BE Grand Resort Bohol

Rooms and decor

Picture a resort laid out in tiers down a seaside cliff, each building stepping from the reception zone at the top down to the pool and beach area with a wide-open sea view — that's the first impression of BE Grand Resort Bohol, a large 5-star resort tucked into Danao on the eastern side of Panglao. What's special here isn't flawless polish on every detail the way a pricey boutique does it; it's being a complete, full-facility resort that gives you both a sea view and a lot of space at a reachable price. The buildings are done in a contemporary tropical-resort style with warm, easy tones, and the roughly 160 rooms and suites are spread across the hillside. Many rooms have a sea-facing balcony, so you wake up to a blue horizon. The overall feel is open and private, and with the location away from the tourist bustle, it really does feel like a quiet corner of the island. Plenty of reviews agree the thing that sticks with them most is sitting and taking in that wide sea view from the cliff — whether from the balcony, by the pool, or at the bar in the evening.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is poolside and seaside living, all in one place. There are several pools to switch between through the day, and the highlight is the one with a swim-up bar where you can sip a cocktail or a cold drink in the water with the cliff-top sea view — many guests rate it the most relaxing stretch of the day. On the food side there are 5 restaurants and bars across the resort, enough to change the mood without leaving — from a main dining room with breakfast buffet and international dishes, to a poolside spot for light lunches, to a bar for an evening drink in the sea breeze. For the active, the big draw is the in-house dive center that covers the water activities, from snorkeling over coral and fish to scuba for certified divers, plus boat trips around Bohol's waters. There's also a spa for a massage, a fitness room, and private beachfront seating to stretch out in the breeze, and the resort can set up full-day Bohol island tours. That covers both families who want to lounge by the pool all day and people who want to head out under the water or onto the island.

Location and getting there

BE Grand Resort sits on a seaside cliff in Danao on the eastern side of Panglao, a quieter and more private zone than the lively Alona hub. The upside is open air, a wide sea view, and privacy without jostling for space with crowds — a fit for anyone who genuinely wants a quiet break. The real appeal of the spot is the sea and nature around Bohol: from the resort you can easily set off on snorkeling, scuba and boat trips through the in-house dive center. If you want to explore the island, you can drive out to Chocolate Hills, the oddly shaped mounds that are Bohol's emblem, cruise the Loboc River with lunch aboard, and stop to see the tiny wide-eyed tarsiers the next day. One handy detail is that the resort is only about 15-20 minutes by car from Bohol-Panglao Airport (TAG), so you're at the resort soon after landing — good if you'd rather spend your time relaxing than traveling far from the airport.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First is the location: Danao is on the eastern side of the island, a fair way from Alona, the hub for restaurants and bars. There aren't many places to eat outside the resort within walking distance, so you mostly lean on the resort's own restaurants (nice that there are 5 to choose from) or rent or arrange a car to head out. Anyone who likes wandering for a variety of places to eat at night should brace for that. Second, because it's a large, popular resort, the pools, restaurants and common areas can get crowded and lively over long weekends and in high season; some reviews feel the service gets uneven when it's full — longer breakfast queues or slower responses to requests. Anyone after total quiet and close, attentive service should pick their timing and book ahead. And one more thing to know: the resort sits on a cliff, so getting down to the beach and seafront pools means stairs or a lift through the tiers, and the beach below is small — more for sitting and taking in the view and a gentle dip than the wide white sand found elsewhere on the island. Anyone dreaming of walking straight from their room onto a long sandy beach may need to dial expectations back a notch — but you trade that for the cliff-top sea view and the value.

Our take

After reading through a lot of real reviews, our team sees BE Grand Resort Bohol as a resort that sells value with full confidence — a 5-star resort with a cliff-top sea view, several pools including a swim-up bar, a full 5 restaurants and bars, an in-house dive center, and a quiet, private corner of Danao, all for clearly less than the island's other luxury resorts. If the trip in your head is bringing the family or your partner to soak in sea-view pools all day, sip a drink at the swim-up bar, rotate between the resort's places to eat and drink, then head out on a dive trip or a Bohol island tour the next day — without paying top-luxury prices — this is about as fitting as it gets. But if you're after flawless polish on every detail, the close, attentive service of a small boutique, or want to step straight from your room onto a wide white-sand beach, the cliff location and the scale of this big resort may not be the closest match. Overall we give it 8.3/10, best for families and budget-minded couples who value complete facilities, a sea view, and value for money at the heart of the trip.