π No, I don’t have a problem with snakes, in fact I rather like them. I’d have enjoyed meeting (and wearing) your son’s python!
Alison
I have to agree with Brian that time on a beach is never wasted! Nothing nicer than a swim in warm waters. Postcard pictures πΌοΈ
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alison π I didn’t go in the sea in Bohol as the pool was very good and there seemed to be some jellyfish around. But snorkelling on Miniloc was super!
Terri Webster Schrandt
Your beach images are all stunning in their pastel shades, Sarah! Love your opening shot and the one of the sailboat floating on the bay. How amazing to have met up with fellow bloggers while traveling!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Terri π Yes, it was such a coincidence that Phil and Michaela were not only visiting the Philippines at the same time as us but were staying on the same island just a couple of miles away at the same time as we were!
bushboy
Spending time on a beach is never wasted
Sarah Wilkie
The time spent on these ones certainly wasn’t π