10 Best Beaches in the Philippines to Visit


                                         White Beach, Boracay Island, Aklan
Has always been the favorite place of beach goers to go in the Philippines. White sand, beautiful sunset, lots of water activities, friendly people and cool waters. Boracay is the place for people looking to party, night life at the long beach strip lasts until the wee hours. It is even considered as one of the finest beaches in the world. You can also spot on different foreign celebrity and local celebrity in the island of Boracay.  Is a part of Aklan Province, known for the lively Ati-Atihan Festival in January. There's no airport on the island but there are plenty of trike taxis and some trucks creating a racket inland. Ideal months are January-May. Best windsurfing months are December-February. OK: June- September [with some rain] April and May are local school holidays and the place gets noisy and crowded then. Worst months: Don't consider October-November when it's windy, grey and wet. Boracay island, 315km/200miles south of Manila, has no airport so visitors fly to Panay island from Manila by domestic airlines such as PAL [Philippine Airlines] and SEAIR, then it's a one kilometre, 20 minute ride by banca, an outrigger boat.

                                        Entalula Island, El Nido, Palawan
Entalula Island is the best beach island in the Bacuit Bay group of islands in El Nido, Palawan. It is a small, secluded area with limestone cliffs protecting the beach. It is a private island owned by El Nido Resorts, but a small portion of the beach can be publicly accessed by island-hopping tourists from El Nido town. The beach has sugar-fine, white sand that could very well match Boracay’s famous sand. The best part of the Entalula Island experience is that you can request the resort to arrange lunch or dinner there for you. That way, you get to enjoy the beach privately and you can savor the time spent with your group or just your special someone. The place is always known as the country’s last frontier and sometimes "the Island of the Gods". This place offers great beaches that will take you away from the city life. It is the best place to go if you are looking for peace and serenity. The place offers beautiful landscapes, diving sites, cave explorations, kayaking, water activities and island hopping. Being here is like being in a dream. It is like a setting for a fantasy movie. Bring your best camera, the sceneries are unbelievable!

                                        Puerto Galera Bay, Mindoro Island
Puerto Galera, a world-class diving site, is an ideal place to do island-hopping or a place to laze on pristine white sands and snorkel clear warm water. The most popular places for swimming in the area are White Beach and Tamaraw Beach, while Sabang Beach has the best facilities for diving and coral-cruising. If your aim is tranquility, Puerto Galera is not a great choice, especially in the peak season. For less crowds try Big La Laguna and Small La Laguna beaches or strands on Boquete Island or San Antonio Island. The area also offers excellent inland nature walks. UNESCO has listed Puerto Galera as 'a Man and Biosphere Reserve' and noted it as one of the world's most beautiful bays , it has suffered from coral-bleaching due to tourism overdose. The best diving is found off the coast of Sinandigan, Sabang, between the islands of Boquete and Mendio, all reachable by a short boat ride; try a an hour banca ride trip to Verde Island for reefs that host nearly 60% of the world's known species of inshore fish. December-April are the best weather, though during the peak season of April and May room rates can be very high. Puerto Galera is 2 hours by land from Manila to Batangas port, then ferries. Fast 1.5 hours.

                                         Saud Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Far northeast Luzon is one of a kind beach where you can live simply while you're on vacation. This is a perfect place to meditate, renew and refresh yourself and in some areas too you can just simply do surfing. It is a coastal resort town with long white sand beach, crystal blue waters, and strong winds with ideal waves for surfing. Situated on the north tip of Luzon Island, tranquil Pagudpud [aka Tongotong] offers three wide white beaches; Saud Beach was picked as Asia's best beach by an Aussie newspaper; the calm, blue Maira-ira Point [also know as Blue Lagoon or Malingay Cove], and Pansian Beach which sees hardly any tourists. To enjoy more of scenic Pagudpud, hike to Nacatnagan Cliff, or drive along the winding Patapat viaduct, the Philippines' 4th longest bridge for a spectacular coastal landscape. Best weather is on December till April. Take a 45 minute flight or 9-12 hours drive from Manila to Laoag City, then another 1.5 hours from there by whatever land transport you can find. Blue Lagoon in Maira-ira was once the hidden beach that was considered the “Boracay of the North”. It has a natural cove that turns turquoise blue when seen from a high vantage point. The lush foliage and rice fields surrounding it made its pristine condition even more charming.

                                             Panglao Island, Bohol
Coral white sand beaches great for swimming, relaxing and enjoying the barbecues along the coast. Several dive spots within the area to check it's coral reefs. The island is famous for its world class diving locations and is home to numerous tourist resorts. At the pristine Alona Beach, tours can be organised to world famous diving sites, if you love to dive visiting Panglao is the place to be. Bohol Island, just across from Cebu, is best known for its curiously bumpy Chocolate Hills landscape but is popular locally as the region's best beach destination, with superb bleached sand and some world class diving sites, though they are mostly off the adjacent island of Panglao and its peaceful resorts. The 800m long, picturesque Alona Beach, with plenty of accommodation, restaurants and dive centres, is for action folk, though it has sea grass that conceals sea urchins, so sand shoes are useful. The 3km of unspoiled Doljo Beach located at Barangay Doljo, is a more secluded, less developed, shallow water option. Best of all is the crescent shaped sandbank of Virgin Island, a few km off Panglao, though it lacks any facilities. Rent a banca to get there or go with a dolphin-watching trip. Cabilao Island on the west coast of Bohol has some splendid diving sites and exceptionally clear water. A few resort hotels in ethnic style are found there. Best Bohol weather is on February till May. OK the rest of the year too with mostly short spells of rain. Worst was on October-December. Fly from Manila to Tagbilaran, or fly to Cebu and take a fast ferry for 90 minutes.

