The Beautiful Philippine Beaches Await You!
It’s an unavoidable fact that somewhere among the Philippines’ 7,107 islands you will find the most beautiful beaches in the world. You must only decide just what features are most important to you on your travels—amazing ocean marine life or possibly remarkable Filipino cultural experiences?
Maybe you want a place with some beauty and yet lively with conveniences for tourists. If you’re trying to get away from it all, you might seek quiet, natural beachfront territory. The Philippines offers it all.
Understanding the Layout of the Islands
This is not a place where you are going to find an exact geographic description of over 7,000 islands. However, you do need to have a basic understanding of the layout of the Philippines, north to south.
- Beginning at the topmost, northern end of the Philippines, you will be at the Luzon island group, by far the largest. Here you will find a mixture of areas with Filipino administrative offices, and the city of Manila is situated on the west side about two-thirds of the way down. Luzon is itself the largest island of the Philippines and it also refers to the tiny islands that are in its group.
- Second, you will come to the Visayas, both the Eastern and Western Visayas, the middle island group. Some of the best known islands in this area include Cebu and Bohol.
- The third and southernmost group of islands is the Mindanao island group. Mindanao proper is the second largest island of the Philippines. It also includes the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Davao region.
Our Picks: The 7 Best Beaches
Boracay Island
Travelers everywhere concede that the beaches of Boracay are among the best in the world. Boracay is south of Manila technically in the Visayas group but accessible from either Manila or Cebu. It’s a place where you can find love and romance or sensual adventure. You can play in the sun and lay on the beach. It’s a place to get away from it all, and it’s a place where you’ll find everything. The most popular tourist area is the White Beach on the western side. You can go scuba diving, snorkeling, or windsurfing, and you can play at a world-class golf resort.
Mactan Island
This little piece of paradise is located just a stone’s throw off the east coast of Cebu Island. It has been built up to offer great tourist conveniences, and you’ll find jet skiing and sailing as well as snorkeling and scuba-diving. If you’re looking for a lot of night life, you’ll find it at Mactan. If you want to visit a public aquarium, you’ll find that, here, too, offering over 30 exhibits from snakes to sharks.
Saud Beach
If you’re looking for turquoise waters and fine, white sands, try the beautiful stretches of beach you’ll find at Saud Beach at Pagudpud, located at the northernmost tip of Luzon. You will reach this place traveling by bus from Laoag City. Saud Beach offers breathtaking sunsets, and many people liken its strong winds to those of Hawaii. Indeed, it captures the souls of avid surfers and swimmers alike, so this is your place if you’re a real water-baby.
Alona Beach
This once-pristine stretch of Panglao Island has been highly commercialized, and many people recommend if you want to avoid that you should come to Alona Beach during the off season. It is also located in the Visayas section, to the east of Cebu, accessible from that airport. It is actually one of the Bohol islands, and if you’re visiting the area take some time to travel into central Bohol and see the Chocolate Hills. No matter what you decide to do, you will find sands so fine that they are often carted off for laying on beaches elsewhere.
Paras Beach
You’ll find this beach on Camiguin, a small island in the Mindanao group, just north of Mindanao proper, but most easily accessible from Cebu. Many travelers rank it among the best diving places anywhere. Camiguin’s tiny surface area can be traveled in less than less than two hours. It was formed on volcanic rock, and you can even climb the volcano if you wish or languish in the hot springs before a dip in the Bohol Sea. Some people say that Camiguin is more like Paradise than any other place on Earth.
The Pearl Farm Beach Resort
If you want to visit the southernmost parts of the Philippines, then the Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Davao is your place. You will no longer find pearls there, but the sands are fine and white and decorated with lush coconut trees as well as other abundant flora. It’s located in a cove and not as commercialized as some areas; many honeymooners sit back on the hills surrounding the beaches and gaze at the sights—and into each other’s eyes.
The Beaches at Palawan
Consider these beaches to be the anti-Boracay areas of the Philippines: The sands are just as magnificent, as white and sweet as sugar, but you will find yourself truly away from it all, relaxing among Nature at its best. One of the best diving sites ranked worldwide, Tubbataha reef, is located in this area. You’ll find this island to the west of the Visayas, just northeast of Malaysia. While it’s really a place for privacy and solitude, you’re only a stone’s throw from Puerto Princesa City, an urbanized city built in the center of the island with all the conveniences your heart could desire.
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