Tioman Island Ferry

Although we arrived at the ferry terminal in the morning, the Tioman Island ferry wasn't due to leave until early afternoon. Depending on the weather, the ferry times can vary. There is an elaborate ticketing process, friendly staff, and a comfortable "departure" area.

Return tickets cost RM70:

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tioman-island-ferry/

Miserable in Mersing Malaysia

Mersing Malaysia is the gateway to Tioman Island, a very popular destination for travellers. We had a pleasant coach ride down to Mersing from Cherating, on a very comfortable Adik Beradik coach. The 240km trip took around 4 hours, including a 20-minute stop along the way where we could eat and

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/mersing-malaysia/

Cherating

After our first night in Kuala Lumpar, we made an early start: We needed to get to the bus station to take an early coach to Cherating, on the east side of the peninsula.

Of course, you can fly from Kuala Lumpar to Kuantan, and take a bus from there to Cherating. However, since we would be

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cherating/

Kuala Lumpur - First Impressions

Our flight went non-stop from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, departing at 20:50 in the evening and arriving at 15:45 the following afternoon. It was comfortable enough, and cost just €521 for a return ticket.

While still inside the airport, we booked a taxi coupon from one of the booths (RM89),

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-first-impressions/

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

Funnily enough, it was a Tuesday when we arrived in Belgium. We knew this must be Belgium because of the bicycles and the scary clowns...

For those of you (especially Americans) who aren't familiar with the movie, If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium is a 1969 romantic comedy film made on

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/must-be-belgium/

Planning a Travel Itinerary Around Malaysia

We always wanted to visit Borneo - even more so than Malaysia. So when we found reasonably priced flights from Amsterdam, we e didn't hesitate to snap it up, and started working on our Borneo and Malaysia travel plan.

At this point, I need to regress a little in order to share a really useful

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-travel-plan/

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

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/philippines-impressions/

Hong Kong Activities for a 2-day Stopover

With just a short one or two-day break in the city, its a good idea to have a plan if you want to experience some of the Hong Kong activities that are on offer.

Our Pearl Premium Guest House in Tsim Sha Tsui was well located for the activities that we had in mind.

It was within easy walking

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/hong-kong-activities/

Best Western Hotel Riviera Fiumicino

Our trip to the Philippines was planned with a return flight to Fiumicino, near Rome. The flights back to Italy from the Philippines hit us a lot harder than the flights there. The Best Western Hotel Riviera Fiumicino (€51, breakfast included) was a good choice for a one night stop-gap.

We

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/best-western-hotel-riviera-fiumicino/

Colorful Filipino Currency

Check out the colorful Filipino currency.

This new currency is brightly colored like Euros (though the equivalent amount goes a lot further...).

It can sometimes be difficult to get the locals to change the larger denominations (500 or 1000 peso notes), so we took every opportunity to keep a

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/colorful-filipino-currency/

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 sweet and sticky marinade. This bland

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bland-filipino-food/

Philippines Trikes Taxis & other Transport Options

Before coming to the Philippines, we read a lot of articles about people being ripped off by trikes and taxi drivers. We was therefore initially wary on the occasions we decided to use Philippines trikes taxis or other transport options.

However, as with a lot of the other information we read

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/philippines-trikes-taxis/

Philippines Beach Destinations: 50 Shades of Pink

If getting a suntan is high on the priority list, then unless you want to stay pink you need to choose your Philippines beach destinations carefully.

Many of the places we visited called themselves 'beach resorts', but the term is used pretty loosely. This often translates to sand-less, rocky

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/philippines-beach-destinations/

In the Philippines Karaoke is King

In the Philippines Karaoke is treated almost as a national sport - and taken very seriously indeed. Everywhere you go you'll hear it - morning, noon and night.

There always seems to be some tone-deaf hopeful drawling out the lyrics to "My Way" or Jennifer Rush's "I'm Your Lady".

This is

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/philippines-karaoke/

Philippines Buses & Jeepneys

There are a few tips we picked up the hard way from our travels using the Philippines buses & jeepneys.
Which Colour Bus?
Always take the yellow aircon buses. The price difference between these and the standard red buses is minimal, but they are faster and more roomy, they don't stop as much

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/philippines-buses-jeepneys/

Griller in Manila Shabu Shabu self-service

Although we didn't have much time to spare in the city, we managed to visit the older Intramuros area and enjoyed a novel eating experience at a Manila Shabu Shabu restaurant.
Intramuros
We took a stroll from our Oasis Park Hotel in central Manila to Intramuros. Along the way we were surprised

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/manila-shabu-shabu/

Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong Stopover

Since our Cathay Pacific flight from London to Bali made a pit-stop in Hong Kong, we decided to take advantage of the break to add a 2-night stopover to our trip. Accordingly, we booked ourselves into the Pearl Premium Guest House in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon. This Tsim Sha Tsui Hong

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tsim-sha-tsui-hong-kong-stopover/

Oasis Hotel Manila

Our trip back to Manila started in Panglao. We had booked the small Oasis Hotel Manila in north-central area of the city for just 2 nights.

A trike from Panglao to the airport took around 30 minutes (250 pesos).

