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Panglao is a perfect destination for a great dive holiday. Panglao is a small island
on the Philippines southwest of the bigger island Bohol. There are good and regular flights
from Hong Kong to Cebu (2 hour flight). From there you are picked up by a car and taken
to the Cebu harbour from where a fast
catamaran ferry takes you in 1.5 hours to Tagbilaran on the island of Bohol. From
there it takes another half hour by car to get to the resort on Panglao island.
On the southern beach of Panglao there are several smaller resorts all lined up on the
beach. We selected the Ananyana Beach Resort on the northern coast of Panglao (Doljo Beach).
Here it is very peaceful, quiet and not overcrowded with excellent diving possibilities.
This small resort with 10 spacious and comfortable rooms has an excellent personal service
where we immediately felt at home. After a day of great diving, there is nothing better
than to sip a delicious drink, listen to relaxing music and enjoy the magnificent sunset
here at Doljo Beach. What else can you ask for?
The diving concept here revolves also around rest and relax. On our dive trips there
were usually just four divers. No stress here! With the good care of the crew and the
experienced local dive guide we experienced some of the best diving you can imagine. The
under water world is in our opinion one of the most facinating with colourful varieties
of (smaller) fish, corals, crustacions, spunges, snales and much more. Our favorites were
aber definitely the numerous frogfish and ghostpipefish, topped of with delphins swimming
along with the boat.
Tourists have been scared away lately by the latest developments on the Philippines.
However the area around Cebu/Bohol/Panglao is not affected at all and in fact, people
are extremely friendly towards tourists. We have nothing but good memories of friendly,
smiling and helpful local people. We felt completely safe and relaxed in this diver's
paradise.
The motto of the Ananyana Beach Resort is "The way resorts should be". Well,
we totally agree and would highly recommend this resort any time!
Our personal rating (May 2002):
| Topic |
Rating |
Comments |
| Doljo Beach |
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Doljo Beach is the name of the beach of the northern coast of Panglao. It is less
crowded than Alona Beach which lies on the southern coast of Panglao Bothe have however
beautiful sandy beaches and palm trees. Tricycle taxis take you in just 15 minutes
from one beach to the other. |
| Ananyana Resort |
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The Ananyana Beach Resort has
10 spacious and comfortable rooms. There is a swimming pool, open air restaurant,
bar and a small dive center. Especially the personal service and staff efforts (under
the management of the lovely Cena) towards pleasing the guests has made a great impression
on us. The resort concept is totally focussed on relaxing und unwinding. |
| Eating and drinking |
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Food and drinks at the Ananyana resort were excellent. The fantastic pizzas and
pastas more than match their Italian counterparts. But ofcourse there are also delicious
Philippinian dishes with which the cooks will please you. There is a daily menu but
the staff are eager to fulfil your every gastronomical wish. Dining here was always
a great treat and at very reasonable prices (starting from approx. 14 Euro for dinner
and drinks). |
| Facilities |
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Diving is the number one activity. Besides diving a day trip to the so-called
"chocolate
hills" can be made. Further than this, you may do some kayaking of play volleybal,
but mainly this place is about tranquility, peace and relaxing. |
| Under water |
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In May there was hardly any wind and not a ripple on the surface of the sea. Under
water, currents were seldom found with visibility up to 20 to 30 meters. The under
water world is truely fascinating with beautiful coral gardens and endless drop-offs.
You will find here many varieties of colourful (smaller) fish, snales, slugs, corals,
spunges, and much more. Just too much to mention here. However, our favorites were
definitely the numerous frogfish and the ghostpipefish. But we also spotted beatifull
sea snakes, Napoleons, barracudas and highly camouflaged scorpion fish. The water
temperature was 27°C (a 5mm long-john wet suit was exactly right for us). |
| House reef |
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The house reef lies at about 200m from the beach. This is too far to swim to (at
low tide the sea level is even too low to swim at all). However, there is a boat service
that takes you to the house reef any time. |
| Snorkeling |
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Since the house reef is a bit far away and sea levels are very low at low tide,
snorkeling at the house reef is not so simple. Better to get on a dive boat to do
some snorkeling at one of the other dive sites. |
| Dive sites |
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There are some 15 dive sites within easy reach by boat (5 to 45 minutes). Most
dive sites feature huge and endless drop-offs but there also some great coral gardens
and sandy slopes. All dive sites are situated around Panglao Island and are visited
by divers from both Doljo Beach as well as Alona Beach. |
| Dive center |
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The dive center (Dive Temple)
is managed by Harry Boer from Alona Beach. Tanks are refilled there meaning that there
is no compressor noise at the Ananyana resort. Traditional but spacious boats are
leaving from the beach taking usually only a few divers. No stress here! Bring your
own equipment because rental gear is not so much available. |
| Prices |
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Diving is not very expensive and costs approx. 20$ - 25$ per dive (including boat,
tanks, weights but assuming you use your own equipment). |
| Conclusion |
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Panglao and especially the Ananyana Resort are absolutely highly recommended. If
you are looking for a peaceful and relaxing piece of paradise to do some amazing diving
then this is the place to be! |
Further information on Panglao/Ananyana
If you want more information on the Ananyana Beach Resort, checkout this site.
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to
let us know!
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