As we set foot at Oceanica Resort in Panglao, works of art impressed me.
From the get-go, I could tell that the art scene is so alive in this tourist destination and probably the whole of Bohol.
Not only that we were welcomed by the traditional drinks and warm smiles, some art pieces were calling out from their stands.
The hotel has this room called Artistica, a reception lounge and meeting room that doubles as a gallery for local artists.
Right inside Artistica are lovely works of art — mostly paintings in not so big sizes that can be bought and squeezed in a luggage.
From a mere meeting room, there is a larger… er, a whole building for art displays.
The Amarela Resort, a Mediterranean-inspired boutique hotel in Panglao, has a museum. It houses art pieces by Boholanos as well as religious artifacts and antique furniture. Throw in there paintings, woodworks and sculptures. A must-see, must-visit for art and culture lovers.
The Amarela Resort Art Gallery unselfishly put on display a private collection of the province’s treasured antics and art works of local artists. They number to hundreds of pieces which can also be seen right at the entrance, the hotel lobby and restaurant.
Outstandingly unique in the collection are the decade- and century-old urnas for santos. These are like miniature niche for images and statues that are made to look like a retablo of a church altar.
The woodworks too are amazing. They were collected from ruins and vintage residential houses in Bohol which have been either dismantled or rendered dilapidated through the many decades.
