Tag Archives: beach

Malaysia, Travelinds

Kota Kinabalu Islands

2 Comments

28 January 2014

Huddled together off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, the group of five islands, which makes up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, serves as a popular tourist zone for those visiting Sabah’s capital city.  There are hundreds of boat operators to choose from that offer standard or special tours, as well as diving or snorkelling.  It is a wonderful place to go if you need a day at the beach where the only thing to do is enjoy the scenery and breathe in the fresh sea air (once you’ve dodged the busy tourist gatherings).

The five islands – Gaya Island (big), Sulug Island (Sulu people), Manukan Island (fish), Mamutik Island (shell collection) and Sapi Island (mowing buffalo), lie about three kilometers off shore.  The Park was founded in 1974 as a national reserve to protect the marine life in the area.

After reading reviews on TripAdvisor, we decided to visit Manukan and Mamutik on one day trip, with snorkelling.  The islands were pretty much the same in terms of natural scenery except that Mamutik had amazing shells (as it name suggests) and was a lot quieter without the groups of Chinese tourists that thronged the open spaces on Manukan’s beaches and park areas.

Manukan

Manukan Island was our afternoon destination and we spent a lot of time eating lunch in the shade of the trees, sun-tanning and resting.  We saw a lot of monitor lizards here but were feeling too lazy to do the jungle walks where you can explore the rest of the island. There are a few places to eat here but not enough to keep prices competitive. We also saw a couple of people camping here (tents) and barbecuing, which looked like it might be a fun thing to do; especially since most of the tourists go home after 4 pm.  This leaves you ample time to enjoy the sunset and then the sunrise too, without the hoards of foreigners blocking the view.

Mamutik

Mamutik

Mamutik Island was our first stop and we spent the morning here snorkelling, sun-tanning, reading and admiring the birdlife around the island. It was a lot of quieter than Manukan and had good snorkelling around the far end of the beach (furthest from where the pier is) which was less damaged and had a quiet part of the beach to enjoy.  There are also lockers available for a day at the Borneo Divers offices (on the far side of the beach) if you need to lock up your things, for a small fee.

Mamutik

Getting here:

We found a boatman somewhere along the way to the Jessleton Point (just after the market, but before the main piers) who hustled us into buying a trip from him for MYR 100 (for two people, snorkelling equipment, boat trip return).   We then also had to pay a further MYR 10 for a conservation fee when we arrived at the island.  Based on some of the other tour packages we’d looked at this didn’t seem like a bad deal.

A few days afterwards, we did see a flyer somewhere for a package deal, including the above, plus KFC lunch and INCLUDING conservation fee, for only MYR 50 per person.  So I guess we could have saved about MYR 20 plus lunch costs had we found a deal like this earlier.  But it was not too much difference considering our busy schedule.

*Some information was taken from Sabah Parks website.*

Malaysia, Travelinds

Kota Kinabalu

1 Comment

Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

This vibrant city is the largest city in the eastern Malaysian province of Sabah, on Borneo.  As in most other parts of Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu is home to a wide variety of cultural groups, including some special people groups specific to Borneo, like the Rungus. This province includes 33 indigenous groups speaking 50 different languages and up to 80 different ethnic dialects. Talk about an administrative nightmare for local government!

The province of Sabah has a wide range of attractions that make it a very alluring spot for tourists from all over the world. Beaches, islands, reefs, mountains, parks, nature reserves, museums, temples, mosques, markets, hot springs and rainforests – and Kota Kinabalu is the doorway to it all!

Named for its proximity to Mount Kinabalu, the city of Kota Kinabalu lies on the north-western coast of Sabah and boasts the largest port and population in Sabah. Kinabalu means ‘Chinese/China’ (kina), ‘Widow’ (balu), which perhaps explains why the mountain itself is held in such awe by the local inhabitants. It soars above the rest of the landscape, often swathed in a thick layer of white clouds and stands a lofty 4,101 metres above sea level.

With so much to see and not enough time to see it in, Sabah offers tourists a jam-packed holiday filled with endless activities and interesting places. You will need to take some time out to help it all sink in!

