I always procrastinate writing a new post for the places I've been to lately.

I visited Hong Kong twice this year. [or should I say last year.]

I will blog about my first trip since the second time was with my Mom and I only brought pocket money with me. Haha! [ I will include photos from my second trip as well ]

My First Hong Kong Trip. March 1-4, 2016 it was our Company outing. Our company shouldered the plane ticket, travel tax and also the accommodation. We only have to worry how much our pocket money would be. :) 

I traveled from Manila to Hong Kong all by myself!! I booked an early flight and on a different airline than my workmates because joining the trip was a last minute decision. I got the plane ticket in a promo rate at Cebu Pacific (P4,400++ exclusive of Travel Tax).

Travel Tip #1: Avail Octopus Card or Tourist Pass. Octopus Card - is an all access card pass everywhere in Hong Kong - MTR or Bus even Convenience Stores. Octopus Card is also available at one of the Kiosks at the airport and can be re-loadable at MTR Stations. 

**Basic Octopus Card comes with a refundable HK$50 deposit which covers the card cost and ensures uninterrupted Octopus service in case of negative value for up to HK$35 on a single occasion. (source)

Travel Tip #2: Grab those free Maps and Brochures at the Airport you'll never know when will it get handy! One thing you should know about me is that I don't ask strangers for directions I'm always too shy to approach them unless it's really needed or like I'm extremely lost. It's convenient to check maps and brochures to check how far each places to each other. :)



Travel Tip #3: Avail attraction tickets beforehand. Saves you extra bucks and time! We availed our attraction ticket in package, that includes Peak Tram x Madame Tussauds x Victoria Peak = HK$ 220. Saves you a lot of time queuing plus the deal is really cheap than availing tickets separately. You can check Asia Travel Care for great deals. :)

View from The Peak

Travel Trip #4 Book Hotels at Tsim Sha Tsui. I advise you to stay at Tsim Sha Tsui not only there are a lot of Hotel choices in this area but it's also near to lots of shopping centers and restaurants. Also, if you want to shop good HK food finds and cheap chocolates for your pasalubong, check Best Mart 360 - there are a lot of branches everywhere in Hong Kong. Don't forget to visit Mongkok as well for more choices of pasalubong!

Travel Trip #5 Try Local Dishes. What is travelling out of the country without trying authentic cuisines. There are lots of restaurants along Tsim Sha Tsui - Nathan Road and at Central Hong Kong. Also try Food Republic for many food choices. Meal ranges from HK$ 30 - 40. 

This is not a foodie shot, I was so hungry to flatlay everything. Haha! :D

When is the best time to travel Hong Kong? I've been there twice and got to experience both weathers. March, is still cold and breezy. Best time to visit is December to 1st week of March. July- August, is their summer season and also SALE Season! :D

During my second time in Hong Kong, me and my Mother went to Ocean Park & Disneyland!

I'm still amazed about the beauty of The Lion King Musical Production.

Heads up! Meals and Drinks are expensive on both of these theme park - and you can't bring your own food and drinks inside the park's premises.

Make sure you have a tumbler (there are places that has drinking fountain) or have kept your water bottle with you. Mineral Water is quite expensive if you keep on buying them all the time. Cheapest you can buy is from Park 'n Shop that costs HK$ 2-4. :)

Listed below are some of the expenses during my 1st trip in Hong Kong:

Airfare Round Trip via Cebu Pacific	Php 4,452.23 exclusive of Travel Tax
Travel Tax	Php 1,620.00
Accommodation (4 days, 3 nights) Gold Sparrow Hotel, Mirador Mansion – shouldered by Company	HK$ 300/night Php  1,928.85/night
Attraction Ticket (pre-ordered)	HK$ 220 Php 1,414.49
Octopus Card	HK$ 150 Php 964.42
Pocket Money (includes meals and pasalubong)	HK$ 1,100 Php 7,000.00

I hope you find this helpful in some way. :)

I always procrastinate writing a new post for the places I've been to lately.

This trip was last June 24-26, 2016. Yep, this post is really late. Forgive me.

It was actually my first time going to Boracay; so obviously the excitement is there, I was really expectant of the beauty of the place. Boracay for all we know has been a top tourist destination for a very long time now, our foreign visitors always rave about the island's beauty.



What was my first impression of the island? Honestly speaking, I was a bit shocked - ever since, I thought that once you arrived from the port, that's it meaning all the hotels and restaurants are there and you just have to walk a few meters to get to the beach. Sadly not. Haha.

This would be a helpful blog if only I knew all the expenses of the trip but this was my Mother's company outing so I don't know how much our budget was. We stayed in Boracay Island Inn - Station 2. It's actually near 'D Mall and other restaurants. Our hotel was actually near the beachfront, just about 5 minutes walk. I hardly remember what we did there [obviously blogging months after the trip was never a good idea].

Me and my cousin planned on having a night out and to visit some of the local bars in Boracay. But, I, a self proclaimed Tita, bailed out because I was too tired and chose sleep over partying instead; and the night I decided I will join her for a night out - it rained. Hahaha!

What I love about Boracay? It really has the finest beach sand to offer; of some of the beaches I've been to I can really say that Boracay's beach sand is the finest of them all [see what I did there?]. Sunset, the beauty as the sun goes down is really something to watch out for - this feels like you're slowly and surely falling inlove. I got curious about the hype over a fruit shake so I gave in,  I did try Jonah's Fruit Shake. I ordered Banana shake, fresh and tasty but is quite expensive for it's size [a bottle costs Php 100]. Island Hopping, I just remembered Puka Beach because that's the only island we stayed longer than the others. I really love the quietness of Puka Beach plus it's less crowded than on the main beach. Some of the tourists who were with us also made a stop at the cliff-diving spot which I think is from 20ft or higher [costs Php 150/person].





What I don't like about Boracay? Basically, my general observation is that it's too crowded; there are lots of up and rising hotels, resorts and restaurants each station. Feels like the beauty of the island got spoiled. I wish the island's beauty could still be preserved.

Boracay is really beautiful in it's own. If given a chance to visit again I would, there are many things I still like to try and explore - basically Para-Sailing caught my attention but I don't have the guts [and money] for it yet. Haha!

I posted this on my Instagram account with this caption:  It's so lovely to see people of different faces and races enjoying their stay at Boracay, or any places in the Philippines. These two [foreign] ladies caught my attention because they were so busy playing with the sand – they even made a mermaid out of it and took lots of photos! And while we were swimming they asked us to take a photo of them doing some friendship goals shot! ☺ It's not that deep but I think we all should learn from this; to love and appreciate what our country can offer. Some of the best places that are popular nowadays are the places discovered by our foreign visitors, our tourists and it's really telling – that there are many wonderful unseen places here and we often overlook it, that we only appreciate it when it's gone. Seven thousand plus islands, low tide or high tide; we all should love it, appreciate it, most importantly take care of it. 🌊

We all should be proud of the island's beauty as it's still reigning as Top Beach Destination in our country which says a lot, I think. :)