Jakarta Takes Mansion Hotel

Jakarta Takes Mansion - Comfortable, inexpensive & close to the action

http://www.sandspice.com/jakarta-takes-mansion/

Close to Gambir train station, the #Jakarta #TakesMansion is also one of the few #hotels in this price range that features a rooftop swimming pool.

Jakarta Train from Semarang

On our return journey to Jakarta, we knew we would have very little time in Semarang to purchase tickets. We therefore decided to book our train tickets online, several months earlier. The Jakarta train from Semarang can be busy, and with a return flight to Europe the following day we didn't want

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/jakarta-train-semarang/

Jakarta Train from Semarang

On our return journey to Jakarta, we knew we would have very little time in Semarang to purchase tickets. We therefore decided to book our train tickets online, several months earlier. The Jakarta train from Semarang can be busy, and with a return flight to Europe the following day we didn't want

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/jakarta-train-semarang/

Our Panamanian Hotel Experiences

Here's a no-frills summary of our Panamanian hotel experiences.

http://www.sandspice.com/panamanian-hotel-experiences/

If you're seeking decent Panamanian #hotel experiences, don't go too cheap. Anywhere we stayed charging less than $40 a night was a mistake…
#Panama #Costs

Karimunjawa Island Boat Transfer

There are variety of Karimunjawa island boat transfer options.

Most boats travel to and from Jepara, but depending on the day of the week you can also get boats to and from Semarang and Kendal (which is not too far from Semarang).

However, you need to check the latest schedules. Not all

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-island-boat-transfer/

Karimunjawa Island Boat Transfer

There are variety of Karimunjawa island boat transfer options.

Most boats travel to and from Jepara, but depending on the day of the week you can also get boats to and from Semarang and Kendal (which is not too far from Semarang).

However, you need to check the latest schedules. Not all

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-island-boat-transfer/

Boca Chica to Panama City

Although it is a great location to break your journey between the major cities, transport options from Boca Chica to Panama City and/or David are limited.

If you don't have your own car, there are 2 ways to get from Boca Chica to Panama City: The hard way or the expensive way.


Boca Chica t

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/boca-chica-to-panama-city/

Karimunjawa Guesthouse Options

For such a small island community, there is a surprising number of Karimunjawa guesthouse options. During our stay there, we were able to experience a variety of accommodations at very different ends of the price spectrum.


Karimunjawa Guesthouse Options
In Karimunjawa, you can pay anything

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-guesthouse-options/

Boca Chica and Boca Brava

It took us around 7 hours to travel by bus from Bocas Del Toro to Boca Chica and Boca Brava. This would be our last taste of the Pacific ocean before returning to Panama City and the end of our 4-week vacation.

After the upbeat tempo of Bocas Del Toro, we were looking forward to getting away

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/boca-chica-boca-brava/

Bocas to Boca Chica by Bus

Following our 8-day stay in Bocas Del Toro, we prepared for the next stage of our journey - travelling from Bocas to Boca Chica by bus.

This trip requires a little more organisation since the Hello Travel bus shuttle company which operates from Bocas Del Toro does not provide a service to Boca C

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bocas-to-boca-chica-by-bus/

Karimunjawa Island Beaches & Snorkeling

For many travelers, the big attraction of the small tropical islands of Indonesia are the beaches. After travelling through the urban cities of central Java to reach our destination, we were looking forward to spending 10 days relaxing on the white sands of the Karimunjawa island

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

Buy Your Own Panamanian Island

Our 4-week trip to Panama wasn't just about taking a holiday. We've read many of the reports about Panama being a great place to live: It's also one of the top destinations in the world in which to retire. We were therefore interested to find out more about property opportunities and costs

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/buy-panamanian-island/

Breve Azurine Karimunjawa

The Breve Azurine Karimunjawa was our last accommodation choice on the island. Due to the cost (IDR 1,410,000 per day) we planned to stay here only for 2 nights.

Following on from an enjoyable stay at Cocohuts just 15-minutes walk away, our expectations were high.


Why we chose the Breve

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/breve-azurine-karimunjawa/

Ushuaia Guesthouse Bastimentos - Panama

Our first impressions of Isla Bastimentos were not promising. We were just hoping that the guesthouse we had booked 3 months earlier - the Ushuaia Guesthouse Bastimentos - would ease our misgivings and provide us with a clean and relaxing place to chill out.
The Ushuaia Guesthouse

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/ushuaia-guesthouse-bastimentos/

Karimunjawa Snorkeling Excursions

No trip to these islands would be complete without trying one of the organized Karimunjawa snorkeling excursions. We made our arrangements through Jon from SeaSky, and booked his full-day snorkeling trip to the western islands for IDR 200,000  per person (€14).

