Sabangan Beach Resort in Laiya, Batangas

Year 2022 was my hiatus year of blogging but not in travelling. Although I did not have plane rides last year, I still have road trips and visited beaches as my sanctuary.

If there are people who are fond of restaurant hopping or bar hopping, mine is resort hopping😅. In the coast of Laiya Batangas, I have tried and put in my checklist all nearby beachfront resorts -  Acuaverde, Acuatico, La Luz, Palm Beach, Blue Coral Beach, Kabayan Beach and Sabangan Beach Resort. The remaining to dos in my google search lists for Laiya are Henry Laiya and Virgin Beach Resort.

For 2022, my quick summer getaway to satisfy my beach cravings is my Sabangan Beach Resort weekend vacation. What I loved about it? - the resort room  is clean, there are lots of huge old trees and i can feel exclusivity. Food is also ok and i love their kubo type beach chairs. The resort also has a pool so you can swim aside from the salty water of Laiya. Laiya is my favorite hub for summer vacations.

Visiting California: San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley and Las Vegas, Nevada

I am one of the travellers with cancelled flights in April 2020 due to the emergence of Covid. My planned vacation to US was postponed since I had to abide by the Philippine government rules on lockdown and community quarantine; international flights were barred last 2nd Q of 2020 due to the pandemic. My plane ticket was refunded. The worst part was that I experienced solo quarantine in Metro Manila for 4 months and I could not even go home to our province in South Luzon due to the enhanced community quarantine rules. 

House quarantine brought out the domesticated version of me. Being a traveller at heart, cooking and watching travel videos during lockdown kept me sane. Luckily, I have friends in the residential unit and loveones who keeps on checking me virtually. Surely, I really missed travelling during this Covid situation.

When the internal travel guidelines were relaxed in 4th Q of 2020, I saw it as an opportunity to re-book my flight. By mid of December, I flew to San Franciso for a winter vacation. Maybe, it was God's way of saying that the delayed circumstance happened because he wants me to be more joyful and experience for the first time a snowy Christmas.

Here are my memorable vacation trips in the West Coast of America!

San Francisco – the Instagram worthy pic at the Golden Gate Bridge & the Fisherman’s Wharf.

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Kobe, Japan

My air travel before the Covid pandemic was my tour in Kansai region of Japan last October 2019.  It was a birthday gift to myself. Given that I cannot travel yet abroad during this lock down period and it is already 3^rd of quarter  2020, I will just travel through my imagination😄

Reminiscing back on my Kansai tour, I can definitely say that I am charmed by the beauty of Kobe.

Kobe is one of the urbanized cities in Japan with a nice harbour and a panoramic view of city surrounded by mountains. It was chosen as one of the venues for the FIFA WorldCup 2019, thanks to its large built-in stadium for international sports spectators. Hop-on, Hop-off day tour buses travelling the entire loop of Kobe City make it more friendly for international tourists.

Osaka, Japan

Osaka is like a fraternal twin of Tokyo. They are both charming to tourists in a different way. 

Tokyo is modern, sophisticated and urban while Osaka is a metropolitan with cultural traces of the old Japan. Most of the time, foreign tourists pick either of the two for their first time Japan visit. Lucky for some who can afford longer days of vacation  to check out both cities in one flight trip.

What's in Osaka?

Namba, Dotonbori and Shinsaibaishi are famous districts in Osaka for shopping and food. Various merchandise and shops are located on these areas. Ichiran ramen  and authentic Japan takoyaki is a must try for food enthusiasts. 

Siargao Island, Philippines

Mindanao is close to my heart considering that both of my parents hail from this region. Thus, my travel bucketlist when it comes to beaches definitely includes Siargao.

Siargao is often featured in tv shows as a beach paradise and a favorite surfing destination. When airlines offered fare promotions for clark to siargao flights, I did not hesitate to book it immediately.

Considering that I have watched the Filipino movie Siargao before I went there, I have some preconceived idea that Siargao has a provincial vibe. Yes, the General Luna place (the touristy place in Siargao) is laidback but it is already progressive similar to Boracay establishments. There are various restaurants and establishments along the General Luna road and there are parties every night, be it an acoustic night or bar party. I was fortunate enough to experience the full moon night party in Siargao 😊