We had planned a getaway to the island of Samal of the coast of Davao. Our flight from Manila arrived after the last boat and we chose the Park Inn as our home for the night in Davao! As the closest hotel to the boat pier and with a big SM Mall and plenty of […]
Park Inn is the midscale, full-service brand of the Carlson Rezidor group. While I had heard about them before, I stayed with them because of their participation in the Club Carlson rewards program – and I liked it! Read on why I did and why you you should check them out!
Lake Batur is one of those places on Bali where tourist masses and blissful silence are just minutes apart from each other – if you just know where to look! We combined it with a visit of Pura Besakih and Goa Gajah, as do many tours advertised in Ubud and South Bali, yet we were
The Intercontinental Group of Hotels has been one of my go-to rewards and hotel programs and I have stayed at countless of their hotels all around the world – and InterContinental is their top brand of luxury hotels and name-giver. It’s worth to take a closer look at this hotel brand!
If you are staying in Ubud overnight and have any cultural interests, you should add a dance performance do your evening schedule. It will make for a nice evening out and will provide some insights into Balinese history and culture. There are very different dance forms available, the “made for tourists” performances vary in quality
If you are staying in Ubud or visiting it on a day trip, you should add Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, to your itinerary – it’s an unusual site and only 5 km from town, so you can easily fit it into your schedule! And it’s in a very pleasant setting, so you can have
In my post the Top 5 Travel Gadgets I pointed out that the single most important gadget to bring on your travels is a smartphone – and to make it work, you need to have the best travel apps with you! Check out the best apps to book and organize your trip, to find your
The return flight from my Cape Town to Victoria Falls adventure required an overnight stay in Johannesburg. Having visited Johannesburg previously and with less than 12 hours to spare, I wanted to stay close to the airport and opted for the InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport. It was a luxurious layover and one of the
I have reviewed a few temples to visit on Bali. The biggest, most popular and most important from a religious perspective, is Pura Besakih. It’s located on the side of Mount Agun, the highest peak and volcano on Bali. It’s also the most touristy one, with all the good and bad that comes with it!
On our trip to Bali, we had kept the last few nights open and not booked a hotel. We were hoping to find a nice hotel near Ubud, with views of the rice paddies, maybe an outdoor shower or some of the other upscale, unique touches available at Bali hotels without the price tags you’d
One of our favorite places in Ubud to have a drink or meal (and the only place we went to more than once) is Karsa Kafe. A small place, serving basic food and drinks in the most beautiful place you can imagine: It’s situated on the edge of rice fields and forest with a perfect
If you want to see what makes Ubud so special, you should go take a hike. Seriously, you should get out of the busy downtown full of tourists and go on a walk through the forest and rice fields all around Ubud. It’s easy to do and there are plenty of choices. One of our