Punta Engano Beach

Punta Engaño sits at the eastern tip of Mactan Island, the stretch where the international airport’s runway gives way to the resort belt that lines this side of the island. Large beachfront resorts occupy much of the shoreline here, but public access points between them still reach open water and a view across the Hilutungan Channel toward the marine sanctuaries scattered through it. Mactan’s coastal barangays, this one included, built an economy on more than tourism and fishing before the resorts arrived — Maribago and the areas nearby are still known for handcrafted guitar-making, a trade that predates the island’s dive shops and beach clubs by generations. Boats for island-hopping and snorkeling trips run out from the public access points rather than resort docks, and seafood stalls nearby sell the day’s catch straight off the boat.

• Public beach access sits between the resort frontages — look for the gaps rather than assuming the whole shoreline is private.
• Outrigger boats here run snorkeling and island-hopping trips to the sanctuaries across the Hilutungan Channel; rates are negotiable and vary by operator.
• Seafood stalls near the beach access points sell grilled catch by weight — worth checking what came in that morning before ordering.

Explore More in Lapu-Lapu City

• Busay Cebu Guide: Mountain View Cafes & Flower Gardens
• Beach In Maribago
• Ta\xF1on Strait Sunset Coast