A short drive from Panglao’s beaches, South Farm offers a slower way of life where visitors can walk through gardens, feed animals, and see how Boholano traditions are kept alive.
The property began in 2020, when the pandemic halted travel and closed resorts.
Instead of letting staff go, the owners of South Palms Resort & Spa Panglao built a farm where employees could grow food, raise livestock, and pick up new skills.
What started as a livelihood project soon became part of the community. Today, South Farm is open to guests and locals. Its grounds are divided into villages—for farmers, fishermen, and artisans—each showing a different side of Bohol life.
Families can spend the day feeding goats, rabbits, birds, and guinea pigs at the animal sheds, stopping by the koi pond or fishing lake, or visiting the kitty barn where children can play with cats.
Workshops in the artisans’ village introduce visitors to weaving, pottery, and other crafts.
In the farmers’ area, guests can walk through organic plots, a propagation site, and even a hydroponic greenhouse.
Food completes the experience. At the farm’s kubo-inspired dining space, meals are prepared with produce and seafood harvested directly from the grounds.
The setup is casual and communal, echoing the way Boholanos gather to eat in a rural setting. What’s grown on the farm doesn’t just stay there—it also finds its way to the kitchens of South Palms Resort & Spa Panglao.
The connection between the two properties is most visible in how South Palms, part of Accor’s MGallery Collection, showcases its signature cultural activity.
In Panglao, that means reviving Asin Tibuok—a centuries-old salt-making craft where seawater is filtered through burnt coconut husks and shaped into its distinctive egg form.
Visitors can see the process at South Farm, then later taste the salt in dishes served at the resort.
For Krai Jimenez, recreation manager at South Palms, the farm shows how culture and livelihood go hand in hand.
“When we saw the talent of our own people, we realized this wasn’t just about farming. It was about identity,” she said.
Designers who worked on South Palms also credit the farm with shaping their vision. Phillip Pond of Atelier Pond said a simple seedling hut they saw at South Farm became the model for the resort’s Potting Shed Bar.
Master planner Prasasti Chenchin added that the farm reminded them to keep the project low-scale and tied to the land.
Together, South Farm and South Palms present a picture of Bohol that blends beachside luxury with countryside heritage.
At South Palms, guests find polished spaces rooted in local design. At South Farm, they see where those roots grow.
Both places tell the same story—that Bohol’s future in tourism lies in keeping community and culture at the heart of the experience.
