Looking beach resorts to have an amazing getaway that's just a couple of hours away from Metro Manila? How about staying in a lovely beach resort in Batangas? Check out this updated list of best Batangas beach resorts that are open now to tourists!
With a long coastline, Batangas offers wide array of beaches - from white sand to the rocky and black sand beaches. If you're planning to visit
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Monday, December 6, 2021
Alaska Airlines BOGO Promotion 2 days Only
Alaska Airlines is back with another Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fee. The promotion at Alaska Airlines has been somewhat common during the pandemic. Usually the Promotion is tied to their Chef Football officer Russell Wilson, and Seahawks wins. Yet, we’ve seen BOGO sales for just about any reason over the last two years to help drum up business. Now, Alaska Airlines is back with another BOGO sell to help fill plans after the busy holiday season.
Alaska Airlines Promotion
The Alaska Airlines BOGO promotion is good for tickets purchased before 11;59 on December 7, 2021. Travel is between January 5 – March 9, 2022. You must use the promotion code STARBUCKS, which means the deal cannot be stacked with other promotions.
From Alaska Airlines:
Buy one coach class Alaska ticket and get one for just the taxes and fees*. Use discount code STARBUCKS by 11:59 pm (PT) December 7, 2021. Day of week restrictions and blackout dates apply.
Here’s how it works:
- In the booking form on this page, enter your departure and arrival cities, dates, and at least 2 travelers.
- Travel is valid January 5 – March 9, 2022.
- Travel to Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, or Belize is valid Sundays through Wednesdays
- Travel from Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica or Belize is valid Tuesdays through Fridays.
- All other travel is valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
- Blackout dates of February 18–28, 2022, apply.
- Enter STARBUCKS into the discount code field, and then click “Find flights” to start your search.
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines BOGO is a great way to save on winter travel. When traveling on a BOGO fare, both passengers earn miles and elite benefits apply to all main cabin fares. Elite Upgrades are even available! Furthermore, all tickets are eligible for free ski lift passes at participating resorts. The promotion is only for two days and only for two people. If you a single flyer, there is no discount. If you’re traveling as a group of 4 or 6. Search in groups of two to maximize savings.
Read the rest of this article at Alaska Airlines BOGO Promotion 2 days Only.
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, December 5, 2021
5 Kid-friendly Attractions in Kuala Lumpur That You Can Visit
Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malaysia is a busy, modern city full of activities for children of all ages. Choose from cultural experiences that train and expand youth, attractions solely for child-friendly enjoyment, and nature and wildlife [...]
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Now Available: Alaska Airlines Awards on Iberia
Alaska Airlines awards are now available on Iberia. After Alaska Airlines joined the OneWorld alliance, earning miles have been available on all 13 OneWorld members. Yet, award travel has not been introduced across the alliance. Alaska Airlines has been very slow to add new partners awards. Now, nearly 8 months after joining OneWorld, Alaska Airlines has quietly introduced Iberia awards. Award prices are higher than other partners, but do open up new award opportunity for travel.
Alaska Airlines Iberia Award Costs
Alaska Airline Mileage plan awards on Iberia start at 35,000 miles between the United States and Europe. Business class awards are shockingly high at 75,000 miles. Alaska Airlines still does not allow for mixing partners. Iberia awards can only include Alaska Airlines and Iberia flights. Stopovers at hubs are still available. Thus meaning, one could fly between the United States and Europe with a stop in Madrid for several days or weeks. Currently, awards are only available in business class and economy. Iberia awards do not have fuel surcharges, which is a differentiator from Avios awards or AAdvantage tickets. Taxes and Fees between the US and Europe are as low as $19.
| Origin | Destination | Economy | Business |
| North America | Europe | 35k | 75k |
| USA/Canada | Africa | 50k | 100k |
| USA/Canada | Middle East | 50k | 110k |
| Europe | Middle East | 25k | 55k |
| Europe | Africa | 17.5k | 45k |
| South America | Europe | 50k | 90k |
Award are available to book online via Alaska Air’s website. Do note, cheaper options for Alaska Airline award to Europe include American Airlines for just 22.5k miles in economy. In actuality, all of Alaska Airline partners require fewer miles to fly to Europe in economy or business. Only Iceland air awards are also 35,000 miles in economy. Iberia’s business class awards are the most expensive, costing even more miles than British award first class awards. Of course, being surcharge free make these awards somewhat attractive. Then again, other partners also do not have fuel surcharge and charge fewer miles. Finnair is a being prime example.
