South Palms Resort Panglao Review: Paradise or Overpriced?

South Palms Resort Panglao in Bohol, Philippines, is the type of property that takes your breath away. 

I like to have at least one splurge accommodation whenever I travel, preferably with an infinity pool. South Palms Resort Panglao has infinity pools galore. 

My daughter found the listing on Expedia. She was excited but hesitant to ask me because South Palms Resort and Spa was way out of our budget. The many pools had captivated her, especially the semi-private pool off the deck of the rooms. This was our first trip together, and I do like pools, so we booked it. 

South Palms Resort Panglao Room Details

Check-in Experience at South Palms Resort Panglao

Rating 5/5 

At the gate, we had to state our names to security before our tuk-tuk was allowed to wind its way through perfectly manicured lawns to the massive open-concept front entrance where a team of doormen waited to grab our bags. 

Roman-style pillars support the lobby. From the back, you can look out over the sprawling resort below. At the front desk, we are presented with water and a washcloth.  A local woman is playing music.

We arrived early, intending to drop off our bags and return later, but it turns out our room is ready, and we get a complimentary early check-in. 

A $5000 PHP deposit fee per night is charged to my credit card, allowing us to charge food and drink at the resort to our room number. This is equal to roughly $110 CAD / $80 USD.

RJ is assigned to escort us to our room. RJ is chatty and delightful, but confused by our backpacks. 

“Where is the rest of your luggage?” RJ asks. 

“This is it”, I reply. 

RJ is still bewildered. I joke that we haven’t had an RJ to carry our belongings before now. He doesn’t get it. 

I get the feeling that backpackers don’t come to South Palms Resort Panglao often. 

Tour of the Grounds at South Palm Resort Panglao

We load into RJ’s golf cart. He wants to give us a tour of the grounds at South Palm before delivering us to our rooms. He points out restaurants, pools, children’s areas and beach bars. 

RJ really shines when he talks about his culture as a proud Boholano and the ways the resort incorporates the culture into its practices. There is a mermaid show every evening that acts out part of Bohol’s creation story. He points out a field of lemongrass, a traditional Boholano plant and an herb garden. 

When we arrive at our room at South Palms, RJ requests to enter. He shows us a pegboard wall made from reclaimed wood from the tsunami that devastated Bohol recently. You can use pegs to leave messages. The pegs on our board spell Hello.  RJ loves his job. 

Room Experience at South Palms Resort and Spa

Rating 4.5 / 5

Our room at South Palms Resort is more like a suite. The door opens to a small entryway between the living area and the washrooms. The toilet and sink are completely separate from the giant walk-in shower and vanity area and on opposite sides of the room. 

On the other side of the entryway, there is plenty of storage for luggage and room to hang clothes. Another closet with hangers is near the walk-in shower. They provided soft terry cloth robes that I wish I had purchased. They were that nice. 

The large safe is tucked into a drawer near the robes. It was easy to set up and worked perfectly. 

There is a kitchenette area with a kettle, fridge and mini fridge. Dishes and utensils are stored in a cute sliding drawer. Snacks, beer and sparkling water are stocked but with price tags. Considering how expensive this resort stay was, I would have liked to see at least a couple of complimentary items.

The table has a treasure chest on top that contains a letter explaining Bohol’s creation story. It’s an enchanting read. On the same table, an artistly presented snack was laid out for us and a little note that read, ” Welcome, Felicia. “

We have two comfortable beds pushed together. Each with its own plugs, room light controls, and lamp on a bedside table.

A love seat sits in the corner, and a small two-seater table with comfortable chairs sits in front of the sliding patio doors that lead to the patio and pool. 

As impressive as the rest of the room at South Palms Resort is, the semi-private pool is the real star. 

The pool is divided between a few suites with half walls to ensure privacy.  We are in a corner suite, and our pool has a mini tropical jungle blocking the left-side view from the rest of the resort. I never once saw the two neighbours I shared my pool with, and the corner lot made it feel like they didn’t even exist. 

The pool patio has an egg-shaped swing chair, a lounging couch and a towel rack. This pool is why we have splurged on South Palms Resort Panglao, and it doesn’t disappoint. I loved going for private swims and floats or just relaxing and reading in the egg chair. 

Facilities at South Palms Resort Panglao

Rating 5/5 

The facilities at South Palms Resort Panglao are really what set this hotel apart from any other stay we had in the Philippines. 

