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All About Siargao

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While living in Asia I constantly find myself in search of somewhere new to travel to. Living in the US I didn’t have the luxury of hopping on an airplane and within 2-7 hours I was surrounded by a completely different culture, people, food, and all sorts of unfamiliarities. Instead, I saved, and waited all year to travel for a period of 3-4 weeks to seek new and exciting places and it still took me around 24-30 hours to get to.

Now I feel sooo lucky to not only have the means to travel, and to visit places within such a short reach! Last week I had the great pleasure of finally visiting the island of Siargao (say it with me Shure-a-gao). Apparently, I had been pronouncing it wrong for years, and to be quite honest I still don’t know if I’m getting it right! Pronunciation police step aside! This tear drop shaped island is located on the most western side of the Philippines. The island is known for its wetlands, mangroves, surfing, and off shore coral reefs.

Siargao Island
Where is Siargao Island?

When To Go?

I had my doubts about visiting here in the month of July. SEA tends to be very wet in the months of July, August, and September. But as we to found out one of the directors at Nay Palad Hideaway said that April and August were their driest months, and that due to the location of the island it didn’t see the type of weather the rest of the Philippines does. But as with any island in SEA it’s best to keep in mind that you should experience some rain on your getaway. Don’t worry though, the rain usually passes, and it’s just as beautiful when it rains!!

On Siargao; January is their wettest month of the year. The low season is November- January and into February is considered low season because it experiences the most amount of rain fall.

How To Get There?

This is the toughest part. Since there are so few flights from destinations to get here finding flights to fit your needs may be tough. The main hubs that they receive flights from are Cebu (1 Hour flight away), and Manila (2 hour flight away). I was able to pull an arrival directory of flights that come to Siargao. I’m not sure how accurate this information is, but it gives you a good idea of the schedule that arrives here on most days.

Siargao Flight Arrivals
IAO Flight Arrivals August 2019

Two airlines fly to Siargao for now; Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. If you’re coming from far away it’s probably best to fly into Manila, or Cebu first; then purchase a separate flight to the island via these two airlines. Prices can vary greatly doing this and can save you hundreds to thousands of dollars rather than buying your ticket directly there. Just give yourself at least 4 hours between flights.

Where To Stay?

Like I said I’ve been wanting to travel to Siargao for some time now. Years ago when I was first researching there weren’t many places to stay. The most desirable place to stay was Nay Palad Hideaway, however, aside from the ultra luxury resort, the rest of Siargao was greatly lacking. Fast forward, things have changed! There is more of a range of options, although you still won’t find your hiltons, Hyatts, shangri-las (thank god actually, because you know that the island is no longer a hidden gem), there are plenty of nicer boutique resorts and villas to choose from. It’s also growing. There were construction sites everywhere.

We had the pleasure of checking out two options; a small boutique resort called Bulan Villas Siargao, which had just opened 3 months prior to our arrival. The second place was the islands coveted, ultra luxury; Nay Palad Hideaway. Both were amazing in their own respect, and we got to see so much of Siargao this way.

Bulan Villas Siargao – is a newly opened eco friendly villa hotel located in the heart of General Luna almost across from the ever popular Mama’s Grill. It’s set right along the main road. The Property consists of 6 villas with a private bathroom, air con, and wrap around balcony. The property also has several more economic rooms private rooms, but these rooms share a main bathroom facility. (Rooms $40-120 USD)

Bulan Villas

Nay Palad Hideaway– is one of a kind in Siargao, boasting barefoot luxury and sans wallet kind of place. This all inclusive resort is really all inclusive! From food, to drinks, to snacks, spa treatments and activities; everything is tailored and curated to your specific needs. (Rates begin at $630 USD Per person/night)

Nay Palad Hideaway

What To Do?

Siargao has a lot to offer and so much to see on and off the island. Since I was only there for 5 days I barely scratched the surface. Here’s a list of the top highlights and things to do in Siargao:

  • Three Island Hopping Tour– (Click Here to learn how to book a tour!)
  • Surfing at Cloud 9 Beach
  • Have a smoothie Bowl at Shaka Cafe, breakfast of champions!
  • Surf Watching at Cloud 9 Peir– (Click Here my surfing video.)
  • Visit Magpungko Rock Pools
  • SUP at the mangroves labyrinth– (Visit the Instagram @sup_siargao for tours, the owner is super friendly!)
  • Watch the sunset at Isla Cabana Resort– (300PHP min. per table good towards food and drinks)
  • Sugba Lagoon
  • White Banana Beach Club– (Chill out to the music vibes here)
  • Sohoton Cove– (Visit Journey Era blog post about how to get here and many more awesome things to do in Siargao!)

