Jungle Beach Unawatuna

After 6 days lounging around the beaches of Tangalle, we headed west up the coast by bus to the small town of Unawatuna. We had heard about some special beaches in the area, in particular Jungle Beach Unawatuna.

We had booked a 3-night stay at Sam's Guesthouse, located on the inland side of the

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/jungle-beach-unawatuna/

Palm Paradise Cabanas Tangalle

Palm Paradise Cabanas Tangalle is a medium-sized beach and garden resort located a few kms west along the coast from Tangalle. My last visit to Palm Paradise - 19 years previously - was very enjoyable, so I was keen to return.

The highlights I remembered from my first trip were the beautiful ca

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/palm-paradise-cabanas-tangalle/

Tangalle Beaches - Tantalizing Tangalle

Following our stay high in the mountains around Haputale, we took a morning bus for the 7-hour journey down to Tangalle, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. For this part of our journey we were winging it, with nothing booked in advance. We were just looking forward to those fantastic Tangalle be

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tangalle-beaches/

World’s End Sri Lanka - Hotels & Hikes on Horton Plains

The first stage of our journey through Central Sri Lanka would conclude with a visit to the hill town of Haputale, and the World’s End plateau at Horton Plains.

After spending several days in and around the old capital Kandy, we arranged to travel by train from Kandy to Haputale.


2nd Class

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/worlds-end-sri-lanka/

Malaysia & Borneo - Highlights & Costs

Our actual trip to Malaysia & Borneo closely followed our plan regarding the places we would visit. These were based on 2 main areas:
♦  The Malaysian peninsula: We arrived (and departed) Kuala Lumpur, and spent roughly 10 days there.
♦  Borneo: This second half of the trip also lasted around

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/malaysia-borneo-highlights/

Girona City Stopover: Where to stay & eat

Our Girona city stopover allowed us just one night in Girona, before heading south to Barcelona-El Prat airport later the following day.

We therefore needed a hotel that was close to the bus and train stations, and still within easy reach of the attractions and restaurants that the city has to o

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/girona-city-stopover/

Girona in Giro - What to see & do in Springtime

What can you do in Girona if you have just 5 or 6 hours to spare?

Actually, quite a lot.

Our hotel was located in the center of Girona, next to the Onyar river. We started out early after breakfast and followed the river northwards - passed the brightly painted façades of the houses - headin

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/girona-ingiro/

Mumbai & The Thousand-Yard Stare

After spending more than 3 weeks in India, absorbing the dubious charm of overcrowded Sleeper coaches and chaotic inner city streetlife, we were apprehensive that Mumbai would trump - in aces - anything that had gone before.

This was the reason we saved Mumbai metropolis until the last.

We

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-thousand-yard-stare/

Mumbai City Fort Area

We'd put off visiting Mumbai City until the end of our trip to India. Arriving by plane from Goa, we planned to spend 2 nights in the central Mumbai city Fort area.

We would be staying at the .

At €59 per night (excluding breakfast), this hotel was considerably more expensive than anywhere el

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-city-fort-area/

In the Footsteps of Jason Bourne

It's no doubt due to the seclusion and natural beauty of Palolem beach that this location was chosen for the shooting of The Bourne Supremacy - the 2nd of the Jason Bourne movies, in 2004.

The beach itself is immediately recognizable at the the beginning of the movie. Two years after the events

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/jason-bourne-footsteps/

Palolem Beach Guesthouses

It was through circumstances rather than planning that we ended up spending around 10 days in a variety of Palolem beach guesthouses.

Cancelled trains and poor or overbooked guesthouses meant we had to change our itinerary on the fly. However, this all turned out for the best, since Palolem is a

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/palolem-beach-guesthouses/

Goa Beach Hopping

One of our favourite activities on visits to Asia is beach hopping. Just pack a lightweight bag with a picnic, grab a hat and plenty of water, and head out to discover whatever is beyond that distant headland. We spent some really enjoyable days doing this in Sri Lanka and Borneo. Now it was time t

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/goa-beach-hopping/

Palolem Beach Goa

A few kms south of Agonda beach is Palolem beach, which stretches across a 1.6 km curved bay. The beach is pretty much built up from end to end with a large variety of accommodation, restaurants and shops. Rooms and cabins range in price, for anything between 200 to 5,000 rupees per night.

With

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

South Goa via AC2 Train Class

As relieved as we were to be leaving Kochi, we were a little apprehensive about our forthcoming train journeys to South Goa via AC2 train class.

We had pre-booked berths on an AC2 train leaving that evening from Kochi at 10pm. We should arrive early the following morning in Madgaon, Goa. From

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/south-goa-via-ac2-train-class/

I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Fort Kochi!

We arrived at Ernaculum Town station in Kochi later than expected - it was already getting close to dusk. We didn't know it, but we still had another 1 hour journey to take us to our guesthouse in Fort Kochi.

