Dubai Desert Safari

Our final full day in the United Arab Emirates, and we’re off on the obligatory Dubai Desert Safari. We’re not expecting much, but it turns out to be great fun with Dune Bashing, an Arab campsite way out in the desert, sunset photos, getting dressed up in the traditional gear, henna tatooing,

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-desert-safari/

Dubai Stopover

Since a lot of South-East Asian flights stop there en route, a Dubai stopover seems to be a great addition to your vacation. In fact, for many travellers this is often where the holiday begins (or ends).

In our case, this came at the end of our trip to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Our Emirates

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-stopover/

Jalan Petaling - Kuala Lumpur Chinatown

Jalan Petaling, otherwise known as the Kuala Lumpur Chinatown, is as good a reason as any to visit this cosmopolitan city. After just 3 nights in Sepilok, we packed up our bags again and made our way to the airport at Sandakan.

We had pre-booked flights back from Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur via

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

Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre

Located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, the Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre is one of Sabah's most popular and most accessible environmental education centres. It is open daily from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.

We made a special trip to the Discovery Center, since it was within easy walking

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-rainforest-discovery-centre/

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center

Our first day in Sepilok, and we were keen to get a closeup view of the orangutans. The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is the reason most visitors come to Sepilok, and it is indeed a very pleasant and informative day out.



The reserve is just 5 minutes down the road from the . They

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-center/

Sepilok Borneo - Where to Stay & Eat

After 4 days in Kuala Penyu, we organized a taxi to take us to the airport at Kota Kinabalu. Our next destination was Sepilok Borneo, not far from Sandakan.

We had a late morning flight booked with Malaysia airlines (RM99 per person, 1-way Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan). This is a short 40-minute

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-borneo/

Borneo Wavehunters

White Water Rafting is a "must do" activity if you are staying a few days in the vicinity of Kota Kinabalu. As a result, the Borneo Wavehunters had been on our agenda from the very beginning of the trip, and we were lucky enough to experience it.

I say “lucky” because these excursions are very

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-wavehunters/

Kuala Penyu Tempurung Seaside Lodge

Before leaving Kota Kinabalu, we telephoned ahead to our next lodging - the Kuala Penyu Tempurung Seaside Lodge - to arrange a pickup once we arrived in Kuala Penyu. We needed to do this, since there are few transport options in the area around Kuala Penyu- even taxis are difficult to find.

We

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-penyu-tempurung-seaside-lodge/

Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

From Kuantan, we would have to take 2 flights to reach Kota Kinabalu, with a change in Kuala Lumpar.

After the disappearance 6 days earlier of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 out of KL, we were a little apprehensive about our forthcoming flight with the same airline, also travelling into and out

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/kuantan-kota-kinabalu/

Kuantan by Taxi from Mersing

After 4 nights in Tioman, we planned to take an early ferry back to Mersing, and then travel on by bus to Kuantan, where we had already booked a hotel.

We needed to reach Kuantan on the same day we left Tioman, since we had an early flight booked from there the following morning.



After

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/

Into the Tioman Rainforest

One of the nicest beaches on Pulau Tioman is Juara beach on the northern coast. There are rivers at both ends of Juara beach. On the northernmost river you can hire a kayak and navigate your way a short distance upriver into the Tioman rainforest.

Just before the river at the southern end of

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/pulau-tioman-rainforest/

Tenerife Siam Park Sensation

If you are planning to spend some time in the south of the island, then the Tenerife Siam Park sensation is something not to be missed. Siam park is a large, clean, beautifully landscaped and well organized water park, officially the No 1 water park in the world.

If you come to Tenerife, this

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tenerife-siam-park-sensation/

Kuantan by Taxi from Mersing

After 4 nights in Tioman, we planned to take an early ferry back to Mersing, and then travel on by bus to Kuantan, where we had already booked a hotel.

We needed to reach Kuantan on the same day we left Tioman, since we had an early flight booked from there the following morning.



After

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/

Kuantan by Taxi from Mersing

After 4 nights in Tioman, we planned to take an early ferry back to Mersing, and then travel on by bus to Kuantan, where we had already booked a hotel.

We needed to reach Kuantan on the same day we left Tioman, since we had an early flight booked from there the following morning.



After

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/

Kuantan by Taxi from Mersing

After 4 nights in Tioman, we planned to take an early ferry back to Mersing, and then travel on by bus to Kuantan, where we had already booked a hotel.

We needed to reach Kuantan on the same day we left Tioman, since we had an early flight booked from there the following morning.



After

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/travelling-tioman-kuantan/

Into the Tioman Rainforest

One of the nicest beaches on Pulau Tioman is Juara beach on the northern coast. There are rivers at both ends of Juara beach. On the northernmost river you can hire a kayak and navigate your way a short distance upriver into the Tioman rainforest.

Just before the river at the southern end of

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/pulau-tioman-rainforest/

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/

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/

Tenerife Siam Park Sensation

If you are planning to spend some time in the south of the island, then the Tenerife Siam Park sensation is something not to be missed. Siam park is a large, clean, beautifully landscaped and well organized water park, officially the No 1 water park in the world.

If you come to Tenerife, this

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tenerife-siam-park-sensation/

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/

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/

Into the Tioman Rainforest

One of the nicest beaches on Pulau Tioman is Juara beach on the northern coast. There are rivers at both ends of Juara beach. On the northernmost river you can hire a kayak and navigate your way a short distance upriver into the Tioman rainforest.

Just before the river at the southern end of

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/pulau-tioman-rainforest/

Juara Beach -Tioman Island, Malaysia

 on Juara beach is a relatively new place. It comprises 8 to 10 compact but comfortable raised wooden beach chalets. The management and staff are very welcoming, and helped us with advice on the local areas of interest, and to fine-tune our onward journey. We paid €37 per night for our chalet,

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

Golf del Sur - Tenerife South

After spending a really enjoyable 2-night stopover in Girona, Spain we continued our journey to our principal destination - the Canary Islands. Our first introduction to these islands was the Golf del Sur - Tenerife South.

We planned to spend 3 nights in Golf del Sur in a self-catering

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/golf-del-sur-tenerife-south/