Alona Beach
Alona Beach is on Panglao Island in Bohol province, Philippines. It is both the island and the province's most popular resort area, and one of the top ones for the country as a whole.
Understand
Alona is in Tawara Barangay, Panglao Municipalty. The island is not large, so anything in Tawara is quite close — less than 2 km away.
Alona Beach is the main tourist destination on Panglao Island, even though the beach itself is less than a mile long. There are numerous restaurants and hotels along the beach and many others only a short distance away.
Get in
See the Panglao Island article for how to reach the island. Most travellers arriving by ferry go directly to Alona from the port in Tagbilaran without stopping elsewhere. Visitors arriving by air land at Panglao Airport (TAG IATA) which is within a few km of Alona. In either case tricycles are the most-used form of ground transport to the beach area.
By car
The Panglao Island Circumferential Road, as its name implies, goes around Panglao Island, and it connects Panglao Town and Dauis with Alona Beach. From Dauis, take the part of the circumferential road that goes to the southern side of the island. The drive is a few miles, since Alona Beach is on the southwest corner of Panglao Island and Dauis is on the east side of the island. Coming from Tagbilaran, turn left onto the Circumferential Road after you cross the bridge.
Get around
Within the Alona Beach area, everything is walkable; the beach is less than a mile in length.
Anywhere else on the island, or nearby Tagbilaran, is usually reached by jeepney or tricycle. There are also organised tours using boats for dive sites and buses for scenic destinations.
See
Do
Diving
- Pata Negra Alona Beach Dive Center Resort, ☏ +63 929-355-0016, info@patanegradivers.com. Padi dive center resort, providing dive courses and daily trips to Balicasag, Pamilacan, Cabilao and Bohol. Scuba guides with more than 3,000 dives. New Aqualung scuba equipment. Resort and accommodation included.
- Piratas Alona Dive Center (Turn left at the beach, walk 500 m.), ☏ +63 948 747 9395, info@piratasalonadivecenter.com. 8AM-9PM. Their PADI MSDT instructors teach students from beginners to professionals, plus specialty courses. They also do daily fun dives, dive trips to Balicasag, Pamilacan and Cabilao islands. They have brand new Cressi equipment.
- Reef Seekers Alona Beach Dive Center, ☏ +63 949-733-0930, reefseekersph@gmail.com. Padi Dive center, providing dive courses and daily trips to Balicasag and Pamilacan scuba diving. Aqualung partner center.
- Prana Bohol Divers (2 km west from Alona Beach, signposted from the perimeter road. Pick up available from anywhere in Panglao), ☏ +65 917 30 11 553, info@prana-bohol.com. Padi dive center, offering full set of courses, as well as day dives. Equipment is well maintained and staff are extremely experienced. Courses available in English and French.
Wildlife viewing
- Dolphin watching. Boats leave from Alona Beach at dawn and will take you to see dolphins having their morning exercise. It is important to book your boat a day ahead of time because the dolphins appear quite early.
Buy
- Jadski (Near the police office just off of Alona Beach). A money changer, internet café and souvenir shop. Credit cards should not be used there, as credit card number thefts have been reported by tourists who used credit cards at the business.
Eat
There are about twenty restaurants and bars along the sea front at Alona Beach, nearly all with international menus and mid-to-high prices.
- Baybayon Grill, ☏ +63 38 510-6309. Daily 5AM-midnight.
- Buzzz Cafe, ☏ +63 917 304-0661. Daily 7:30AM-10PM.
- Hera Greek Taverna (About halfway along the beach), ☏ +63 921 965-0372. Daily 9AM-10PM, with the exception of Tuesdays.
- Pyramid Bar and Restaurant. It is an al fresco restaurant along Alona Beach. Aside from fresh seafood catch, the restaurant serves other varieties like sandwiches, pasta, noodles, chili chicken, beef teriyaki and pork cordon bleu. The bar serves fresh fruit juices, carbonated drinks, beer, wine and cocktails. At night, torches complete the tropical dining atmosphere.
- 1 Trudi's. Trudi's on the beach is relatively cheap and quite good.
Drink
There are about twenty bars along Alona Beach; most serve food as well as drink and several have live music in the evenings. It is a tourist area and there are no real bargains, but prices are quite moderate by international standards; most drinks are under ₱100.
Sleep
In the 20th century, Alona was mainly a backpacker destination and there is still some cheap accommodation aimed at that market. However since then there has been extensive development and today there are many mid-range places and a few luxury hotels.
At mid-2019 exchange rates ₱2000 is about $40 US, so even most of the places listed below as "splurge" are cheap by international standards.
Budget
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | under ₱1000 |
| Mid-range | ₱1000-2000 |
| Splurge | over ₱2000 |
- Casa-Nova Garden (700 m west of Alona Beach), ☏ +63 38-5029101. Fan single/double with shared bathroom. ₱300/500.
- Chill-out Guesthouse Panglao, ☏ +63 38 502 4480. Chill-out Guesthouse Panglao offers fan and airconditioned room with terrace, soft beds and private toilet and bath. Its facilities and services include chillout bar, wireless internet access, tour assistance and massage services. fan double ₱1000.
Mid-range
- Alonaland Resort, ☏ +63 38 502 9007, info@alonalandresort.com. 100 m from Alona Beach. Rooms, casitas, and villas. A/C with a refrigerator, shower, luggage rack, balcony/deck, and internet. The casitas and villas come with more features and include a kitchenette, cable TV, and dining area.
- Hayahay Resort, ☏ +63 38 502-9056. Alona Beach resort has an open restaurant on the beach, 11 comfortable rooms with private bath and Wi-Fi access, and exciting water activities like snorkelling, dolphin watching, and scuba diving.
- [dead link] Kalipayan Resort, Atlantis Dive Center, ☏ +63 38 50290058, info@atlantisdivecenter.com. Cottages with A/C in a huge garden at the far end of Alona Beach. 5 min walk to beach. Nice pool, excellent restaurant and dive centre. Free WiFi.
- [dead link] Lost Horizon Annex, ☏ +63 38 502 4091, +63 38 502 4092. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Rooms with balcony, ceiling fans, private toilet and bath. Restaurant, bar, boat and land tours, and internet.
- 1 Panglao Regents Park Resort, ☏ +63 38 5024080, panglaoregentspark@gmail.com. 35 rooms with contemporary design and architecture, all with full amenities. From ₱1,800.
- 2 Villa Kasadya, Daorong (Short walk from Alona Beach.), ☏ +63-998-510-8801, contact@villakasadya.com. 3 cottages that are roomy, with modern fittings.
Splurge
- 3 Alona Kew White Beach Resort, ☏ +63 38 5029042, +63 38 5029027. Bungalows and well-appointed rooms set in lush surroundings. Rates start at ₱2,000.
- 4 Amorita Resort, Easter A. Lim Drive, ☏ +63 38 5029001. 6 ocean view villas with king-sized bed, individually-controlled split A/C, wide-screen LCD cable TV, and a mini bar refrigerator. Infinity pool, restaurant with free WiFi, wellness spa, boutique, leisure area, and garden. From ₱9,000.
- Belleview Rock Resort, ☏ +63 38 502 7079. From ₱2,500.
- Sun Apartelle, ☏ +63 38 502 9063. Apartment resort/hotel. From €59.
Connect
Most of the hotels and more-or-less all the bars or restaurants offer free WiFi, usually reasonably fast.
Go next
Anywhere on Panglao Island is readily accessible by jeepney or tricycle. Some possibilities are:
- Danao Beach — to the west
- Panglao Town — the administrative center for the western side of Panglao Island; to the northwest
For places off the island, see the go next section of the island article.