Read more about the following attractions in Kota Kinabalu (NOTE: these are just a few of them that we managed to see):

Travelinds also saw these interesting places in Sabah, Malaysia:
Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol Tours

Leave a comment

20 January 2014

While staying at Alona Beach (Panglao Island, Bohol), we booked a snorkel tour and a country tour with one of the local tour agents (the ones who walk around bugging you all the time).  We had priced a few and settled on one that we were happy to support.  Toto gave us a good deal for two days (one day snorkel tour, one day country tour) and agreed to all the little details that we insisted were deal-breakers (we needed snorkel equipment, guaranteed air-conditioned van, only two of us on our boat and in the van etc)

The tours were great fun and helped us to see a good deal of Bohol’s attractions that we may not have got to had we tried to wander around on our own.

The standard tour choices available all over Bohol are:

  • Country Tour:
    • Choose all or some: Zip-line, Tarsiers, Chocolate hills, Butterfly farm, Lunch River Cruise Loboc, Baclayon church, Blood Compact statue, Zoo and a few other little stops.

Toto was true to his word (but only because we insisted that he sort things out before we got on the boat – like there was no snorkel equipment?) and overall, we had a very enjoyable two days. The driver on our country tour was Toto’s cousin/friend and he was a wonderful tour guide and great conversationalist.  He was so professional and that made all the difference to us getting the most out of the day.

The total cost for both days (for two people, excluding lunches) was 2,000 pesos (about $45 US) but don’t let that stop you from bargaining with the vendor.  You will also have to pay extras for all the entrance fees during the country tour and buy lunches (ask about the cost of the attractions before you decide on which ones you would like to do).  To be honest, the “extras” didn’t come to that much either.

If you only have a couple days in Bohol, I highly recommend that you do these two tours, especially if seeing the main attractions on the island is one of your priorities.

Philippines, Travelinds

Tawala Beach

Leave a comment

19 January 2014

Tawala beach is one of the quieter beaches on Panglao Island, Bohol.  It is right next to the main beach, Alona, which is where the majority of tourists gather to enjoy the long white beach, restaurants, tour departure points and a large variety of accommodation. We chose to stay at a quieter location for our first week in Bohol, as we prefer peace and quiet to the buzz of the central tourist spots.

Tawala BeachThe lodge we booked was called Nova Beach Resort (Nova Beach Club) and it is situated on Tawala beach.  As H was sick with flu for a few days, it was the perfect place to relax, swim, read and sleep. There are hammocks overlooking the ocean, a deserted sandy beach, plenty of comfortable couch space with a view and air-conditioned rooms for muggy nights.  We slept, ate and relaxed here (and recovered from flu) and by the end of the week were feeling more than ready to take on our forthcoming five week travelling vacation.

We stayed in the basic rooms at the back of the lodge (small room, two single beds, simple furnishing, en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning) and were very comfortable.  There are also deluxe rooms and villas available.  It would be a great place for honeymooners to enjoy some time to themselves.

There are dive tours available (just ask at the front desk) and we read reviews that when there are large groups of divers or Japanese tourists (the owner is Japanese), it can sometimes get a bit rowdy at the resort.  Our own experience, however, was of a tranquil atmosphere and we had plenty of time and space to ourselves for the week.

tumblr_inline_n4l3skCJBa1rg4d7lIf you want a night out or a change of scenery, you can get to Alona beach by tuk-tuk, motorbike, the shuttle van or even walking (if you’re fit and don’t mind sweating A LOT). These charged anywhere between 40 pesos and 300 pesos depending on your bargaining skills. When we changed hotels at the end of the week, we took our bags (we usually only travel with hand luggage) and each hopped on to the back of a motorbike – it was cheaper, and faster than taking the trike.

There is no entertainment on this stretch of beach so don’t expect any restaurants, tours or boats.  The advantage is that it is also free of tourists, pesky tour agents, vendors and noisy speedboats.  It is a beautiful big bay where you can swim and snorkel, before retreating into the shade of one of the low hanging trees on the beach.  Then take an afternoon nap on one of the hammocks or couches with a view before tucking in to a scrumptious dinner in the airy dining room.  The swimming pool area also has a few sun-loungers and private massage booths too.

