Just like everywhere in southeast Asia, one of the best ways to explore the beauty of the Philippines is on two wheels. Before coming to Port Barton, one of the first things we looked up online was information about renting a motorbike. During this search, all we found was anything but encouraging: just a couple of TripAdvisor and other forums threads where the best that was said was that there should be one dude renting scooters somewhere in Port Barton but no-one really knows where he is.
Upon arriving in Port Barton, we came to see a completely different picture. Apparently, this place has developed really rapidly over the past few years, and that information is currently outdated and irrelevant. In 2020 there are motorbikes for rental at literally every corner in Port Barton. It seems like every guest-house owner, restaurant owner, and tour-operator has a side bike-rental business.
That was the good news. The bad news is that, just like everything else in Port Barton, these bikes are ridiculously expensive. The price for renting a scooter is fixed at PHP 500 per day. We asked many, but none of them seemed in the least willing to negotiate this price. Upon the slightest hint of asking for a discount, all of them dismissed us rather rudely, saying “go to someone else”. Even worse, they seemed to use the ‘per day‘ part in only a symbolic way. Their day wasn’t defined as a 24-hour cycle, but as 6, 8, or 12 hours at best. They went as far as saying that every extra hour would be charged PHP 100, showing no hint of shame.
After all, it was only the bloke in our guesthouse who agreed to rent us a scooter for a full day, regardless of when we come back in the evening. The price, though, of course remained the same. This being our best option, we rented a scooter and used it for a day trip to Caruray Beach.
Apart from scooters and underbones, light enduro bikes are also commonly available for rental. It’s pretty necessary to get one of them if you fancy driving far out from the village; the roads are a disaster. These enduros are typically Honda CRF 150. Their standard price is PHP 800 per day (or however many hours each defines a day as). A few may ask you for more at first but they will quickly come down to the standard price once asked. We found one place where they were willing to rent us the enduros without time restrictions. This is located in a marketplace of sorts beside Bikini Cafe. The lady who rents the bikes is overall very nice. We got two enduro bikes from her and used them for a day trip to Minapla Beach.
Other than motorbikes, we also got to rent kayaks for a 3-day trip around the bay.
Accommodation and Activities in The Philippines
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