Touring Bohol Part 3: Alona or Dumaluan Beach?

Posted on February 23rd, 2009 by Calvin

If you’re going to stay at the beaches of Bohol, you will have to make a decision between its two beach strips, Alona or Dumaluan. The two strips are about 30 minutes apart by car so you’re gonna be stuck with your decision.

Here are the pros and cons between the two according to my observations:

ALONA

If you want the party scene then Alona Beach is for you. Resorts and restos line up the beach so you can expect a huge crowd especially during peak seasons. One of the affordable resorts by the beachfront is the Alona Tropical. For classier accommodations, you might want to check out Amorita.

alona2

There are also some inns for hardcore backpackers which is just a minute-walk away from the beach.

Pros:

  • Lots of places to eat to choose from so it’s good for the budget
  • Inns can provide the cheapest accommodation
  • Motorcycles/Scooters rental is available if you want to tour the island
  • There’s an ATM (BPI) machine nearby

alona1

Cons:

  • The beach is not well maintained compared to Dumaluan
  • Lots of boats are parked by the beach so it can easily get crowded if you go for a swim. The sandbar is also  smaller (weeds nearer to shore).
  • Not really ideal for relaxation during peak season

DUMALUAN

If you want a peaceful vacation in Bohol then head to Dumaluan beach. There are only a few resorts in Dumaluan. Affordable and decent would be Dumaluan Beach Resort. Pricier yet better looking is the nearby Bohol Beach Club. Finally there’s also the resort for celebrities and the elites, Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa.

dumaluan1

Pros:

  • Did I already mention that it is more peaceful here?
  • Beach is better in my opinion and well-maintained. The sandy area stretches far to the sea.

dumaluan2

Cons:

  • The food! It’s a bit expensive since there’s only a few establishments.
  • Not much activities going on

Dumaluan Beach Resort

We stayed at Dumaluan Beach Resort (the newer one) for our vacation. We paid P2,150 for our air-conditioned room with a hot and cold shower and cable TV. Breakfast is also included by the way.

dumaluanbed

You can’t choose the type of breakfast per day so if you’re picky, choose the rates without it. You can have cheaper breakfast at the older Dumaluan Resort if you want more choices for about P100 per meal.

cottage

Our cottage which is by the pool has no view of the beach but it’s just a short walk away. The reception / dining area has free WiFi and there’s also a lounge band performing in the evenings.

Save money on food

The food at the resort is pricey for its quality and serving but there’s a cheaper alternative. Head to the old Dumaluan Resort (just beside it) and you’ll see a grill station (cheaper than grill station at the new resort).

cheapfood

They can grill pork, chicken, squid and fish but you can also request for different way of cooking like adobong pusit or calamares. They also serve breakfast by the way and rice is only P15 compared to P22 in the new resort.

I highly recommend the fruit shake here. There fresh fruit shake is cheap and the serving is big (P40 only compared to P90 in the new resort).

If you want to save more on food and don’t mind eating inside your room, you might want to try Ate Yayeng for some home-cooked meals delivered to you. Text her at 0926-7036108 for the current menu and it will be delivered at the gate in Dumaluan Beach Resort. Thank you Choi for this tip.

I’ll be writing about our boat trip to see the dolphins on my next post. Please leave a comment if I miss any useful information that you might know.


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122 Responses to “Touring Bohol Part 3: Alona or Dumaluan Beach?”

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  1. ann pavia says:
    July 23, 2009 at 2:23 am

    hello calvin, i think i can help netopzz with bohol tour. im really familiar with it, and i can easily be reach thru my cellphone. i would appreciate if you can recommend me. 09228107339 thanks. ms. ann pavia,
    ps. don;t worry im trustworthy

    Reply
  2. Franz G. says:
    July 24, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    Hello Calvin!

    I just would like to thank you for publishing such an informative blog about Bohol. I came across your blog weeks before my Bohol trip with my friends and it served as our guide. We got the number of Mang Boy and we had the time of our lives during the whole trip. Thank you very much! You’ve been a blessing to us. Thanks as well to Choi for his insights. You rock! \m/

    Reply
  3. em says:
    August 12, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Hi, my family and i are going to bohol this coming Oct. and last month i’ve decided to stay in Dumaluan right after i read your blog but yesterday i’ve read some reviews regarding dumaluan and its all BAD REVIEWS. Just want to know whats your experience when it comes to the service and etc. in dumaluan.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Calvin says:
      August 12, 2009 at 12:59 pm

      Hmm, can you point me to this bad reviews? Ok naman experience namin with dumaluan. Although nagdown lang yung wifi nila during our stay and the free breakfast is not that good for me (i’m picky though when it comes to food).

      maybe dumaluan 1 yung bad reviews? I’ve seen other rooms sa dumaluan 2 and ok naman sila.

      if you’re going to stay away from dumaluan then bohol beach club is the next best thing although pricier.

      Reply
  4. CJ says:
    September 22, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    Hi Calvin!

    hey! so informative..me and my fwends are planning to visit bohol early next year. Your blogs helped me a lot.

    Thanks a lot.

    More power! God bless

    calvin: thank you for those words CJ. Hope you’ll have a great time in Bohol.