We hope to return to Nova Beach Resort some day soon! It felt like our own stretch of private beach on a paradise island.

Check out reviews on TripAdvisor and make a booking on Agoda.com

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Alona Beach

Leave a comment

18 January 2014

Alona Beach is a lively stretch of white sand located on Panglao Island, Bohol. There are a large variety of hotels, lodges and dive centres, restaurants, tours and vendors available in this area.  It is a central tourist point for Bohol visitors and as such, there are a great number of tour agents looking for give you the deal of a lifetime.

Roberto's Resort
Roberto’s Resort

We spent one week here (after first exploring a quieter beach, Tawala) and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  The busy beach lane matched the boat traffic in the bay, but there was always a decent spot to sunbathe and to swim. There are quite a few nice restaurants too, which meant that we could enjoy a bit of variety in our chosen meals.

Not having booked any hotels, we went to search for somewhere for one night before deciding on a place for the rest of the week.  We booked into a very cute little roadside lodge called Roberto’s Resort (a good kilometer’s walk from the beach), and the next day then moved into Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s) Hotel, which was right on the beach.

Roberto’s was a great find with charming staff and large clean rooms, although it was a little too far from the beach for us with R having a bad ankle.

Alona Beach Sunrise
Sunrise, right outside our room at Playa Blanca Birdwatcher’s Hotel

Had we been in perfect health, we may have stayed at Roberto’s for the whole week and enjoyed a walk down to the beach everyday.

 

Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s Hotel) gave us a good rate for five nights and it was right on the beach.  It is just a couple of rooms and villas located a few metres off the White Beach and owned by the same Australians that run the pub-restaurant next door to the lodge.  We took the room in the building right behind the bar (Room 2?) and were a little concerned that it might be too noisy at night.  We found, however, that the loud music from the bar carries out to sea rather than finding its way to the back of the bar and so the building insulates the sounds rather well.

Our recommended restaurants for the week were: Aquatica, Trudi’s and Alona Pizza/Burger.  Trudi’s breakfasts were especially delicious.  There are so many other restaurants too that we didn’t have time to try (especially the seafood speciality ones).

Getting here: 

  • After travelling from Cebu to Bohol, take a taxi or trike from the Tagbiliran Harbour.
  • Our trike ride from the Tagbiliran Harbour cost 300 pesos and took approximately 45 minutes to Alona, over an hour to Nova Beach Club.
  • To and from Tawala Beach (where Nova Beach Club is located), a motorbike costs about 50 pesos (1 passenger)

Read more about Snorkel Tour, Country Tour, Tarsiers and Tawala Beach.

Breakfast
Our daily breakfasts at Trudi’s were a definite highlight at Alona beach.

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Panagsama to Kasai

Leave a comment

27 December 2013

Feeling adventurous, we took a walk one afternoon from Panagsama towards the Kasai Resort pier. We wanted to explore the coastline and possibly get to White Beach (although, we were totally oblivious to how far along the coastline White Beach actually is and the fact that it is not accessible except by the inland road).

We set off along the rugged coastline climbing over quite a few ‘private’ walls and jetties which separate each property from the next. The rocks were jagged and slippery and the rising tide was steadily making our chosen path impossible.  We pushed ahead, over coconut dumps, a sewerage river, sharp rocks, half-built walls, private property and scratchy plants and finally, as we reached the Kasai resort pier, were unable to go any further. This was after climbing up and down rock faces and sliding on our bottoms in certain places.

Along the way we’d seen half-broken bamboo huts, a couple of goats, some naked children cliff jumping into the ocean, a kingfisher and a lot of crabs and cowrie shells!

Disappointed that we were still nowhere near White Beach and unable to go back the way we came due to the tide (and lack of motivation to repeat the rigmorol in the ensuing rain) we headed back to Panagsama on the inland road from the resort. It must have been at least a two kilometre walk back to Panagsama (in the lightish rain), which took us through lazy villages and groups of local children playing in the streets.  The rain was a welcome change in temperature and it was great to get a taste of local life for an afternoon.

We never did walk to White Beach. Moalboal 1, Travelinds 0.

