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/

A Short 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).

For us, this came at the end of our trip to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Our Emirates return

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

Secluded Tropical Beaches

Secluded beaches are just one of the great rewards when visiting remote destinations in less-accessible areas of the tropics. Here are some of our favourites. All you need to take along is a towel, a picnic and a long cool drink.  :-)

 


Secluded Tropical Beaches
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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 yea

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

Loro Parque Tenerife 🦜

Loro Park Tenerife - More than just a zoo in Puerto de la Cruz

http://www.sandspice.com/loro-parque-tenerife/

The highlight of our visit to the north of #Tenerife was our day trip out to #LoroPark: undoubtedly the island's top attraction.

#PuertodelaCruz

Fox & Firefly Cottages Loboc

Our 3-week trip through the Philippines included a short break at a small guesthouse resort in Loboc in the province of Bohol. However, don't expect anything fancy at the Fox & Firefly Cottages Loboc.

This is a pure backpackers place, with the smallest dormitory I have ever seen (about 16

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

Our Karimunjawa Travel Budget & Impressions

Our 19-day journey through Indonesia started and ended in Jakarta. From there we took our return Qatar Airways flight back to Rome. But did our Karimunjawa travel budget cover our costs? and was it all that we were expecting?
Our Karimunjawa Travel Budget
Before leaving, we had worked out a

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/karimunjawa-travel-budget/

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 f

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

East Malaysia & Borneo

Want to get off the beaten track to find some secluded out-of-the-way places? Our East Malaysia & Borneo travel plan allowed us to enjoy both sea and jungle, with various modes of transport to keep it all interesting. Be sure to first check out our Plan, Maps and Budget for this 21-day tr

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

Tenerife & Gran Canaria with Stopovers in Spain

We put together a 2-week multi-destination itinerary which includes Tenerife & Gran Canaria with stopovers in Spain - the medieval city of Girona and the capital Madrid.  It’s quite a lot of travelling for a 14-day trip, but well enriched with a wide variety of locations and potential act

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/tenerife-gran-canaria/

India West Kerala to Goa

This India West Kerala to Goa itinerary spans 31 days, primarily in India, but including 3 short city stays in Rome, Istanbul and Edinburgh. Not bad for just €457 per ticket… and flying with one of the top airlines in the world. Be sure to first check out our Plan, Maps and Budget for this 4½-week

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/india-west-kerala-to-goa/

Lembongan Island Beaches

For the first 4 days of our 2-week trip to Indonesia we enjoyed the peace and culture of Ubud in Bali. Since Ubud is a good way inland from the coast, we made sure our accommodation featured a decent pool (actually a private pool) to freshen up after a day in the heat. Following our transfer south

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

Island Hopping from Phuket to Penang

The first couple of weeks of this 4-week trip to Malaysia involved island hopping from Phuket to Penang, stopping off in between in Langkawi. Despite their close proximity to each other, these are 3 very different types of island. Phuket is quite commercial, whereas Langkawi is much less-developed

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/island-hopping-from-phuket-to-penang/

Bali & Lembongan

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

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/bali-lembongan-combination/

Snorkeling at Alona Beach

After spending 3 days in Pangangan (Bohol) we traveled down to Panglao to try out the beaches there. Alona in Panglao 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

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

Philippines Central Visayas - Cebu & Bohol

The biggest problem planning a trip around the Philippines is the amount of choice available. There are so many islands and potential routes that it can become quite overwhelming. There are also limitations regarding transit options between the destinations you do want to visit. You have to be

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/philippines-central-visayas/

Sri Lanka Central and South

Our Sri Lanka travel plan was designed as a 21-day rollicking rollercoaster of a ride to the World’s End and beyond. It promised to be an eventful trip, taking in the central highlands around Kandy and Sigiriya. followed by Haputale - the largely Muslim town above the clouds. After that we'd be hea

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/sri-lanka-central-and-south/

Central Java & Karimunjawa, Indonesia

Under €1200 all-inclusive for a 3-week trip to a secluded tropical island? Our Central Java & Karimunjawa  travel plan also included a couple of days in Rome and flights with top-rated Qatar Airways. However, things didn't all go quite to plan... Be sure to first check out our Plan, Maps and Bu

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/central-java-karimunjawa-indonesia/

Ashiyana Resort, 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 air conditioned bus down the coast road to Tagbilaran (26 pesos).

The bus wasn't bu

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

AirAsia Inflight Experience

Following a few days in Phuket, we planned to take a short AirAsia flight south to the tropical island paradise of Langkawi. We were curious to see how the AirAsia inflight experience compared to other budget Asian airlines such as Lion Air and (the now bankrupt) Jet Airways.

Although there is a

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/airasia-inflight-experience/

Roundtrip Panama City to Bocas Del Toro

Apparently, Panama is among the top 5 best-rated countries in the world in which to retire. Facts like this, together with the attractions of a tropical climate and the buzz of a Latin American country are hard to ignore. Throw into the mix really cheap flights with Lufthansa from Europe and we’re

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/plan-your-travel/roundtrip-panama-city-to-bocas-del-toro/

Colorful Filipino Currency

Check out the colorful Filipino currency. These notes are 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 big stash

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

Tenerife North - Puerto de la Cruz

After spending 3 days at Golf del Sur in the south of the island, we headed up by coach to Tenerife North - Puerto de la Cruz. We planned to stay 1 night at a small hotel close to the bus station in the center, followed by a few more nights at a more up-market hotel in the north part of

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tenerife-north-puerto-de-la-cruz/

Booze in Bohol 🍺 Philippines

After spending 3 days in Pangangan we headed down south by bus to Panglao, and the celebrated Alona Beach. Along the way, we stopped off at a hypermarket in Tagbilaran to stock up on goods. This was our first experience of a Philippines supermarket. Among other items, we were curious to discover t

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

Lembongan Island Activities - Best chill-out spots

A week on this island is just about the right amount of time you'll need to visit the main attractions and enjoy most of the popular Lembongan island activities that are on offer. We actually spent 8 days there, and were able to do all the things we wanted at a leisurely pace. From snorkeling to

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

Short Breaks & City Stops

Short Breaks & City Stops
Coming up next.... Koh Lipe, Thailand.

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