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Japan To Debut A Hello Kitty Bullet Train

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Hello Kitty— either you love it, hate it. But you can’t deny that there is some nostalgia and cuteness to this much loved character. Japan totally embraces this character and is incorporated into many places around the country. Including, popular airline Eva Airways has some routes with Hello Kitty themed planes. Whoa! However, this summer, Japans transport industry will make history by debuting Hello Kitty Bullet trains, and we can hardly contain our excitement!!

Japan is widely known for super fast bullet trains and this month, Hello Kitty themed bullet trains will commence. Many people love this mouth-less character, so it is no wonder therefore that the Hello Kitty Bullet Trains are gathering so many expectations from the enthusiast of the character. And from what has been said about the Hello Kitty Trains, they have got everything to wow their passengers.

The Hello Kitty Trains as a Smart Move

The Hello Kitty Trains will be launched on June 30 as made known by West Japan Railway Co. Ltd. This train is in all colors and arts of the Hello Kitty character. The color around these trains will be all pinky and the bow design particular to the Hello Kitty loveable character. These trains are old trains which have went through a redesigning and restructuring process before the launch.  These trains will be taken from the fleet of Shinkansen’s 500 series fast trains. This is quite a smart move of restructuring the country’s train sector as it even seeks to connect travelers in an ambience that is adorable, pleasing and attractive. Another goal of these trains are to bring tourism attention to Japan’s west communities.

Destinations of the Trains

The destinations of the Hello Kitty Trains will be pretty much around the west communities of Japan. The Shinkansen, a 500 series, will run from the Shin-Osaka station to Hakata Station, which is the main station of Fukuoka City.

The Cafe, Hello! Plaza, and Kawaii! Room

An inside look to the Hello Kitty themed bullet trains that will debut in Japan. Meow!

The Hello Kitty trains’ café opened for advanced booking on June 1. This cafe is a very lovely twist and amenity to have aboard the Hello Kitty trains. A unique factor while inside the cafe on board when approaching a stop passengers will here a Hello Kitty theme song, instead of a normal train jingle. How freaking cool is that?!?!

Inside  Car 1 and 2 of the Hello Kitty trains are the most unique. The Car 1 is called Hello! Plaza. Inside this Car 1, there will be an exhibition showing an array of products of all the prefectures. The Car will be an exhibition center for both Hello Kitty trains. This is where you can get souvenirs of the Japan’s west communities, as well as, experience a photo booth session with the iconic Hello Kitty doll itself.

Car 2 on the other hand is called Kawaii! Room. The Kawaii! Room is really just a passenger car with Hello Kitty touches and pastel pink.

I’m not a Hello Kitty enthusiast per say. But! You better believe I will be wanting a ticket on one of these trains the next time I visit Japan! Meow! xx

 

Experience Grand Hyatt Kauai

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Recently I had the pleasure of staying at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Kauai, and let me just say it was beyond my expectations. When planning travel I look at a few things; location, surroundings, cost, and of course the property itself.

When looking at Kauai its almost broken up into three different sections, north, east, and south side. A lot of the west side is not accessible nor are there many places to stay. I narrowed our options to the north and south, west seemed too busy for what we wanted out of this particular trip. We were going to choose the St. Regis Kauai on the north side, but after some research we decided on staying south in hopes for better weather being we were visiting end of November onto December. Not sure if it actually made any difference, but I wouldn’t have changed it! So Grand Kyatt Kauai Resort and Spa it was. We even booked with our American Express Platinum card through Amex Travel to utilize the Fine Hotels and Resorts Perks. *(more on that later)

One of my favorite parts of this partials property is how lush and green it is!!! Okay, now I know what you’re thinking it’s not called the ‘Garden Island’ for nothing! Regardless, the property is incredible! Check out the minute long video below over the Grand Hyatt Kauai.