Panglao Beaches
One of the most famous attractions in Panglao is the island’s beautiful beaches. The coast is lined with amazing white sandy beaches that seem just like something from a travel brochure and what every traveller is looking for if heading to the Philippines.
Moving around the island clockwise from the north east of Panglao and beginning with Bikini Beach, these are the most popular beaches.
Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach is around 500m in length and while a little rocky in places, is a good choice if you're looking for somewhere a little quieter and less touristy. It also offers good snorkelling and swimming. This is popular with locals and is a little more hidden away, with some great snorkelling - lots of coral fish - and lots of room for swimming and enjoying the sun.
Dumuloan Beach
Dumuloan Beach is also on the east coast of Panglao, although further south and located between Bikini Beach and Alona Beach. This is home to some of the luxury resorts on the island, with the most popular being the Bohol Beach Club. It's the largest stretch of beach in Panglao, and is a spot that’s particularly popular with locals. We had friends who visited on a Sunday and it was packed out, so if you're looking for a more peaceful beach spot this may be better in the week. The beach itself is beautiful and a great spot for sunbathing and swimming.
Alona Beach
The next beach and the most popular in Panglao is Alona Beach, which is found on the south eastern tip of the island. It's a highly developed beach that is lined with restaurants, hotels, resorts and dive shops.
Most people choose to stay here, but it's worth warning that the beach often isn't quite what people expect. Whilst it has beautiful white sand and clear blue sea, it's typically a very narrow stretch of beach and busy with many boats coming in and out to shore throughout the day. There are also often rocks and seaweed lining the shoreline.
That said, if you want to enjoy a few cocktails while you grab a spot to sunbathe or are staying in one of the resorts on the seafront it's still a great spot. The number of bars and restaurants make this a good base for any stay in Panglao.
Doljo Beach
Moving on to the west coast of Panglao island, you'll find Doljo Beach on the south west coast. In many ways this is a more typical paradise beach that looks like the brochures! It's lined with palm trees and has a stretch of white sand that is over 1.5 kilometres in length giving it a fair amount more beachfront than Alona Beach by comparison. Doljo beach has a few popular resorts but is generally a less touristy spot than Alona and Dumuloan. It is however, busy with fisherman which means it's often not always the cleanest and the water is very shallow - sometimes you can walk out as far as 250 metres.
Momo Beach
Another west coast beach spot is Momo Beach. This is another small and peaceful spot for sunbathing in Bohol, with few resorts and not too many tourists choosing to visit the area. It's fairly close to Alona Beach - only 20 km up the coast - and if you're looking for a quiet but picturesque beach this is a great choice. The tides can be fairly dramatic meaning that swimming is only possible at certain times. When it is possible is a good spot for both swimming and snorkelling, with beautiful clear water.
