This is probably one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the province of Palawan. This gem is hidden in a backpacker's haven popularly known as Port Barton.

(The view of the island from afar)

My year-end adventure for the year 2014 includes an overnight stay at Toby and Thelma's Island Camping Adventure! 

(Tandan Island as viewed from Palawan Camping)

Together with my travel bud, Pixie, we explored the paradise of Port Barton and stayed in this unique beach.

(Palawan Camping Island)

 No questions asked this place is really a piece of paradise!

(Palawan Camping, December 2014)

I was awestruck by the serenity and beauty of this gorgeous place. The "island" is actually still part of the mainland but it's only accessible by boat. The reason behind this is that the owners wanted to keep their paradise private.

The remoteness of the beach is an essential ingredient of its charm.


To know more about the story on how we got to this place you can read it here.

(Kayaks by the beach)

Palawan Camping is also said to be a place where one of the most beautiful views of the sunset in Port Barton can be seen. 

(Palawan Camping Sunset)

And indeed, as you can see in the photos, the view of the setting sun from the island is truly spectacular. According to the people who have visited the place already, each day, you will be given a different view of the sunset.

(Sunset view)

After watching the breathtaking view of the setting sun, we went to our room to fix our stuff. After being able to settle and rest for a while, we decided to hang out at the balcony of the room where we're staying at.

(Amazing colors of the sky during sunset as view from Palawan Camping)

This is the view from the balcony.

(The view from the cottage's balcony)

The cute hangout nook at the cottage's balcony is paired with an awesome view of the beach.

(The balcony with a nice view)

When dinner was about to be served, one of their staff called us to go to the dining area to have dinner.

(Campfire dining feels)

So, we went down and proceeded to the dining area for dinner. After blessing the food we fell in line to get our dinner. After getting our food from the buffet table, we went to the stone tables by the beach. We chose to eat on the stone tables in front of the bonfire for a more island-feel dining experience.

(Palawan Camping Dinner by the beach)

I enjoyed the dinner so much, the food was super good and it's like your typical home made Filipino meal. The dinner is composed of white rice, grilled tuna, fried vegetable lumpia, caldereta and boiled squash.

(My Dinner Plate)

It was a buffet dinner and you can eat as much as you want. Mrs. Clark also gave us some stir-fried shrimps with veggies, it was delicious. I heard that Mrs. Clark studied a culinary course to give her guests good and delicious meals. She's a jack of all trades, a good cook and a talented and creative artist as well. She designed her bungalow house and the mini bar as well as the bamboo shower and these beach tables too.


The aftermath. The food was so delicious that I finished up everything that's on my plate. Look at my now wiped out plate. Haha.

(The aftermath)

After finishing our scrumptious meal, April and I stayed for quite a bit at our dinner table by the beach to exchange stories and to get to know some of our co-campers.  We had a really nice couple of hours chatting with them. When  we we're quite sleepy already we said our good nights with the rest of the group who was still there and went back to our room for the night.

(Our accommodation for the night)

After taking a quick shower and fixing up some of our stuff, we decided to call it a night. We were lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of the waves and the soft breeze wafting through the small openings of the cottage.



Though they have a generator set, electricity is not available 24/7. Having no electricity in the island is actually not a problem because for me that's part of the camping experience, isn't it? At night, it's also not a problem having no electricity on because you're provided with a small rechargeable lamp which you could use when it's already lights off. We really didn't get the absolute camping experience because they're already fully booked and we're accommodated at their son's room but that's completely okay. It's timely that the owner's son was not in the island during that time that's why we're still accommodated. They made us stay in his room.

(The room)

This is the room of the owner's son where we slept in that night. I had a really good night rest, thanks to my favorite sound of nature which lulled me to sleep. 


The next day, this is the view which welcomed me the moment I opened up our door.

(Good Morning view)

I could get used to waking up with the kind of view. It's priceless! I sooo love the beaaaaachh!! It was a good morning indeed! I super love the place, the ambiance, the homey island-feel and all. This is truly a piece of paradise!


This was our breakfast, it's composed of slices of banana, a cup of brewed coffee, scrambled eggs and toast with butter and orange jam. I liked the orange jam so much!

(Palawan Camping brekky)

After having breakfast, April and I lounged at the beach to read a book.

(My travel bud Pixie is also a bookworm)

After a few minutes of reading, we realized that we only have a 3-4 hours left to enjoy the beach so we decided to stop reading and explore the island instead. We returned the books at the mini bar where there's a mini library where you can borrow some books to read. And after which we went back to our room to change clothes for swimming.

Let me give you a mini tour of the beach. Join me as we explore the camping island of Mr. and Mrs. Clark.


