Port Barton Beach: Your Guide to Itaytay Beach, Palawan 2024
Port Barton’s beach sits just in front of the main town and is commonly referred to as Itaytay Beach, with crystal clear water, white sand, palm trees and a row of bars and restaurants, Itaytay Beach has everything you could want for a perfect day out. It also offers the opportunity to visit two of the most picturesque beaches in Palawan just a short boat ride away and it is the start of the Port Barton Boat Tour.
This is everything you need to know for your visit to Port Barton’s local beach.
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Port Barton is surrounded by some of the richest marine life we saw in all of The Philippines. Book Your Port Barton Boat Trip Here!
Where Is Itaytay Beach, Port Barton?
Port Barton is located on the Philippine island of Palawan, 3 hours north of Purto Princessa and 3 hours south from El Nido. Itaytay Beach is the main strip of sand in town which can be found by walking down any of the small alleys towards the sea.
How To Get To Port Barton Beach?
Once you’re in Port Barton, Itaytay Beach is impossible to miss, you’ll spot the sandy tracks down to the sea that will bring you right onto the sand.
To get to Port Barton, we recommend booking a shared van. Or if you're already a large group or family, a private shuttle.
Port Barton Beach Description
Port Barton is a local port meaning the beach has a fleet of boats docked up, I love this local feel and the local wooden boats are truly majestic to me (just be careful not to trip over the anchor ropes).
The beach stretches into a wide bay and you’ll never have trouble finding yourself a secluded spot, especially if you walk down to either end. You can bathe in the water just mind out for jellyfish, more information on these below.
Itaytay Beach
Itaytay Beach is just the native name of Port Barton Beach. It’s a great hang out spot with multiple restaurants along the front, we share our favourites below.
If you want to find stretches of white sand, perfect for swimming and boat free you can head to white beach or coconut beach from Itaytay. Local vendors sell their boat taxi on the beach which will whisk you away to paradise. Make sure you barter a price so you don’t spend too much.
Top Things To Do At Port Barton (Itaytay) Beach
Being one of the most popular towns to visit in Palawan, Port Barton Beach has no shortage of things to do, here are just a few.
Relaxing on the Silky Smooth White Sand
Spend the day relaxing on Itaytay Beach, although we read reviews of the beach being dirty before we went, it was super clean when we visited. There’s also loads of trees to find some shade from the heat of the midday sun.
Swim In The Crystal Clear Blue Water
You can cool off and swim in the waters around Itaytay or just bathe in shallows while topping up your tan. You will see signs warning you about Jellyfish these are more common in the morning but you still need to be aware of the risks.
Go On An Organised Snorkelling Boat Trip
Head out on a magical boat tour around some of the best islands the Philippines has to offer. Spend your day visiting, twin reef, starfish island, paradise island and enjoying a local Philippine spread for lunch with an epic fruit platter, we recommend booking with a reliable company such as GetYourGuide.
Grab A Coffee Or Pizza at Barton Bistro & Catch Up On Work
If you’re looking for some western food or good Wi-Fi to catch up on work (they have Starlink) head to Barton Bistro. We also found this was a hub for backpackers, solo travellers and a great place to enjoy the sunset. I mean it was the best sunset we’ve ever seen... two days in a row.
Swing Off Some Picture Perfect Palm Trees
I mean is a tropical beach complete without a plan tree swing? Itaytay has two swings on the beach to enjoy and snap a picture of.
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Port Barton (Itaytay) Beach Jellyfish
You can find Box Jellyfish in Port Barton’s bay, so you need to be cautious while swimming as they can be lethal. They tend to appear just before the rainy season in April/May and are more prevalent during the morning. Make sure to ask a local before going swimming.
Port Barton (Itaytay) Beach Common Questions
How Much Is The Entrance for Itaytay Beach?
There is no fee for the beach, Port Barton is also small enough that you can walk to the beach meaning you don’t need to worry about parking.
Is There Parking at Itaytay Beach?
We saw minimal parking for the beach, locals seemed to leave their scooters at the beach entrance. Port Barton is a small town so we would recommend walking to the beach instead.
What Good Restaurants Are Near Port Barton Beach?
If you’re looking for western food we can recommend Barton Bistro, they do pizza, pasta as well as a variety of cocktails.
For local experiences and live music head to Happy Bar. Both of these restaurants are situated right on the sand and make a perfect sunset watching spot.
