The Philippine Tourism Office summarized Filipino history as “300 years in a convent and 50 years in Hollywood”. That American history and the close ties to the modern US has instilled a love of burgers in Filipinos as in no other country in Asia. And they are better in Manila than anywhere else in the […]
This is the season to be jolly – and the big hotel chains are all trying to help with hotel deals for the winter and next year. With the holiday season now starting in September (at least in the Philippines) and Black Friday Sales in the US expanding to most of November, there quite a
Howard Johnson’s, lovingly called HoJo’s, is one of the many Wyndham Worldwide hotel brands. It has a rather turbulent history, leaving it with almost 400 hotels in North & Latin America, Europe and Asia, ranging from old roadside motels in the US to upscale, full-service hotels in Asia. That turbulent history makes HoJo’s one of
I recently gave an overview of the Best Western Experience and covered the launch of Best Western’s SureStay “white label brand”. I was much more excited about their announcement to launch two boutique brands for the mid-scale market – and even more so when I found out that they will be coming quickly to Asia as
If you are living in Europe and are looking for a more exotic beach getaway, Bali is a great choice: It’s easy to reach from most major European airports, there is a lot to do, from party-beaches to quiet, romantic beaches and the peaceful forests and rice paddies around Ubud to the many historic temples
I have previously reviewed Tripadvisor, one of my go-to internet sites to find hotel reviews – and I have pointed out its pros and cons. But Tripadvisor has moved beyond its roots and now also provides a meta-search function to find hotel prices from different booking sites around the web. Most recently, it started to
Do you just need to get away from it all? This week’s Deal Dispatch brings you some bargain fares around the world. Delta and their partners will take you from the US to Italy starting from $457 round-trip. And Eurowings, Lufthansa’s budget subsidiary, will fly you to Thailand from EUR169 or the US from EUR179, each
The Novotel Araneta in Manila is a brand-new, upscale Accor Group hotel a little away from the main business and tourist areas. Thanks to another Accor Promotion, I was only two stays away from reaching Accor LeClub Platinum status and its many perks, so we planned a weekend staycation – and were pleasantly surprised what
Allegiant Air, a low-cost carrier in the US, has a history of questionable safety policies and frequent safety incidents, yet the FAA has not taken any action and the carrier maintains an ok 5-out-of 7 safety rating. Yet the Tampa Bay Times published did in-depth research of air safety incidents in the US and came
On my recent trip “Bali on a Budget” I was looking for an affordable hotel under $50/night in Ubud that is a reflection of the town: a small, independent guest house near the center of town, with typical Bali decor, friendly service and modern amenities. Based on online and a site inspection, I picked the
In my introduction to Bali – an island that fulfills many dreams – I pointed out that you can enjoy all that Bali has to offer at any budget. You will find anything from hostels for a few dollars to private pool villas with butlers for hundreds of dollars per night. At any price point,
On my “Bali on a Budget” trip I visited Ubud and Lovina Beach and to stay on budget, I wanted to take the bus to get there! Perama Tours runs a number of scheduled bus routes criss-crossing the island to many of the places visitors might want to go. Read my review to see if