Bottom Line
Alaska Airline miles can now be redeemed on Iberia. As a partner, Iberia offers some new great rewards redemption routes. These include between South America and Europe. Award costs are higher than other partners and represents a concerning trend at Alaska Airlines. As new partner award options are coming available, Alaska Airline is increasing requiring more award miles for tickets. Alaska Airlines remains the last airline in the United States to reward miles on distance, no revenue. This makes earning miles somewhat easier. Yet, with this comes the downside of higher cost awards. I expect further devaluation of Alaska Airlines awards as more partners and mix partner awards are introduced. It’s only a matter of time until Alaska Airlines sweet spot awards disappear.f
Read the rest of this article at Now Available: Alaska Airlines Awards on Iberia.
* This article was originally published here
Friday, December 3, 2021
Disneyland kicks off 2022 with Lunar New Year, foodie events
A celebration of the Lunar New Year followed by a celebration of food and wine are on tap early next year at Disney California Adventure Park.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Drone vision captures the remarkable moment a blue whale yawns during a swim near south Perth
Drone footage by Sharky Aerials has captured the rare moment a Blue Whale yawns while swimming off the coast in South Perth.
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
15 Must Visit Attractions in Takayama Hokuriku Region, Japan
1. Maruoka Castle “Maruoka Castle is the only castle in the Hokuriku region with the remaining original castle towers built before the Edo period (1603-1868) and registered as national important cultural property. Maruoka Castle, also [...]
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Monday, November 29, 2021
Review: Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska
During our trip up Alaska’s Dalton Highway, we decided to break up both the trip both ways. Theoretically, you can make the entire trip from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in a single day. In summer, you’re pretty much guaranteed daylight the entire way, thanks to the insanely long days this far north. But the 495-mile trip means 13-15 hours of HARD driving on mostly gravel roads. Not ideal, especially with a small child in tow. So, we decided to break it up. Unless you’re camping, options midway are few and far between, though. There’s Coldfoot Camp, though they didn’t offer advanced reservations in summer 2020. Thankfully, I found Boreal Lodging in Wiseman, just up the road. This turned out to be a unique spot, which we were really glad to find.
Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska
- 9000 Dalton Highway, MP 189, Wiseman, Alaska
- Website: https://www.boreallodge.com/
- Features: 4 lodge rooms with shared kitchen and bathrooms; 2 cabins with kitchens and private bathrooms; hiking trails; coffee & tea; Dish TV in day room; limited satellite WiFi
The lodge is normally open May through September. They do accept reservations October and November, and March and April, with sufficient advance notice. Nonrefundable deposits of 50-75% are required; there is also a 5% surcharge on credit card payments. And of course, your hotel/airline loyalty points don’t work here.
In talking to the owners, things book up in fall/winter more than summer. Why? The area around Coldfoot is prime viewing area for the the aurora borealis. The lack of light pollution, and a greater chance of clear skies than up on the North Slope, give you a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights.
Location
Wiseman is just shy of the halfway point of the Dalton Highway, and 14 miles north of Coldfoot. It’s a 6-7 hour drive both up to Deadhorse and back to Fairbanks. The only place to obtain food and gas is at Coldfoot Camp, about a 20 minute drive away. However, Coldfoot usually carries no groceries, nor does Deadhorse, so get everything you need for your full trip in Fairbanks. Remember, if you forget your toothbrush, it’s a 7 hour drive back to Fairbanks to get a new one.
To reach Wiseman, going northbound, turn left just past the Middle Fork Koyukuk River bridge #1. Southbound, turn right just before the bridge. The approximate milepost is 189. It’s another 3 miles down the gravel road to Wiseman; beware, it’s rough and gets potholed after heavy rains. You’ll see this sign as you enter Wiseman.
Continue through town, and you’ll find a reassurance sign just before a sharp bend to the left.
Continue about another 1/2 mile to find the bridge.
Past the bridge, it’s about another 1/2 mile to Boreal Lodging. You can’t miss it; you’ll see the office/owner’s house behind a big pile of moose antlers.
Date of Stay: August 2-3 and 5, 2020
Check-In/Reception
The lodge only has 6 rooms, and the owners (Scott and Heidi) double as Park Rangers at the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center in Coldfood. Thus, there aren’t set hours for check-in. Scott and Heidi just ask that you contact them a day or two before arrival with your approximate arrival plans. Heidi was still at the office on our drive up from Fairbanks around 7 pm. She also gave us a quick run-through of the property and some things to do in the area. On the way back, she had the key taped to the office door for us.
I also have to give Scott and Heidi extra props for working with me to reschedule our trip. Originally, we planned our trip for mid-June. That ended up becoming a non-starter because much of what we wanted to do in Anchorage and Denali remained closed until July due to pandemic restrictions. Fortunately, Heidi let me have a “do-over” and applied my deposit to our rescheduled trip in August. We greatly appreciated her flexibility!
