Alona Vikings Lodge 2

Alona Vikings Lodge 2: A Garden Lodge Off Alona Beach

Alona Vikings Lodge 2 sits roughly a seven-minute walk inland from Alona Beach, within 1.3 miles of Danao Beach and about 1.2 miles from Bohol-Panglao International Airport. On Booking.com the property carries an 8.0 rating (Very Good) from 19 reviews, and Stay22 lists rates from around PHP 3,090 a night, benchmarked against five comparable Panglao properties at a similar review score.

Rooms and Grounds

Every room opens onto a patio with a garden view, and a handful of upper units add a private balcony. Interiors are simple: a private bathroom with bidet and hairdryer, a flat-screen TV, split-type air conditioning, and a fridge — standard for a Panglao lodge in this price band. The grounds carry a garden, a terrace, and free private parking, with room service and free Wi-Fi covering the property. Massage services are available on request, and the front desk arranges a paid airport shuttle for the short run to Panglao’s terminal.

Getting Around

The lodge trades a direct beachfront address for a quieter inland plot — guests walk roughly seven minutes to reach Alona Beach’s sand and its cluster of dive shops. That stretch of shoreline, a 1.2-kilometre coralline-sand arc in Barangay Tawala, is where nearly all of Panglao’s snorkeling, dive-shop bookings, and beachfront dining concentrate. From Alona, boat trips run out to Balicasag Island, about 20 minutes away by outrigger, where the local government caps snorkeling and diving access at 150 people a day (two dives per diver) and collects a roughly ₱250 environmental fee per visitor — a limit set specifically because the reef there could not sustain unmanaged traffic. Tricycles from the airport or Tagbilaran run PHP 150–250 depending on distance and time of day; fast ferries connect Tagbilaran to Cebu in about two hours.

Local Taste and Tradition

A short walk into Barangay Tawala after dark puts guests at the Larsian-style barbecue stalls that set up along the road from late afternoon — skewers of pork, chicken, and seafood grilled to order and eaten with rice and a vinegar dip, priced by the stick. Fishermen working the Danao and Boljo-on coast nearby still favor kinilaw na tanigue on their own tables — raw Spanish mackerel cured in coconut vinegar, ginger, chili, and onion — using vinegar tapped and produced on the island itself rather than trucked in. It’s a dish built around what boats bring in that morning, not a menu item designed for tourists.

Water, Reef, and a Real Constraint

Panglao has no river system of its own. Households and resorts, this one included, draw domestic water from a freshwater lens — a layer of fresh groundwater floating above denser saltwater inside the island’s porous limestone. Published water-quality studies have found chloride levels in some wells running well past the World Health Organization’s 250 mg/L threshold, a consequence of dry-season over-extraction outpacing what rainfall replaces. It’s the reason tap water isn’t potable anywhere on the island, bottled water is standard even for residents, and it’s a real long-term ceiling on how much further the resort strip can expand without new water infrastructure.

Practical Notes

Evening ambient noise from the restaurants and bars along the Tawala strip typically runs until 10–11pm before the area quiets down; earplugs are a reasonable add for light sleepers. Free cancellation is commonly available up to three to five days before arrival, though terms should be confirmed at the time of booking rather than assumed. WiFi in the rooms and common areas is generally adequate for messaging and email, but weaker for video calls during the evening peak between roughly 7pm and 9pm, when demand across the property is highest.

Day Trips

Guests based here typically combine beach and reef days with one inland circuit: Chocolate Hills, roughly 45 minutes inland and workable as a half-day hike or quad-bike tour, and the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, a similar distance away, where the small nocturnal primates are viewed on raised walkways rather than handled. Operators along Tawala road book both as a single day tour, leaving early mornings and evenings free for the beach.

Who Should Book Here

The lodge fits travelers who want an inland, garden-facing base a short walk from Alona rather than a beachfront address at a premium — divers staying multiple nights, couples on a mid-range budget, and anyone planning to spend most daylight hours out on the water or on an inland tour rather than lounging at the property itself. The modest 19-review base suggests a smaller, quieter operation than its higher-volume neighbors, which suits solo travelers too.

Skip it if a beachfront room matters more than price, or if a swimming pool or on-site gym is a requirement — this is a lodge built around proximity and simplicity, not resort infrastructure.

Getting There & Booking

Panglao’s airport sits about 1.2 miles from the lodge, with a paid shuttle available; from Tagbilaran City proper, tricycles cover the distance in 15–20 minutes over the Tagbilaran–Dauis bridge. Book through Stay22 or directly on Booking.com to confirm current rates against the PHP 3,090 estimate.