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 on

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

Best Bites & Spicy Delights

From our perspective, the local food on offer can make or break an extended travel agenda. If you have an adventurous palette, more often than not you'll discover some amazing flavours and experience a diversity of unforgettable snacks and dishes. Here is a summary of our favourite eating

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/free-independent-travel/best-bites/

Lembongan Island Snorkeling Tours

Snorkeling and diving are among the great attractions of a trip to Lembongan, providing an enjoyable and more active alternative to soaking up the sun on the beaches. If you're not keen on swimming out from the shore to find a snorkeling spot, another option is to take one of the full-day

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/lembongan-island-snorkeling/

Philippines Buses & Jeepneys

During our trip through the Philippines, we had the opportunity of trying out a myriad of transport options. In addition to Habal Habal motorcyle rides and Trikes and Taxis, there were a few tips we picked up using the Philippines Buses & Jeepneys.
Which Colour Bus?
Always take the yellow a

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

Budget Accommodation Nightmares

We’re great believers in checking and double-checking the photos, descriptions and reviews of hotels and guesthouses before making a booking. What we’ve learned though is that you can’t always rely on the integrity of your research. Reviews can be faked, photos and descriptions can be misleading or out-of-date, and your budget accommodation nightmares become a

Sri Lanka Top 10 Activities

Sri Lanka has it all - beaches, mountains, wildlife, cuisine, culture and history.
Our Sri Lanka Top 10 Activities list is just the start…






 

 
No 10 - Eco Living
Try out a tree-top cabana. Everywhere you look in Polwaththa, you'll see a wealth of fascinating insects, bu

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/sri-lanka-top-10-activities/

Philippines Best 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.

Our 3-week trip around the Central Visayas - Cebu and Bohol - presented us with several unexpected challenges, one of these being to find a

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

Langkawi Accommodation Options

With just 1 week in the archipelago, we didn't have as much time as we'd have liked to experience Langkawi island life. Between hopping over from Phuket and then boating onwards to Penang, we hoped to pack as much into our schedule as possible while varying our Langkawi accommodation

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/langkawi-accommodation-options/

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 no

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

Gran Canaria Ferry from North Tenerife

Considering the close proximity of Gran Canaria to Tenerife - if you have the time - it can be worthwhile including a visit across to see how the other half live. You can either fly over or take the ferry. In our case, we planned to take the Gran Canaria ferry from the port of Santa Cruz in North T

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/gran-canaria-ferry-from-north-tenerife/

Griller in Manila Shabu Shabu self-service

We tactically avoided a trip into Manila on our arrival in the Philippines, but opted to spend just a couple of days there before taking our return flight home. 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

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

Get Inspired - with Free Independent Travel

Free independent travel brings many advantages over a standard packaged holiday deal: Even within a modest budget, there are no limits. Go where you want, when you want - and tailor the trip to fit your own personal aspirations. Get inspired with some of our own favourite travel

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/free-independent-travel/

Burj Khalifa Tallest Building in the World - Dubai stopover

How can you visit Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and not experience the ear-popping heights of Burj Khalifa Dubai - the tallest building in the world?

We're all used to the high-rise skyscrapers of Shang Hai, Hong Kong and NYC, but the Burj Khalifa exudes a slim eloquence, modernity and

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/burj-khalifa-dubai/

The White Sands of Dumaluan Beach, Philippines

Our trip around the Philippines Central Visayas was concentrated primarily on Cebu and Bohol. Panglao island is located within the Bohol Province, and it is here where we discovered the lesser-known Dumaluan beach.

Dumaluan beach is a narrow, white sand beach stretching for around 500 meters on

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

Death in Lembongan

Death in Lembongan: Invitation to an outdoor Balinese #cremation

http://www.sandspice.com/death-in-lembongan/

During our time in #Bali and #Lembongan we'd already had a taste of the vibrant life on the islands: Now we would learn a little about death in Lembongan.

#Funeral

Dubai Mall - Best Retreat for the Zombie Apocalypse...

Dubai seems to be all about extremes. Not only do they have the tallest building in the world, they also boast the Dubai Mall - The largest shopping mall in the world. Here, you can find one of the largest suspended aquariums in the world, with the world's largest acrylic panel.

...oh, and just

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

Oasis Hotel Manila

Our trip back to Manila followed a 3-night stay in Panglao. For the capital city, we booked the small Oasis Hotel Manila in north-central area of the city for our 2 last nights.
Travelling from Panglao to Manila
A trike from Panglao to the airport took around 30 minutes (250 pesos).

At T

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

Langkawi Island Life - Lush, Tropical, Timeless

#Langkawi #Island Life - Lush, Tropical, Timeless (& Duty-free)

http://www.sandspice.com/langkawi-island-life/

Langkawi’s archipelago comprises 99 thickly forested tropical isles dating back half a billion years & is home to the most ancient rainforest on the planet.

#Malaysia

Dubai Desert Safari

Our short 3-day layover in Dubai included visits to the largest shopping mall in the world as well as to Burj Khalifa - the tallest building. For our final full day in the United Arab Emirates, we were off on the obligatory Dubai Desert Safari.

We were not expecting much, but it turned out to

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

Panglao Island Nature Resort

The Panglao Island Nature Resort  (recently renamed as the Mithi Resort & Spa) 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

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

SandSpice at the Movies

Travel is all about discovering new places, and many of the countries we have visited have been used as the setting for some iconic movies: ‘From Russia with Love’ in Turkey, ‘Prison Break’ in Panama, ‘South Pacific’ in Malaysia, ‘Game of Thrones’ in Spain. Add another dimension to your trip by che

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/free-independent-travel/sandspice-at-the-movies/

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 p

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