Boreal Lodging Wiseman – Cabins and Guest Rooms
We booked the “Boreal” cabin, one of two cabins at the lodge. Current rates are $160 per night for two, plus $25 for third and fourth guests. Add $10 to the base rate during the winter season (October through April). The cabin has a very rusting log cabin look – perfectly appropriate for the remote surroundings.
First, some background to keep your expectations appropriate. You’re not just off the beaten path, you’re WAY off it. As mentioned, there’s one gas station and restaurant about 15 miles away. Otherwise, you’re 270 miles from the nearest city of note (Fairbanks). Many of the services you’d expect even in a fairly remote area like Yellowstone simply don’t exist in the Alaskan backcountry. There’s also no cell phone service, and WiFi is very, very slow and limited. Then again, if you came to Wiseman for a working vacation…you probably should re-assess your priorities. Boreal Lodging provides an alternative for those who don’t want to camp, and offers a few more amenities than the work camp-style accommodations at Coldfoot Camp. But it’s still a very much basic level of accommodation.
The cabin measures a cozy 320 square feet, but makes good use of the available space. Step inside, and you’ll find a fully equipped kitchen to the right.
The kitchen comes impressively well equipped. In addition to a full set of utensils and pots and pans, the pantry comes well stocked with various spices, as well as tea and coffee. The tea and coffee comes courtesy of the owners, though the spices are orphaned by previous guests. You’re free to use whatever you want, but the owners kindly request you leave some behind as well. There’s even a French press to make coffee if that’s your thing.
To your left is the living room, equipped with a couch, a couple of tables, and a TV. Note that you can’t actually get any TV signal up here; Fairbanks is 270 miles away, after all. Instead, it’s there to watch DVDs if you brought your own.
Head straight back, and the downstairs bedroom is to the left. It’s small, but comes with a pair of twin-sized beds, and a well-placed power outlet.
Meanwhile, straight ahead at the very back of the cabin is the bathroom. Continuing a theme, it’s tight, but has both a tub and shower. I didn’t expect the tub, but greatly appreciated it for ease of giving the munchkin a bath. The water heater is rather unique; it’s on demand, in that it turns itself on when you turn on the hot water faucet.
There’s also an extra bed upstairs in the loft. To reach the loft, climb the wooden ladder from the living room.
Once up the ladder, you’ll find a queen-size bed, along with a fair amount of storage space. We had enough room to unfold Ashok’s travel crib up here. Watch your head, though; the ceiling is pretty low. There is also an extra outlet up here to plug in your gadgets.
Both Ashok and my mother enjoyed posing from the loft. My son in particular couldn’t get enough of going up and down the ladder.
The cabin has an oil burning space heater for heat. Granted, it’s not terribly cold in August, but still, it kept the cabin plenty warm. One thing to also keep in mind when visiting in summer – the days are ridiculously long. The sun doesn’t set from late May through mid-July. By early August, you still have nearly 19 hours of daylight, with sunrise around 4:30 am and sunset around 11:30 pm. The curtains do their job, but just remember to draw them shut. Lest you fancy the sun shining in your face at really odd hours.
Finally, the unit was clean, and most importantly, everything worked as it should.
Next door to the Boreal cabin is the “Polar” cabin. It has a similar layout to Boreal, except there’s only one bed in the downstairs bedroom; thus, maximum occupancy is three persons.
If you’re looking to save some money, Boreal Lodging also has four standard motel rooms. Each room has two single beds; prices are $90 for one and $110 for two in the summer. Add $10 to each during the winter.
In the middle of the main building is a shared kitchen and common living room.
The main lodge has two shared bathrooms next door.
Boreal Lodging Wiseman – General Location and Property
If you’re looking for someplace to truly get away from it all, this is about as good a place as there is. The property itself is beautiful, situated on the banks of Wiseman Creek. You can enjoy a quiet hike along the creek in both directions. The lodge property itself is plenty large to enjoy a nice walk and enjoy the scenery of the foothills of the Brooks Range.
If you do plan on hiking here, don’t forget the bug spray. Alaskan mosquitoes are a special breed of evil in the summer.
Wiseman itself is a truly beautiful place, nestled in the Koyukuk River valley in the Brooks Range foothills. Think the landscape of the Rockies, but with a fraction of the people. (Because there are very few people crazy enough to actually drive this far north.)
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself heading up the Dalton Highway, Boreal Lodging in Wiseman is a great option to break up the trip. The family-run establishment offers clean, comfortable accommodations a cut above the other option along this stretch of the Dalton. It’s a great area to stretch your legs for a couple of days headed to or from the Arctic Ocean, or a good spot to watch the Northern Lights.
