Singapore on a Budget - April 2011 trip

This summer is something my family and I would definitely have to remember. It is the summer before my "unica hija" enters college. It could probably be the start of our "infrequent" (hopefully not!) family vacations what with the belt tightening to pay for her university fees and it could be because Ikee will not have much time to spend with us.

The choice for this year's vacation was made because she had been gifted with a round trip ticket to the Lion City - Singapore. I would have opted to go elsewhere but we had to be with her during the trip. Spending our summer separately was not my idea of a vacation - yet. Thus, we were on a "Singapore on a budget" trip. However, Singapore was not one would consider going to on a budget. Well, here's our attempt at it.





The day we got there we were treated to a Zhi Char resto called Forture Seafood Steamboat. Yes, you read it right. Our destination was Forture and not Fortune. For a while I too thought it was a typo. Larry, our host for dinner, offered us choices - food or ambiance. I naturally chose food over ambiance. It was late and it was a good chance to get some real Singaporean dishes. At 9:30 pm, we were hungry. But the wait was well worth it. So far, for me, this restaurant is the best in Hongkong in terms of its food and price. A few days after, I tried calling them and found that the prices were so low that the whole meal would have cost us twice or even thrice that of the other restos in the City. It definitely a place for the budget conscious. Here are some pictures of what we had:

First we had broccoli in garlic sauce.



The Hongkong style noodles.




Next, was the curry fish head.


Larry ordered the cereal prawn but I wasn't able to take a picture of it.

Last, but the best one of all, was the Salted eggyolk crab,



If you want to check the place out, it's at the corner of Bukit Timah and Old Holland Road. Just don't look for a classy resto as you won't find it there.



Jane

Bouncing Through Travel Sites

Hah! I've not been able to book my hotels for our Hong kong trip yet. Hong Kong has always fascinated me. I've come across so many stories- personal accounts from friends, historical accounts from books since one of our former presidents went on exile there, and from blogs and websites over the internet. It is a good thing that travel bookin sites such as www.cheaperthanhotels.com are now made availabe to us, the travellers.

I can't consider myself a seasoned traveller yet. Yes, I've been to 4 countries and a great deal of domestic sites but that doesn't make me a seasoned traveller. When we go to a place unknown to me (and most countries are in fact unfamiliar to me), I get hold of as much information as I can. www.cheaperthanhotels.com
,booking.com, hotels.com.ph, and other such travel agencies come in so handy. I get to compare prices, am able to obtain information about hotels, events, tourist attractions, budget... and all those pertinent data. It's so funny sometimes that our friends in those countries I've been to even ask why I know such and such exist! Technology is such a powerful tool to the traveller, whether neophyte or seasoned.

In case you're wondering though, I've come to the decision to book with www.cheaperthanhotels.com. I don't like taking too much risks and have asked friends and travel forums for travel sites that they could recommend. So far, from those that I've been give, www.cheaperthanhotels.com
have the best rates I could find over the internet. I can make this conclusion for myself because I've made a comparison table in excel listing down costs from booking.com, expedia, asiarooms, asiatravel, lonely planet... and a hundred more sites. www.cheaperthanhotels.com
beats them all.

Well, next time I hope I can go to the Scandinavia area. Why would I go to sandinavia? Well, for one, I do like driving and I like how I can drive and see the sites on a cool day with my family. Sounds interesting eh? what about having to spend a night or two in a rustic hotel, with a fireplace and some cheese and wine? Finland would be perfect. Alternatively, drive to Sweden and stay in one of its hotels. Or probably see the auroras? A good resource I've found for this travel would be www.visitfinland.com . The tourism www.cheaperthanhotels.com provides info for those who wish to drive the countryside of Scandinavia. Some of their tips include:

1. Cars are driven on the right side of the road all over Scandinavia.
2. Use of seatbelt is a must.
3. Driving under the influence of alcohol is prohibited.
4. There are different speed limits in the different scandinavian countries.

I've browsed the site and searched for pictures through the internet. Seems like they do have a beautiful scenery in those countries. The site has resources too for stockholm hotels, norway hotels and Oslo hotels with hotel rooms that cost as low as 550 SEK! Some rooms are breakfast inclusive. They do have great deals. Budget travellers can find great deals in these travel sites. It's like finding pearl in the deep blue sea.

Rating afineplace.com - Just How Good Are They?

Always when I search for baguio accommodations, I never fail to see the listing of afineplace.com. I used to wonder whether these guys who operate the site were real or a hoax. But some friend of my husband recommended it to us after my hubby transferred from his former company (where accommodations in Baguio were had for a minimal price) to his present one which does not provide the baguio treat. So, far we've occupied 2 of their properties and we liked both thus far.
The houses are well kept, there are caretakers who can attend to your requests, there's enough space for the specified number of persons, we can cook and barbecue and , in unit A which we rented this year, we had a fireplace. the only thing though about both properties is that they are not in the middle of the action (which we actually prefer) so we need a car or take a cab going to and fro. But don't take me wrong, they're not too far from the center of the city either. Just not right at it.
Both properties are along Marcos highway just about 5 to 10 minutes away from SM on session Road. Unit A cost us about 2,200 per night for 5 persons for a house with 3 rooms. Unit A cost us 3000 per night for 5 persons. As far as I'm concerned, afineplace.com gets a grade of 8/10. One thing I didn't like with the unit I (or was it F, sorry I've forgotten) though is that it was a little noisy at night. It is a compound and there were about 2 other "houses" right below ours. Some foreigners were occupying the place and they would play in the middle of the night. The caretaker tried to tell them twice but they'd be back to it just the following night. But that's about all. Those guys, just like us, were transients too. That means, there will be other people there every week and not the same ones we were with. So, the next time you're planning a trip to Baguio, you may want to consider afineplace.com instead of a hotel. You contact them through their website at www.afineplace.com. Do tell them Jane Cajuguiran highly recommends them.