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 Beach, Bohol

Alona is in Tawara Barangay, Panglao Municipalty. The island is not large, so anything in Tawara is quite close — less than 2 kilometers 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. Alona Beach can be reached fairly easily from anywhere on the island by jeepney or tricycle, but most travellers go directly there from the ferry port in Tagbilaran without stopping elsewhere.

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

On foot

Within the Alona Beach area, everything is walkable; the beach is less than a mile in length.

See

Do

Diving

• Pata Negra Alona Beach Dive Center Resort, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)
• Piratas Alona Dive Center (Turn left at the beach, walk 500 m.), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)
• Reef Seekers Alona Beach Dive Center, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Padi Dive center, providing dive courses and daily trips to Balicasag and Pamilacan scuba diving. Aqualung partner center. (updated Aug 2018)
• Prana Bohol Divers (2 km west from Alona Beach, signposted from the perimeter road. Pick up available from anywhere in Panglao), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. (updated Oct 2017)

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. (updated Aug 2018)

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. (updated Aug 2018)

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, ☎ [phone]. Daily 5AM-midnight. (updated Aug 2018)
• Buzzz Cafe, ☎ [phone]. Daily 7:30AM-10PM. (updated Aug 2018)
• Hera Greek Taverna (About halfway along the beach), ☎ [phone]. Daily 9AM-10PM, with the exception of Tuesdays. (updated Aug 2018)
• 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. 
• 🌍 Trudi's. Trudi's on the beach is relatively cheap and quite good. (updated Aug 2018)

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-2018 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), ☎ [phone]. Fan single/double with shared bathroom. ₱300/500. (updated Oct 2016)
• Chill-out Guesthouse Panglao, ☎ [phone]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)

Mid-range

• Alonaland Resort, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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, cableTV, and dining area. 
• Hayahay Resort, ☎ [phone]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)
• Kalipayan Resort, Atlantis Dive Center, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)
• Lost Horizon Annex, ☎ [phone], [phone]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Rooms with balcony, ceiling fans, private toilet and bath. Restaurant, bar, boat and land tours, and internet. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Panglao Regents Park Resort, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 35 rooms with contemporary design and architecture, all with full amenities. From ₱1,800. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Villa Kasadya, Daorong (Short walk from Alona Beach.), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 3 cottages that are roomy, with modern fittings. (updated Jun 2015)

Splurge

• 🌍 Alona Kew White Beach Resort, ☎ [phone], [phone]. Bungalows and well-appointed rooms set in lush surroundings. Rates start at ₱2,000. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Amorita Resort, Easter A. Lim Drive, ☎ [phone]. 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. (updated Aug 2018)
• Belleview Rock Resort, ☎ [phone]. From ₱2,500. (updated Aug 2018)
• Sun Apartelle, ☎ [phone]. Apartment resort/hotel. From €59. (updated Aug 2018)

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.