There are lots of good warungs throughout Port Barton including Joan’s Cuisine where you can get an amazing paella and Kusinera is a budget friendly option. For the best pizza head to Fat Cat, this pizza was amazing as they use 24 hour aged dough and was the perfect western fix.
Is Port Barton Beach Safe For Children & Family Friendly?
The beach itself is lovely and family friendly, bear in mind you will see stray dogs and with the potential of box Jellyfish you may choose not to go swimming.
How To Get To Port Barton From Puerto Princesa?
Best Places To Stay In Port Barton
Port Barton is a small, local fishing village with most of the accommodation concentrated in the centre of town. Wherever you stay bars, restaurants and the beach will be within walking distance, so you need to decide if you want to pay more for a beach side property or something more budget set further back.
We use Booking.com and HostelWorld for all of our stays around the world!
Below is a list of top accommodations we recommend for Port Barton, Palawan:
Top Things To Do In Port Barton
Perhaps less known than El Nido, Port Barton was one of our favourite towns in the whole of the Philippines. You get a local feel but the area is still set up for tourism, with bars, western and local restaurants and an amazing boat trip. Here we share our top things to do in Port Barton.
Top Pick: Port Barton Boat Tour
This is a must in Port Barton! You get to visit two snorkelling spots including Twin Reef which has some of the best coral we’ve seen, Paradise Island where you get a local feast for lunch, snorkel with turtles and look for Chocolate Chip Starfish On A Tiny Sand Bar.
If you’re looking for a large strip of powdery sand, coconut trees and a refreshing place to swim you can get a boat taxi from Port Barton Bay (Itaytay Beach) to White Beach.
Off The Beaten Track: Pamuayan Falls
Jump on a scooter or hire a taxi and head to Pamuayan Falls where you can get back to nature and enjoy a swim in the falls natural pool.
Best Place To Eat: Joan’s Cuisine & Fat Cat
Joan’s Cuisine serves a mixture of budget friendly local dishes as well as a mouth-watering paella which is a must try. If you’re looking for western food head to Fat Cat for amazing pizza!
Essential Travel Items You Need
 | Lifestraw - Filtered Water Bottle Allowing you to fill up water whenever and wherever with peace of mind plus you’re helping the environment! |
 | Jungle Formula - High Deet Mosquito Spray The weak sprays will not work! Make sure to bring a high deet percentage spray made for the tropics. We also use Mosquito Wipes. |
 | Water Shoes - Lightweight with Protection Stay protected from Sea Urchins with these, also useful for snorkelling, waterfall hikes and more. We also love our Microfibre Towels and Dry Bag. |
 | Universal Travel Adaptor With Multiple USBs Life while travelling will never be the same again! Charge multiple devices all at once in any country... game changer. |
Top Tips For Travelling The Philippines
If you’re visiting the Philippines here are our top travel tips:
Book flights in advance - they can become expensive if you leave it last minute… oh and check your luggage allowance to skip expensive check in fees at the airport. Don't forget your Apple Airtags to track your bags
Agree on taxi prices upfront - when getting into a tuk-tuk, tricycle or taxi, make sure you agree on a price or they have a meter, so many tourists get ripped off with a huge price tag at the end of the ride.
Take it slow - don't feel the need to see all the islands, we recommend picking a few and doing them properly. See the island in full, find some locals and sing Karaoke..
Embrace the chaos and get stuck in, the locals are friendly and love to help and share information about their home!
For a checklist of what's needed to pack for your trip, read: How to Pack for Backpacking to South East Asia: Backpacking Essentials and Accessories
We love our DJI Mini for all of our drone shots!
Final Thoughts on Port Barton (Itaytay) Beach
Port Barton was our favourite place on Palawan and not to be skipped in our opinion. When you arrive in the local town you can’t miss Itaytay Beach, a central hub of the town with vibrant bars and restaurants. It’s also the best place to watch world class sunsets.
You can enjoy the soft sand, picturesque palm trees and calm water all in a local setting. You need to watch out for Jellyfish and you will see signs telling you what to do if you get stung but don’t let this put you enjoying the beach even if you don’t go for a swim.
A highlight of our time was spent on the Port Barton’s boat tour which leaves from Port Barton Beach. If you would like to learn more, check out our blog all about our time on board.
Travel Tools To Help You Plan
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Philippine adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
For our Filipino friends: Maraming salamat sa pag babasa, hangang sa susunod nating pag kikita, mamimiss namin kayo, mabuhay ang pilipinas! Salamat
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