Some of the best Philippine Beaches are found well off the main tourist map. Think of brilliant white sand, turquoise blue waters and lazy coconut trees. Philippine Beaches are tropical paradise, and White Beach is one of the best.
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Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines
With so many amazing beaches, Panglao Island is fast becoming the premier tourist attraction in the central Visayas area of the Philippines. One of the main attractions is the nearby Balicasag Island with its world-class SCUBA diving. This tiny island is perfect for anyone looking for an amazing tropical SCUBA diving getaway.
The main tourist area on Panglao Island is Alona Beach. Here you will find countless dive resorts and beach side accommodation. Alona Beach is beautiful but it’s fast becoming a little too crowded for some people. There is another white sandy beach just around the corner that few tourists ever visit. It’s called White Beach, and it’s where the locals go.
Where is White Beach?
If you ask tourists about Panglao Island, 9 out of 10 will think of Alona Beach. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol. On the southern side of Panglao Island is Alona Beach. Just east of Alona Beach is White Beach. Check out this video for easy to follow directions.
White Beach is a stunning piece of fine white sand about 3km long, whilst the more popular Alona Beach is about 1km in length. To get to White Beach it’s easiest is to follow the signs to Amarela Resort. It is fairly difficult to find with just a small sign to guide you. It is a true hidden Gem.
What is at White Beach, Best Beach in the Philippines
At the Western End of White Beach are two of the most prestigious beach resorts in Bohol – South Palms Resort and Bohol Beach Club. These resorts are exquisite and have privatised their section of the beach. The price tags are quite hefty as well.
In the central section of White Beach, next to Bohol Beach Club, is Dumaluan Resort. This is where the true locals go for a holiday, and it consists mainly of inexpensive nipa hut style accommodation. It’s a great beach however it can get rather crowded on weekends with local families.
Move along the beach and you find the mid-range beachside resorts, where there is a mixture of locals and foreign tourists. This is where you find Panglao Grande Resort, one of our favourite locations. It is flanked either side by several smaller sized resorts. The beach here is awesome, and much less crowded than the Dumaluan and Bohol Beach Club sections of the beach.
Moving Right Along
Keep moving along White Beach to the east and you will find many more resorts, however they start getting more private, smaller and more exclusive at this end. There are undoubtedly some amazing experiences to be had in this collection of resorts.
All of these beach resorts generally have their own restaurants. Anybody is able to walk along the beach and find many dining options to suit different tastes and budgets. The variety is enormous, from luxurious fine dining at the expensive western end to budget local cuisine in the Dumaluan area of the beach.
Panglao Grande Resort offers some delicious mid-priced dining options. Here you can find great meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They will also cook outside of normal hours if you ask nicely! People are very friendly and accommodating in this part of the world.
Activities at Whites Beach
Massage
Between Dumuluan and Panglao Grande Resort you can find a nice beach massage for about 450 pesos per hour per person. Here you get to lie on the beach and listen to the gentle splashing of the waves whilst getting the massage of your choice.
Scuba Diving
Bohol Beach Club has full dive shop facilities. Balicasag Island dives are the most popular however there is a large variety of less popular dive sites available. They can even take you to Oslob to dive with the Whale Sharks. They have the full range of dive equipment for hire or purchase as well. I have personally SCUBA dived at the nearby Balicasag Island, where the local turtle population is particularly impressive. I counted 16 turtles on my first dive alone!
Water Sports
Dotted along the beach are a variety of water sports. Banana boats, jet skis and catamarans are all available for hire. Many of these are open to price negotiations so they are a good way to hone your bargaining skills! Beware, because tourists are always at premium prices. A tourist with good negotiation skills can probably bargain them down to around half of the original price.
Island Hopping
Island hopping is perhaps the most popular activity along White Beach. There are dozens of boats available and they are very easy to book a seat, or hire the whole boat. Just ask any of the locals along the beach where to book a boat and they will undoubtedly steer you to the right person. This is the normal way in Philippines, where word of mouth is king! Cost is generally 2,000 – 3,000 pesos per boat load of people for a half day trip.
Dolphin spotting is the main attraction for those who go island hopping. Dolphin spotting is best during the calmer waters of the morning, when you will see many dolphins playing around the boat. Snorkelling is another popular option on island hopping tours. There are countless shallow reefs in the area to snorkel upon.
Snorkelling
Snorkelling directly from the beach is another outstanding activity. Just jump in the water and paddle about 100 metres off the beach where you will reach the drop off. This is a great spot for SCUBA diving as well, with a small wall dive. Snorkelling straight from the beach is best enjoyed by bringing your own mask, snorkel and fins.
You can also buy snorkelling equipment at various dive shops in the Alona Beach area if you don’t happen to have some with you. I noticed a couple of large well equipped dive shops opening along the Circumferential Road near Alona Beach in 2016.
Panglao Grande Resort
This is a cute little resort. Previously called Whites & Greens, it was renamed to Panglao Grande Resort in 2017. In case you didn’t know it, the Philippines is well known for the friendliness of the local people, and this beach resort is no exception. And it has loads of lovely local atmosphere thanks to the design of the accommodation.
The accommodation is in the style of palm frond roofs and nipa huts. They look like little native grass huts from the outside. However on the inside they are spacious and air-conditioned. The beach pretty much comes right up to the door and all rooms have easy access to the main beach, which is typically about 20 metres away.
There is wi-fi through the whole resort, however on our stay we would have to sit out on the main lawn to access it reliably. There is a mobile phone tower nearby and mobile signal is generally quite strong at the resort.
I recommend bringing your own bottled water. They do sell the smaller 500mm bottles at the restaurant, however this is definitely not the cheapest option to take. I recommend dining at the restaurant for all your meals.
Breakfast will cost you 200-300 pesos per person, and evening meals about the same. We were quite impressed with the food quality overall.
Overall Impressions of White Beach
Panglao Grande Resort is a great resort to stay at for those who like some peace and quiet. It does not get too crowded and you have a magnificent section of beach to yourself. There is even some good areas of shade to sit under on the hot beach, a blessing on a hot day.
Not many foreign tourist know about this section of beach, which is surprising because the actual beach and water is every bit as good as the more popular Alona Beach.
The secret is bound to get out one day, and large-scale development will undoubtedly come along soon. With the construction of a nearby international airport on Panglao Island now in progress, the clock is ticking.
My advice is to book yourself a quiet little holiday here before it gets developed. Booking is easy on Booking.com, where you will usually find a deal competitive with the best prices available. What are you waiting for!
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