Ana-as Apartelle (GGL)

Ana-as Apartelle (GGL): A Family-Run Stay With Backup Solar

Ana-as Apartelle, also listed as Ana-as GGL Apartelle, is a family-run property in Purok 5, Daorong, Barangay Danao, about 850 metres from Alona Beach and a 9-minute car ride from Bohol-Panglao International Airport. On Booking.com it holds an 8.3 rating (Very Good) from 20 reviews — a small but strongly rated base — and separately ranks #105 of 165 B&Bs and inns on Tripadvisor. Stay22 benchmarks rates from around PHP 2,730 a night against comparable properties at a similar score.

Twelve Units, Three Types

The apartelle runs 12 units total: 10 Standard Rooms, one Deluxe Villa, and one Family Villa, all with private bathrooms, air conditioning, coffee and tea facilities, flat-screen TVs, and a private porch or balcony. It’s a small enough operation that the family running it can manage bookings and requests directly rather than through shift staff, which tracks with the strong review score relative to its modest size.

Solar Backup, a Real Detail

The property runs back-up solar power — a genuine operational detail rather than a marketing claim, and one that matters practically on an island where brownouts during storms or peak-season demand spikes aren’t unusual. It puts Ana-as ahead of most small Panglao apartelles on this specific point, most of which rely entirely on the grid with no backup generation.

Pool and Grounds

A large common swimming pool and a lounge area anchor the shared space, with free parking available by reservation — worth arranging ahead given the limited spots at a property this size.

Coconut Country, a Few Minutes Inland

Danao and the interior barangays behind it — Tangnan, Binoon, San Isidro — stay agricultural even as the coastal strip fills with tourism infrastructure, producing coconut and root crops on land that predates the resort boom by generations. It’s a reminder that Panglao’s 44 square kilometres hold two economies side by side: the reef-and-lodging economy along the coast, and a farming economy just a few minutes inland that most beach-focused visitors never see.

A Custom From the Water

Fishermen working this same stretch of coast, particularly the older generation in Danao and neighboring Boljo-on, still observe a quiet courtesy before entering unfamiliar water — a murmured request for permission, part of a broader Visayan belief that the sea and old trees hold unseen spirits deserving acknowledgment. It’s treated as a private habit rather than an official practice, and most dive operators won’t mention it, but it persists among those who’ve fished these waters longest.

The Reef and the Island Beyond It

Alona Beach’s house reef, 850 metres from the apartelle, drops from shallow coral gardens to a wall at 20–30 metres, with boat trips running from the beachfront out to Balicasag Island — about 20 minutes by outrigger — where diving and snorkeling access is capped at 150 visitors a day by the municipal government, two dives per diver, with a roughly ₱250 environmental fee. Guests looking further afield typically add a countryside day for Chocolate Hills and the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, both roughly 45 minutes inland and commonly combined into one half-day tour.

Water on the Island

Like the rest of Panglao, Ana-as draws its domestic water from a freshwater lens rather than a river system — the island has none of its own. That groundwater layer floats above denser saltwater within the porous limestone bedrock, and published studies have measured chloride levels in some wells running past the World Health Organization’s 250 mg/L threshold, driven by dry-season over-extraction. Tap water isn’t potable anywhere on Panglao as a result, and the solar backup power here doesn’t change that — bottled or filtered water remains standard practice for guests and residents alike.

Getting Around

The 850-metre distance to Alona Beach is walkable in roughly 12–15 minutes, or a short tricycle ride. From Tagbilaran City, tricycles to Panglao run 15–20 minutes over the Tagbilaran–Dauis bridge, costing roughly PHP 150–250. Ferries connect Tagbilaran to Cebu in about two hours.

Who Should Book Here

The mix of room types — standard rooms alongside two villa options — suits both solo travelers on a budget and small families or groups wanting more space in the Family Villa. The solar backup and small guest count make it a reasonable choice for travelers who value a family-run operation over a larger branded resort, provided the 850-metre walk to the beach isn’t a dealbreaker.

Getting There & Booking

A 9-minute car ride connects the property to Bohol-Panglao International Airport. Book through Stay22 or Booking.com directly, confirming parking reservations ahead of arrival given the property’s limited space.