Anda Hotels

Anda, Bohol is becoming a fast-emerging tourist hotspot in the Philippines. And what’s not to love about this beautiful town? Enjoy the fine, white sand beaches, rich marine life, hidden waterfalls in the area, and the enchanting caves and cave pools to your heart’s content.

Located at the eastern tip of Bohol province is the town of Anda, a generally pollution-free traveller’s paradise. Anda is a delight to new and returning tourists, thanks to its unique offerings of beaches and coves. The town is also blessed with a tropical climate, but can be cool between the months of January and May.

How to Go

By Plane

You can catch a daily flight from Manila to Tagbilaran City via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia. From there, hire a tricycle ( a closed sidecar attached to a motorcycle) to take you to Dao Terminal, where you can board a bus or van to the town. Travel time from Dao Terminal to Anda is around two to three hours.

By Boat

If you’re leaving from Cebu City, there are periodic trips via Supercat and Ocean Jet Fast Craft going to Tagbilaran City. Travel time is around two hours one-way. If you decide to go with the regular ferry or bring your car, there are Roll-on, Roll-Off trips via Cokaliong, Lite Shipping, Trans-Asia Shipping and F.J. Palacio Lines, but they take longer at four hours one-way.

Getting Around

People travel in Anda via tricycle. If you feel more adventurous, you can try the habal-habal, which is basically a motorbike. You would need to plan your itinerary, including your transportation options going out of Anda, as they are limited in the area.

Tourist Attractions

Quinale Beach is Anda’s main attraction. Lauded as among the best beaches in Bohol, visitors can enjoy the turquoise waters of the sea lapping against the three-kilometer stretch of fine, white sand. The sunrise and sunset in Quinale Beach is also breath-taking, so make sure to schedule your visit around these times.

Anda is also home to a couple of marine sanctuaries. Visit the Badiang Marine Sanctuary, which is located in Lamanoc Island. The sanctuary is teeming with rock formations, swamps, mangroves, and giant clams.

Top Things to Do

Partake in Anda’s yearly Dujanon Festival. The town’s fiesta is an annual celebration of symbolic thanksgiving for the bounties it receives from both land and sea. Usually celebrated every 3rd of January, activities include a rustic interpretative dance competition, colorful street dancing, and even a carabao race.

You can also swim in many of Anda’s neighboring beaches like Talisay Beach, Bituon Beach, Cambilagan Beach, Bugnaw Beach and Arthoghin Beach. Or if you’d prefer, you can take a dip ni cave pools in Combento, Cateres, Kaligoon, Tiburako, East Coast and Cabagnow.

Anda’s main attraction is just a stone-throw away from the town proper – Quinale Beach, hailed by many as among the best beaches in Bohol. It is a three-kilometer long fine white sand beach with beautiful turquoise waters and breathtaking sunrise views. Also scattered along the town’s shoreline are other beaches and coves such as Talisay Beach, Bituon Beach, Cambilagan Beach, Bugnaw Beach and Arthoghin Beach.

Should you like to explore the marine life in Anda, there are nine dive sites to choose from, which includes Titanic Rocks, Neptune’s House, Bacong, Virgen East and West, Dapdap, Paradise Garden, Snapper’s Cave, Coco White and Wonderwall.

Where to Eat

There are plenty of restaurants in resorts along Anda’s beaches, so dining out is never a problem. Food offerings range from local cuisine to seafood. Some of the restaurants available in Anda include R&S Resto Bar, On The Road Restaurant Bar, Coco Loco and Anda Beach Bar.

If you’re on a budget, however, you can enjoy the town’s local (and affordable) cuisine at Food Center near the public market. Food Center has plenty of eateries to choose from. Look for a lone stall that sells halo-halo, which locals say is the best in town.

Nightlife

Nightlife in Anda is not as active as other popular seaside tourist destinations like Boracay. However, restaurants can offer travelers a place to chill with cold beer and pulutan (bar snacks). Some may also have videoke machines that you can use to sing the night away.

Where to Stay

Accommodations in Anda, Bohol are mainly offered by local resorts and travellers’ inns. Anda de Boracay Beach Resort offers WiFi-equipped hotel rooms with top-notch facilities such as an outdoor pool, coffee shop, parking area, concierge services, and room service.

If you want a more secluded hotel, you can check in at Anda White Beach Resort or Amun Ini Beach Resort and Spa. Aside from their recreational facilities like massage area, garden, private beach, spa, swimming pool, dive shop, and an in-house restaurant, they both offer exclusive, breathtaking views of the beach.

Jingtong’s Homestay, J & A Traveller’s Inn, and Green Haven Visitor’s Inn offer more affordable rooms, starting at Php 800 a night.

Travel Tips

• Although Anda is generally typhoon-free, plan your trip here during the dry months, which is November to May.

• Towns in the Philippines mostly accept cash transactions, so make sure that you bring enough. If you do need extra money, you can withdraw money from a local ATM at the town hall.

• Although mobile signal is strong in the area, make sure that you inform your hotel about your itinerary for the day, including your emergency contact.