Nisa Travellers Hotel

Nisa Travellers Hotel sits on Carlos P. Garcia (CPG) North Avenue, one of the busiest commercial corridors in Tagbilaran City, described by past guests as active around the clock. On TripAdvisor, where it ranks #6 out of 111 B&Bs and inns in Tagbilaran City, it holds a score of 4.4 out of 5 from 164 reviews — a strong, consistent rating for what’s known locally as the oldest backpacker-style guesthouse in the city.

Rooms & Amenities

Rooms are air-conditioned and kept clean, with breakfast included in the rate — a detail repeat guests specifically call out as consistent stay after stay. The common area is the property’s real draw: free WiFi, computer access, a shelf of books, and games like chess and dominoes make it a genuine social space rather than just a lobby, the kind of setup that has kept it a fixture on backpacker circuits through Bohol for years. Long-serving management and a well-worn, dependable routine are part of its reputation — reviewers describe it as a “well-oiled machine,” the sort of praise that comes from repeat visits rather than a single good night.

Location: On the Main Drag

CPG North Avenue puts Nisa within walking distance of a genuinely wide range of city services: malls, groceries, banks, schools, hospitals, City Hall, and the public market are all nearby, along with bars, a cinema, and a McDonald’s a short walk down the street. That density is also the trade-off — the street runs busy with traffic, foot activity, and nightlife noise at nearly any hour, so it isn’t a fit for guests wanting a quiet inland retreat. Light sleepers should ask for a room set back from the avenue-facing side.

Economic Context: CPG Avenue’s Commercial Backbone

CPG Avenue — named for Carlos P. Garcia, the Philippines’ fourth president, a Talibon-born Boholano and the city’s most significant civic namesake — is Tagbilaran’s main commercial spine, running from the older heritage-era buildings near downtown out toward the newer mall corridor. Nisa’s location on the North Avenue stretch places it inside that commercial density rather than on the calmer residential edges of the city, which is exactly why it functions so well as a base: everything a traveler needs on a stopover is within a few minutes’ walk.

History: The City’s Oldest Backpacker Inn

Nisa has operated long enough in Tagbilaran to be described by longtime visitors as the city’s original backpacker guesthouse — a status that predates the broader Bohol tourism boom built around the Chocolate Hills and Panglao’s dive scene. That longevity matters in a city whose tourism infrastructure has otherwise grown quickly and unevenly since the early 2000s: a guesthouse with decades of continuous operation and a loyal repeat clientele is a different proposition from a newly opened budget hotel chasing OTA rankings.

Getting Around

The Tagbilaran Seaport, served by OceanJet and SuperCat fast craft to Cebu City (about two hours) and by RORO overnight ferries, is a short tricycle ride away, as is Bohol–Panglao International Airport. For countryside day trips, the Integrated Bus Terminal on CPG Avenue North — informally the Dao terminal — is close enough to reach on foot from some rooms, running Dao Transit and Aliga buses to Carmen’s Chocolate Hills and to Loboc. Panglao Island’s beach resorts are about 8 kilometers south across the causeway, a 20–30 minute tricycle or taxi ride, not a walk.

Who Should Book Here

Nisa Travellers Hotel suits budget and backpacker travelers who want a genuinely social common area, an easy walk to city services, and a track record built on years of repeat guests rather than a flashy recent renovation. It’s a poor match for anyone wanting quiet, a beachfront location, or resort-style amenities — those needs are better served on Panglao Island, a short ride but a completely different kind of stay.

Practical Details

Because the hotel sits on one of the city’s busiest 24-hour streets, packing earplugs is a reasonable precaution regardless of which room is assigned. The included breakfast and free common-area computer access are both genuine cost savings for long-haul backpackers working around a tight daily budget, and the games available in the lounge (chess, dominoes) make it one of the few Tagbilaran budget properties actually built for guests to linger in rather than just sleep and leave.

Best Time to Book

Nisa’s reputation as the city’s longest-running backpacker inn means it tends to fill up through word of mouth on the backpacker circuit as much as through OTA search, so rooms can go fast during the dry season (December to April) and especially during the week-long Sandugo Festival in mid-July, when the whole city’s accommodation stock tightens. Outside those windows, its central location and steady long-term guest base still make advance booking the safer choice over a walk-in.

Current Rating: TripAdvisor score, out of 5 — 4.4/5 from 164 reviews (as of 2026-08-26).

Getting There & Booking

Nisa Travellers Hotel is on CPG North Avenue in central Tagbilaran City, a short tricycle ride from the seaport, airport, and inland bus terminal. Book on Stay22 or Booking.com for real-time availability and confirmed rates.