Read the rest of this article at Review: Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska.
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, November 28, 2021
10 Budget-Friendly HOTELS & RESORTS IN ANTIPOLO with Swimming Pool or Amazing Views
Traveling to Antipolo City this new normal? Check out this list of affordable Antipolo hotels and resorts with swimming pool to book for a comfortable and memorable adventure near Metro Manila!
Located just an hour away from Metro Manila, Antipolo City is definitely one of the best destinations for a quick trip or weekend getaway near the Metro. A trip to Antipolo is surely an extremely
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2021
Thursday, November 25, 2021
10 CHEAP HOTELS IN TAGAYTAY: Affordable Hotels in Tagaytay Under ₱1,000 per night
Looking for cheap, affordable and budget-friendly hotels in Tagaytay for less than 1,000 pesos?
Tagaytay is a favorite destination among city dwellers and weekend staycationers because of its proximity from Metro Manila. If you're planning a trip and looking for cheap, budget hotels in Tagaytay City, I listed here some of the affordable hotels, hostels, inns, lodges, guest and pension houses
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Back in the USA, after 20 months of no travel
It is my first flight since March 2020, and the ritual of flying with Singapore Airlines felt oddly surreal yet familiar, almost like a homecoming of sorts.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
10 Best Hotels and Beach Resorts in Siargao Island Philippines
Looking for the best place to stay in Siargao? Check out this list of luxury Siargao beach resorts, mid-range hotels & cheap resorts for your trip this 2021!
Siargao Island is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines. Known as the "Surfing Capital of the Philippines", it is home to the country's most famous surfing spot, Cloud 9. Hailed several times as one of the "Best Islands
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Monday, November 22, 2021
Moving Forward After Lockdown – A Different Malaysia, Living with COVID-19
Forever Movement Control Order (FMCO) Malaysia has undergone approximately 300 days of lockdown since the first lockdown was imposed in March 2020. Under Muhyiddin’s PN team, not only the number of COVID-19 cases did not [...]
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, November 21, 2021
USA holidays: The lights are back on in Chicago - and deep dish pizza and blues music await
Hugo Brown joins an epic food tour of the West Loop neighbourhood and watches Buddy Guy, who inspired the Rolling Stones, perform at his blues bar Legends.
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Friday, November 19, 2021
Traveling With Dogs During the Cold? Here’s What You Need to Know
The holiday season is a busy time for travel, and if you're bringing your furry friend with you, you may be going to a place where it's pretty cold.
As the saying goes, if you're cold, your pets are cold too. So, here are some essential rules you need to know when traveling with your furry companion.
Come Prepared
First, let's get some common sense out of the way. When traveling, you
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, November 18, 2021
2021 LAOAG & ILOCOS NORTE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS for TOURISTS & VISITORS (November 2021)
Traveling to Laoag and Ilocos Norte soon? Here are the latest Laoag and Ilocos Norte travel requirements, entry protocols, and travel guidelines for tourists, visitors and other types of travelers!
The Province of Ilocos Norte is under Alert Level 2 from November 16-30, 2021. According to the Department of Tourism Philippine's website, the province is currently open for tourism. As it eases
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
An Evening of Splendor with Martell at The Westin Kuala Lumpur
An exclusive Evening of Splendor with Martell, where guests immerse themselves at Westin Club Lounge for an evening with Martell host by Martell’s brand ambassador, Jean-Baptiste Gourvil. This exclusive soirée on Friday, 24 September 2021 [...]
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
DC Restaurant houses the first Louis XIII Room in Southeast Asia
The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Louis XIII Room at DC Restaurant is one of the finest collaborations between 2 heavyweight elites: Louis XIII the world first ultra-premium cognac since 1874 that [...]
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Monday, November 15, 2021
Raising Naples: how the catacombs of saints transformed Sanità
Tours of ancient catacombs run by a local group of friends are revitalising a Naples neighbourhood that was once prey to the Camorra
“If you walked around Sanità 15 years ago with your camera on your shoulder like that it would’ve been stolen,” says local shopkeeper Antonio Vitozzi, pointing at my battered Nikon. More than likely I would’ve been nowhere near this neighbourhood back then. Riven by urban decay and high unemployment, Naples’ poorest district used to be a dangerous place where the Camorra held sway. It wasn’t just Italians afraid to come here but Neapolitans too.
Not these days, though. Sanità has undergone a quite miraculous transformation thanks to La Paranza, a cooperative of idealistic young friends who began running guided tours to Italy’s finest catacombs in the early 2000s. At the time, the only access to the catacombs was granted by the Catholic church for academic study.
Continue reading...* This article was originally published here
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