Ananda Resort

Ananda Resort: Beachfront on Libaong, Away From the Alona Crowd

Ananda Resort sits about 150 yards from Libaong White Sand Beach and Bolod Beach, on the eastern side of Panglao roughly 8 kilometres from Alona Beach — a genuinely different stretch of coastline from the dive-shop-dense properties clustered around Tawala. On Booking.com it holds a 7.8 rating (Good) from 477 reviews, one of the larger review bases in this group, with staff service scoring particularly well at 8.8 against cleanliness at 8.0 and comfort at 7.9.

Rooms With a Sea View

Rooms include a flat-screen TV, a wardrobe, and a private bathroom with shower facilities; select rooms add a private terrace overlooking the sea rather than the pool or garden views typical of the Alona-cluster properties. English-speaking staff arrange countryside tours, dolphin-watching trips, and island-hopping excursions directly from the front desk.

A Quieter Beach

Bolod and Libaong sit outside the dense dive-shop strip that defines Alona, and Panglao’s coastline more broadly runs from Alona Beach through Doljo Point to Dumaluan Beach, each stretch with a different character — Doljo notably calmer during the July–September southwest monsoon, when Alona itself sees choppier water and reduced dive schedules. Ananda’s location on this side of the island suits travelers who want beach access without the evening bar noise that comes with staying directly on the Alona strip.

Bohol Bee Farm, a Working Neighbor

Bohol Bee Farm sits about 4 kilometres away — an organic farm-and-restaurant operation built around beekeeping and herb cultivation that also trains and employs local staff, and one of the few tourist stops on the island built primarily as a livelihood and agricultural-education project rather than a beach or dive attraction. It’s a common lunch stop for guests staying on this side of Panglao, closer to Ananda than to almost any Alona-area property.

Kinilaw, Made With Local Vinegar

Fishing households along this stretch of coast still prepare kinilaw na tanigue at home — raw Spanish mackerel cured in coconut vinegar, ginger, chili, and onion, using vinegar tapped and produced on the island rather than shipped in. It’s a dish built around the morning catch rather than a fixed restaurant menu item, and it shows up in milder form at tourist-facing restaurants closer to Alona.

Getting to Hinagdanan and Beyond

Hinagdanan Cave, the lit cave with a brackish swimming pool in Barangay Bingag, sits about 6.3 kilometres from the resort — closer than it is to most Alona-side properties, making it a straightforward stop for guests based here. Chocolate Hills and the inland Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella remain a similar overall drive regardless of which side of Panglao a traveler stays on, and are typically combined into one countryside day.

The Watchtower on the Other Side of the Island

Panglao’s Poblacion, home to the 1851 Panglao Watchtower and the St. Augustine Parish Church beside it, sits roughly midway between Ananda and Alona — a five-storey hexagonal coral-stone tower declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2011, worth a stop for travelers combining a countryside tour with a look at the island’s oldest surviving structure.

Water on This Side of the Island Too

Panglao has no river system anywhere on it, and Bolod and Libaong draw from the same freshwater lens as Alona — a layer of groundwater sitting above denser saltwater in the island’s porous limestone. Chloride levels in some wells have been measured well past the World Health Organization’s 250 mg/L threshold, a consequence of dry-season over-extraction that affects the whole island rather than any one barangay. Tap water isn’t potable anywhere on Panglao, and bottled or filtered water is standard practice at Ananda as everywhere else.

Practical Details

Tricycles from Tagbilaran to this side of Panglao run somewhat longer than to Alona, given the added distance east; expect PHP 200–300 depending on the exact route. Ferries connect Tagbilaran to Cebu in about two hours.

Who Should Book Here

Ananda suits travelers who want a beachfront room with a sea-view terrace and don’t need to be within walking distance of Alona’s dive shops and restaurants — a reasonable trade for quieter surroundings and proximity to Bohol Bee Farm and Hinagdanan Cave. It’s less suited to travelers whose priority is walking to Alona’s nightlife or dive operators without a tricycle ride.

Getting There & Booking

From Tagbilaran City, expect a slightly longer tricycle or multicab ride to reach this side of Panglao than to Alona directly. Book through Stay22 or Booking.com, where the 477-review base gives a reliable read on current service quality.