MJS Campsite and Mountain Resort

MJS Campsite and Mountain Resort: A Small Hilltop Stay in Balilihan

MJS Campsite and Mountain Resort sits in Barangay Boctol, in the hilly farming interior of Balilihan, a landlocked municipality roughly 20 kilometres north of Tagbilaran by road. Balilihan borders the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape and has no developed tourist infrastructure of its own beyond a handful of small waterfalls and a Spanish-era belfry — this is countryside, not coast, and the resort’s own name signals what it’s built around: a mountain and campsite setting rather than a beach one. Booking.com lists the property as a 3-star resort with 16 rooms, positioned as a rural getaway rather than a hub for reef or dive tourism.

The Accommodation

Rooms are air-conditioned with private bathrooms, free toiletries, and TVs, and the property runs a year-round outdoor swimming pool alongside an outdoor fireplace — an amenity that suits Balilihan’s cooler upland evenings more than it would a coastal property. Free on-site private parking is available, along with concierge and room service, and the resort is listed as pet-friendly, a detail worth noting for travellers used to the more restrictive pet policies common at Bohol’s beach resorts. Breakfast and a restaurant are included among the facilities, per Booking.com’s listing.

Location and What’s Nearby

The property is within about a 15-minute drive of Kawasan Falls and reachable within a similar range of the Chocolate Hills, putting Balilihan’s own quiet waterfalls — Camugao, Kawasan, and Niluksoan — and the wider Rajah Sikatuna forest corridor within easy day-trip distance. Listings also cite the property at roughly 17 miles from the Tarsier Conservation Area, 21 miles from Hinagdanan Cave, 26 miles from the Chocolate Hills proper, and 14 miles from Baclayon Church — distances that place this resort squarely as an interior base for exploring central Bohol’s countryside attractions rather than its beaches.

Local Taste

Balilihan is known locally for tuba — fresh coconut wine tapped daily and sold at the public market — with the aged version, bahalina, used as a vinegar substitute in cooking. A stay here puts guests closer to that household-level food economy than to any restaurant scene; Balilihan has no notable independent restaurants of its own, so the resort’s on-site kitchen and the surrounding farm produce — coconut, banana, and root crops that form the base of the local economy — are the practical food sources for anyone staying multiple nights. The outdoor fireplace and campsite framing also point to a different kind of evening than a beach resort offers — this is a property built around cooler upland air and open-fire evenings rather than sunset cocktails by the water.

History and Heritage Nearby

Balilihan’s most significant heritage landmark, the Balilihan Belfry on Mt. Carmel Hill, sits a short drive from the resort — a freestanding bell tower built in 1844 under a Recollect friar, toppled by the 2013 earthquake and since reconstructed with National Museum of the Philippines assistance. Guests based at a countryside property like this one are well positioned to combine a waterfall visit with a stop at the belfry as part of a single half-day loop, something not really practical from a Panglao base given the distance involved. That layered mix of farmland, forest, and Spanish-era heritage close at hand is a large part of what distinguishes a stay in Balilihan’s interior from a stay on Bohol’s coast.

Economic and Community Context

A small, family-scale resort with 16 rooms represents a meaningful private investment in a municipality that has otherwise built no tourist infrastructure of its own — Balilihan’s local government has focused its limited resources on farming-support services rather than hospitality, leaving properties like this one to develop the area’s countryside-tourism potential independently. Its position near the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape ties its appeal to the same forest and watershed conservation values that the wider protected landscape depends on; guests drawn here by the mountain setting are, in effect, also patronising a small business operating at the edge of one of Bohol’s key remaining forest corridors, which gives the local farming community around Boctol a modest, direct incentive tied to keeping that landscape intact.

Guest Profile

Works for: travellers who want a quiet, cooler-climate countryside base for exploring Balilihan’s waterfalls, the Rajah Sikatuna forest corridor, and Bohol’s central interior attractions, and anyone who prefers a small family-run property with a pool and fireplace over a large resort.

Skip if you: are planning a beach or dive-focused Bohol trip — Balilihan is landlocked, and reaching Panglao’s beaches or reef sites means a drive of well over an hour.

Current rating: Very Good, 8.0/10 on Booking.com from 6 reviews (as of 2026-08-26) — a small review count worth weighing against the score itself.

Getting There & Booking

Balilihan is reached from Tagbilaran by jeepney along the Tagbilaran–Antequera or Tagbilaran–Corella routes, a 35–45 minute ride; Barangay Boctol requires a further local connection from the town proper, so a private vehicle or arranged transfer is the more practical option for guests arriving with luggage. The listed rate reflects a live Booking.com quote for one night, two adults, one room, averaged across two 2026 sample dates — treat it as indicative rather than fixed, since rates on a small, low-review-count property can move seasonally. Book on Stay22 or Booking.com for real-time availability and confirmed rates.