This is the stone tables by the beach and at the background is their mini bar.

(Palawan Camping Stone tables and beach chairs)

Going to the western part of the island, you will see the small huts and tents which serve as the island's accommodation. There are a total of six (6) small huts in the island.

(Palawan Camping Accommodation)

If you are a non-luxury seeking sort of traveler, you are very likely to appreciate and enjoy the remote, relaxed and friendly vibe and natural beauty of this location.

(Tents under the huts)

The accommodation in Palawan Camping are tents with a double bed inside it. The tent is covered by a small nipa hut and each hut has a set of table and chairs, and a hammock on the side facing the beach.

(Tent number one at the farthest end)

There's also a beach volleyball court where sporty guests can enjoy playing volleyball.

(Beach volleyball court)

The western most part of the beach is full of rock formations and there are some small caves in there too.

(The view of the beach from the westernmost part)

There are a lot of nice views in the different parts of the property.

(Rock formations at the western part of the beach)

(The splashing waves against the rock formations)

From the western most part of the beach, you can get a better view of its neighboring island. This is the island in front of Toby and Thelma's, it's popularly known as Tandan Island.

(The neighboring island, Tandan Island)

 After exploring the western part of the beach we went back to get to the other end of the beach. Now off to the east!

(Powdery white sand)

The eastern most part of the beach is said to be home to an amazingly huge stone that we weren't able to see. We didn't get the chance to see it because we have a limited time and we only got to go only up to the bamboo shower.

(Going to the bamboo shower)

The place is so blessed with a gorgeous white sand beach and clear waters!

(A private sanctuary blessed with a gorgeous white sand beach)

 As you can see in the photo above, the beach is spotless!

(Enjoying the super private beach!)

(The view while sun bathing)

(Soaking up the sun)

The simplicity of the place allow families to bond and be a family, maybe that's the reason why one of our co-guests always make it to a point that he and his family spend at least a week every year here in this campsite.

This little guy beside me is one of the children of our co-guest that I'm talking about. This is Roomer and the little girl in pink at the background is his sister (I forgot her name).

(Me with Roomer)

(Bamboo shower)

They have a unique bamboo shower located at the other end of the beach. From the campsite, you need to walk to the eastern part of the beach to get to the bamboo shower. Mrs. Clark's creativity produced this unique bamboo shower. A long piece of bamboo was placed in a water source coming from the mountain and it became a unique shower where the island's guests can take a quick shower after bathing in the sea. 

(Cold shower!)

(Enjoying the bamboo shower)

There can't be many places in the world like Palawan Camping, but I'm glad April introduced me to this one.

(Two thumbs up for Palawan Camping)

 After exploring the different parts of the beach, we went back to the campsite to take a shower and change clothes. After that we packed up our stuff and got ready to go back to the mainland. Ms. Clark made us an early lunch so that we can catch our 2pm trip going back to Puerto. I think it's an hour of a boat ride from the island to the mainland. We were sad to leave the place because we'd love to stay for a couple more days but we just have to. No worries because there's still a next time.

(Mini Bar)

Unlike before, Palawan camping now has a mini bar where you can have some delicious cocktails and other drinks. Mrs. Clark made us try their unique mix the other night. The drink is called Esther, it's a cocktail mix named after one of their former guest who according to the owner, looks so much alike her eldest daughter, Rica.

. I am so happy to meet the owners of this wonderful campsite. This is Mrs. Thelma Clark, the very kind and accommodating owner of Palawan Camping

(Me with Mrs. Thelma Clark)

An overnight stay in this island is really not enough for you to be able to explore all that the island and its people have to offer. I will surely come back to this piece of Paradise! 

(Bidding goodbye to this peaceful island. Until next time!)

If you also want to experience what Palawan Camping has to offer, you can contact them thru:

E-mail: palawancamping@gmail.com
Cellphone: 09994863348/09087405614
Landline: 011-63-48-434-8687

Visit their website at http://palawancamping.com/


ENJOY PARADISE AND ENJOY CAMPING in the best island resort in Port Barton!! :)


ADIOS!

-The Palawenya Explorer ;)


For Port Barton tours, you can contact a local tour guide friend of mine Dave Cabungan at 09479688904 or send him at e-mail at davzred008@gmail.com :)

With our backpacks on our back, my friend April and I headed up the Northern Part of Palawan for a legit backpacking adventure.  Without any idea on what bus/van to take and with no plans on where to stay at and what to do in the place we're about to go to, we adventurously continued our holiday beach getaway.

Early morning after Christmas of 2014, April and I went to the San Jose Terminal to get on a PUV (public utility vehicle) which will take us to a paradise called "Port Barton".

