AS MOANA sang: See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me...
I hate to admit when my husband is right. He wanted to take us to Anda, Bohol for the longest time, but I preferred the more popular destinations. My bad!
Thankfully, my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law came to visit from New England, and they were hankering for a quiet time by the sea. Off the beaten path in a quaint town called, Anda, we had one of the best beach experiences as a family (and that’s saying a lot considering we have gone to many). This heaven on earth is without a doubt much better than the more “touristy” Panglao.
Anda... “magAnda” as the town tag line says. And indeed it is maganda (beautiful) replete with fine white sand, crystal clear water, clean surroundings, and serene atmosphere. My middle son actually said: “Mom, I think you shouldn’t write about this place because people will start coming and it will be crowded. And we don’t want that. It should be a secret, right!”
This place is exactly that! It is a secret you want to keep for yourself, but then at the same time, a part of you is just itching to share it with the world because beauty is meant to be shared like that. My husband who is a true beach lover said this place is best described as like Boracay in the early 80s before all the tourists came flocking.
We stayed in East Coast White Sand Resort; and for a relatively small operation with just a few villas, it was cozy, clean, and comfy. Their breakfast food was normal, but the meals we had for lunch and dinner tasted delicious—especially the tiger prawns bigger than my fingers and the crabs generously filled with crab fat.
Of course, the amenities and services are nothing like the ones they have in the more upscale resorts like Balesin, Shangrila, or Henann. East Coast may not be as gargantuan or luxurious, but the scenic location more than makes up for it. The resort sits atop a small cliff, with majority of villas facing the Bohol Sea. They have plenty of viewing decks, where guests can enjoy the calming symphony of the ocean waves and the fresh, salty breeze as it caresses the cheeks.
This resort has four main pools, and my favorite is the one with the infinity jacuzzi next to the spa. Because it is not a tourist trap, the prices don’t break the bank either. The entire time of our stay, there were only a handful of people that we bumped into.
We kind of felt like we were in a secluded paradise, especially in the area of the beach cove because there was literally no one else there. The gem of this resort is the beach cove with its interesting rock formations that’s an overhang from the cliff.
We stayed in the resort for five days and went out thrice to go to Quinale Beach, which is a public beach resort with no entrance fee. For a public facility, it is surprisingly well-maintained, even the toilets. They had three cleaners who had nothing to do but pick-up trash and dead leaves when we were there. According to the manang I spoke with, they are paid by the local city hall, and they work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quinale beach, with its long stretch of sugar fine white sand, is best enjoyed during high-tide. Guests can rent tables, chairs, and lounge chairs for a minimal fee. The Quinale Beach Bar right in the heart of the place serves reasonably priced food and drinks. We were able to try their breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Our favorites are the sinigang, calamares, and breaded shrimp. It was quite hard to believe that this was a government run operation. Makes me wish we had something like this back home!
While we were there, the locals were urging us to go visit their pride—Cabagnow and Combento Caves. I Googled both places and they were indeed magnificent with clean, hidden cave pools nestled under majestic rock formations. We just decided against going there because we had 2 younger kids with us, along with our 94-year old grandmother, who will surely have a hard time trekking inside the two caves.
After our sojourn in Anda, we went to stay a couple of more days in the bigger Henann in Panglao, where the kids lamented that they missed our old resort. Panglao definitely had a lot of people. My kids didn’t even swim in its famous Alona beach because we were spoilt by the pristine beauty of Anda. Everything just seemed dirty after it!
Panglao is the most frequented tourist place in Bohol because it is near the Tagbilaran airport. If you want to party with many tourists, that is the place to be. Anda is about 2.5 hours from Tagbilaran City by car. We opted to take the barge from CDO to Jagna. From the town Jagna, Anda was a 30-minute ride. Of course, because this town takes more effort to reach, the place is quieter.
Anda really makes for a truly relaxing getaway. If you’re used to the hustle and bustle of city life, peace and quiet can be found there. In this hidden gem, full of bonding moments with family we have not seen in years, made this experience unforgettable and oh so very hard to top. My beach babies are beyond happy, as well as my in-laws who are used to the temperate weather. We took nothing but pictures, made nothing but memories, and left nothing but footprints.
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