Expat Explore - 7 Day Great Britain Tour: Excellent Value for Money!

My older sis Maitz and I went on the Great Britain tour from Oct 3-10, 2012. I was celebrating my 30th birthday on the 9th and I thought what better way to spend it than travelling to places I've never been? So, I was on the lookout for tours and sample itineraries that we could go on, and I found Expat Explore. I was just blown away by how much cheaper it was than other tours, so I did my due diligence, checked out some reviews and booked it right away, months before our scheduled travel date.

We were a bit anxious at the beginning, but we shouldn't have worried. We were picked up at Ibis Greenwich on time, and from the moment we got on the coach, we knew it would be a good trip. When we did our introductions on the coach, almost a third of our group were "repeat customers" of Expat Explore, so we knew we were in good hands. Our tour leader, Paul and our driver Gary, were excellent companions, telling us about the sights, insider tips, places to eat and such, and took us from place to place with great efficiency. The trip was well organized, and it's an excellent way to meet new people.

There are some caveats, because of the number of places to visit, there are times you feel rushed, but I think what's good about the tour is that you get to "sample" the places and then you can decide which ones to go back to at a more leisurely pace. With the price, we were prepared to stay in small inns/B&Bs, but surprisingly our accommodations were quite decent, with Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Ibis and Caledonian hotel. Hotel locations were good too, especially the Premier Inn in Cardiff and the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. We were also pleasantly surprised that we had full English breakfasts all the way, and there were even some dinners included in the cost of the tour, and we also had great walking tours from local guides and got to ride a punt in Cambridge. Really, really excellent value for money, so I will not hesitate to recommend this to others, and am already saving up for the 17 day Western Europe tour. :)

Expat Explore Great Britain Tour
Day 1: London – Cambridge – York
Day 2: Hadrian’s Wall – Jedburgh – Scottish Borders – Edinburgh
Day 3: Edinburgh (Free Day)
Day 4: Edinburgh – Inverness – Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle – Scottish Highlands
Day 5: Highlands – Loch Lomond – Liverpool
Day 6: Liverpool – Stratford – Upon-Avon – Wales
Day 7: Wales – Bath – Stonehenge - London

Trip Planning Mayhem!

I'm not even going to give any excuses about the missing posts that I promised I would complete. I'll do it one of these days, but I figured if I stopped blogging just because I haven't "filled up" the rest of the entries, then that could be a very long wait.

Soooo...I decided to just go ahead and write stuff. It's the
2nd 3rd (as it is already past midnight) day of a 4-day weekend, and I am taking a break from planning the biggest trip of my life to date. This fall, my sister and I are taking on Rome and the U.K. and I am once again in charge of the itinerary.

To be honest, this isn't the most complicated itinerary that I had to plan, but for some reason, I'm having a lot of difficulty in finishing it. I think it's because there's just so much to do and such a limited time to do everything and it's probably also because it's the most expensive trip I've had to plan. With a finite budget, and infinite ways to spend it, I find myself stuck.

But that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying myself.

I love finding great deals and bargains on accommodations, plays, attractions...I love being able to maximize budgets and schedules to make sure everything gets done. There's nothing like seeing a trip fall into place on paper... it's almost like foreplay, knowing that the climax is to come. :)

OK, sexual references aside, let me share some of the tools I use to plan the perfect trip.

1. Google - OK, so this is a bit of a cheat, almost an all-encompassing entity. I know I don't have to explain it, but it had to be said. Google is your friend. Here are a few of the things I usually search:

• Places to see/top attractions/things to do


• Accommodations/hotel reviews


• Food/Dishes to try


• Events/plays/musicals


• Promo codes


• Customs/Culture


• Weather


• Currency/daily budgets/sales/merchandise


• ..and so much more!

2. Tripadvisor - I go to Tripadvisor for the reviews, it's a good way to see how other people rate hotels, B&Bs, attractions etc. I also like the forums, I once got a promo code for Megabus for 1$ ticket fares from New York to Philadelphia and New York to Boston.

3. Google Maps - So I can plan the perfect route, or the best grouping of attractions to visit on a day. I'm paartial to trains/MRTs/trams over buses so this site is a lot of help.

4. Booking.com - I only recently used started using Booking.com, previously I would always go directly to the hotel website, but when you're canvassing for multiple cities and just want to get an idea of the rates, this is a good choice. And once you have a hotel in mind, you can cross check with their own website, plus reviews on Tripadvisor.

5. Travel Agency Websites - These are excellent sources of information and sample itineraries. You can then pattern your own trip from the ones being offered. If you're feeling diligent enough, you can even compare the cost of your own itinerary, and feel good about the money you would most likely save by going the DIY route.

