Buona Resort

Buona Resort (Buona Vita Resort): Tawala Stay

This property appears across booking platforms under two related names — Buona Resort on Trip.com and Buona Vita Resort on Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, all pointing to the same address in Barangay Tawala, Panglao. With only 6 reviews feeding its 7.2 Hostelworld score in this entity’s frontmatter, it’s a newer or lower-volume listing than most comparable Alona-area properties, and travelers should weigh that small sample size accordingly.

The Accommodation

Rooms are air-conditioned with a work desk, electric tea kettle, in-room safe, flat-screen TV, and a private bathroom with a shower; several units include a balcony or terrace, and select rooms add a refrigerator and mini-bar. Reviewers and the property’s own listing note sound-insulated walls, a specific and checkable detail worth flagging for light sleepers concerned about noise bleed between rooms rather than just street-facing windows. The Basic Double Room configuration is a one-bedroom, non-smoking unit with a pool view, desk, and the same soundproofing.

Pool & Common Areas

An outdoor pool anchors the property, with free WiFi and parking included. A bar and on-site meal options round out the amenities — modest by resort standards but sufficient for guests who plan to spend most days out at Alona or on tours rather than lounging on-site.

Location

Buona sits within about a 10-minute drive of both Alona Beach and Dumaluan Beach, putting it roughly equidistant between Panglao’s two main beach areas rather than committed to either. That’s a reasonable position for travelers who want to sample both — Alona’s denser dive-and-restaurant strip and Dumaluan’s calmer, more family-oriented shoreline — without repeatedly repacking to change accommodation.

Local Food & Economy

The Tawala road running past the property hosts Larsian-style streetside barbecue stalls from late afternoon, a cheap and casual dinner option distinct from resort restaurant menus. For a more specifically local dish, kinilaw na tanigue — raw Spanish mackerel cured in coconut vinegar, ginger, chili, and onion — uses vinegar typically tapped and produced on Panglao itself rather than imported from elsewhere in the Visayas, a small but real link between the dish and the island’s own agriculture.

Panglao’s interior barangays, including parts of Tawala’s surrounding area, still support coconut and root-crop farming alongside the coastal tourism economy — a reminder that the resort strip isn’t the whole of the local economy even for properties, like this one, sited close to it.

Reef & Conservation

Alona’s reef, a short drive away, drops from shallow coral gardens to a wall at 20–30 metres, snorkelable in calm conditions roughly June through October. For deeper diving, Balicasag Island — about 20 minutes out by outrigger from the Alona side — remains the area’s main draw, with sea turtle cleaning stations and the Black Forest wall past 40 metres; the municipal government caps access at 150 divers a day with a two-dive limit and a per-diver environmental fee, a direct response to the pressure that unmanaged volume would put on the reef.

Water on Panglao

Every property in Tawala, this one included, ultimately draws water from a freshwater lens sitting above denser groundwater in the island’s limestone bedrock rather than any river — Panglao has none. Over-extraction during peak dry-season tourist demand has pushed chloride levels in some wells past safe drinking limits, which is why bottled or filtered water is the standard practice across the island rather than a property-specific gap. It’s worth keeping a few bottles on hand regardless of what’s stocked in the mini-bar.

Practical Details

Location: Tawala, roughly a 10-minute drive to both Alona Beach and Dumaluan Beach.

Transport: Tricycle to either beach or to Tagbilaran runs roughly 150–200 PHP; fast boats to Cebu operate close to hourly from Tagbilaran (about 30 minutes, roughly 200 PHP).

Day Trips

Chocolate Hills (about 45 minutes inland) and the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary (a similar distance) are bookable through Alona-based operators, typically combined with a Loboc River cruise for a half-day countryside circuit.

Who Should Book Here

Works for travelers wanting a quiet, sound-insulated room roughly equidistant from Alona and Dumaluan, without committing fully to either beach’s character.

Skip if you want a well-established review history to gauge consistency against, given the small number of reviews currently on file, or if you need a beachfront position rather than a short drive to the sand.

Current Rating: Very Good, 7.2 from 6 reviews on Hostelworld (as of 2026-07-22) — a small enough sample that it’s worth checking Booking.com or TripAdvisor listings under “Buona Vita Resort” for a fuller picture before booking.

Getting There & Booking

Buona Resort (listed elsewhere as Buona Vita Resort) sits in Tawala, about 10 minutes by car from both Alona and Dumaluan beaches. Book on Stay22 or the relevant OTA listing to confirm current rates.