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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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Phuket Thailand - Welcome to Russia

Our Malay peninsula west coast journey actually started in Phuket Thailand – just north of the Thai-Malaysian border. We wanted to use the flexibility of an open-jaw flight ticket to pack as many destinations as possible into our round-trip. Since we would be ending the journey in Kuala Lumpur, Phu

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/phuket-thailand-welcome-to-russia/

Pangangan Island, Bohol

After spending 3 nights in the small T-Breeze Beach coastal resort near Moalboal, we headed back to Cebu City, and onward via ferry to Bohol. Our next destination was Pangangan.

Not quite an island, Pangangan is connected to the mainland by a 4 km mangrove-bordered causeway. There are a few so-c

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Bohol Ferry From Cebu

After spending 3 nights in the small T-Breeze Beach coastal resort near Moalboal, we were heading back to Cebu City. We would take the Bohol ferry from Cebu over to Tubigon in Bohol, then travel on to our next destination in Pangangan.

Early in the morning, we got to the bus stop in Moalboal, a

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Snorkeling in Moalboal Cebu

Snorkeling in Moalboal Cebu was one of the highlights of our visit to the Philippines. Moalboal is located on the northern coast of Cebu, looking out towards Negros. We traveled to Moalboal by bus from Cebu city, then took a trike for the short journey to our resort on the coast.

We stayed at t

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/snorkeling-in-moalboal-cebu/

Habal-Habal - Filipino Motorcycle Taxis

Habal-Habal (motorcycle taxi rides) provide an alternative form of public transport, and is available throughout the Philippines.

We first became aware of this while walking alongside the main road through the town of Loboc, in Bohol. A motorcyclist pulled up in front of us, gesturing to the e

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Lembongan Island Eating Out

Your eating out options in Lembongan are plentiful enough. Every guesthouse offers a menu, and there's a good variety of standalone restaurants and warungs. During our 8-day stay on the island we had the opportunity to sample much of what was on offer, but which of our Lembongan island eating out e

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Mangoes in Moalboal, Cebu

This is why we came to the Philippines: To relax in an off-track, secluded location with an open bath-water temperature sea, great snorkeling, eating tasty local food, fish, and exotic fruit (the mangoes in Moalboal are just the best).

Following a brief overnight in Cebu city, we took a bus for

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Lembongan Island Guesthouses

Nusa Lembongan is a laid-back island off the southeast coast of Bali. After our 4-day stay in Ubud, we took a boat to discover what the island had to offer. With a good selection of Lembongan island guesthouses to choose from, we'd selected 2 places - at opposite sides of the island from each ot

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Cebu City to Moalboal by Bus

Cebu City is quite a congested, noxious conglomerate. Transport from place to place moves at a snails pace. It would be quicker walking - though less safe, due to the heavy traffic. Following just one night in the city, we were ready to move on to our first primary destination. However, our bus

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cebu-city-to-moalboal/

Gdańsk Poland Activities

Apart from the picturesque old town and excellent eating venues, Gdansk is home to a top-class selection of interactive museums. You'll need at least 3 days to do justice to these as well as the other Gdansk Poland activities on offer.

Staying at the Liberum hotel in the heart of the old town,

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Cebu City Guesthouse: New Era Pension Inn

Our first real experiences of the Philippines was our Cebu city guesthouse, since we had decided to skip Manila completely on our way in, and take an ongoing domestic Philippines Airlines flight to the islands.

We would spend just one day in Cebu City, before leaving early the next morning for M

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/cebu-city-guesthouse/

New Year's Eve Malta Clifftop Camping

December 31st - While everybody else was putting on their glad rags and preparing for a Yuletide bash in the city, we were heading in the opposite direction - up into the hills in fact. We were planning a New Year's Eve Malta clifftop camping excursion.

Something different, we thought - Just

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Transit between Manila Airport Terminals 2 & 3

Following an overnight stay in Rome, the first stop on our 20-day trip to the Philippines was Manila. However, in order to keep our city-stays to a minimum we had decided to skip Manila completely on our way in. Our plan instead was to arrive at Manila airport, clear customs, then take the first fl

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/manila-airport-terminals/

Philippines Travel Plan - Central Visayas

The initial inspiration for our Philippines Travel Plan came from the discovery of very reasonably priced flights with Emirates running from Rome to Manila (€528 return). Since Rome is a small hop from our home base in Europe, this seemed a perfect opportunity to extend our trip with a couple of ni

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

Lembongan Island Transfers

Following our 4-day stay in Ubud, we were heading south to spend some time on a lush island off the coast of Bali. The previous day we purchased tickets for our Lembongan island transfers from a small travel agent in Ubud. We were now gearing up for a (hopefully) pleasant bus and boat transfer

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7 Must-Do Valencia Activities

Although there's certainly no shortage of things to do on a short trip to Valencia, the trick is to get organized in advance so that the must-do Valencia activities can be as diverse and fun-packed as possible.

We had booked a self-catering apartment in the Campanar district, north-west of the

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Gdańsk Poland Eating Out

With just 4 days to spend in the historic old town, we did a little preparation to ensure that our Gdansk Poland eating out experiences would be both enjoyable and cost-effective.

From a dozen or so promising candidates we made a shortlist of 5 restaurants and cafes that ticked all our boxes,

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

Gdańsk Poland 4-Day Break

If you're based in Europe and are looking for an inexpensive long weekend away, you might want to consider a Gdansk Poland 4-day break.

The beautiful old town of Gdansk offers plenty of excellent hotels and restaurants, but the real attraction is the culture and epic history of the town and

Read more... http://www.sandspice.com/gdansk-poland-4-day-break/

Ubud Bali Royal Palace - Music & Dance

The goal of searching out all possible Ubud Bali activities is not necessarily the best way to appreciate and enjoy this traditional and cultural town. The ideal thing to do here is just to relax and soak up the atmosphere, and then go out and sample some of the excellent food on offer.

Of

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Ubud Bali Eating Out - Favourite Warungs

With just 4 days in Ubud, we were keen to discover the best food that Bali has to offer. To this end, we did a little research in advance to ensure that our Ubud Bali eating out experiences did not disappoint.
Ubud Bali Eating Out - Our 4 Best Restaurants
Before leaving for Bali, we made a s

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