I’m going to start this post off differently than most with a little personal honesty, but don’t worry we’ll get to the beaches!

More often than not I feel like giving up on this blog. I get so busy with work and personal life and I think to myself, nobody ever really reads this thing anyways, why do I even bother? Then I remind myself that blogging isn’t about that. I mean, yes, obviously we all hope that our content will take off. Most of us who start blogs actually enjoy writing and would love to find a way to turn it into a steady career in the future (any kind of writing, not just blogging), but at the end of the day, I started this blog for fun and to be able to have a hobby that fuels my creativity and allows me to pursue my passions in my freetime. I post a lot of travel content on this blog (though it isn’t exclusive to travel) and I really do enjoy reliving my experiences and sharing them with anyone who happens to stumble across my website. Storytelling has always brought people together, it’s how folklores, urban legends, and classic novels keep their relevance. We all can relate and find enjoyment in it someway, somehow.

When I travel, this is when I feel the most alive and when I feel the most inspired and motivated. There’s a fire that is ignited inside me and I feel completely in my element, even though I’m so completely out of it physically. I feel fulfilled and blissfully happy during each trip I take. I know that we all do, it is vacation after all, but it goes beyond those normal happy feelings for me and I’m sure some of you out there know what I’m talking about and can relate. It’s hard to explain but every time I get the pleasure of exploring a new place, I feel like I have a purpose each day I’m there and I do my best to take in and cherish every little moment. The sights, the people, the lifestyle…Travelling has truly made me richer in every way. Even just the anticipation of a future trip, whether far away or near home, helps me break up that monotony you tend to get when going through the routine of everyday life. Honestly, if I can share those euphoric feelings with you and give you tips and ideas to help with your future travels to a certain location, or hell, even fuel the fire in you to spontaneously book that trip you’ve been debating on for years, then I’ve more than accomplished enough from this blog. This is why I continue to blog, even if I’m not as consistent as I should be, which I am trying to work on! Anyways, moving along now! The rest of this post will be pretty short, sweet, and to the point! So let’s get to the reason why you clicked on this link…beautiful beaches!

So you’re going to Panglao Island and you’ve been hearing about the famed Alona Beach? Well I’ll get to Alona in a bit, but let me tell you about my personal favorite beach on Panglao Island, which I feel far outshines Alona in every single way…Introducing Dumaluan Beach. I don’t have to say much. The pictures are pretty self-explanatory! In Bali we ran into a lot of beaches that definitely looked better in the photos than in real life. Dumaluan and the beaches in Anda are picture perfect and will not disappoint in real life! I was in awe when we walked onto the beach and I could barely contain my excitement at the jackpot we hit. As my eyes took in the endless stretch of bright soft white sand and crystal clear blue waters, I knew we made the right decision to spend our Panglao Island full beach day here instead of at Alona.

Amazing color right?! You can also click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing purposes 😉

As I said earlier, Dumaluan Beach is full of pure fine white sand (I’m talking soft as sugar), clear turquoise blue waters, and less than half the crowds of Alona Beach. The beach is quite a long stretch, so you can definitely find plenty of private spots and it is dotted with restaurants and bars for your enjoyment. It’s also incredibly clean and well maintained! Another plus is that there is definitely more swimming area at this beach. There are hardly any boats especially when compared to Alona and you won’t hit giant spots of seaweed until you go pretty far out into the water. I observed a lot of seaweed and junk spots in Alona, not nearly as much swimming area. The sand beneath you in the water is also incredibly soft, though I still wore coral shoes when I ventured further out there because I did see some sea urchins. The beach is also full of these little guys! In the ocean and also washed up on the sand.

Kids and adults alike will have so much fun running into a plethora of these gorgeous starfish! Other than that though, I didn’t see much else in terms of ocean life at this beach, but then again I didn’t go very far/deep into the ocean and I also didn’t have snorkel equipment.

I would take them out very quickly for a photo and dip them back in. I try not to harm them!!

I was like a little kid in these gorgeous waters. So blissfully happy!

The entrance fee is more expensive than at Alona but I feel it’s worth the increase and c’mon honestly? 25php (50 cents USD) is not breaking the bank in any way for most tourists (*price in April 2017). We also “splurged” on some fresh seafood bbq at DBR Grill and it was DELICIOUS! We got a seafood platter full of freshly caught barbecued chicken, beef, fish, prawns, and calamari with rice and a savory/salty dipping sauce that I absolutely loved. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all! The platter, rice, and 2 fresh fruit smoothies only cost us about $10-$12 USD. This is a little pricy for the Philippines, but it is Panglao Island, it is right on the beach, and it is FRESH SEAFOOD after all. Just like in Bali and most places in Southeast Asia, where are you ever going to get delicious fresh seafood meals right on the beach for this cheap? I shudder when I think of the prices in the Western World. This was worth every penny and I definitely recommend it.

I will admit we didn’t spend a ton of time at Alona Beach, so maybe I’m being unfair. We went there in the early evening, while the sun was still up but nearing sunset. First of all the Alona strip gets kind of crowded compared to what we experienced around the rest of Bohol. Everyone wants to see Alona so of course this is to be expected. You park in a big lot up above and walk on down. The lot is 5 php to park in. Well, depending on the day. Sometimes the lady at the gate will run after you for the money and sometimes she will let you go and get someone else. You’ll see what I mean. It was pretty funny because we parked there a couple other times so we could walk and grab ice cream around the corner so we encountered her more than once. Anyways, the beach to me was nothing spectacular. It was pretty but nothing like Dumaluan. The sand was white but had this worn down grittiness to it, it is hard to explain, but it just looked dirty to me. There wasn’t a lot of swimming spots in the ocean due to the massive amounts of seaweed and the many many boats in the water. The beach doesn’t stretch very far either and it is lined with a lot of restaurants and bars as well, a lot more commercialized. This is where I saw the most tourists lounging around and taking selfies every second haha. It just didn’t impress me the way that Dumaluan did but it still made for some decent pictures as you can see and we still enjoyed watching local kids running around and observing foreigners looking very uncomfortable and out of their element haha.

I mentioned an ice cream joint earlier, and if you are craving some excellent ube ice cream (and many other unique and delectable island themed flavors) make sure you stop by The Buzzz Cafe which is a part of the Bohol Bee Farm. They serve food at their restaurant front as well, but this little ice cream stand has some of the best ice cream i’ve ever tried! Organic, natural ingredients with no preservatives, just the right amount of sweetness, and incredibly creamy. It is served in a cassava cone made in house as well and my life has forever changed now that I’ve experienced this flavor combination of toasty nuttiness mixed with the sweetness of the ice cream. You seriously have to try this place!

Overall, when it comes down to the question of which is better? Well, you know my answer to that. But I want to know yours. Have you been to these two beaches? Which did you like better? If you end up going to both on your trip, let me know your opinions in the comment about which you enjoyed more.

Until next time,

Kelsie