    Reply
  5. chikuku says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Hi calvin, hope u can help me and my friends… we’re planning to go to bohol this coming nov… can u tell me the diff bet dumaluan 1 & 2?? is there a diff in their room rates and amenities???
    also can u recommend someone that can provide us cheap van rental??? it would be much of help…

    Tnx…

    Reply
    • Calvin says:
      September 24, 2009 at 12:48 pm

      dumaluan 1 is much older than 2 so the rooms doesn’t look that great any more. but it’s cheaper than dumaluan 2. usually it’s the locals who bunk there or the budget travelers.

      dumaluan 2 has a pool and rooms are decent. food is expensive though so eat at dumaluan 1.

      i always recommend ritchie to my friends for tour guide or van rental. so far ok naman mga sinasabi about him. :)

      Reply
      • chikuku says:
        September 26, 2009 at 11:01 am

        do you happend to know how to contact dumaluan 1??? only dumaluan 2 has a contact no.. just want to compare the difference of their room rate…

        tnx

        Reply
      • Calvin says:
        September 26, 2009 at 1:17 pm

        you can ask ritchie for that. he’s well connected with the resorts there especially dumaluan. you can course through him na rin yung bayad niyo sa resort. ok naman sya.

        Reply
  6. ella says:
    October 5, 2009 at 4:25 am

    Hi do you have contact number at Dumuluan Beach Resort 2??

    Reply
  7. pj05 says:
    October 7, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    This is very helpful. Thanks a lot! We stayed at Dumaluan 2, its really peaceful and the beach stretched far to the sea. We always eat at the grill on DBR1, the grilled chicken is very tasty and the shake is very good (1. Watermelon shake; 2. Pineapple. 3. Mango; its not avocado season so i never get to taste it). The grill also prepare lunch, if you’re going for island hopping, you might consider bringing lunch.

    calvin: panalo talaga shake nila. 3M talaga. mura, marami, masarap.

    Reply
  8. jess says:
    November 21, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    We just came from a 5D/4N trip from Bohol from Nov 17-21, 2009 and so the experience we had still lingers on my mind.

    btw thanks calvin for this blog as this was my main artillery in exploring Bohol. the experience was truly magical except for the day 1 and 2 lapses.

    we stayed in DBR2 near the pool with the P2,150 accommodation with 2 beds, cable tv and one round breakfast buffet(?). Ours was the last of the 3 rooms on the right side if you are facing the pool. As I’ve read from tripadvisor about how DBR2 operates in terms of reservation, somehow I’m not really 100% assured of our reservation. Since we are working on a budgeted trip our main goal is to secure the most affordable room rate in DBR2. Turned out there were available Standard Rooms eventhough they reserved us for Deluxe Rooms. Our group initially wanted to cancel the reservation as we felt we have been trapped on this kind of mess. After learning we still have to pay a 50% cancelation fee and as a courtesy to Tito Delfin (our tour guide/driver for the tour, who btw was so kind to fix our accommodation to DBR2), we deided to give it a go. I know for a fact that I am getting my money’s worth on DBR2 but those unaccommodating staff really strained my/our attachment to Bohol. And so we settled in DBR2, we decided to eat @ the old DBR grill, I’ve tried mango shake and twas really thumbs up considering twas only for P40 (in Alona, mango shake cost P90). We ordered a medium sized snapper for P80 and requested to have it cooked ala sinigang na isda, and its a winner! yey! We also ordered grilled squid for P200 (3 regular sized squid) as it is based on the size of squid itself. Rice btw is still P15 per cup. And so the dinner was a blast! Not bad considering the first impression we had during check in.

    At around 10 pm, as our other officemates decided to drink on their front proch, we on otherhand decided to chill inside our room. We were actually preparing to retire rather early as Dolphin Watching requires us to wake up and eat breakfast at 5am. We were still watching TV when suddenly a not so invited guest came in unexpectedly. On the floor near the wall and the TV, we saw a baby snake. I jumped off my feet and was already in panic but still managed to control as not to create unnecessary commotion. I even looked for an isopropyl alcohol and sprayed it towards the baby snake but it only made the snake agitated. We called for help and our officemates actually chased the snake as it already crawled and hid itself on the corner wall near the door. They caught it and placed it inside a bottle of mineral water. A friend who shared the room with me initially thought it was just an earthworm. It’s almost about 10 inches long and the striations on its skin and the shape of its head makes it without a doubt a snake. And so as expected the paranoia set in during the entire night as I’m no longer at peace to sleep with such experience. This is absolutely the last thing you should expect when you’re on a vacation especially if you are on a Deluxe room boasting of its so called accommodation. I knew at that moment, its a start of something big. True enough, the next day was beyond me nor my other friends’ expectation. Its beyond words.Was it good? nah.

    Sorry calvin, I have to rest my mind. I’m still on vacation mode but will update you with the people we met and the experience we had in Bohol. Despite a rough start our vacation ended on a high note.ciao.

    Reply
  9. Pebbles83 says:
    November 22, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Hey Calvin, the new itunes 9.0.2 is it okay to update to this, if i currently have a jailbroken ipod touch 2nd gen, with a 3.1.2 FW, and used blackra1n???? will i need to rejailbreak? when i jailbroke it, it was on itunes 9.0.1

    please let me know.

    thanks.

    Reply
  10. Mae says:
    December 6, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    Hi do you have any contacts at Dumaluan 2? thanks!

    Reply
    • Choi says:
      December 6, 2009 at 8:21 pm

      Dumaluan Globe# 0917-8834888

      Dumaluan Landline – 038-5029092

      Try texting them or calling at that Globe Number, the other numbers that they have seems unattended most of the time.

      Hope this helps.

      Reply
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