No one is sitting at home in the US or Europe planning out their vacation to Bohol. But if you’re traveling in Asia generally, and particularly if you find yourself in Manila or Cebu, you’re going to want to get to a beach as soon as possible. The Philippines is known to have some of the best beaches in Asia, and one of the more popular choices is Alona Beach on the island of Panglao.
Choosing a hotel there can present some challenges. The obvious choices are a Henann Resort, which is frankly overpriced, and a Best Western on the beach. If you’re like me and waiting until the absolute last minute to book, you might find availability limited. After taking a look at what was available I landed on The Story Resort.
Where’s the Money? This site may contain affiliate links. Many travel sites include such links to earn a commission at no cost to readers.
Story’s Location
On a map this hotel looks like it’s just a bit off the beach. In fact it’s about a full mile to walk to Alona Beach. It’s not a very pleasant walk at all. You’re walking over rocks most of the way on the unimproved edge of a highway. When you get closer to the beach it begins to feel like a beach town but the area around Story is pure provinical country. Think little fruit stands and people tying up their goats along the road.
You can take a tuk tuk or a motorbike up and down the road easily though. There’s about a million of them and the fare is 100 or 150 pesos each way (around $2-3). There’s not much immediately nearby. A couple of restaurants across the street; Korean and Filipino. Some more restaurants not too far away of varying quality and limited selection. There’s a 7 Eleven about a ten minute walk from the hotel.
READY TO FLY? Check out Skyscanner’s search tools for the lowest fares worldwide.
Overall the location stinks. It’s also at the end of the airport’s runway and you’ll hear jets passing very low over the property. If you’re coming to Panglao, stay on the beach and avoid the hassle of walking or tuk tuks.
The Story Property
Clearly the pool is the big draw here. The ability to step out of your room directly into the pool is pretty amazing. Having a small patio to sit and enjoy the poolside vibe is spectacular. The pool is even bigger than pictured here. It extends well beyond this room in the other direction and takes a left turn at the far end in the photo to extend the full length of the other building. There’s also areas with sun loungers for rooms not directly on the pool and a large kiddie pool as well.
I was slightly worried about the possibility of other guests being noisy in the pool right outside my window but the clientele at the Story Resort is mainly Korean families. Everyone was quiet and respectful even with the pool being open until 10 pm.
Aside from the pool there’s not much to say. The grounds are well maintained and pleasant. There’s a restaurant for breakfast and lunch only.
Guest Rooms
This room kinda stunk. The TV didn’t work. The Internet didn’t work. There’s barely cell coverage on the island. There’s only three dim lamps and one of those didn’t work.
The rooms here are large but much of the space is empty and wasted. It would be greatly improved with the addition of a sitting area and some extra outlets. It was all right but overall a little janky and cheap feeling.
SEARCH THE MAP: Find Rates in the perfect location at Hotels.com
The rainfall shower head didn’t work at all. It was just leaking out the top. There was also no hot water during the length of my stay. It was just barely warm enough to stand under.
About Alona Beach & Panglao
I came to Panglao because it is very easy and cheap to reach from Cebu City by ferry. It’s also got an airport so you can fly out directly. I was able to fly from TAG to Hong Kong without an overnight layover.
But location is about all this place has going for it. The beach isn’t very good and the town is not terribly interesting. I suspect that most beach towns in the Philippines are generally similar so it makes sense to pick the absolute nicest actual beach you can find. And this ain’t it.
I did go on a full day tour of the Chocolate Hills and various sites of Bohol with Abraham Tours, which is just a short walk from the Story and where the tour begins. For under $60 it’s a fantastic value and the cheapest and easiest way to get yourself to the Chocolate Hills. I’m glad I did that to break up a four day stay here.
Bottom Line
My main beef with the Story Resort is that there was a booking fee and my overall cost was $100 a night. That’s a lot for the Philippines and I was expecting the place to be very nice. It’s NOT very nice.
The pool is great but this is barely a $30 room. It’s impossible to leave here not feeling ripped off. If you can book this place much lower than I did you will definitely enjoy the pool but really you should just go to Boracay instead.