Funny moment:

A couple of children followed us for a while down the road asking us all the questions in their limited English vocabulary. Questions like “What’s your name?”, “Where are you from?”, “What’s your bride’s name?” etc

We’d noticed that this friendliness is present in all Filipinos we pass on the roads, but especially the toddlers who wave energetically and call out greetings as tourists pass by. We were busy discussing whether this is ‘just being friendly’ or if they ‘wanted something’ in return when one tiny mite piped up behind us, “Ok, give me money,please” at which all the others took up the mantra in turn to bring their point home.

(Unfortunately for them though, we don’t carry much money with us if we can possibly help it – safety first!)

Moalboal 0. Travelinds 1.
South Africa, Travelinds

Port Elizabeth – I <3 South Africa

Leave a comment

Destination: Port Elizabeth,

Eastern Cape, South Africa

Port-Elizabeth

Description:

Port Elizabeth is the fifth largest city in South Africa and is situated on the east coast.  A main city in the Eastern Cape Province, it has a large harbour, beautiful beaches, a developed infrastructure and a good local university.

Tourist must-sees:

This area is a great draw-card for tourists with everything from white sandy beaches to a mixed bag of friendly locals, to the sprawling National Addo Elephant Park only 40 minutes out of the city.

Some top recommendations from me include:

  • King’s beach and the Boardwalk shopping complex
  • Schoenmakerskop – village and seaside experience
  • Bluewater Bay area – beach days, picnic and children’s activities
  • Sunday’s River – ferry, estuary and holiday resorts.
  • National Addo Elephant Reserve – with “Big 5” and easy driving. It includes whale and dolphin sightings on the coastal reserve side.
  • Van Staden’s Wild Flower reserve – hiking, picnicking, bird-watching

My favourite place:

This is, by far, Sardinia Bay – a magnificent white beach with impressive sand dunes, rough coastline and endless rock pools to explore further down the beach. Great for any time of the day, early morning runs, picnics, beach days or romantic evening strolls.

Day Trips:

From Port Elizabeth, a day trip to the following destinations is a breeze: Port Alfred, Addo Elephant Park, St Francis Bay, Bathurst, Grahamstown, Kenton-on-Sea and Plettenberg Bay.

Don’t forget to do the absolutely beautiful drive along the coastline to the north of East London.  Grab a picnic lunch and beach gear and explore the coastline to find the hidden treasures of Glen Gariff, Haga-Haga and Morgan’s Bay too!

Fun facts:

Nicknames: The Friendly City, The Windy City, Algoa Bay, P.E., The Bay,

Title: Port Elizabeth was not named after Queen Elizabeth as often assumed, but after the late wife of its founder, Sir Richard Donkin.

Check out more posts about South Africa here >> *I <3 South Africa*

Philippines, Travelinds

Chilling in Panagsama, Moalboal

Leave a comment

26 December 2013

There was a welcome break for one week over New Year’s, so we jetted off to Cebu for the week on a $200 return flight (Air Asia X) direct from Incheon International Airport to Mactan International Airport.

A three hour air-conditioned taxi ride later (at 2000 pesos, shared between four tourists we managed to round up) we arrived at Panagsama, Moalboal.  On the way back we took the local bus back to the Cebu City South Bus Terminal (open windows, less than 200 pesos, 4 hours) and enjoyed it much more than the crazy taxi driving. And then took a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport (220 pesos).

Sumisid lodge was everything we had hoped for and was well worth the trip.  With clean rooms and cosy facilities, it is a lovely little place with its own strip of beach sand and snorkelling spots right off the shore.  There are tables, chairs, sofas and beach loungers available and the adjacent dive center offers alternative activites, as well as motorbike hire options.  The breakfast options at Sumisid Lodge were great and the american breakfast (with REAL, crispy bacon) was our main preference for the week.

As this was a week between the end of semester and English Winter Camps, we literally did nothing for the entire six days. Two novels, a nice tan, plenty of delicious food and a lot of sleep left us feeling completely refreshed and ready to head back to work the next week.

