My favorite Philippine beaches

It’s been two weeks since my last trip, and while I enjoyed staying at home, I found myself itching to go somewhere — anywhere — again. Botched weekend plans made me wistful for the beach. I’ve been lucky to be able to have gone to some of the best beaches the Philippines have to offer. In no particular order, here are my top four:

Coron, Palawan - Island Hopping 22
Ako and Pucchi loves Banol Beach


Banol beach, Coron, Palawan
Coron town doesn’t have a beach, so when Banol beach came into view, we were all so excited. How can we not look forward upon seeing this gorgeous strip of white contrasting beautifully with the turquoise water? Banol is just one of the many spectacular beaches in the Calamianes. I’m quite happy with this one though.

Read more about Coron:
Travel Budget: Coron
Island Hopping in Coron
Exploring Coron Town and Mt. Tapyas
Coron Accommodation: Krystal Lodge

Boracay Beach 04
Boracay Station 1

Balabag beach, Boracay, Aklan
I know, I know, Boracay is too crowded, too commercialized, too everything! Still, it will always remain close to my heart because it was our barkada’s first out of town trip together. Definitely the most memorable two weeks of our lives. Aside from positive experiences, what I love about Boracay is that there is so much to do, both in and out of the water. It doesn’t hurt that there are plenty of great places to eat too.

Read more about Boracay:
Travel Budget: Boracay December 2008
Travel Budget: Kalibo and Boracay January 2009
Travel Budget: Boracay September 2009
How to go to Boracay
Boracay in the rainy season
Eating out and eating well in Boracay
Cheap Accommodation in Boracay Station 2
Boracay Accommodation: Tans Guesthouse
Boracay Accommodation: Taj Guesthouse

El Nido
View from my favorite lounge chair inside Marina Garden

El Nido town beach, El Nido, Palawan
Like the Calamian group of islands, there are plenty of beautiful deserted beaches in the Bacuit archipelago. As much as I love the Secret Lagoon beach, Hidden beach and Helicopter island, it’s the beach in El Nido town that I love the most. Sure the sand isn’t as white or as fine, but the beach is right there. I go out of our room at Marina Garden, and with just a couple of steps, my feet is already touching sand.

Read more about El Nido:
Travel Budget: El Nido
The islands and beaches of El Nido
Cheap Accommodation in El Nido Town
El Nido Accommodation: Marina Garden Beach Resort

Calaguas Island
No pesky tourist in sight. Love.

Mahabang Buhangin, Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte
My latest favorite. This is one of the places that I encourage a lot of my friends (and readers of this blog) to visit, but at the same time, I find myself wanting to keep it to myself so it remains deserted and pristine. Hundreds of people have already visited Calaguas, and plenty more are going in the coming months. It might be different next time I go, so I’m glad I was able to see it when it was still (relatively) unspoilt. My reason for loving Calaguas is the opposite of my reason for loving Boracay — I love how there’s nothing to do in Calaguas.

Read more about Calaguas:
Travel Budget: Calaguas
Calaguas, the beautiful


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Comments

8 responses to “My favorite Philippine beaches”

  1. magnetic_rose Avatar

    oh those are breath-taking — i’d love to go to EL NIDO at least once…

  2. Anna D. Avatar
    Anna D.

    Out of the above, I’ve been only to Bora. =|

    /loser

  3. Cat Avatar

    *drooools*…keep posting your beach pictures, because they always look so flippin’ tempting and relaxing. I’d say out of your four, I’d want to go to Calaguas Island—esp. if there’s hardly any tourists! I was wondering, are most beaches in the Philippines usually tourist hot spots, or can you find a handful that are empty? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  4. supergirl Avatar

    I love Boracay! You just have to plan your trip during the lean months so that it won’t be crowded.

  5. RON Avatar

    can’t wait to hit the beach…
    im so glad i’m a soul landed in this side of the earth.
    7k+ options? HAH!

  6. nina Avatar

    Magnetic-rose: Let’s gooooo!

    Anna: Let’s go to Calaguas ๐Ÿ˜€

    Cat: There’s plenty more islands and beaches that are untouched and deserted. It’s just a matter of finding them ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Supergirl: Or anytime that isn’t holy week or Halloween or Christmas eve or new year’s eve is good ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Ron: YESSSS!

  7. Dea Avatar

    Hi Nina, grabe ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas, no? Naglalaway talaga ako sa pics mo, beaches are my favorite travel destinations more than anything. I hope I can visit these beaches someday.

  8. Marie Avatar

    We are so blessed with beautiful beaches, Thank God for it

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