Port Barton is a baranggay in the Municipality of San Vicente which is situated in the north-west coast of the island of Palawan. It is about 23km north west of the Municipality of Roxas, Palawan.

This peaceful place is approximately three (3) hours away from the city of Puerto Princesa.

Prior to the trip, April and I had no idea on what vehicle we should ride and what are the schedules of the trips going to Port Barton. The night before our trip, we just decided to meet up at the terminal at around 6 in the morning. 

Early the next morning, i arrived at the terminal and April was not there yet so i decided to ask the people around on where i could find a bus/van which travels to Port Barton. The person i asked was surprisingly our former employee. He recognized me and asked me who i was and upon confirming that i am the person who he thought i was, he introduced himself.

 Kuya Moroy (his name) now works as a dispatcher for the Recaro Shuttles which travels from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton and vice versa. I learned from him that the first trip of their shuttles leave for barton at around 9 am. April and I were too early for the said trip so we decided to eat breakfast first. We just ask Kuya Moroy to reserve us seats for the 9 am trip. So come 9am, the van wasn't there yet because they picked up some passengers from their respective hotels. When the shuttle arrived, we were led to the front seats which Kuya Moroy reserved for us. 

We left the terminal at around 9am and we arrived in Port Barton at around 12nn. Travel time is around 3 hours.

The trip was very much comfortable. A few kilometers away from our destination, we were stuck in the road because a huge truck in front of us had engine problems but after a few minutes of waiting, it was fixed anyway and we moved on. 

After a few more minutes, we already reached PORT BARTON!!

Port Barton has a long stretch of beach and there are a lot of  very nice beach front accommodations. 

According to some of the locals here, in spite of the number of inn/hotels and other accommodations present, it is still not enough to accommodate all the tourists and locals which goes here every peak season (from December to April). A story was related to us by the locals that there was a time that a vehicle full of tourists went to Taytay and El Nido instead because of all of the accommodations are already fully booked. And there was also a time that the stretch of beach was full of tents also due to lack of available accommodations in Barton that the tourist just pitched in their tents by the beach.

During the time of our visit, which was December 26, 2014, almost all of the beach front accommodations we've checked are already fully booked. 

Remember, April and I had no prior reservations during our trip, so the moment we stepped on the land of Port Barton, the first thing that we did is to look for a place to stay. 

We started at the west side of the line of beachfront hotels. 

First accommodation we checked was Elsa's. They have a nice and spacious beachfront courtyard and a restaurant, but unfortunately they're already fully booked.

So off we go. The next accommodation we checked was El Dorado's. Luckily, one more room is available. Take note, only one! We checked it out, the room was okay but we didn't like the atmosphere because there are a lot of foreigners lounging at the balcony area and most of them smokes so we decided not to get the room anymore. I don't know why we were so brave to let go of the room knowing that most of the accommodations are already fully-booked. 

Some of the other accommodations we've checked are the following:

So we walked farther west, we passed by some accommodations that are really really nice but unfortunately they, too, were fully booked already. 

This one is what we badly wanted to check-in to. They have nice beach front cottages that we really liked.

 Sadly, this too, is fully-booked. :(

We reached the western most part of the beach and still we have no place to stay in, so we decided to go back and check the other end of the beach. This time we went to the eastern side. So April and I, walked again and check out the other accommodations.

(Ausan Cottages, Port Barton San Vicente Palawan Philippines)

What we were looking for is a nice beachfront accommodation with gorgeous lawns where we could bum around all night while star-gazing. After checking out a lot of accommodations, we finally came across one which suits our taste. The Villa Marguerita!! We kept our fingers crossed as we entered the place. I kept on praying "Lord, please! I want this! Please let us stay here and please, may this place be not fully-booked!"

We went inside and talked with their staff, and guess what?? They have a blank space baby, and I'll write your name! haha just kiddin'. They have vacant rooms! Hooraaaaay!

They have a big cottage with three (3) rooms in it. Only Three (3) rooms!!! and the other one is already taken so, there are only two rooms left. We asked if we could see the room so that we can decide if we will take it or not. So the staff led us to the room upstairs. It's the only room on the second floor and it has two beds, a balcony and a private bath. It was perfect!!!

It was super nice and it looks super comfortable. It's just perfect! For only 1,500 per night we can enjoy a very nice room with a great view of the beach! Not a bad deal at all! We then decided to get the room. So, we told the manang caretaker that we will get it.