We did take a walk along the coastline from Panagsama towards White Beach, but could only get as far as the Kasai Resort (read more here).  We didn’t do the trip to the nearby waterfall, or snorkel, or do any other ‘day trips’ that can be done to other parts of Cebu. We did take a short motorbike trip one morning to see White Beach, but after seeing our accomodation options (New Year’s week is quite full so not much was available), we quickly retreated back to Panagsama to lounge around at Sumisid lodge. Next time!

Panagsama strip is a great place for restaurant choice too and top three were:

1. Czech In (European cooking, fine-dining, high price) – try “fish of the day” and the tuna steak. The desserts were really delicious too!

2. The Pleasure Principle Resto (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – great for lunches and excellent mango shakes!

3. Chilli Bar (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – don’t miss out on sunset drinks and dinner to look over the bay at the turtles popping up all around.

Panagsama really impressed us with its chilled out vibe, friendly locals,reasonably priced restaurants and lodges and the many options to either relax or do a range of different activities.  We definitely hope to be back there soon!

South Africa, Travelinds

East London – I <3 South Africa

Leave a comment

Destination: East London,

Eastern Cape, South Africa

routes.co.za
Source: www.routes.co.za

Description:

East London is a lovely coastal city in the wilder parts of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.  It has a small harbour, really beautiful beaches, sought-after schools and maintains a relaxed small-town vibe.  It even has two shopping malls – Vincent Park and Hemingways Mall.

My favourite place:

This has to be a toss up between two classic Slummies landmarks – the rugged expanse of the sandy Nahoon Beach and a famous drive in cafe called The Windmill, with THE best milkshakes (in the world?), ice-creams and toasted sandwiches.

Tourist Spots:

Best Beaches: Nahoon beach, Gonubie Beach, Cintsa

Best Restaurants: Two Dogs (Beacon Bay), Le Petit (Nahoon), Cafe Neo (beachfront), Fish River Sun (highway), Lavender Blue (Beacon Bay), The Heavenly Pancake House (Gonubie).

Tourist Spots: There are also so many private game reserves on the coastal road from East London to Port Elizabeth and the famous Nanaga Farm Stall where you can find a plethora of curios, as well as fresh and delicious South African snacks like biltong, nuts, chocolate treats and dried fruit.

Accommodation: We’d also like to recommend a stay at the Seaforth Guest House, a quaint bed and breakfast right near the beach in Gonubie – they also offer an on-site beauty salon. Bonus!

Day Trips:

From East London, a day trip to the following destinations is a breeze: Hogsback, Cintsa beaches, Port Alfred, Bathurst, Grahamstown and Trennery’s Hotel.

Don’t forget to do the absolutely beautiful drive along the coastline to the north of East London.  Grab a picnic lunch and beach gear and explore the coastline to find the hidden treasures of Glen Gariff, Haga-Haga and Morgan’s Bay too!

Fun facts:

Nicknames: The Slum, Slondon, Slummies

Rugby team: Border Bulldogs

Check out more posts about South Africa here >> *I <3 South Africa*

Philippines, Travelinds

Turtle Point and Virgin Island

2 Comments

22 January 2014

Balicasag Island

Part of our snorkel tour included a couple of hours at Balicasag Island (off the coast of Bohol).  We started out with snorkelling and then headed on to the deserted stretch of beach in front of the island lodge to wile away a few hours of sunshine.

Balicasag Island has a tiny local population most of whom thrive off the tourism to the island by selling trinkets and running the small local food stalls where tourists can grab a bite to eat.  There is also a lodge on the island which looked quite peaceful. It is a very small island and you could walk around it in under an hour. There are shallow reefs right off the beach which means you have to take a boat out to the drop-off to be able to snorkel.

This is, of course, another money grabbing scheme (not only to ‘protect the reefs’) because you need to pay a local boy to take you out to the spot on his tiny boat.  He supervises you and then returns you to the shore where you can go back to your original speedboat.  We had to pay the boatman to take us out to turtle point (he rows) in this TINY two man boat (three of us) against a very strong current. Interesting, and fun.  And we were happy to be supporting his monumental efforts at transporting at least 160kgs of us to the Turtle Point.  It didn’t look that far, but it took a long time to row out there.

