Mercedes Beach

Mercedes Beach sits on Medellin’s stretch of Cebu’s northern coast, a working shoreline more than a resort strip — palm-lined, soft sand, and quiet enough on a weekday that the loudest thing around is the surf. It’s a fishing-village beach first, which is part of why it stayed unmarketed while Bantayan and Malapascua, both a short ride further north, built out their own tourist infrastructure.

• The shoreline runs long and mostly flat, good for an early walk before the heat sets in.
• The water stays shallow and calm close to shore, fine for swimming without much surf to manage.
• There’s little in the way of shade or facilities — bring your own mat, water, and sun cover for an afternoon stay.

Medellin’s economy has run on sugarcane since the Bogo-Medellin mill was built here in the early 20th century, plus fishing along stretches like this one; tourism is a newer, smaller layer on top of both, which shows in how little infrastructure sits right at the beach.

Explore More in Medellin

• Discovery Reef
• Aisle of Medellin