But wait, here's the catch. Upon confirming that we want to get the room, one of the staffs told the other staff (the one we're talking with) that the room is already taken. Oh no! huhuhu. April and I were about to cry. We were soooo tired from the trip and from all the walking that we did only to find out that the perfect room that we finally found is unfortunately taken already! Feels like another heartbreak. haha. Villa Marguerita has three staffs and they didn't have a good coordination during that time so, we were really surprised to find out that the room we're about to get was already taken. Our happiness really faded away. I was really sad to let go of the room. But, we don't have a choice, a foreigner couple already took the room and we we're just a few minutes or seconds too late! Argggh!

But don't worry, we didn't sleep at the beach. haha. As I have mentioned earlier, there are two rooms available, so we asked them again if we could see the other room. We went downstairs to see the other room, though it doesn't have a private bath and an amazing balcony view, we still decided to take it. Aarte pa ba kami, eh fully-booked na nga lahat at pagod na kami kakalakad. And ang ganda kaya ng lawn, beach chair, at gazebo nila haha. And mabait din naman ang staff so go na. 

This is the room that we took. It's 800 pesos per night, good for two. Here's the room:

It's still not a bad deal. But we still had a hard time moving on from the almost perfect accommodation we would've had! huhu. Feels like another heartbreak talagaaaa. 

Where we stayed:

Villa Marguerita (click here for a more detailed article about our Villa Marguerita experience.)

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After checking in, we decided to eat our late lunch.

Where we ate:

Earlier, while we we're still looking for a place to stay in, we passed by this restaurant and our attention was caught by these giant chairs. Photo ops!

So finally, after being able to secure a place to stay in for the night, April and I went back to the restaurant which caught our eyes. Because of these giant chairs, we decided to try their food and eat here. Sadly, it was a bad idea. For more stories about our Jambalaya Experience read it here:

After eating at Jambalaya, we went back to Villa Marguerita to change outfits. Pictorial and swimming time!

The serenity of place is to die for! We felt like we own the beach! Ang saraaaaap. The place is super peaceful and not crowded at all. We spent the entire afternoon at the beach taking pictures, swimming, enjoying the beautiful sunset and sharing stories!

When it was already dark, we went back to our accommodation. We took a shower and changed outfits, had dinner and just chilled at the gazebo, and lounged at their beach chairs while stargazing. After that we decided to call it a night.

How to get here:

1. If you're coming from Puerto Princesa:

From the town proper of Puerto Princesa, you can ride a multi cab going to the San Jose Terminal. Travel time is around 10 minutes and fare is 13 pesos.

From the San Jose Terminal there are already chartered trips of  shuttles and buses which travels from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton daily. 

There are two trips of shuttles daily going to Port Barton. Fare is P350 per person and travel time is around 3 hours.

RECARO SHUTTLE TRIP Schedule:

There is also a bus which travels here daily. San Isidro Express (a non-air conditioned bus) leaves the terminal at around 9 am and the same bus goes back to Puerto Princesa at around 2pm. Fare is 200 pesos per person and travel time is around 4 hours.

Other options if you miss the said trips above:

Ride any bus/van going to the northern part of Palawan like Roxas, San Vicente, Taytay or El Nido bound buses and you can get of the van/bus before it reaches Roxas, specifically at the National Road-San Jose intersection where you could hire a tricycle/habal-habal going to Port Barton. Travel time from Puerto Princesa to National Road-San Jose Intersection is about 1 hour and 45 minutes and fare is P140. The travel time for tricycle/habal-habal ride is about one hour and fare/hire is usually P500. A tricycle can only accommodate up to 2 persons while for a habal-habal single passenger only.

2. If you're coming from Roxas, Palawan:

Go to the Public Transportation Terminal of Roxas and ride the jeepney going to Port Barton. Their daily trip schedule is 11 am and travel time is about 2 hours. Fare is 100 pesos for locals and 150 for tourists.

3. If you're coming from San Vicente, Taytay or El Nido, Palawan:

a. Ride any bus/van going to Roxas. Then refer to number 2 above.

b. Ride any bus/van going to Puerto Princesa and tell them that you ought to get of the van/bus at the National Road-San Jose intersection where you could hire a tricycle/habal-habal going to Port Barton. Travel time from Puerto Princesa to National Road-San Jose Intersection is about 1 hour and 45 minutes and fare is P140. The travel time for tricycle/habal-habal ride is about one hour and fare/hire is usually P500. A tricycle can only accommodate up to 2 persons while for a habal-habal single passenger only.

c. There are also private boats for hire. 

COME AND VISIT THIS PARADISE NOOOOOW! :)


For Port Barton tours, you can contact a local tour guide friend of mine Dave Cabungan at 09479688904 or send him an e-mail at davzred008@gmail.com :)


ADIOS!

-The Palawenya Explorer ;)