Just a few weeks ago me and my sister were planning to do an out of town trip to celebrate the wedding anniversary of our Dad and Mom...Having two oldies plus two toddlers coming along is quite a hassle, because the older ones would not enjoy long drives, long walks and tiring trips while the younger ones has all the energy and excitement to run and roll over from time to time and that for sure is a bit uncomfortable for me, because I don't have a nanny who'll run after the two kids.
So i was thinking of some place just a few kilometers away from Batangas where we can drive back home in no time. A place which is close to nature because the oldies would definitely love the fresh air and of course we like to try a new dining experience with good food and a unique trip that the whole family of all ages will enjoy. Until i came across this buying site and saw Laguna getaway deals. There's nothing really impressive with the offer except that the price per person is within the budget! But thinking that it was just in Laguna which is an hour drive from our place and the thought that it was a lake (so there is fresh air) plus green water "rafting" sounds very new to me, i grabbed the deal right away and called the merchant that same day for reservation.
The welcoming view at Lake Pandin
For a long day with full activities, a full dinner is a must! And it was said that your tour in Palawan wouldn't be complete if you haven't visited "Ka Lui". Kalui is the most famous restaurant in Puerto Princesa made of native wooden house. Everything on the menu are seafoods and vegetables which includes sashimi, tempura, shellfish soup, sinigang, baked mussel and many more. BUT in our case we were unlucky! Because by the time we went there, it was fully booked. According to them we should've made reservations before coming in because this place is always full of guests everyday! So for those who want to experience Ka Lui while in Palawan, make reservations ahead of time. You can ask your hotel to book a dinner or lunch for you at Ka Lui, and they will be more than willing to assist you.
On our 3rd day at Puerto Princesa we had our Honda Bay Island Hopping. From our hotel we ride a van together with a tour guide and they took us to the jump-off point which is located at Barangay Sta. Lourdes Tagbanua about 12 kilometers east of the town proper where pump boats could be hired to reach the different islands.
The highlight our anniversary-valentine tour in Puerto Princesa Palawan is the Underground River and Subterranean Park. If you happened to read my previous blog, i have mentioned it there that the Underground River tour is included in our vouchers which i acquired at Metrodeal. A local travel agency in Puerto Princesa handled our trip and it was a breeze. We were picked up at the hotel lobby just in time and we got some other companions from different hotels. Everything was just smooth, our permits for the subterranean river adventure were all secured by our tour guide upon reaching Sabang. Lunch and other environmental fees, transportations and boat rides were all included as part of our package. So we just sit back, relax and enjoyed the breathtaking offers of our long trip going to and from our destination.
We were actually booked from 3 different hotels by Ensemble E-travel, but confirmations are hard because of the volume of tourists who are visiting Puerto Princesa that time, [according to them]. So, from Asturias Hotel, to Fleuris and then to The Legend Palawan, finally we got a room for 2 nights plus 1 night FREE! I really don't know why they booked another night for us, anyhooo i thank God for it.
Our trip was scheduled in celebration of our 6th wedding anniversary. The goal of the trip was to visit as many places as possible and to relax and enjoy our much deserved annual vacation as a couple. This was supposedly for the 28th of January on the occasion of our anniversary but due to some problems with the hotel reservations, it was moved to February which i find better because of the "Love Month" fever! Lol!
I thank God for the wonderful 6 years of marriage that we had and for such blessing that we were able to explore this lovely place "together" celebrating 2 special occasions at a time. Being apart most of the time due to some work related issues is hard but making up for it as long as we have the chance especially when we are together is one thing that makes us stronger as a couple. And I thank God above for all the favors we got to enjoy this trip! ♥
Valentine's Day is one occasion that I always look forward to, most especially if the husband is on home vacation. For me, it is an exclusive couple event that we seldom celebrate together because of his work schedules. And this year he had a favourable vacation to celebrate Valentines Day with me, so we booked a trip to Palawan!
After experiencing the Peak Tram, we took the MTR from Central Terminal and we arrived at Tungchung Station past 1pm. From there we purchased our tickets for the Ngongping 360 Cable Car ride. The queue was long, and we waited for like more than an hour. Yes, it was!
Without planning for our itinerary, and doing some research on how to get here and there in Hongkong, we ended up being riffed-off by a cab from our hotel to The Peak Tram Station. If I only knew that it was just near Central Terminal, we should've taken the MTR from Tsuen Wan Station where our hotel is located. Anyway, that's a different story.
Visiting the Asia's World City in 72 hours including travel time is not bad. In fact, Hongkong is one place that I wanted to visit not just once but as many times as possible. So if i'm not able to dig in a lot of destinations here, there's next time! There can be a lot of things and places to discover in this city apart from the usual tour packages offered. As a couple travelling without kids, theme parks is not an option at all, because I really do have plans of booking another trip for our kids. Our trip to Hongkong made it up for the holidays since my husband will not be around in Christmas time for work and its nice to have an intimate and quality time with him alone.
Our Hongkong trip was a quick and a not-so-well-planned one. I acquired the air tickets out of my impulsiveness and also because we were confident to travel with another couple who ended up not joining because of an urgent and unexpected matter. When I heard the excuse, I was actually having second thoughts if we will still pursue the trip. But then, after thinking a hundred times, I told myself, "Sayang ang plane ticket! Tara lets go!" My husband and I decided to pursue the trip and I booked our hotel 3 days before our departure.
I always do a lot of research, reviews and blog reads before finalizing a hotel but Panda Hotel is an exemption. Why? Because I booked it through a travel agency and I was too busy to do searches because I wasn't really sure if we're going and I was cramming 3 days before our flight due to a lot of to-do list. So I relied on my travel manager's advise and there we go.
Hello Panda!