Outside the train station, there was a large queue ... and a surprisingly orderly s

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/fort-kochi-india/

The Windswept Cliffs of Varkala, Kerala

The next place of interest travelling north up the coast from Kovalam is Varkala. The cliffs of Varkala are famed for their dramatic, windswept appearance and precarious shopfronts perching over the edge.
Reaching the Cliffs of Varkala
The journey from Kovalam to Varkala takes almost 2 hours by

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cliffs-of-varkala/

The Kovalam Lighthouse Beach Experience

One week before arriving at Kovalam Lighthouse Beach, I sent an email to our hotel requesting an airport pickup. The fact that I got no reply should have been an early warning sign.

When we arrived at Trivandrum airport, I reckoned there was a 50/50 chance that someone would be waiting to pick

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/kovalam-lighthouse-beach-experience/

Mumbai International Airport

Arrival at Mumbai International Airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji) and transfer to the Domestic terminal was blissfully straightforward and efficient. At passport control we produced our e-Tourist Visas, and were processed quickly enough.

After clearing passport control, we strolled into a large and

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/mumbai-international-transfer-to-domestic-terminal/

Istanbul Leather Shopping 🧥

One of the bonuses of a short stay in Istanbul is the opportunity for shopping. There are some great bargains to be had in the bazaars and highstreets of the city, and if its leather you're after, look no further. You'll find that shopping for leather in Istanbul can be a very social

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/shopping-for-leather-in-istanbul/

Istanbul Airport-City Transfer

Planning our visit to Istanbul from the comfort of our living room, using Google Earth as our map reference, seemed straightforward enough. To avoid the expense of taxis, we decided to arrange our own Istanbul airport-city transfer.

We would be arriving at Sabiha Gokcen - the furthest of the 2

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/istanbul-airport-city-transfer/

Rome Film Festival & Attractions in Autumn

Autumn is a great time to visit Rome. Although Rome is always busy, at this time of year you can count on shorter queues and better prices. Even so, for a short 2-3 day break in the Italian capital you need to be extremely selective. There are just so many Rome attractions to see, and to see the

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/rome-attractions/

Rome Hotels & Guesthouses

We often use Rome as our launching pad for long-distance flights to Asia. Many of the bigger airlines offer a variety of flight options starting or ending in Rome. As a result, prices are often cheaper than flying out from other airports, since many Rome hotels & guesthouses can be booked at

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/rome-hotels-guesthouses/

India Travel Plan - West Coast

Choosing the best dates and flights for a long-haul trip to the tropics involves a little more than just picking a few free weeks to visit shortly before you leave. When it comes to finding some of the best travel opportunities, whether the Seychelles, India or the Caribbean, it often pays to star

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

Inspiration for Some Unique Activities

Fancy a city-center infinity pool over 50 floors high? How about some Desert Dune Bashing, or a 4½ km zip line tour over the Panamanian jungle?
Whether you're into water rafting in Borneo or beach combing in Goa, for inspiration check out these accessible, inexpensive & unique activities at S

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

Our Venice Budget: 2 Nights Inclusive - What’s the Cost?

A short trip to Venice is potentially one of the most costly city breaks you can take. Even with a strict Venice budget, why is this city so expensive?

Well, we noticed a few things that might explain this. Apart from the artists and artisans, not much is created or grown in Venice: Goods and
Read more http://www.sandspice.com/final-venice-budget/

Venice Osteria and Trattoria

Considering that Italy is pretty much one big restaurant, there’s never any difficulty finding somewhere to eat. Whether a Venice osteria and trattoria or pizzeria, there are plenty of places to choose from. In our experience, the overall quality of food in Italy is generally good to very go

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/venice-osteria-trattoria/

Booking a Venice Hotel

Choosing the Ca ’Fortuny Hotel Venice was the result of some precise online research. Finding a good, reasonably-priced hotel in Venice that’s not too far from the center can be a challenge in itself. It's therefore always a good idea to scrutinize the best deals that are currently on offer.

We

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/ca-fortuny-hotel-venice/

Temple of the Tooth - Buddha & Lotus Blossoms

Before we left Kandy we took a few hours to visit the celebrated Temple of the Tooth. This is where they keep one of Buddha’s teeth as a holy relic. The relic is regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and is the focus of a daily series of offerings, rituals, and cerem

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/temple-of-the-tooth/

Beneath the Knuckle Mountains

During our stay at the Polwaththa Eco Lodges we arranged several treks through the surrounding thickly-jungled mountain areas. Whenever we emerged into a clearing, we could see the Knuckle Mountains bathed in mist in the far distance.

It's clear to see how these mountains got their name. L

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/knuckle-mountains/

Polwaththa Eco Lodge

From Kandy, we had arranged a pickup by tuk-tuk to take us up into the surrounding mountain jungle to the Polwaththa Eco Lodges.

We were looking forward to a peaceful break, close to nature and away from the hustle and bustle. Our tuk-tuk driver arrived on time shortly before noon. We paid Rs

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/polwaththa-eco-lodge/

Elephant Orphanage - Return visit, but none of them remembered me... http://www.sandspice.com/pinnawala-elephant-orphanage/ #ElephantOrphanage #Pinnawala #SriLanka

#SriLanka Elephant Orphanage - Return visit, but none of them remembered me...

http://www.sandspice.com/pinnawala-elephant-orphanage/

The poop from #Pinnawala #elephant #orphanage has its uses: Need recycled paper made from elephant dung? Great for those "Don't Forget" notes...