                                    Matukad Island, Caramoan, Camarines Sur
Southeast Luzon, Matukad Island offers a wonderful combination of the great features of other beaches. Its sandy beach can be compared to Boracay; its limestone cliffs are like those in Palawan; and its location in a group of islands is similar to that of Hundred Islands. Dotted around the coast of Camarines Sur are regarded as Philippines' secret gems and a future Boracay. They are limestone islets, resembling Thailand's Ko Phi Phi, and particularly great for island-hopping and water adventures such as kayaking, caving and diving. Although Caramoan has become the country's hottest destination since being introduced to the international market by French TV, this area is still unspoilt due to its remoteness.  From Matukad, Laos Island can be found nearby. This is quite a unique place because it has two beach coves that face different sides of the island. You can stand in the middle of the intersection of the beach and you'll have different beach views on your left and on your right. Two limestone cliffs anchor the beach, adding to a visual feast you'll never forget. Lahuy Island has the longest sandy shore in the islands. Malarad Island's Tayak coral pebble beach and nearby Tayak Lagoon has a vast coral garden and is an excellent site for snorkelling. The sheer white sandbar of Cotivas Island is a dreamy strand, with coconut palms, clear shallow water and simple huts can be hired for shade. Note that it disappears at high tide! Sabitang Laya Island offers a 2km long sandy shoreline, marvellous for beach combers and its tall cliffs are great for rock climbing. February to June are the best weather. Avoid October-January, the northeast monsoon brings rain, wind and rough seas. Caramoan, in the Bicol region, is accessible from Manila by land, though it takes 8-10 hours. Alternatively take a 45-minute flight to Naga City from Manila, then a 2 hour drive to Sabang Port and a boat to Gaijalo, Caramoan's port.

          Kota Beach, Bantayan and White Beach Malapascua Island, Cebu
Bantayan, 15km from the northern tip of Cebu is well-known for its powder white sands and crystal clear water, especially along the island's southeast coast, such as Sugar Beach and Kota Beach - named after their resorts. Bantayan is a low-key, laid-back place with friendly locals offering some of the country's most inviting and reasonable beach resort hotels in native style, particularly around Santa Fe. If you looking for an untouched paradise, try nearby the islet of Puo or Virgin Island, via a short boat ride. Kota Beach in Bantayan is like a corner beach. There, you can view nature on both left and right sides – a great muni-muni spot to reflect on your life and its many aspects. Malapascua Beach, on the other hand, is the “undeveloped Boracay”, where you can enjoy the beach without the noise of overdevelopment and the nightlife. It's a place where you can escape, write a book, or simply lounge around incognito. Malapascua Island - off the main island province of Cebu, this island beach is famous for it's coral reefs where thresher sharks and manta rays can be sighted regularly. The island is also surrounded by white sand beaches. Malapascua has become a major dive centre with superb coral gardens and underwater plateaus; dive sites including Gato Island, Deep Rock, Pioneer Wreck and Monad Shoal are famous for thresher sharks and manta rays using the marine highway between Cebu and Leyte islands. Best weather: Driest February-May. OK the rest of the year too with mostly short spells of rain. Worst, October-December. Fly to Mactan-Cebu International Airport and take a 4 hour bus ride to Maya, the northernmost tip of the Island, then a 30-40 minutes boat ride.

               Dakak Park and Beach Resort, Dapitan City, Zamboanga Del Norte
The very popular Dakak Beach is the closes place to paradise one could ever experience, with it's beauty and serenity. Is most known for its beautfiully shaped cove and powdery white sand, and as a diving mecca in Mindanao. Pristine blue waters, excellent dive sites with an abundance of coral reefs, and a magnificent sunset horizon characterize this tropical eden. Dakak Park and Beach Resort boasts 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals, and a 750-meter private white-sand beach.

                                         Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao
Located at the far south in the city of Davao, lies the premier beach resort know as the Pearl Farm. The place offers more than what you are looking for, with its tranquil and exotic sceneries one cannot ask for a more relaxing and quiet retreat. Blessed with various natural wonders of flora and fauna, the place no longer has the pearls you are looking for, but it is surely an experience you will never forget. Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao was once a pearl farm where oysters were cultured and harvested for it's pearl. Now a beach resort with several water sport activities, it also has a very relaxing atmosphere. 

                                              Honda Bay, Palawan
A few minutes northeast of Palawan City. Has over a dozen islands to hop around. White sand beaches, sandbars and reefs ideal for snorkeling and swimming. This are islands that surround the capital of the South Western province of Palawan. Among these islands, the tourist can go island hopping, diving and swim on the cool waters. In one of the islands, one can see the variety of fishes without swimming out too deep. Framing the rugged and intriguing coastline of the capital of Palawan, Puerto Princesa City is Honda Bay. Its blue cool waters are dotted with islets that assure one of a pure-pleasure experience. From snorkeling in its clear waters to the more adventurous island hopping within its enclaves to simply having a picnic in the fine sand of its beach areas, Honda Bay is sure to leave a lasting impression on the visitor. Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, Palawan. Despite its outstanding natural beauty, Palawan's 1,770 islands including the spectacular Bacuit Archipelago, have been one of the least developed holiday destinations in Southeast Asia, apart from the famous El Nido resorts in the north of the island. So far the lack of commercialism has kept Palawan special, but this long, skinny 'Island of Gods' is becoming more popular with scuba divers and adventurers and can be crowded in places. Palawan also offers the Philippines' best dive spot at the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, a UNESCO's Natural World Heritage Site. Dive boats operate from March to June and can be arranged at Puerto Princesa. It's 182 kms into the Sulu Sea. Best Palawan weather: December-May. Possible heavy rains June- November, but not necessarily. Direct flights or over-night ferry from Manila are available.


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