At Tagbilaran airport, the terminal tax is 100 pesos per person. Philippine

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/oasis-hotel-manila/

Dumaluan Beach

Dumaluan beach is a narrow, white sand beach stretching for around 500 meters on the south coast of Panglao. It's only a few kms down the coast from Alona beach, but offers a similar beach experience, more geared towards locals than foreigners.

If you get there early in the morning with a group

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/dumaluan-beach/

Panglao Island Nature Resort

The Panglao Island Nature Resort is a classy 5-star resort located far from the hustle and bustle of the more popular destinations in Panglao, Bohol.



As a day visitor, you get access to the resort and use of their pool, beach and facilities for 550 pesos. This also gives you 400 pesos

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/panglao-island-nature-resort/

Habal-Habal - Filipino Motorcycle Taxis

Habal-Habal (motorcycle taxi rides) provide an alternative form of public transport available throughout the Philippines.

We first became aware of this while walking alongside the main road through the town of Loboc, in Bohol. A motorcyclist pulled up in front of us, gesturing to the empty

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/habal-habal-filipino-motorcycle-taxis/

Seaside Boutique, Panglao in the Philippines

We chose the Seaside Boutique for our second stay in Panglao, and we're very happy we did (€27 per night including breakfast).

This guesthouse is located on the opposite side of the island from Alona and other popular spots. We were made very welcome into this family home, with our bedroom and

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/seaside-boutique/

2013 Loboc Earthquake Damage, Philippines

Before leaving Loboc, we stopped to take a closer look at the damage caused by the 2013 Loboc earthquake.
The 2013 Loboc Earthquake
The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2, with an energy equivalent to 32 Hiroshima bombs. This was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/2013-loboc-earthquake/

Fox & Firefly Resort Loboc

Don't expect anything fancy at the Fox & Firefly resort Loboc. This is a pure backpackers place, with the smallest dormitory I have ever seen (about 16 square meters for up to 8 adults).



Apart from the dormitory hut there are two other 2-person huts, and a communal washing/toilet

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/fox-firefly-resort-loboc/

Cathay Pacific Inflight Experience

Despite our recent underwhelming experiences with Qatar and Turkish Airlines, we were still cautiously optimistic about our forthcoming Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong and Bali. We were hoping that our Cathay Pacific inflight experience would be something to savour.

We had purchased return

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cathay-pacific-inflight/

What to See and Do in Loboc Bohol

Famous for its lunch cruises along the scenic and winding river, Loboc Bohol is also one of the few locations where you can observe the Tarsier monkey. This is a small nocturnal animal with large red eyes - and one of the world's smallest primates. We planned to spend 3 nights there, as a break

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/loboc-bohol/

Snorkeling at Alona Beach

Alona beach in Panglao, Bohol, is best known for its white sand and weekend animations, but the local snorkeling at Alona beach is also worth checking out.

You can rent a mask and fins for 250 pesos for the day from any of the dive shops on the front strip. Then, you need to make your way to

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/alona-snorkeling/

Alona Beach

To get to Alona beach, we needed to arrange transport from Pangangan in central Bohol. We left our guesthouse at Isla Hayahay, and took a trike to the bus stop on the main road (100 pesos). We then took a yellow airconditioned bus down the coast road to Tagbilaran (26 pesos).

The bus wasn't

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/?p=506

Booze in Bohol

If you're not careful, drinking (booze, not water :-) ) can account for a large share of your holiday budget. This is especially so if you happen to be a wine drinker. A bottle of red or white white purchased at a bar or resort will cost 500 to 600 pesos (€10-12).

On the other hand, a stonking

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bohol-booze/

London Airport Transfers

With a variety of large international airports dotted in and around the city, its both time-efficient and cost-effective to plan your London airport transfers in advance.

We had booked a multi-stop flight to Hong Kong and Bali with Cathay Pacific, travelling from London Gatwick.

Our plan was

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/london-airport-transfers/

Pangangan Island, Bohol

Not quite an island: Pangangan is connected to the mainland by a 4km mangrove-bordered causeway.

There are a few so-called 'beach' resorts dotted around the island, and little else.
Isla Hayahay Resort, Pangangan
We booked for 3 nights at the Isla Hayahay resort (35 euros per night, excl.

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/pangangan-island/

Bohol Ferry From Cebu

After 3 nights in Moalboal, we were heading back to Cebu City. We would take the Bohol ferry from Cebu over to Tubigon in Bohol, then travel on to Pangangan.

Early in the morning, we got to the bus stop in Moalboal, and waited for one of the yellow airco buses to pass through on its way to Cebu

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bohol-ferry/

Snorkeling in Moalboal Cebu

Snorkeling in Moalboal Cebu was one of the highlights of our visit to the Philippines. Moalboal is located on the northern coast of Cebu, looking out towards Negros. We stayed at the T-Breeze Beach Resort, which offers a good selection of snorkeling gear for hire - around 200 pesos per

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/snorkeling-in-moalboal-cebu/

Bali and Nusa Lembongan - A 2-island itinerary

Bali is a universal favourite with travellers and tourists alike, but it is not so well known for its beaches. If it's clear blue sea and uncrowded white sand beaches you're after you need to venture a little further. So why not try a combination of Bali and Nusa Lembongan - one of Bali's sister

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bali-and-nusa-lembongan/

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

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/moalboal/