So there you have it, my top 5 tools for trip planning. Usually I consolidate all the data into an Excel file, with separate sheets for budget, itinerary, important info, directions... yeah I'm OC like that. But before you think I'm some super control freak, I don't do that for all my trips obviously, but for my upcoming Eurotrip, I'm sure it would be better if I came prepared.

Home Away Holiday Rentals

I've always been passionate about traveling, and part of the excitement is finding that perfect place to stay in and make the holiday perfect. Choosing the right destination and the right accommodation is half the adventure. Good thing there are sites like http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ to make these tasks a bit easier.

Like I mentioned, first you need to know where to go right? Well, perhaps this list can help 10 Places To Go Before You Die, I really should plan a visit to Beijing soon. And if you can't decide on which of those places to visit, then maybe you can check out these Holiday ideas pages as well. I really like this part of the site. Unlike most sites who just tell you where to go, Holiday Rentals has other categories to choose from, from events to theme holidays and sporting holidays it's got you covered. I even found a link for the top Christmas markets in Europe - which made me miss Bratislava for some reason. :) And of course for those of you living in countries still feeling the winter chill, unlike me who's sweating it out in an unusually warm Manila February, you need to check out winter sun holidays, it's just too bad the Philippines isn't on here... we have so many amazing beaches like Boracay, Coron, Caramoan...unspoiled beaches that are truly breathtaking.

OK, so by now you already know where to go or at least you would after browsing the links above, the next step is finding out where to stay, right? Fortunately, this site has got that covered too. And for those who think that hotels are the only way to go, then you'd be surprised at the variety of choices - from apartments, to cottages, beachfront homes, villas and cabins, take your pick! I really think we're very luck to have so many choices available right at our fingertips. So click some links above and plan your next dream holiday!

SEA Odyssey: Hong Han Hotel Review (Vietnam)

This was a great place to stay in Ho Chi Minh! Right off the bat, Anh was quick to reply to all my queries via e-mail, he helped suggest a room for our group of 5. We also requested for an airport pickup since we would be arriving at around 1AM, and the pickup was prompt and Anh was there to greet us with a warm smile, and helped us with our luggage, and into our rooms at the 3rd floor (which was really the 5th floor). There is no elevator and the stairs left us a bit winded, but we eventually got used to it.

We stayed for 3 nights, and booked a triple room and double room. There was ample space, rooms were clean, a/c was cool. Wi-Fi was strong and steady. Water pressure was a bit weak, and the hot water sometimes ran out, but these are minor caveats. Breakfast is also included, baguette, eggs, jam, juice and coffee. Great value for money.

Both receptionists were named Anh, there was the morning Anh (who was a girl), and evening Anh (guy) and they were both very friendly and accommodating to all our questions Great restaurant recommendation from evening Anh (nha hang ngon). The location was great, money changer just around the corner, dining places abound. There was a great 24 hour restaurant just opposite the hotel which provided a vast array of food choices. Area was alive even at night, but our room was quiet.

We also asked them to reserve tickets for the water puppet show, as well as bus tickets going to Phnom Penh, Everything was convenient and hassle free. Anh even sent me an e-mail after we checked out to make sure our trip was still going well, which I really appreciated.

An excellent place to stay at, made even more special with Anh and Anh, will definitely stay again!

SEA Odyssey : Transportation and Hotel Expenses

To help categorize the next few posts as part of my 10 day, 4 country, 5 city tour, I'm prefixing all posts related to it with SEA (South East Asia) Odyssey. In my last post, I shared the schedule and basic itinerary. In this post, I'm sharing the fixed costs which include the airfare, bus trips and hotel rates. Please take note, we did not incur any hotel costs in Singapore because we stayed with relatives and friends, so that cost is not included in the computation below.



So, basically for P16, 258.38 (approximately 400 USD), we were able to visit 5 cities and have a good place to sleep. Variable costs, like food, shopping, souvenirs, entrance fees, tour fees etc. for me totaled to not more than 500 USD (and I did shop quite a lot), so I'm assuming you can make this cheaper if you're not out to shop.

Hope this post was helpful in planning out your budget! Oh, and another note, if you're from the Philippines, or other SEAsian countries, no visas are required. There might be additional costs involved to process visa requirements, so please check that out as well. :)

Ho Chi Minh -> Phnom Penh -> Siem Reap -> Bangkok -> Singapore

My friends and I just came back from a 10 day, 4 country, 5 city tour of South East Asia (which explains my absence from this blog). In the next few days, I'll be putting up a series of posts, from hotel reviews, to things we saw, expenses, our experiences and of course pictures of this amazing and memorable trip. For now. let me share our schedule and itinerary, which might be helpful to those of you who are planning the same type of trip. :)



Our Itinerary:

Conquering Caramoan

What if I told you that to get to Caramoan, Camarines Sur, you had to take a plane ride from Manila to Naga (1 hour), travel by land to Sabang Port for an hour and a half, and then take a boat from Sabang to Guijalo for another 2 hours (more if waves are strong)...would you be interested in going?