The snorkelling choices here were one of three places (we could do more than one if we paid an additional fee per snorkel spot). We chose to go to “Turtle Point” as it seemed the least likely spot to be filled with boatloads of tourists. As we had hoped, we were the only ones snorkelling there, probably due to the very strong currents that abound off that particular point.  H held on to the boat for a while to try and stay in one place longer to admire the underwater beauty and R managed to read the currents a little better.

The main thing is that we actually swam with turtles, H for the first time, and we saw at least 15 turtles altogether.  It was super exciting! Turtles are really the most graceful creatures and despite looking like slow-pokes, it was impossible to keep up with them. It was an amazing experience!

Virgin Island

Virgin Island

The next stop on the island hopping tour was Virgin Island (it’s nickname only) and this was truly one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen.  White sand and the bluest water colour of any bay I’ve seen around the world – it is so difficult to describe that clear-sparkling-blue-cobalt-turquoise-perfection!

The island has no shade whatsoever, so take suncream, hats and sarongs to cover yourself.  You can walk across a shallow sandbank to a mini island with a few mangrove trees.  Be careful, the sun is hot and the walk is way longer than it looks! Dodge the sea urchins and marvel at the beautiful pansy shells and starfish that lie strewn across this stretch of sand.

It was the perfect place to end the day with an afternoon snack of bananas and bread rolls our well-deserved reward for reaching the other side of the sandbank. Stunning!

Thailand, Travelinds

Patong Beach, Thailand

Leave a comment

24 September 2013

For our last night in Thailand we decided to go and see the famous Patong beach area.  We stayed in Kata to avoid the crowds so, to get there, we took a 20 minute taxi, through Karon, up to Patong.

As expected, Patong was just crazy from the first moment.  As we entered the Patong area, our taxi had to screech to a halt to wait for two elephants to cross the road! Yes, you read it right, two live elephants carrying tourists back from their day trips!

As we drove down the road, a little further, we passed a Cabaret show (with ladyboys (very convincing transvestites) of course.  Then, as we rounded the corner to the beachfront, we were suddenly at a standstill in congested traffic which, continued all the way around the beach ring road.  We hopped out and headed into the crowds to see what we could find.

The first fantastic discovery was a bargain clothing wholesaler where everything was about a third of the price of any other store we saw in Phuket.  Had we known this at the time, we would have bought a whole lot more!  But we did manage to pick up a few things.

We headed over to the beach to see the last of the daylight disappear but not before we had watched a paragliding company giving rides (of 5-10 minutes) to a large handful of tourists.  Everytime the parachute returned to the beach, the two handlers managed to unclip the person, reset the harness, secure the next person and then push off for another run; all in only 10-20 seconds! Absolutely unbelievable! The one handler also tags along for the ride so that he can guide the parachute in the right direction.  He is not even strapped in.  He jumps up, swings himself up into the ropes and then hangs on during the ride.

Getting hungry, we ventured back onto the opposite side of the street to search for a restaurant.  Distracted by a few more clothing stalls and became more expert by the minute at palming off aggresive salesman.  We eventually hit the main party district in Patong.  Lights, noise, sex and booze everywhere.

Picture the madness. Salesman everywhere pushing their wares into your face.  Lights flashing and music blaring from the hundreds of bars on the strip.  Advertisements and flyers everywhere about ping-pong shows which are not really about ping-pong at all. Ladyboys enticing you into the bars, clubs, cabarets and other forms of entertainment that can be found in this place. “Make you a suit sir?”, “Like iguanas, here take photo – and give me 100baht”, “Come, bar good ladies”, “Happy hour here, best price, come come”…

An eye-opening experience to say the least. The exhausted travellers retreated back to the quiet hotel in Kata a couple of hours later. As a last farewell, we chose a taxi with our own flashing lights and disco music to take us back home.  Awesome!  I think this may just have been the highlight of my evening.  Wind blowing through my hair, lights flashing, music pumping and four of us bopping as we sang the few lyrics we knew of the dance music all the way back to Kata.

Patong, you are forever seared into my brain with your colourful lights and your craziness!