This price included the use of sno

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-snorkeling-excursions/

Isla Bastimentos Bocas Del Toro - Panama

Following our 5-day tour of Isla Colón, we were ready to venture further afield to one of the other large islands of the archipelago - Isla Bastimentos Bocas Del Toro. We were looking forward to pristine beaches and fascinating jungle trails, similar to what we had discovered on Isla Colón.
Isla B

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/isla-bastimentos-bocas-del-toro-panama/

Cocohuts Karimunjawa

Following our hit-and-miss fortune with guesthouses in Karimunjawa, at well over 3 times the price of a regular homestay, we expected Cocohuts Karimunjawa to be quite an upgrade on the 2 places we had stayed so far in Karimun town.
Fabulous Views from Cocohuts Karimunjawa
Perched high up on the

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cocohuts-karimunjawa/

Karimunjawa Eating Out

Since Karimun town is quite a small place, you can't expect to find a great number or variety of eating establishments. Some guesthouses offer their guests meals or kitchen facilities, but most travellers end up heading out in the evenings to discover the best Karimunjawa eating out o

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-eating-out/

Bocas Del Toro Snorkeling Tour

The easiest way of finding some decent Bocas Del Toro snorkeling locations is to take a full-day boat trip from Bocas town. This isn't a bad option for just $30 per person, including 5 different activities and locations.


Bocas Del Toro Snorkeling Tour Itinerary
The tours leave in the morning

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bocas-del-toro-snorkeling/

Karimunjawa Scooter Rental 🛵 Getting Around

There are 22 kms of ‘road’  between the main port of Karimunjawa and the furthest point north on the island. This is a little too far for walking, and there are no buses or taxes as such. So unless you pay for a guided tour, the only viable way of discovering the island is with a Karimunjawa scoot

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-scooter-rental/

Bocas Town Carnival

A water taxi is most people's introduction to Bocas town in Bocas del Toro, though you can also fly directly to their small airport not far behind the town. Since we were travelling in by bus from Boquete, we made our way to Almirante and took a boat from there

Our initial impression was of a

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bocas-town/

Waterfall Rappelling in Boquete 🧗‍♂️

Abseiling down a waterfall might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for an adrenaline rush its hard to beat. Waterfall rappelling in Boquete, also known as canyoning, is one of Panama's most thrilling and popular adventure sports.

The concept is simple: suit up in a harness and belay your way

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/waterfall-rappelling-in-boquete/

Hotel Central Boquete Panama

“Hotel Central” is quite a misnomer for a hotel name, since the Hotel Central Boquete Panama is anything but central. You'll have to walk a good 15 minutes uphill from the center of Boquete town before you reach the hotel.

From the outside, with garish yellow paintwork and an odd structure, the

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-central-boquete-panama/

Ziplining in Boquete Panama

Ziplining had already been on our hitlist for a couple of years. When planning our trip to Panama, we discovered that the Boquete TreeTrek Mountain Resort operate one of the largest and most popular ziplining experience in Latin America, so what better place to start than ziplining in Boquete

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/ziplining-in-boquete-panama/

Boquete Mountain Trails - The Hills Have Eyes

The hills and mountains around Boquete are a huge draw for tourists who want to enjoy some serious trekking off the beaten path. However, you may first want to take into account some recent and not-so-recent incidents before heading out alone on the Boquete Mountain Trails.
Boquete Mountain T

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/boquete-mountain-trails/

Getting to Know Karimunjawa Town

Although it's quite a small place, it is possible to get temporarily lost in the similar-looking streets of Karimunjawa Town. Most of the facilities you require are to be found, but are spread around the place and not always easy to locate.

Top of your priority list is probably finding your

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-town/

Coffee Tours in Boquete Panama

Having done a tea plantation tour in Sri Lanka, it seemed only fair to do one of the coffee tours in Boquete Panama - And very informative it was.

We booked our tour at the Boquete Mountain Safari tours office for $29 per person. In fact, for the same price they offered to let us join a group fo

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/coffee-tours-in-boquete-panama/

What to Do in Boquete Panama

Boquete is one of the highlights of a trip to Panama, showcasing the diversity of this unique country. Not really a town as such, Boquete is a huge district spanning 488 square kilometers. However, most of the action is centered around a short but busy central high street: It is here you'll start y

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/what-to-do-in-boquete-panama/

Jungla Experience Boquete Panama

Our journey west along the Panama highway had taken us through the foothills of the Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range to the city of David in south central Chiriquí. From here we took a bus north to reach our first guesthouse in the Boquete region - the Jungla Experience Boquete.

The a

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Hotel Residencial Cervantes David

We interrupted our journey from Santa Catalina to Boquete by stopping for a night at the Hotel Residencial Cervantes David.

When planning our trip, we thought it would be a good idea to break our journey to Boquete in David. In practise, there's no real need to do this when travelling from

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/hotel-residencial-cervantes-david/

Getting Around Panama by Shuttle Bus 🚌

If you have a few more dollars to spend, and you want to make your travel a little easier, the Hello Travel bus shuttle company makes a good alternative to going it alone. For the extra cost, they can make getting around Panama a bit less stressful.

They have regular air-conditioned shuttle s

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/getting-around-panama/

Around Town in Santa Catalina Panama

Santa Catalina is a relaxing place to unwind, especially after spending a few days in Panama City. This is a small resort town on the Pacific coastline, south of Santiago. The town is centered between 2 beaches: Playa Estero for the surfers and Playa Santa Catalina for the divers.

Surfing on Pla

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/santa-catalina-panama/