I Wander

Travel, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews

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Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay – New No Frills Option by the Singapore River

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The Intercontinental Hotels Group continues to expand in Singapore – opening its sixth Singapore hotel through the new Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay. This is the second “no frills” property of the group, after the successful Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road which opened around a year ago.

holiday inn express singapore clarke quay lobbyfuturistic-looking lobby of holiday inn express singapore clarke quay

The hotel hosted me for a staycation less than two weeks after it opened its doors. Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay is located around a block or two from the Singapore River, a stone’s throw away from the clubs and dining options at Clarke Quay. This makes the hotel a great location for those planning a late night out on the town.

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Prague – How I Did It For Less Than $25 a Day

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Europe as a whole can be a shock to those expecting to travel around the continent on a shoestring, especially for first timers. Alongside the cobblestone streets and charming baroque buildings, restaurant meals and hotel rooms can burn a hole in your pocket. A very big one at that.

So I found myself in Prague in the Czech Republic towards the tail-end of a two and a half week trip around Central Europe last year. Contrary to what I expected, I managed to get by doing the things I wanted without spending a lot. In fact, I was able to get by with slightly less than US$25 a day. Here is how I did it.

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Alternative Weekend Getaways From Singapore

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With over 140 direct air routes out of Changi Airport and land routes to Malaysia and Thailand, Singapore is a weekend traveler’s dream. Many destinations nearby have now become staples for weekenders – plane seats to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Bali typically fill up very quickly on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. At the same time, plane tickets to these destinations usually cost a lot more for weekend trips!

If you are planning a weekend trip in the near future, consider these top alternative travel destinations where you can explore some stunning natural wonders, view awe-inspiring monuments, shop your heart out and have a sampling of sumptuous food, all within a few hours’ radius from Singapore. …

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Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour Nusajaya – A Weekend Getaway

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The spanking new Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour in Johor, Malaysia, which opened just less than a year ago, finally marks the rise of a Johor hotel of international quality. Those who venture out to the nearby theme parks – Legoland and Hello Kitty Town – no longer have to scurry back to Singapore for the night for a worthwhile place to stay.

Some weeks back, I had the opportunity to check out the property. From Singapore, a hotel van picked us up and whisked us through the border and directly to the property. The hotel itself is located in a suburb of Johor Bahru, in a new town development called Nusajaya which is currently being touted as the next mega-hub in Johor and where Legoland is located. It is also one of only a handful of decent chain hotels in the Johor Bahru area, the other one being the Doubletree by Hilton Johor Bahru.

The hotel’s layout is quite distinct. At only 4-storeys high, Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour is actually spread across several adjoining towers, and shares space with commercial outlets and even a theme park! At the opposite end, the hotel is fronted by a picturesque harbour where yachts are docked, creating a mellow sea-side atmosphere that is enchanting especially at dawn and dusk. The property is practically surrounded by a small commercial village, with shops and dining options to satisfy the savvy traveler. Those who come with kids will be pleased to know that the Hello Kitty Town theme park is just a few steps away from the hotel.

lobby of traders hotel puteri harbour

The hotel’s interior cleverly mimics its seafront setting, with the lobby and other public areas painted in shades of warm, natural colors and protrusions in the ceiling that emulate the undulating waves of the sea.

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Why the Philippines Will Always Be Home

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They often say that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And while this adage is often used to describe the loss of a loved one or a state of being, it could very well pertain to the loss of a place or rather the dispossession – of that sense of place. In my case, it was that place that I’ve always known, the cliched “land of my birth” and the setting for the bulk of my life’s memories. The Philippines.

When I started my work overseas some 6 years ago, I was filled with utmost excitement at the thought of living in a new environment. Given that I was then at the early stages of what is to be a long-lasting stage of wanderlust, few things were more exciting personally than the opportunity to expose myself to a different culture, place and milieu. I thought that it would be like starting a new life.

Contrary to what is unfairly associated with people who leave, I’ve always had a fondness for the Philippines. The fact that I have been living elsewhere for a while now doesn’t change this fact. As a travel blogger, I probably should not be saying this but back then, the thought of traveling for leisure – whether in or out of the country – didn’t appeal that much to me. What is perhaps ironic is that I had not actually started exploring the Philippines extensively until I started living outside the country. In 2008 when I started working in Singapore, I had only been to Metro Manila where I grew up, a few surrounding provinces and Bacolod, because I have relatives there. I had not even been to Cebu.

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Itineraries – Why You Should Ditch Them on Your Next Trip

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It used to be the case that I would prepare an itinerary every single time I went for a trip. Thanks to Excel, I would diligently put in the dates, places and the things that I would be doing by the hour. It was quite handy (not to mention overkill), especially for my travel buddies who would always ask to see an itinerary prior to our departure.

When I started blogging, it soon dawned on me how important itineraries were to most people. I have received countless emails asking me to send itineraries for this place and that. There were even times I received requests for itineraries on places I’ve never written about in I Wander! I’ve been happy to oblige whenever I could. But because of the sheer amount of requests, and thinking that it would make my articles more user friendly, I started including itineraries in my entries.

traveling is a bit like watching movies – the more advance peeks you have, the less exciting the movie becomes when you actually get to see it
Photo by Raymond Shobe in Flickr | CC 2.0

Frankly speaking, I don’t use itineraries anymore whenever I travel and I haven’t been doing so for probably the last 3 years. When my friends go for a trip to the same places I’ve been to recently and ask me for one, I usually have nothing to show them.

I’ve not enjoyed my trips as much as when I started ditching my itineraries. While these sheets of paper may make the trip more organized (especially if the objective is to tick a checklist of sights), basing one’s schedule on an itinerary can sometimes feel, for the lack of a better term, robotic. There are certain merits to leaving itineraries behind the next time you travel. These are just some of them:

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My Stay in Iudia on the River – A Unique Boutique Hotel in Ayutthaya, Thailand

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When I was planning my visit to the UNESCO World Heritage temples of Ayutthaya in Thailand, I decided I wanted to stay in this historical city despite being just an hour’s drive from Bangkok in order to beat the crowds and be able to explore early in the morning. It was most fortunate that I found Iudia on the River, one of Ayutthaya’s boutique options, for that one night stay. The town doesn’t have much in terms of chain hotels, and one’s best bet for a pleasurable stay would be with guesthouses or boutique properties that won’t break the bank.

Officially called Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the town sits in an island and used to be the fortified capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom (Siam). Today, it is a fine example of the old and new. It is a functioning city by every sense of the word, with random temple ruins standing side-by-side modern buildings. Iudia on the River is located at the southern part of the island and separated from the mainland by the Chao Phraya river.

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Hotel Review: South Palms Resort & the Longest Fine White Sand Beach in Panglao, Bohol

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When I finally got the chance to visit Bohol last week, I wanted to stay somewhere close to the best beaches of Panglao. After researching online, I came across South Palms Resort Panglao, which is a new property molded out of the former Bohol Beach Club. There were barely any pictures of the hotel available online but I decided to take the plunge anyway.

the pool at south palms resort panglao

South Palms Resort Panglao has inherited the top selling point of the Bohol Beach Club back then, which is the longest fine white sand beach in Panglao Island. Last year, a large chunk of the club was sold to a new owner and underwent several months of extensive refurbishment. The result of that is South Palms Resort, a new upscale accommodation option in Panglao Island.

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