Personally, I had my reservations.

Of course, if what lay on the other side of that 4 1/2 hour journey are pristine, white-sand beaches, crystal clear ocean waters,unspoiled nature and breathtaking limestone formations, I'm sure you'll reconsider. And that's not all, Caramoan is known for being the venue of the Survivor series for France and Israel.

We got our tickets for P2,860 each from AirPhil Express. Just a tip, if you're booking for a large group (we were 12), it's best to divide them as the fares get

incrementally expensive the more people you're booking for. I'm assuming it's because there's only a limited number of tickets allotted for cheaper rates. Then, just average the cost among everyone and it will result in an overall cheaper rate per person.

Given the fact that Caramoan is a pretty remote place to go to, and we were traveling as a group. We looked for a place to stay that offered tours, transfers, meals - basically we wanted a hassle free vacation. We lucked out with Residencia de Salvacion, it was a cozy B&B that had enough rooms to accommodate all of us plus they provided the services that what we were looking for. The website itself is informative and tells you everything you want to know about Caramoan. If you e-mail them, they respond promptly and are willing to provide all the information you need even if you're not going to book with them, which is really excellent service right off the bat. Edgar, the owner, was very accommodating to all my questions, arrangements and special requests. We availed the 4D/3N package for P4,500/person, which included all transfers, tours, boat rentals, meals, snacks and even a side trip to Naga.

As soon as we arrived in Naga, we were met by Ate Gina and she accompanied us in the long 3 1/2 journey to Caramoan. She even had snacks and water ready for our group to tide our hunger as we would be arriving way past lunchtime in RDS.



As soon as we got to the house, there was a sumptuous lunch waiting for us with crabs, bicol express. tons of rice and laing. Tired, from our journey, we just opted to visit Gota village (where Survivor is filmed) instead of going island hopping and had a good night's rest.

On the second day we went island hopping, the sun was shining brightly and we enjoyed visiting different islands, swimming and just relaxing. Most of the beaches were really just gorgeous islands that had none of the commercial feel that other more popular beaches are known for. If you're looking for any modern, developed beaches, you won't find it here. We had an amazing lunch with huge crabs by the beach and afterwards went on to more islands.  If you want to find out how it feels to have an entire island to yourself, this is a good place to go to.

On the third day, it was raining but we still opted to go out. We braved the rains and strong winds and were even able to visit 2 islands and have lunch until we finally decided to call it quits and head home because it was too cold. It was like being caught up in a storm at sea! When we got back, the staff at RDS set up the videoke machine and we just spent the rest of the afternoon belting out tunes. Even though it was raining and we couldn't get out, RDS still made sure we wouldn't waste our time.

On our last day, we set off early so we would have time to go around in Naga. RDS also provided us packed lunches for the trip. When we got to Naga, we stopped for souvenirs and also had a quick visit to the Penafrancia church. If we had a later flight, they would have also taken us to CWC before finally dropping us off at the airport.

To sum everything up, Caramoan is not an easy place to get to, and most of the sights are not easily accessible so it could get very tiring. But the beauty of unspoiled beaches and all that nature had to offer is worth the trip. It's also a good thing to return to a place that feels like "home" and where everything is already taken cared of, and this was provided to us by the amazing staff of RDS. So, if you're thinking of heading over to Caramoan, you should really consider staying there. It will make you forget you're in such an isolated place, and you can just focus on relaxing and having fun. Of course, all trips are made even better if you have great people with you, to share all the ups and downs of any vacation. ;)

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** Note: This is a delayed post, we went to Caramoan in Feb 2011, but since I was asked to write an article for a newsletter, I decided to post the same article here. Enjoy!

Packed and Ready to Go!

Oh yeah, finally some R&R time!

I'm off to Singapore with Tere and my two aunts to visit Maitz and Jeng. I've been to Singapore several times already, but I've never really explored the place, so this will be the perfect time to explore and act all touristy as I will be with SG first-timers. :)

Singapore has changed a lot in the last few years, my first visit was  in 2007...and in just 4 years, there's already so much more to see with Universal Studios Singapore and Marina Bay Sands. The rapid development is just amazing!

Better get ready and make sure I don't forget anything, stay tuned for pics and updates!