Valencia Long Weekend - Airport Transfers & Accommodation

With the budget airlines offering ridiculously cheap flights from all over Europe to a variety of destinations in Spain, a Valencia long weekend is hard to resist. Add to this a relatively low cost of living and accommodation options, and you're onto a winner.

We budgeted €350 per person for a f

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/valencia-long-weekend/

Ubud Bali Hotels & Airport Transfers

Following an overnight stay in London and a short break in Hong Kong we were keen to reach the relative peace and tranquility of a 4-night stay in Bali. We had chosen two very different styles of accommodation for our Ubud Bali hotels: A family-run guesthouse and an upmarket Spa and Gallery

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/ubud-bali-hotels-airport-transfers/

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/

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/

Hong Kong Activities for a 2-day Stopover

With just a short one or two-day break in the city, its a good idea to have a plan if you want to experience some of the best Hong Kong activities that are on offer. Our 2-day stopover was just enough time to pack in half-a-dozen quality excursions, as well as hitting the shops on Nathan

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/hong-kong-activities/

Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong Stopover

Since our Cathay Pacific flight from London to Bali made a pit-stop in Hong Kong, we decided to take advantage of the break to add a 2-night stopover to our trip. Accordingly, we booked ourselves into the Pearl Premium Guest House in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon. This Tsim Sha Tsui Hong K

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/tsim-sha-tsui-hong-kong-stopover/

Cathay Pacific Inflight Experience

Despite our recent underwhelming experiences with Qatar and Turkish Airlines, we were still cautiously optimistic about our forthcoming Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong and Bali. We were hoping that our Cathay Pacific inflight experience would be something to savour.

We had purchased return

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cathay-pacific-inflight/

London Airport Transfers

With a variety of large international airports dotted in and around the city, its both time-efficient and cost-effective to plan your London airport transfers in advance.

We had booked a multi-stop flight to Hong Kong and Bali with Cathay Pacific, travelling from London Gatwick.

Our plan was

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/london-airport-transfers/

Bali and Nusa Lembongan - A 2-island itinerary

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

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/bali-and-nusa-lembongan/

Our Final Panama Budget & Impressions

Our actual Panama budget and impressions of the country.

http://www.sandspice.com/panama-budget/

Is #Panama really a place to retire to? Our final Panama #budget suggests one answer to the question but our overall #impressions were positive.

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/

Our Panamanian Hotel Experiences

During our 4-week trip around Panama, we stayed at a variety of hotels and guesthouses - in fact 11 in all. It therefore only seems logical that we should provide a summary of our Panamanian hotel experiences.
Budgets and Expectations
We varied our hotel budget, ranging between $33 and $66 per

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

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/

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/