 |
| the dirt road |
 |
| we finally found it! |
 |
| overnight room |
 |
| the beach as seen from the room balcony |
 |
| the beach (right side) | low tide |
 |
| the beach (right side) | high tide |
 |
| the beach (left side) | low tide |
 |
| the beach (left side) | high tide |
 |
| vantage point from the sea |
 |
| sunset |
I've heard of this beach some two or three years ago but never had the chance to visit it. It is said to be really secluded and you just might get lost if it's your first time going there. There's not a bunch of photos found in Google if you try searching "Hidden Beach, Aloguinsan Cebu" so there's no proof if it's even worth the visit- I've seen photos online but they're either poorly taken or overly photoshopped. As a self-confessed beach addict, I wanted to see it for myself. I've planned of going to this place but it just would not push through because my friends would always drag me to the well-known beaches in Cebu. If you ask any Cebuano about where to go if the itinerary involved swimming in a white-sand beach, most of the responses would be- Moalboal, Bantayan Island, Malapascua Island, Camotes Island, Badian, some would even tell you to go to Mactan. Yes, all these towns have nice white sand beaches but they all require ass-numbing 3 to 4 hours of travel or more if you travel by bus. Mactan island can be reached within minutes but the beaches there are not authentic white-sand impressive beaches if you know what I mean. So after my brother told me about his trip to Aloguinsan town and how he compared Hidden Beach to Tingko Beach in Alcoy town (which is breathtaking in its own right by the way), I was itching to go there asap. We were on our way back to the city from Basdako Beach two weekends ago when we decided to drop by Hidden Beach. It wasn't a smart decision driving from Moalboal to Aloguinsan because we had to drive through dirt roads and countless roadside signs that said to drive carefully because we were in danger of falling into deep ravines plus the tide was really low when we got to the beach (a big bummer) so we didn't get to swim that day. But I was not disappointed with the place as I scanned it. We had to go back the next weekend.
Transportation:
The drive from Cebu City to Aloguinsan town only took us two hours and it was the exact opposite from the drive the weekend prior- this one's way smoother. If you plan of driving your own car (like what we did), drive south either via SRP or the south highway, passing by Talisay, Minglanilla and then Naga. Turn right just before reaching the cement factory in Naga (Cemex), there's another highway going to Toledo City. You will pass by towns Lutupan, Toledo and Pinamungajan before reaching Aloguinsan town. The road to Hidden Beach is a little tricky (we got lost during our first attempt the weekend prior). Before reaching Aloguinsan town proper, you have to turn right into this dirt road. There's a little signage that says "Hidden Beach Resort" on the right side of the highway, right next to a house. You have to drive through grass and bush fields and and just have to keep on turning right until you get to trees that hang the sign "Hidden Beach".
If you decide to go there by bus or van for hire, either go to the South Bus Terminal (bus) or the City Link terminal (van for hire). Take the van/bus that goes to Pinamungajan town proper. From there, you can either take a "habal-habal" or a tricycle to go to Hidden Beach. Taking the "habal-habal"/tricycle from Aloguinsan town proper is farther compared to doing it from Pinamungajan according to my brother since they went their via public transportation. The good thing about getting to Hidden Beach via bus/habal-habal/trike, is you don't have to worry about getting lost since you just have to rely on the driver but it won't be as comfortable as traveling with your own car. Note that only the smaller buses (non-aircon) go to these towns, Ceres and the other major buses do not travel to this part of Cebu.
Accommodation:
There's only one resort found in the area and is aptly named "Hidden Beach Resort". Upon getting there, look for Ate Baby who over-servicing seems to be her main business, the woman is extra hospitable and she runs the place by the way. All rooms are priced at P500 and there's no maximum number of guests. It's "fit all you can" but there's only one double bed and the room is quite small so I don't recommend you get only one room if there are 10 people staying. Unless you don't plan of sleeping during the night then the idea is alright. And oh, I forgot, the bathrooms/comfort rooms are found outside the rooms so yes, you get to share it with the rest of the guests if there are other guests during your stay (which is rare).
Food/Drinks:
I recommend that you bring food and drinks from the city. There's no restaurant in the place but they do cooking services for a minimal fee upon request. By cooking services, I mean they cook whatever needs to be cooked from what you brought from the city. In our case, they grilled the pork that we brought for dinner and fried the hotdogs during breakfast. They however had rice available during our stay so we didn't have to worry about that. According to Ate Baby, you can also have them buy food (raw or cooked) in the town proper upon request. If you decide to bring meat for grilling or drinks or anything that needs refrigeration, you can have Ate Baby store it in their fridge.
So if you're looking for a beach that's not crowded, peaceful and quiet, head out to Hidden Beach in Aloguinsan town! You may reach Ate Baby for reservations at 09225577390.
