Nova Beach Resort

Nova Beach Resort: A 20-Room Property Near Dumaluan Beach

Nova Beach Resort is a 20-room property positioned an 11-minute walk from Dumaluan Beach and about 13 minutes from Alona Beach, placing it closer to Panglao’s quieter eastern shoreline than the main dive-tourism strip. No OTA rating currently sits in this listing’s own data, though the property’s own pricing (estimated around 4,250 PHP, drawn from 17 comparable Panglao properties) situates it in the mid-range tier alongside similarly sized resorts on this side of the island.

The Accommodation

All 20 rooms come with a balcony overlooking the surrounding streets, air conditioning, a private bathroom, a closet, and free WiFi — a standard but complete set for a resort of this size. A continental breakfast is included, served through the on-site restaurant, and the property maintains a garden and an outdoor swimming pool as its main common spaces. Free private parking is available, useful for guests renting a scooter or arranging their own transport around the island rather than relying solely on tricycles.

Location and Getting Around

Being roughly equidistant from Dumaluan and Alona gives guests a genuine choice of beaches rather than a single default — Dumaluan tends to be calmer and less crowded, appealing to travelers who want sand and swimming without the dive-shop density of Alona’s strip, while Alona remains the go-to for reef access, tour bookings, and evening dining options. Libaong White Beach, roughly 1.7 miles away, is a further option for guests willing to travel a bit further for a quieter stretch of coast.

Panglao Context

This part of Panglao — between Dumaluan and Alona — sits within a short drive of the interior barangays that remain agricultural even as the coastline has built out around tourism: Tangnan, Binoon, and San Isidro continue producing coconut and root crops much as they did before Alona’s dive economy took hold in the early 1980s. A stay on this side of the island puts that contrast — a working farming interior a few kilometers from a globally known dive destination — within easy reach for anyone curious enough to explore beyond the beachfront.

A short trip toward Poblacion, Panglao’s municipal seat, reaches the San Agustin Parish Church complex, where the 1851 Panglao Watchtower — a five-story hexagonal coral-stone tower declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2011 — stands beside the active St. Augustine Parish Church, built mainly between 1894 and the 1920s. Every August 28, the parish’s patronal fiesta becomes Hudyaka sa Panglao, a municipality-wide festival with participation from all ten barangays, mixing street parades with food stalls built around local seafood.

For a meal beyond the resort’s own restaurant, kinilaw na tanigue — raw Spanish mackerel cured in coconut vinegar produced on the island, with ginger, chili, and onion — is the dish most identified with Panglao’s local kitchens, typically found at carinderias near the town center rather than resort dining rooms geared toward international guests.

On water: Panglao has no river system, and both households and resorts draw from a groundwater lens that dry-season demand has pushed past safe chloride levels in some wells, according to published studies. Tap water isn’t potable island-wide, so bottled or filtered water is standard practice at every property regardless of size, including 20-room resorts like this one.

Practical Notes

A 20-room resort sits in an awkward middle ground between the smallest guesthouses and Panglao’s largest branded properties — big enough to run a full restaurant and pool, small enough that peak-season dates (Holy Week, Christmas week, Chinese New Year) can sell out with less notice than a 100-plus-room resort would give. Confirm which specific room category the quoted rate applies to, since balcony views and proximity to the pool tend to vary by floor and building within a property this size.

Getting to Panglao means flying directly into Bohol–Panglao International Airport, which opened in 2018 on the island itself, or taking the roughly two-hour fast ferry from Cebu City to Tagbilaran followed by a 15–20 minute tricycle or multicab ride across the Tagbilaran–Dauis bridge. Guests visiting between July and September should factor in the southwest monsoon, which brings choppier conditions specifically to Alona Beach — Dumaluan and this side of the island tend to stay comparatively more sheltered through the same stretch.

Who Should Book Here

Works for: travelers who want the option to split time between Dumaluan and Alona beaches, guests who prefer a mid-size resort with a pool and included breakfast, and anyone renting their own transport who values on-site parking.

Skip if you: want to walk straight onto Alona Beach itself, or need a larger property with extensive facilities beyond a pool and restaurant.

Getting there and booking: Dumaluan Beach is an 11-minute walk; Alona Beach is about 13 minutes. Rates and current availability are listed on Stay22 and Booking.com.