IN THE beginning there was Bali. And then there was Boracay. But today, there is Bohol.

Bohol is the new Bora. And the heart of the province is Alona Beach, a lovely, white-hot strip of sand on the island of Panglao, just a quick drive from the provincial airport in Tagbilaran.

Alona Beach is, of course, named after sexy screen siren Alona Alegre who made local temperatures sizzle while filming the movie ?Esteban? with FPJ in the ?70s. Since then, Alona Beach has been the destination in Panglao, which now has 30 beautiful resorts all over it.

With all the buzz about Bohol, my family and I decided to spend our Easter break in Amorita (www.amoritaresort.com), which according to tripadvisor.com is the best resort on the island today. Amorita is short for ?beloved,? and indeed there is much to love about the resort.

As with so many success stories in our country today, Amorita?s starts with an entrepreneurial young lady, Ria Hernandez Cauton, who acquired the property in 2005 and has since transformed it into a world-class resort. The key to such success starts with service, and Amorita?s is at a level that is hard to match.

Rolly Navallo, their guest services manager, took good care of our whole family during our weekend there. As with most great vacations, it?s the little things that make the stay in Amorita memorable ? preparing outdoor dinners on the veranda especially for us, supplying a babysitter for my 3-year-old Athena while we went scuba diving, and so many other amazing yet unobtrusive little touches that made my husband Dennis and I talk about how soon we might go back before we had even left.

Bohol is just a great tourist destination. Aside from the beaches, there are a hundred other things to do and do them all we tried. A 20-minute boat ride away is Balicasag Island, still one of the best scuba-diving destinations in the Visayas.

The small island is dominated by a lighthouse and underwater is a beacon for marine life. Off one of the islands? tips is a spot called Black Forest, with schools of huge, silver jacks enjoying the swift currents. We were glad our dive shop, Bohol Oceanic Adventures, had sent two excellent divers to take care of us, Rommel Ortiz and King Ramos. Balicasag is also a marine sanctuary and it was really great to know that another of our country?s excellent scuba-diving locations is being protected.

Between dives, the Amorita staff prepared a picnic lunch for us and we took the time to shop for necklaces and other trinkets from the local vendors. I always like stimulating the local economy wherever I go.

Shrine

The following day, we met Vicky Visarra (call 09209011008) at the resort lobby, surely one of the most knowledgeable tour guides in Bohol. Vicky started our tour at the Blood Compact Shrine, a bronze sculpture by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, which overlooks Panglao Island.

From there we visited Baclayon Church, one of many historical churches on the island. I had no idea Bohol is one of the most religious islands in our country. The priests even stress that visitors be ?appropriately clad? when visiting, so bring shorts and a shawl if you like touring in a bikini.

The church nave is a sight to see, and its imposing bell tower and limestone walls give the structure great majesty. Vicky noted that much of restoration funding was donated by Bea Zobel, who also runs a resort in Bohol.

There are a number of other churches on the island, but we decided to skip those and head to Loboc River, where we could hit the proverbial two birds with one stone. Just beside the river are several mini zoos where one can see the tarsier, that icon of Bohol. The nocturnal animal is surprisingly small, only about as big as a hand, but I can already see that when the stuffed toy industry takes note of the tarsier, the koala is in grave danger.

Loboc River has many resto-boats, where tourists can enjoy a leisurely lunch as they cruise up the river. The tropical forest is so lush, the whole experience seems like a movie, except the only one I can think of, ?Apocalypse Now,? is the wrong one for the tranquility of Loboc.

I noted that benefactor Carlos Chan of the Bench family had donated lights along the riverbanks, such that now, the riverboats cruise at night as well. Along the meandering banks are also a few rafts with local singers and dancers performing for the boaters, complete with costumes. Bohol seems really set up for tourism.

Highlight

Of course, the highlight of the island?s tourism industry is its world-famous Chocolate Hills, all 1,776 of them. I didn?t expect to see so many or that they would be spread out over a whole valley. Luckily, a vantage point had been constructed on one of the hills, which affords the tourists a better view and a bit of a breeze as well.

Intrepid photographers had set up a backdrop photo of the hills and were happily snapping away at tourists jumping ?over? the hills. Naturally we bought in and had one done of the kids.

After a hot day of touring, there?s nothing like jumping into Amorita?s infinity pool to cool off. The kids would swim all day and all night it seemed. But that?s what beach vacations are all about, so I definitely didn?t want to stop them.

Each of the 14 stylishly designed 150-square meter villas actually also has a Jacuzzi, so there is that private, cooling-off option as well. Each villa has a nice and firm king-size bed and another daybed for a small child. The bathroom is an outdoorsy affair, and it?s nice to actually shower under the stars, because in Bohol, we can still see stars.

Amorita is truly a great option for a beach vacation. Check out Amorita by calling their Manila office at 9140585, or e-mailing inquiries@amoritaresort.com.

The villa we stayed in was particularly special. Rolly told me President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had stayed in our villa last year. From our Jacuzzi, we could just grab the WiFi from the nearby Saffron Restaurant. I could just imagine the president updating her Facebook status as she relaxed at Amorita.

E-mail seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph