Karimunjawa fast boat from Jepara - Just 2 hours to Paradise http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-fast-boat/ #Boat #Karimunjawa #Jepara

Karimunjawa fast boat from Jepara - Just 2 hours to Paradise
http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-fast-boat/
#Boat #Karimunjawa #Jepara

%%title%% from Jepara - But only twice per week http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-fast-boat/ #Boat #Karimunjawa #Jepara

%%title%% from Jepara - But only twice per week
http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-fast-boat/
#Boat #Karimunjawa #Jepara

Our Sri Lanka Travel Plan - A rollicking rollercoaster ride to the World’s End and beyond. http://www.sandspice.com/sri-lanka-travel-plan/ #SriLanka #Budget #Itinerary

Our Sri Lanka Travel Plan - A rollicking rollercoaster ride to the World’s End and beyond.
http://www.sandspice.com/sri-lanka-travel-plan/
#SriLanka #Budget #Itinerary

Maldives Under the Reef - An Abundance of Vibrant Tropical Fish http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-under-the-reef/ #Maldives #Reef #Snorkel

Maldives Under the Reef - An Abundance of Vibrant Tropical Fish http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-under-the-reef/
#Maldives #Reef #Snorkel

Sandbank Affaire - Dinner on your Private Island http://www.sandspice.com/sandbank-affaire-makunudu-maldives/ #Makunudu #Maldives #Travel

Sandbank Affaire - Dinner on your Private Island
http://www.sandspice.com/sandbank-affaire-makunudu-maldives/
#Makunudu #Maldives #Travel

Makunudu Island - A Miniature Island Paradise http://www.sandspice.com/makunudu-island/ #Makunudu #Maldives

Makunudu Island - A Miniature Island Paradise
http://www.sandspice.com/makunudu-island/
#Makunudu #Maldives

In a Zombie Apocalypse, the Dubai Mall is where I'd be holed up. http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-mall/ #Dubai #Mall

In a Zombie Apocalypse, the Dubai Mall is where I'd be holed up. http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-mall/
#Dubai #Mall

Unless you're Tom Cruise, you won't get to sit on the very top. http://www.sandspice.com/burj-khalifa-dubai/ #BurjKhalifa #MissionImpossible

Unless you're Tom Cruise, you won't get to sit on the very top.
http://www.sandspice.com/burj-khalifa-dubai/ #BurjKhalifa #MissionImpossible

Dubai Desert Safari Without needing any subtle hints, our driver put the pedal to the metal http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-desert-safari/ #dubai #dunebashing #desertsafari

Dubai Desert Safari
Without needing any subtle hints, our driver put the pedal to the metal
http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-desert-safari/
#dubai #dunebashing #desertsafari

Hotel Samudra Jepara Port You'll need a hotel before heading off to Karimunjawa. http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-samudra-jepara-port/ #Karimunjawa #Jepara #Boat

Hotel Samudra Jepara Port
You'll need a hotel before heading off to Karimunjawa.
http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-samudra-jepara-port/
#Karimunjawa #Jepara #Boat

Dubai Stopover

Dubai Stopover

Kuala Lumpur Chinatown Everywhere... the delicious aroma of food... http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-chinatown/ #KualaLumpur #Chinatown #Streetfood

Kuala Lumpur Chinatown
Everywhere... the delicious aroma of food...
http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-chinatown/
#KualaLumpur #Chinatown #Streetfood

Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre & a tree-top canopy walkway through the jungle http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-rainforest-discovery-centre/ #Borneo #Jungle #Rainforest

Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre
& a tree-top canopy walkway through the jungle
http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-rainforest-discovery-centre/
#Borneo #Jungle #Rainforest

Orangutans are curious at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-center/ #Orangutan #Borneo #Sepilok

Orangutans are curious at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center
http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-center/
#Orangutan #Borneo #Sepilok

Hotel Quest Semarang Up-market hotel with all mod-cons, pool, & excellent TV reception. http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-quest-semarang/ #Semarang #Hotels #Quest

Hotel Quest Semarang
Up-market hotel with all mod-cons, pool, & excellent TV reception.
http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-quest-semarang/
#Semarang #Hotels #Quest

Sepilok in Borneo - Where to Stay Close to the Orangutans... http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-borneo/ #Orangutan #Sepilok #Borneo

Sepilok in Borneo - Where to Stay
Close to the Orangutans...
http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-borneo/
#Orangutan #Sepilok #Borneo

Borneo Wavehunters "The Washing Machine” rapids... http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-wavehunters/ #Borneo #Rafting #Padas

Borneo Wavehunters "The Washing Machine” rapids...
http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-wavehunters/
#Borneo #Rafting #Padas

Kuantan to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Kuantan to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Backtracking to Semarang With no credit cards and insufficient cash, we were headed up the creek without a paddle. http://www.sandspice.com/backtracking-semarang/ #Travel #Semarang #ATM

Backtracking to Semarang
With no credit cards and insufficient cash, we were headed up the creek without a paddle.
http://www.sandspice.com/backtracking-semarang/
#Travel #Semarang #ATM

Kuantan by Taxi A one-car garage, Tioman-style http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/ #Travel #Malaysia #Tioman

Kuantan by Taxi
A one-car garage, Tioman-style
http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/
#Travel #Malaysia #Tioman

Pulau Tioman: Into the Rainforest Our chance to cross the river Indiana Jones style! http://www.sandspice.com/pulau-tioman-rainforest/ #Tioman #Rainforest #RiverCrossing

Pulau Tioman: Into the Rainforest
Our chance to cross the river Indiana Jones style!
http://www.sandspice.com/pulau-tioman-rainforest/
#Tioman #Rainforest #RiverCrossing

Lying in a gutter in Jepara, with blood oozing from my arm marked the low-point of my trip to Indonesia http://www.sandspice.com/jepara-atm-woes/ #Travel #Jepara #Indonesia #ATM

Lying in a gutter in Jepara, with blood oozing from my arm marked the low-point of my trip to Indonesia
http://www.sandspice.com/jepara-atm-woes/
#Travel #Jepara #Indonesia #ATM

Juara Beach, Tioman Island Great banana juices, spicy curry, noodles & sambal fish. http://www.sandspice.com/tioman-juara-beach/ #Tioman #Juara #Malaysia

Juara Beach, Tioman Island
Great banana juices, spicy curry, noodles & sambal fish.
http://www.sandspice.com/tioman-juara-beach/
#Tioman #Juara #Malaysia

Take a Ferry to Tioman Island, Malaysia http://www.sandspice.com/mersing-tioman-island/ #Malaysia #Ferry #Tioman

Take a Ferry to Tioman Island, Malaysia
http://www.sandspice.com/mersing-tioman-island/
#Malaysia #Ferry #Tioman

Hotel Elim & Minibus to Jepara Although not close to Jepara port, Elim is inexpensive, clean and comfortable. http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-elim-minibus-jepara/ #Travel #Indonesia #Jep

Hotel Elim & Minibus to Jepara Although not close to Jepara port, Elim is inexpensive, clean and comfortable. http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-elim-minibus-jepara/ #Travel #Indonesia #Jep

Hotel Elim & Minibus to Jepara

Hotel Elim & Minibus to Jepara

Miserable in Mersing

Miserable in Mersing

Test Post from SandSpice |

Test Post from SandSpice |
http://www.sandspice.com

Honey, the ATM ate my card What do you do when an Indonesian ATM swallows your credit card? http://www.sandspice.com/atm-ate-my-card/ #ATM #CreditCard #Indonesia

Honey, the ATM ate my card
What do you do when an Indonesian ATM swallows your credit card?
http://www.sandspice.com/atm-ate-my-card/
#ATM #CreditCard #Indonesia

Kuala Lumpur - First Impressions Great streetfood in the Pudu area http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-first-impressions/ #Travel #Streetfood #KualaLumpur

Kuala Lumpur - First Impressions
Great streetfood in the Pudu area
http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-first-impressions/
#Travel #Streetfood #KualaLumpur

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium http://www.sandspice.com/tuesday-mustbe-belgium/ Funnily enough, it was a Tuesday... #Travel #Malaysia #Belgium

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
http://www.sandspice.com/tuesday-mustbe-belgium/
Funnily enough, it was a Tuesday...
#Travel #Malaysia #Belgium

Planning a Travel Itinerary Around Malaysia http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-borneo-planning/ #Malaysia #Borneo #TravelPlan

Planning a Travel Itinerary Around Malaysia
http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-borneo-planning/
#Malaysia #Borneo #TravelPlan

Lion Air Inflight Experience Check out the leg-room - Beats most of the big Airlines by a mile http://www.sandspice.com/lion-air-inflight-experience/ #LionAir #Travel #Indonesia

Lion Air Inflight Experience
Check out the leg-room - Beats most of the big Airlines by a mile
http://www.sandspice.com/lion-air-inflight-experience/
#LionAir #Travel #Indonesia

Our Philippines Impressions? It's not what we expected

Our Philippines impressions were formed gradually over the 3 weeks we spent there. We arrived in the Philippines with open minds, though it’s difficult to erase all the pre-conceptions you have about a place before you visit it.

In our case, we were anticipating white sand beaches, relaxed swimming, fresh fruit & fish and tasty local food. We chose to visit some out-of-the-way places, so hopefully we would find some secluded places to spend our time.

Philippines impressions – Pangangan

For such a short trip – just 19 days in the Philippines – we had to be extremely selective about the places we would visit. We narrowed our choices to a shortlist of 2 islands (Cebu and Bohol) and 5 destinations that could be combined into a viable route (see The Philippines – Planning the Trip).

Beaches

For anyone who enjoys hassle-free swimming, the beaches in some of the more remote locations we stayed were not ideal.

Access to the sea was sometimes difficult over shallow and rocky areas. Fine for snorkeling or diving, but that was about it. There were good sandy beaches in the more touristy areas in Bohol, but we were mainly trying to stay away from the crowds.

Apart from Alona Beach, the public beaches we visited were sometimes heavily littered and not always that clean.

Philippines impressions – Beaches

Our Philippines Impressions – Local Food

The biggest disappointment of the Philippines for us was the local food.

If you really want to pile on the calories, this is the place to come. Sugary, sticky marinades are the order of the day. Whether we chose fish, pork or chicken, it all came out tasting the same: Sweet, bland and filling.

We ate as much fruit as possible, but you can’t live off just that. There was a super-abundance of Western junk food outlets everywhere we went, and many of the locals obviously have a taste for them.

Our Philippines impressions – Bland Food

By far, the best food we had was prepared by Julian (a British expatriate) at the Seaside Boutique Hotel in Panglao. Using locally-sourced ingredients, he produced some delicious 3-course meals for us during our short stay there.

Phone Cards

I picked up a local Globe simcard for 40 pesos, and paid another 50 pesos to add credit. This is the minimum amount, but was plenty for a 2-3 week stay. The only problem was that we couldn’t send sms text messages back to Europe. They appeared to be sent, but no-one received them.

Jeepneys in Manila

Final Budget – Actual Costs (not bad at all…)

Planning our trip 2 months earlier, we allowed ourselves a budget of €35 per person per day. This was to cover the 18 nights we would spend in the Philippines.

Since we were flying to the Philippines from Rome, we also needed to allow for 2 nights in Rome – one night before our flight out and another after our return flight.

For these extra nights in Rome, we budgeted €50 (per person per day).

The combined cost of all of our flights was €1,434.

This included return flights for 2 to Rome (Air Malta), return flights from Rome to Manila with Emirates, and internal flights in the Philippines from Manila to Cebu, and Bohol back to Manila (Philippines Airlines).

All for 2 people.

Our Philippines impressions – Costs

The total trip duration was 24 days. This included flying and stopover time. We also took out travel insurance for €47 per person.

Our accommodation in both Italy and the Philippines came to €633 for 2 for 20 nights (including breakfast on 7 days). Apart from accommodation and flights, we took a total of €973 from cash machines during the trip.

The final combined cost for the trip was €1,620 per person (€3,241 for 2). This averages at around €67 per person per day, including flights, accommodation, food… and all other costs.

This wasn’t too far off from our planned budget of €3,200.

There is so much to see in the Philippines that you can’t do it justice by visiting one or two of the islands. But you have to start somewhere, right?

Hopefully, our short visit was a precurser to other trips to different parts of the country. In the south Mindanao, with its sizeable Muslim population, could offer quite a different experience. Palawan would also be on our shortlist of islands to visit.

…on our next trip.

 

---

The Philippines – See also:

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With a free shuttlebus service, Ibis Budget is ideal for a Jakarta stopover. http://www.sandspice.com/jakarta-stopover/ #Travel #Jakarta #Stopover

With a free shuttlebus service, Ibis Budget is ideal for a Jakarta stopover.
http://www.sandspice.com/jakarta-stopover/
#Travel #Jakarta #Stopover

Test Post from SandSpice |

Test Post from SandSpice | http://www.sandspice.com

The Best Western is a good choice for a one-night stop-gap in Fiumicino http://www.sandspice.com/fiumicino-breakfast/ #Travel #Philippines #Fiumicino

The Best Western is a good choice for a one-night stop-gap in Fiumicino
http://www.sandspice.com/fiumicino-breakfast/
#Travel #Philippines #Fiumicino

Colorful Filipino Currency Checkout the new Philippines banknotes. http://www.sandspice.com/colorful-filipino-currency/ #Travel #Philippines #banknotes

Colorful Filipino Currency
Checkout the new Philippines banknotes.
http://www.sandspice.com/colorful-filipino-currency/
#Travel #Philippines #banknotes

Qatar Airways Inflight Experience Does Qatar Airways live up to the hype? http://www.sandspice.com/qatar-airways/ #Travel #Qatar #Inflight

Qatar Airways Inflight Experience
Does Qatar Airways live up to the hype?
http://www.sandspice.com/qatar-airways/
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Bland Filipino Food

Before we started this trip, from our research we gathered that there was no distinctive Filipino cuisine. From our actual experiences in the Philippines, this appears to be true. On the menus everywhere you find pork and chicken, most often barbecued in a bland and sweet marinade. This is usually accompanied by heaps of plain boiled white rice.

Rarely if ever is the food spicy. Fish is available, but is always surprisingly expensive (I can’t get my head round this – the sea is everywhere). The food is often so bland we had to add lashings of hot tabasco sauce (if this was available).

Lechon – with a sticky-sweet marinade

Of course you can eat local versions of foreign food, but why come to the Philippines to do that?

Usually, after a 4-week trip around South East Asia, we could expect to lose 2 or 3 kilos. After this trip around the Philippines, we managed to put on around 3 kilos each, despite the long walks we took each day.

More calories, anyone… ?

As a consolation, we were able to indulge in an abundance of delicious tropical fruit.

By far, the best food we had was prepared by Julian (a Brit) at the Seaside Boutique Hotel in Panglao. Using locally-sourced ingredients, he produced some delicious 3-course meals for us during our stay there.

 

---

The Philippines – See also:

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Indonesia €1200 all-inclusive for a 3-week trip to a tropical island? http://www.sandspice.com/indonesia/ #Travel #Indonesia #Karimunjawa

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With only 11 tables & rave reviews, you need to book at Rome's Club Machiavelli. http://www.sandspice.com/club-machiavelli/ #Travel #Rome #Restaurants

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Inspiration for this trip to the Philippines? Reasonably priced Emirates flights from Rome http://www.sandspice.com/philippines/ #Travel #Philippines

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Welcome to Malta

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Malaysia & Borneo : Highlights & Costs

Our actual trip to Malaysia & Borneo closely followed our plan regarding the places we would visit. These were based on 2 main areas:
♦  The Malaysian peninsula: We arrived (and departed) Kuala Lumpar, and spent roughly 10 days there.
♦  Borneo: This second half of the trip also lasted around... http://www.sandspice.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Malaysia-and-Borneo-twitterfeatured.jpg http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-borneo-travel-plan/

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#Travel #Budget #Asia #Tropics

Dune Bashing

Sand-n-Spice

Sand-n-Spice

SandSpice Redirect

SandSpice Redirect

Edinburgh 3-Night Break http://www.sandspice.com/edinburgh-3-night-break/ #Travel #Edinburgh #Scotland

Edinburgh 3-Night Break
http://www.sandspice.com/edinburgh-3-night-break/ #Travel #Edinburgh #Scotland

Girona in Giro - What to see Check out the old quarter where they filmed #GameofThrones http://www.sandspice.com/girona-ingiro/ #Travel #Girona

Girona in Giro - What to see
Check out the old quarter where they filmed #GameofThrones
http://www.sandspice.com/girona-ingiro/ #Travel #Girona

Girona City Transfer Tips & Options http://www.sandspice.com/girona-city-transfer-tips/ #Travel #Girona #Spain

Girona City Transfer Tips & Options
http://www.sandspice.com/girona-city-transfer-tips/ #Travel #Girona #Spain

Canary Isles? Didn't see any canaries. Virgin Isles? Didn't see any canaries there either http://www.sandspice.com/canary-islands/ #Travel #Canary #Islands

Canary Isles? Didn't see any canaries. Virgin Isles? Didn't see any canaries there either
http://www.sandspice.com/canary-islands/ #Travel #Canary #Islands

Mumbai & The Thousand-Yard Stare 3 weeks in India should do it... http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-thousand-yard-stare/ #Travel #India #Mumbai

Mumbai & The Thousand-Yard Stare
3 weeks in India should do it... http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-thousand-yard-stare/ #Travel #India #Mumbai

Finding somewhere decent & inexpensive to eat in Mumbai Fort wasn't easy. http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-city/ #Travel #India #Mumbai #Fort

Finding somewhere decent & inexpensive to eat in Mumbai Fort wasn't easy.
http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-city/ #Travel #India #Mumbai #Fort

In the Footsteps of Jason Bourne Goa film locations for the shooting of The Bourne Supremacy. http://www.sandspice.com/jason-bourne-footsteps/ #Travel #India #Bourne #Goa

In the Footsteps of Jason Bourne
Goa film locations for the shooting of The Bourne Supremacy.
http://www.sandspice.com/jason-bourne-footsteps/ #Travel #India #Bourne #Goa

Goa Guesthouses - Negotiation is expected, but don't mercilessly undercut the asking price. http://www.sandspice.com/palolem-beach-guesthouses/ #Travel #India #Goa

Goa Guesthouses -
Negotiation is expected, but don't mercilessly undercut the asking price. http://www.sandspice.com/palolem-beach-guesthouses/ #Travel #India #Goa

Pack a picnic, grab a hat & make for that distant headland. http://www.sandspice.com/goa-beach-hopping/ #Travel #India #Goa

Pack a picnic, grab a hat & make for that distant headland.
http://www.sandspice.com/goa-beach-hopping/ #Travel #India #Goa

Palolem Beach - Goa White sand, relaxed ambience, spicy food, cheap booze -What more do you need? http://www.sandspice.com/palolem-beach/ #Travel #India #Palolem #Goa

Palolem Beach - Goa
White sand, relaxed ambience, spicy food, cheap booze -What more do you need?
http://www.sandspice.com/palolem-beach/
#Travel #India #Palolem #Goa

South Goa - The "Secret Garden" GuestHouse: We couldn't find it... http://www.sandspice.com/agonda/ #Travel #India #Goa

South Goa - The "Secret Garden" GuestHouse: We couldn't find it...
http://www.sandspice.com/agonda/ #Travel #India #Goa

Night Train to South Goa Our only interaction with the stewards was when they demanded “Baksheesh” for their "service". http://www.sandspice.com/south-goa-trains/ #Travel #India #Train

Night Train to South Goa
Our only interaction with the stewards was when they demanded “Baksheesh” for their "service".
http://www.sandspice.com/south-goa-trains/ #Travel #India #Train

I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Kochi! The one thing we needed was a drink http://www.sandspice.com/kochi/ #Travel #India #Kochi

I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Kochi!
The one thing we needed was a drink
http://www.sandspice.com/kochi/ #Travel #India #Kochi

Sleeper Class to Kochi http://www.sandspice.com/kochi-sleeper-class/ #Travel #India #Trains

Sleeper Class to Kochi
http://www.sandspice.com/kochi-sleeper-class/ #Travel #India #Trains

The Windswept Cliffs of Varkala http://www.sandspice.com/varkala/ #Travel #India #Varkala

The Windswept Cliffs of Varkala
http://www.sandspice.com/varkala/ #Travel #India #Varkala

Kovalam Lighthouse Beach Still a relatively low-cost destination. http://www.sandspice.com/kovalam-lighthouse-beach/ #Travel #India #Kovalam

Kovalam Lighthouse Beach
Still a relatively low-cost destination.
http://www.sandspice.com/kovalam-lighthouse-beach/ #Travel #India #Kovalam

Jet Airways Inflight Experience http://www.sandspice.com/jet-airways-inflight-experience/ #JetAirways #Travel #India

Jet Airways Inflight Experience
http://www.sandspice.com/jet-airways-inflight-experience/ #JetAirways #Travel #India

Mumbai International Airport http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-international/ #Travel #India #Mumbai #Bhangra

Mumbai International Airport
http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-international/ #Travel #India #Mumbai #Bhangra

Galle Fort, Sri Lanka http://www.sandspice.com/galle/ #Travel #SriLanka #Galle

Galle Fort, Sri Lanka
http://www.sandspice.com/galle/ #Travel #SriLanka #Galle

Istanbul Leather Shopping Look no further. http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-leather-shopping/ #Travel #Istanbul #Leather

Istanbul Leather Shopping
Leather? look no further.
http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-leather-shopping/ #Travel #Istanbul #Leather

Istanbul Mosques and Minarets http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-mosques-minarets/ #Travel #Istanbul #Mosques

Istanbul Mosques and Minarets
http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-mosques-minarets/ #Travel #Istanbul #Mosques

Shishas in Istanbul: Great for building up an appetite. http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-eateries-accommodation/ #Travel #Istanbul #Shishas

Shishas in Istanbul: Great for building up an appetite.
http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-eateries-accommodation/ #Travel #Istanbul #Shishas

Unawatuna & Jungle Beach http://www.sandspice.com/unawatuna/ #Travel #SriLanka #Unawatuna

Unawatuna & Jungle Beach
http://www.sandspice.com/unawatuna/ #Travel #SriLanka #Unawatuna

Istanbul DIY-style City transfers - Worth the cost? http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-diy-style/ #Travel #Istanbul

Istanbul DIY-style
City transfers - Worth the cost?
http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-diy-style/ #Travel #Istanbul

Turkish Airlines Inflight Experience http://www.sandspice.com/turkish-airlines-inflight-experience/ #Travel #Turkish #Airlines

Turkish Airlines Inflight Experience
http://www.sandspice.com/turkish-airlines-inflight-experience/ #Travel #Turkish #Airlines

Rome Attractions For a short break you need to be selective. http://www.sandspice.com/rome-attractions/ #Travel #Rome

Rome Attractions
For a short break you need to be selective.
http://www.sandspice.com/rome-attractions/ #Travel #Rome

Rome is like one giant restaurant http://www.sandspice.com/rome-restaurants/ #Travel #Rome #Restaurants

Rome is like one giant restaurant
http://www.sandspice.com/rome-restaurants/ #Travel #Rome #Restaurants

Rome Hotel Experiences ... and costs http://www.sandspice.com/rome-hotel-experiences/ #Travel #Rome #Hotels

Rome Hotel Experiences ... and costs
http://www.sandspice.com/rome-hotel-experiences/ #Travel #Rome #Hotels

India 2016 Travelling to Goa and Mumbai? Check this out first... http://www.sandspice.com/india-travel-plan/ #Travel #India #Goa

India 2016
Travelling to Goa and Mumbai? Check this out first...
http://www.sandspice.com/india-travel-plan/ #Travel #India #Goa

Inspiration for Some Unique Activities http://www.sandspice.com/inspiration-unique-activities/ #Travel #Unique #Activities

Inspiration for Some Unique Activities
http://www.sandspice.com/inspiration-unique-activities/ #Travel #Unique #Activities

Palm Paradise ... where are the monkeys? http://www.sandspice.com/palm-paradise/ #Travel #SriLanka #Tangalle

Palm Paradise
... where are the monkeys?
http://www.sandspice.com/palm-paradise/ #Travel #SriLanka #Tangalle

Venice: Planning saves money http://www.sandspice.com/final-venice-budget/ #Travel #Venice

Venice: Planning saves money
http://www.sandspice.com/final-venice-budget/ #Travel #Venice

The Venice of "Don't Look Now" Silent, eerie, chilling... http://www.sandspice.com/venice-dont-look-now/ #Travel #Venice #Movies

The Venice of "Don't Look Now"
Silent, eerie, chilling...
http://www.sandspice.com/venice-dont-look-now/ #Travel #Venice #Movies

Tantalizing Tangalle http://www.sandspice.com/tantalizing-tangalle/ #Travel #SriLanka #Tangalle

Tantalizing Tangalle
http://www.sandspice.com/tantalizing-tangalle/ #Travel #SriLanka #Tangalle

Venice Osteria and Trattoria ... deal with the calories later http://www.sandspice.com/venice-osteria-trattoria/ #Travel #Venice #Restaurants

Venice Osteria and Trattoria
... deal with the calories later
http://www.sandspice.com/venice-osteria-trattoria/ #Travel #Venice #Restaurants

Vaporetti Essentials: Get a Day Pass http://www.sandspice.com/vaporetti-essentials/ #Travel #Venice #Vaporetto #GrandCanal

Vaporetti Essentials: Get a Day Pass
http://www.sandspice.com/vaporetti-essentials/ #Travel #Venice #Vaporetto #GrandCanal

The price you see is generally much lower than the price you pay. http://www.sandspice.com/booking-venice-hotel/ #Travel #Venice

The price you see is generally much lower than the price you pay.
http://www.sandspice.com/booking-venice-hotel/ #Travel #Venice

Venice off-Season What does a 2-night break really cost? http://www.sandspice.com/venice/ #Travel #Venice

Venice off-Season
What does a 2-night break really cost?
http://www.sandspice.com/venice/ #Travel #Venice

World’s End - Far Above the Clouds

The first stage of our journey through central Sri Lanka would conclude with a visit to the hill town of Haputale, and the World’s End plateau at Horton Plains. After spending several days in and around the old capital Kandy, we arranged to travel by train from Kandy to Haputale.

Malaysia & Borneo : Highlights & Costs

Our actual trip to Malaysia & Borneo closely followed our plan regarding the places we would visit. These were based on 2 main areas:
♦  The Malaysian peninsula: We arrived (and departed) Kuala Lumpar, and spent roughly 10 days there.
♦  Borneo: This second half of the trip also lasted around... http://www.sandspice.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Malaysia-and-Borneo-twitterfeatured.jpg http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-borneo-travel-plan/

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Mumbai City - Fort Area

We’d put off visiting Mumbai City until the end of our trip to India. Arriving by plane from Goa, we planned to spend 2 nights in the central Fort area of the city.

We would be staying at the Hotel Residency, Fort, Mumbai.

At €59 per night (excluding breakfast), this hotel was considerably more expensive than anywhere else we stayed in India. However, it was centrally located and of a reasonably good standard compared to many of the alternatives we’d checked out online.

To avoid any stressful haggling with taxi drivers, we had arranged a transfer from the airport to the hotel for Rs. 1100 (€16). Our pickup was waiting for us when we exited the airport terminal at Mumbai (… a good start).

So, our first impressions of Mumbai would be gleaned through the windows of a very comfortable air-conditioned minivan during a 40-minute journey through the chaotic heart of the city.

Mumbai City – Urban Tenements

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In the Footsteps of Jason Bourne

It’s no doubt due to the seclusion and natural beauty of Palolem beach that this location was chosen for the shooting of The Bourne Supremacy – the 2nd of the Jason Bourne movies, in 2004.

The beach itself is immediately recognizable at the the beginning of the movie. Two years after the events in the first movie – The Bourne Identity – Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) have dropped off the grid, and are lying low in Goa, India.

Jason Bourne running on the beach – Watch out for that dog, mate!

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Girona Stopover - Where to stay & eat

Our Girona stopover allowed us just one night in Girona, before heading south to Barcelona-El Prat airport later the following day.

We therefore needed a hotel that was close to the bus and train stations, and still within easy reach of the attractions and restaurants that the city has to offer. We were also on a budget, so we wanted to keep the price down to around €50.

Girona Stopover – Lazy afternoon on the High Street

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Girona in Giro - What to see

What can you do in Girona if you have just 5 or 6 hours to spare?

Actually, quite a lot.

Our hotel was located in the centre of Girona, next to the Onyar river. We started out early after breakfast and followed the river northwards – passed the brightly painted façades of the houses – heading closer and closer to the unmissable Girona Cathedral.

Along the way we passed several bridges decorated with vibrant red hanging geraniums. Everywhere we looked, it seemed the locals were busy working on intricate and colourful street decorations. A common theme was chopped tree branches, which were painted in various colours and then arranged into interesting and surprising pieces of artwork. The whole town seemed to be alive with creative activity.

In fact, this was all in preparation for Girona Flower Time – the main event of the spring (from 7 to 15 May), with 179 floral projects spread throughout the city.

Girona City Transfer Tips & Options

Located within sight of the Pyrenees in the northeast of Catalonia, Girona city is a great place to start a journey to some really exotic locations. This is due to Girona’s proximity to Barcelona – a main Spanish hub from where many flights depart in the direction of South America and beyond.

In our case, we were looking for an inexpensive way to travel to the Canary Islands. We also quite liked the idea of a stopover in Spain. When we found Ryanair flights to Girona for €27, and ongoing flights from Barcelona to the Canaries for €71, we had the makings of a perfect trip.

Barcelona is 99 kms south of Girona, so we just needed to find the easiest connection between the 2 locations.




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Palolem Beach Guesthouses

It was through circumstances rather than planning that we ended up spending around 10 days in a variety of Palolem beach guesthouses.

Cancelled trains and poor or overbooked guesthouses meant we had to change our itinerary on the fly. However, this all turned out for the best, since Palolem is a pretty good place to spend some extra time.

Location and …Location

The vast majority of cabins belonging to the Palolem beach guesthouses are located just behind the resort fronts, so are not actually on the beach and have no sea view or sea breeze. They typically ask 1,500 rupees (€20) for one of these cabins.

For a cabin on the beach with seaview they will typically ask for 2,000 to 3,000 rupees (€18–27). However, with good timing and negotiation skills, these can occasionally be had for 1,800 rupees.

Goa Beach Hopping

One of our favourite activities on visits to Asia is beach hopping. Just pack a lightweight bag with a picnic, grab a hat and plenty of water, and head out to discover whatever is beyond that distant headland. We spent some really enjoyable days doing this in Sri Lanka and Borneo. Now it was time time to see what Goa had to offer.

Colomb Beach, Goa

Starting from the southern end of Palolem beach, we crossed over to the far side of an elevated rocky headland to reach Colomb beach.

Colomb Beach, Goa

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Palolem Beach

A few kms south of Agonda beach is Palolem beach.

Palolem Beach stretches across a 1.6 km curved bay. The beach is pretty much built up from end to end with a large variety of accommodation, restaurants and shops. Rooms and cabins range in price, for anything between 200 to 5,000 rupees per night.

With Monkey island constantly in view to the west, for us Palolem was the most striking of all the beaches we visited in Goa. Here there is a good balance between peace and quiet and things to do.

The place is also very cinematic. No wonder this location was chosen for the filming of the opening scenes in The Bourne Supremacy, back in 2004 (see “Running in the Footsteps of Jason Bourne”).

Palolem Beach – Northern End

At low tide you can wade over to Monkey Island (also known as Kankon Island by the locals). If you do, you should take some good walking shoes with you as the island is rocky and overgrown. There are some good views back to Palolem beach from there.

Despite the name, don’t expect to find many monkeys.

The rocky beach of Monkey Island

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South Goan Beaches - Agonda

When we arrived in South Goa, fresh off the night train from Kochi, we hadn’t yet decided on our destination: Agonda beach or Palolem beach. We had nothing booked, so left it to chance. As it turned out, our first experience of the South Goan beaches would be Palolem beach.

After an hours march from the station we were happy to dump our backpacks and grab a couple of beers. After that, it was back to business and the (semi-) serious task of choosing our next guesthouse.

They say you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince(-ess), and we certainly had to pucker-up for the next hour or so. Eventually, we settled on the Abel Cressinda. It seemed a bit basic, but would do for 1 night whilst we got our bearings. We paid 800 rupees for one of several cabins located in a pleasant garden setting behind the resort.

South Goan Beaches

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Night Train to South Goa

AC2 to South Goa

There are two main train stations in Kochi. To avoid confusion, we made sure to instruct our rickshaw driver to take us to the Ernaculum Junction station (we had arrived at the Ernaculum Town station the day before).

This time there were no delays or cancellations: the train arrived a little after 10pm. We had our coach and seat numbers, and were quickly able to find our berths.

Oddly, one of our berths was inside the 4-berth compartment, and the other was in a 2-berth bay on the other side of the aisle! (in each section, there are 6 berths in all). Two Indian guys were also booked into our bay, and fortunately for us they spoke English. Between us we changed seats, and we arranged to sleep on the lower 2 berths of the 4-berth compartment. Luckily, the extra berths in our bay remained unbooked, at least until after Goa (the train would carry on well into central India).

AC2 Class to South Goa

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I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Kochi!

We arrived at Ernaculum Town station in Kochi later than expected – it was already getting close to dusk. We didn’t know it, but we still had another 1 hour journey to take us to our guesthouse in Fort Kochi.

Outside the train station, there was a large queue and surprisingly orderly system for taking a rickshaw. Instead of picking one up from the street and haggling a price, you first go to a booth and pay 1 rupee to the cashier. After stating your destination, he gives you a ticket and a fixed price that you must pay to your rickshaw driver on arrival. The rickshaws are all queued up waiting for customers, just like taxis at an airport.

It was a long journey from the station to Fort Kochi since the driver had to take a long detour south to reach the bridges. There were two long stretches of river we needed to cross. After that we had the busy rush hour traffic to deal with before reaching Fort Kochi.

It can be cheaper (and quicker) to take a ferry followed by a shorter rickshaw ride, but after a long day travelling in a Sleeper Class coach, we really didn’t want the extra hassle.

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Sleeper Class to Kochin

Our next destination after Varkala was Kochin. 5 days earlier, while we were still in Kovalam, we had purchased train tickets from a Travel Agent. He had explained to us which ticket classes were available for a trip from Varkala to Kochin, and advised us not to take Sleeper Class or 2nd Class tickets.

Through him, we managed to book 2 seats on the Rajdhani Express in an AC2 class coach. The train would take us from Varkala to Ernakulam station near Kochin. We paid just over 2,000 rupees (€39) for these tickets, including agents fees.

Kochin Train Station – Platform 1

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The Windswept Cliffs of Varkala

The next place of interest travelling north up the coast from Kovalam is Varkala. This journey takes almost 2 hours by taxi and cost us 1,800 rupees (€25). There is just one bus that goes there direct, leaving Kovalam at 6-15 am. Otherwise you have to change buses in Trivandrum. They say the direct bus takes 2 hours, but in practice its more likely 3 to 4 hours.

Once in Varkala, you’ ll need to travel another 7-8 km to reach the beach resorts. This will cost around 100 rupees in a rickshaw. Whilst in Varkala town make sure you visit an ATM to get cash, because there are no ATMs in the beach resorts. There are a couple of ATM machines in town, but the most reliable is the one next to the train station.

There are several fruit vendors in Varkala that are worth visiting, as well as hawkers selling watermelons on the roadside. Apart from stocking up on fruit and getting cash from the ATM, there’s little other reason to visit Varkala town. It’s just another unremarkable Indian town with little to offer foreigners.

A Feast of Fruit in Varkala

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Kovalam Lighthouse Beach

One week before arriving in Kovalam, I sent an email to our hotel requesting an airport pickup. The fact that I got no reply should have been an early warning sign.

When we arrived at Trivandrum airport, I reckoned there was a 50/50 chance that someone would be waiting to pick us up.

There was no-one.

No problem. Instead we took a prepaid taxi that cost 500 rupees (€7) – half the price that the hotel would have charged us.

We found our run-down looking hotel not far from the taxi drop-off in Kovalam. The Vedante Wake-up is part of a chain of guesthouses in India. We were not too surprised to see there was some confusion about our booking: Clearly they were not expecting us. However, this wasn’t going to be a problem since there happened to be rooms available.

The Lighthouse Beach at Kovalam is a 500-meter strip of restaurants, bars and local shops. The beach itself is divided between a dozen or so hawkers who will rent you 2 beds & umbrella for anything between 100 and 400 rupees for the day (€1.50 – €6).

100 rupees for a 1/2 day – including a bucket of water for your feet

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Jet Airways Inflight Experience

Several weeks before starting our trip to India, we went online and booked 2 domestic flights directly with Jet Airways.

We booked the following one-way flights, inclusive all fees:

♦  Mumbai-Trivandrum (4,043 rupees per person. Approximately €56)

♦  Goa-Mumbai (2,556 rupees per person. Approximately €35)

The Jet Airways website and booking procedure is straightforward and efficient, and we received our PDF eTickets within a few minutes by email.

Jet Airways Departure Gate in Mumbai

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Mumbai International Airport

Arrival at Mumbai International Airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji) and transfer to the Domestic terminal was blissfully straightforward and efficient. At passport control we produced our e-Tourist Visas, and were processed quickly enough. After clearing passport control, we strolled into a large and surpringly empty Arrivals Hall.

This was a welcome result: We had been expecting to be mobbed by taxi drivers as soon as we’d passed through security, as has happened on previous visits to India. Access to airport buildings is now much more secure, which makes arrival far less stressful.

Mumbai International Arrivals Hall – Terminal 2

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Istanbul Leather Shopping

One of the bonuses of a short stay in Istanbul is the opportunity for shopping. There are some great bargains to be had in the bazaars and highstreets of the city, and if its leather you’re after, look no further.

If you have the time, probably one of the cheaper places for leather shopping is away from the center – in the Zeytinburnu district. This is around 5 km to the west of central Sultanahmet. It was our intention to spend our last afternoon shopping for a couple of leather jackets, but our limited time was rapidly running out.

Of course, leather shops are just about everywhere in the city, so it wasn’t long before we were drawn in to a couple to check out the prices.

Some of the cafes are definately ”Men Only”

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Istanbul Mosques and Minarets

We dedicated our first full day in Istanbul to visiting some of the “must see” mosques, museums and monuments. Because there are so many of these, and we had such a limited amount of time, we had to be quite selective.

In part, this was made easier for us by the opening times of some of the places we wanted to visit. Hagia Sofia is supposed to be closed on Mondays, and we read that the Topkapi Palace was closed on Tuesdays. Since we had just a Monday and a Tuesday, we decided to start from the Blue Mosque and see how far we could get. In fact, we found Hagia Sofia to be open on the Monday, so we visited there next. After that, we included the unscheduled (but very worthwhile) Basilica Cistern.

These three places alone were enough to occupy our time and satisfy our cultural curiosity on our first day.

The Gilded Interior of the German Fountain

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Istanbul Eateries and Accommodation

We would only have 2 nights and days in Istanbul. To optimize our time in the city, and to find the best Istanbul eateries, we did as much planning as we could before leaving home.

After sorting out our transfers, our next priorities were accommodation and food. Following a good deal of online research, we’d decided that the best area to base ourselves for such a short stay was Sultanahmet. We would be close to most of the attractions and restaurants, and wouldn’t need much use of any local transport.

From our shortlist of around a dozen hotels, we settled on the Angel Home Hotel, close to the Blue Mosque on Amiral Tafdil Sokak.

The Angel Home Hotel turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

They gave us a  beautifully decorated room on the 2nd floor. Attached to the room was a fully-equipped marble bathroom with heated floor. In the bedroom we had slippers, personal dressing gowns, minibar and complimentary tea, coffee, water and sweets.

Best of all, there was a large and very comfortable bed.

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Istanbul DIY-style

Planning our visit to Istanbul from the comfort of our living room, using Google Earth as our map reference, seemed straightforward enough. Why bother with expensive transfers when you can reach Istanbul DIY-style.

We would be arriving at Sabiha Gokcen – the furthest of the 2 airports which service the city, in the mid-afternoon. Our plan was first to get some local cash from an airport ATM. We would then purchase an Istanbul Card (a sort of all-purpose top-up travel card). After that, we would take a Havatas bus from the airport to Yenikapi bus station south of the city centre. From there, we would have a short 2 km walk along the sea-front to our hotel in Sultanahmet.

Back to reality – Turkish style…

Istanbul DIY-style

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Turkish Airlines Inflight Experience

We were quite excited about flying with Turkish Airlines for the first time. Our expectations of the Turkish Airlines inflight experience were justifiably high, considering they are currently the No.4 airline in the world – ahead of Emirates at No.5 (see The World’s Top 100 Airlines).

They would surely provide an inflight experience to savour and remember.

In fact, finding this particular flight – with such a highly recommended airline – was a major factor in determining our holiday itinerary.

However, our inflight experience with Turkish Airlines was somewaht under-whelming. Considering their position in the rankings, maybe our expectations were too high.

Our Turkish Airlines Inflight Experience – Somewhat underwhelmimg

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India 2016

India 2016: Choosing the best dates and flights for a South-East Asian trip involves a little more than just picking a few free weeks to visit shortly before you leave. When it comes to finding some of the best travel opportunities, it often pays to start making yours plans well in advance.

The major cost of most trips to the tropics is the airfare. A good way to get the cheapest fares – on the best airlines – is to start searching several months before your trip. Flexibility also helps. We started planning our 2016 trip back in October 2015. We had several promising itineraries:

• The Caribbean, taking a relocation cruise back to Europe
• The Seychelles (from Rome returning to Paris)
• South Africa (via Dublin).
• South India (via Istanbul and Edinbugh).

We researched each of these primary destinations in search of the best flights on offer. By best, we don’t necessarily mean the cheapest: There are some good deals with Air Seychelles, but you’ll get what you pay for. Check out the The World’s Top 100 Airlines and you’ll find Air Seychelles way down below position 60. For long distances, we’re looking for an airline at least in the top 20, and ideally in the top 5.

This was how we stumbled upon what looked like a great deal with Turkish Airlines (currently No. 4 in the world, ahead of Emirates at No. 5).

After trying multiple dates and city combinations on their website, we assembled a rich itinerary for a visit to India, as follows:

• Rome – Istanbul
• Istanbul – Mumbai
• Mumbai – Edinburgh

This itinerary would span 31 days, primarily in India, but including 3 short city stays in Rome, Istanbul and Edinburgh. Not bad for just €457 per person… and with the No.3 airline in the world. We booked the flight in late 2015, 4 months before the departure date.

Once this flight was booked there was no going back: the trip became a reality. The flight schedule provided the framework for the rest of the trip: Everything else had to be planned and coordinated accordingly.

Canacona – Palolem Beach

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What’s the Damage? Final Venice Budget

A short trip to Venice is potentially one of the most costly city breaks you can take. Even with a Venice Budget, why is this city so expensive? Well, we noticed a few things that might explain this. Apart from the artists and artisans, not much is created or grown in Venice: Goods and materials have to be transported into outlying hubs, and then distributed throughout the city from there.

In the narrow streets, you’ll constantly see young guys delivering palettes of large boxes on wheeled carriers. These overheads contribute in part to the high taxes levied by the local government.

TNT Deliveries

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The Venice of "Don't Look Now"

If like us you’re a bit of a movie fan, then this section is for you. “Don’t Look Now” is a 1973 British-Italian thriller directed by Nicolas Roeg, adapted from a short story by Daphne du Maurier. It was filmed at a variety of locations throughout Venice, showing a seedier, grittier side of the city.

Keen to get away from the glitz of the “must see” sites of Venice, we organized our routes around the city to include locations from the movie. This had the added bonus of taking us off-track to areas that we probably would not otherwise have visited.

Ponte di Scalzi

Our first location from “Don’t Look Now” was the Ristorante Roma, right next to the Ponte degli Scalzi (vaporetto stop Ferrovia).

Ristorante Roma

This restaurant is where Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland first meet the two psychic sisters early on in the film.

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Venice Osteria and Trattoria

Where to Eat (and where not to eat)

Unless you like to snack throughout the day, you can pretty much calculate that during a 2-day city trip you will need 4 meals: 2 lunches and 2 dinners. This is assuming that you have breakfast included with your hotel. Whether Osteria, Trattoria or Pizzeria, there are plenty of places to choose from.

Considering that Italy is pretty much one big restaurant, there’s never any difficulty finding somewhere to eat. In our experience, the overall quality is generally good to very good. Of all countries in the world, for us a trip to Italy is all about eating, and eating well (we’ll deal with the calories afterwards). In Venice, however, we found we needed to be on our guard to avoid paying way over the odds when choosing a place to indulge.

Before going to Venice, we spent some time online checking out restaurants and cafes that suited our taste and budget. For lunch for 2, with wine included, we were prepared to pay somewhere in the €30-40 range. For dinner, our budget was in the €70-100 range. These prices are marginally more than we would pay at home (which incidentally is also a holiday destination). However, this is Venice, after all – and possibly the most over-priced city in Italy.

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Vaporetti Essentials: Get a Day Pass

Of course, one of the reasons we all go to Venice is to travel on their unique vaporetti transport system. Unless you are particularly flush with cash, you’ll want to do this in the easiest and most economical way possible. The bad news is that there is no particularly cheap way of doing this.

The vaporetti (water buses) provide a regular transport service through the main canals around the city. However, a single ride will cost €7 whether you take the boat for one stop or for a whole Grand Canal tour. This is considerably cheaper than a ride on a Gondola (count on around €100), but several vaporetti trips for 2 people will soon add up.



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Booking a Venice Hotel

Finding a good, reasonably-priced Venice hotel that’s not too far from the centre can be a challenge in itself. TripAdvisor and Agoda are always good ways of researching the best deals that are currently on offer.

We shortlisted a dozen hotels that were rated 80% plus by travellers. We then started to whittle down our choices based on location, price, number & recency of reviews, whether or not breakfast was included, and the quality of the breakfast.

Traffic Jam in Venice

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Venice off-Season

How much does a short 2-night break in Venice really cost?

With low-cost airlines flying from numerous destinations, the return flight is possibly one of the cheapest items of a trip to Venice. However, even this can be deceptive: The budget airlines fly to Venice Treviso, not to Venice Marco Polo. Treviso is a good 31 kilometers from the outskirts of the city: A return taxi fare alone can cost as much as the flight.

To keep the costs down, you’ll have to look at other modes of local transport.



Doing your homework in advance, and booking as much as possible online before leaving will save time and money.

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Mangoes in Moalboal

This is why we came to the Philippines: To relax in an off-track, secluded location with an open bath-water temperature sea, great snorkeling, eating tasty local food, fish, and exotic fruit. The place we chose to stay was the T-Breeze Resort, just outside Moalboal.

The Shell Cottage we chose is set back 50 meters from the seafront, but close enough to the bar/restaurant. It is surrounded by well-kept gardens, with a variety of herbs and spices, including lemon grass and a local version of basil.

Shell Cottage

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Next: Moalboal to Pangangan

Cebu City to Moalboal

Cebu City by Bus

SandSpice

Cebu City is quite a congested, noxious conglomerate. Transport from place to place moves at a snails pace. It would be quicker walking – though less safe, due to the heavy traffic.

After breakfast, we took a taxi across town to the South Terminal Bus Station (86 pesos). From there, we took a non-airco bus heading south to Moalboal (108 pesos per person).

South Terminal Bus Station, Cebu City

Next: Mangoes in Moalboal

Cebu City

SandSpice

On arrival at Cebu, we exited the airport, walked up the ramp across the road, and took a White taxi to the Ayala Shopping Mall.

The yellow taxis charge 350 pesos, but our driver ran his meter and charged us 230 pesos (50 pesos to the euro). The traffic was really heavy, so the trip took a good 50 mins. The Ayala Mall doesn’t actually open till 10am, but luckily one breakfast place (ArmyNavy) was already open so we munched burritos and quesadillas, with beer and tea (470 pesos).

Cebu – Ayala Mall Gardens

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Next: Cebu City to Moalboal

Manila Airport - Terminals 2 & 3

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In order to keep our city-stays to a minimum, we had decided to skip Manila completely on our way in. We would have to leave from there anyway at the end of the trip, so we reserved 2 days at the end for that. Our plan instead was to arrive at Manila, clear customs, then take the first flight out to Cebu.

This would mean spending 6 hours at Manila airport (Terminal 3) following a long-haul flight from Europe, but it would save us time and costs in the long run.

I have to admit not looking forward to our transit through Manila. I had read a lot of negative reports about Manila Nasay International airport: The place has a terrible reputation for chaos, noise, lack of services, and massive check-in queues. If we did a short stay in Manila before heading off for the islands, we’d have to experience the airport twice, so I concluded it may just be better to wait in the airport for a connecting flight, and head off again as soon as possible.

What you can expect to eat at Manila airport

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Next: Philippines Airlines to Cebu

Temple of the Tooth

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Before we left Kandy we took a few hours to visit the celebrated Temple of the Tooth. This is where they keep one of Buddha’s teeth as a holy relic. The relic is regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and is the focus of a daily series of offerings, rituals, and ceremonies. Every day of the year, this relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani.



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Sandbank Affaire

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The Sandbank Affaire is a special experience devised by the Management of the Makunudu Island Resort. This is a private evening excursion to a distant mini-island (the Sandbank). You are accompanied by just your waiter and a chef, and are treated to a Lobster BBQ with a bottle of wine.

Since this was our last evening on the island, we decided to try what promised to be a truly unique experience.

Speedboat from Makunudu Island

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The Maldives: Under the Reef

The House Reef

Your first underwater experience of the Maldives is likely to be your local house reef. All the islands have their own unique house reefs. For many people, this is all you actually need. Just put on a mask and step into the  shallows. You don’t need to go further than a few yards.



Immediately you are greeted with colourful corals and an abundance of small vibrant tropical fish. Typical are the ubiquitous Powder Blue Surgeon, Saddleback Butterfly fish and Oriental Reeftips, lazily feeding on the coral polyps.

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Snorkeling in Panglao, Philippines

Snorkeling in Cebu, Philippines

Makunudu Island

Travelling with Emirates from Europe to Makunudu, we had an initial stop in Cyprus. We then had another stop in Dubai for our connecting flight to Male – The Maldives capital. We had a couple of hours to kill in Dubai, so spent most of it queueing up to spend a penny in a toilet not big enough to swing a cat. We were dying for a pee after overdoing it a bit on Emirates courtesy booze. We would be returning to Dubai for a proper visit at the end of our trip.

Speedboat from Male to Makunudu

We arrived at Male around 8am local time. The small airport arrival area was calm and organized. After the small group destined for our island were gathered together (just the two of us with a Japanese couple and their child), we headed for the jetty.

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Makunudu Island