Alona Beach

The wide, sands of Alona Beach tick all the boxes for an archetypal tropical beach; crystal clear turquoise water, coconut palms swaying in the breeze and powdery white sand - it’s even on an island. But don’t expect a Robinson Crusoe, desert island experience at Alona, this is perhaps the most popular destination in Bohol. Now a small, but booming resort town has grown up around this slice of paradise to create one of the livliest beach scenes in the Philippines.

If you want to find a quieter spot the beach is big enough (1.5 km / 1 mile long) that you can escape the crowds by heading to the far ends. Then again, that isn’t really what Alona is about; intermingling with the palm trees are resort hotels, bars and souvenir stalls and not far beyond the beachfront are restaurants and nightclubs. This is a beach that is buzzing both day and night.

Beyond the beautiful beach and lively scene, Alona Beach is the embarkation point for a host of island hopping tours along with fishing and diving trips. This is a great destination for both snorkeling and scuba. There are expanses of coral reef right off the beach and further afield is world-class diving territory. There’s a good chance you will see dolphins whilst out on the water and whale shark sightings are not unknown.

Alona Beach is located on the southwestern tip of Panglao Island, which itself lies off the southwesterly tip of Bohol. But despite this seemingly remote location transport links are good and it is easy enough to reach by road and now air.