Two restaurants were open to the public during our stay, Manja and Uma.  A third restaurant/ conference area seemed to be hosting a pharmaceutical conference. 

Manja had a Western-style bar menu of pastas, tacos, fried chicken sandwiches and pizzas. 

Uma had traditional Filipino cuisine curated by a chef. This was what I was interested in. A standout dish from Uma was the Tinola. It’s a chicken soup served to me as a bowl of fillings with the broth poured from a tea kettle. Janelle had a savoury stuffed ube which blew my mind. I’ve only had ube as a sweet dish before this. 

You could order from either restaurant while sitting at the beach bar, which I appreciated, and that’s where we ate most meals.

The breakfast buffet at South Palms Resort Panglao is massive. There are Western and Filipino breakfast staples and lunch items. Multiple chef stations are available to make you pancakes, omelets, stir-fry and fancy coffees. They couldn’t figure out dairy-free milk, though. 

There are pools on pools on pools. The official count is 5, but that doesn’t include the private and semi-private pools. 

The pool overlooking the beach is an infinity pool with a glass wall. At dusk, the mermaid show ends with a performance in the pool, and the glass wall is the perfect window. 

South Palms Resort is on the beachfront, with plenty of cabanas, loungers, hammocks and swings for you to laze about in. You can take their kayaks out on the water for free. 

Spa services are available for a fee. You can book excursions and water sports with South Palms Resort, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The fees were outrageous!

I wanted to book a swim with the sardine run through South Palms, but because they were so pricey, my daughter and I did this excursion with Panglao Watersport and Tours instead. Panglao Watersport and Tours was excellent, so I recommend you use them too. 

Service at South Palms Resort Panglao

Rating 5l5

RJ was a delight. He helped us a few times during our stay, even after check-in. He would roll up in his golf cart and offer us rides to the beach area or back to our room. 

Our beach bar servers were sweet, giggling girls who complimented us. Walking around the property, every staff member we encountered greeted us.

The only time I felt service was lacking at all was the breakfast buffet. The woman in charge either couldn’t or wouldn’t understand lactose intolerance, and we could tell we were irritating her.  

Location of South Palms Resort Panglao

Rating 5/5 

Tucked away from Bohol’s nightlife, South Palms Resort Panglao is a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride away from the Alona Beach party scene. 

The beach in front of the resort is a little rocky, but 10 minutes of walking will put you on the beautiful white sand of Dumalan Beach. 

Tuk-tuks can deliver you to the nearby night markets. The front desk arranged our first tuk-tuk ride, and then after that we exchanged WhatsApp numbers with the driver. He drove or arranged another driver for the rest of our stay in Bohol. This made going to and from South Palms quick and easy. 

Cons of my Stay at South Palms Resort Panglao

We had a flooding toilet that took a while to fix. The water was coming from the base, so it wasn’t as gross as it could have been, but it was a mess. 

At breakfast, the server kept informing us we were getting oat milk but giving us dairy milk. It happened 3 times. By the last time, my daughter had gone to the coffee station and watched the coffee machine add the milk. Mystery solved. She pointed out the problem, but they didn’t listen. She thought it was personal; I think they just don’t understand dairy-free. 

Centipedes kept finding their way into our room, like a lot. I’m sure they were harmless, but better bug-proofing would have been appreciated. 

Would I recommend South Palms Resort and Spa?

South Palms Resort and Spa was an indulgence for me. If you opt for a room with a pool, that alone will make it worth it. 

I spent hours just relaxing in our semi-private pool. To the point where I barely used any of the other pools on the property. 

Drinking beachfront cocktails and enjoying the cuisine from Uma was another highlight of our stay. 

I gave the property 4.5 stars because, as wonderful as it was, there were a few imperfections that I don’t think are acceptable at this price point. Any kind of bug in your room is gross. They couldn’t understand lactose-free, and the price of excursions is inflated. 

These issues are minor and don’t detract from the beauty of the property. Staff members like RJ brightened our stay, and the level of service provided was outstanding. Over the top, even. 

If you enjoy being waited on, feeling like royalty, or you want a private pool, then book with South Palms Resort Panglao.

I enjoyed our couple of days living like high society. I probably don’t need so many pools but the one private pool was one of the highloghts of my entire trip to the Philippines.

Panglao

Book your stay at South Palms Resort and Spa with Expedia.