Puerto Galera, Philippines

Posted on 07/06/2023 by Lenn

This is a long overdue post, but here it is anyways. Our Puerto Galera trip was just a weekend trip with friends, but we enjoyed so much. I don’t have a lot of photos from that trip because it was honestly a chill vacation and I just wanted to enjoy the place. Our stay there wasn’t the most sunny of days, but to me, the gloomy weather was perfect for strolling along the beach, reading, and getting a good dip in the ocean. It was honestly the well-deserved break from the city that I needed. Continue reading →

Bangkok, Thailand

Posted on 03/21/2023 by Lenn

We only had three days to spend in Bangkok after our Phuket trip, so we planned the itinerary carefully. On the day of our flight back to BKK from Phuket, our flight was delayed for an hour because of the weather in Bangkok. So we arrived at the airport at around lunch time. By then, we were famished. We had to eat at the airport because it’s still a 30-minute train ride from there to Phaya Thai and 15-minute drive from Phaya Thai to our hotel which was located in Chinatown.

Our hotel was lovely and since it’s located in the heart of the town—just across BTS (Bangkok Transit System)—it was very Chinese-themed. The hallways and the rooms were spacious and clean. I enjoyed making visits at their deck near the swimming pool because it was overlooking the town and of course, we just had to take photos!

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Phuket, Thailand

Posted on 02/23/2023 by Lenn

I can’t believe that it’s already been a year since we got married! The past year has been nothing but wonderful, and for our first wedding anniversary, we decided to celebrate it in a different country — Thailand. It’s one of the countries in Asia that I want to visit because of their famous beaches and shopping malls, but I recently found out about their massive selection of books and huge bookstores. That’s for a different post though, because this specific blog post will be about the time that we’ve spent in the wonderful island of Phuket.

We stayed at Woraburi Phuket Resort & Spa which was situated at the heart of Karon Beach. The beach itself is pretty accessible from the hotel because Woraburi is just across from it. We booked a superior room, but we were upgraded to their deluxe room for free. The room is big and spacious with a strong touch of classic Thailand. The hotel staff were very kind and accommodating, especially for us foreign to the place. The breakfast food buffet was great; they serve different food each morning. Plus, they also have free Bangkok iced popsicles for their guests!

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Chocolate Hills

Posted on 07/29/2022 by Lenn

Chocolate Hills, Carmen, Bohol, Philippines, 2022

Chocolate Hills is one of the places that I never thought I’d see and visit. As a kid, I’ve only seen this in my textbooks as it’s probably the well-known landmark of Bohol back in the day. Once, years ago, there was news that the hills were growing smaller for some reason and I thought, oh, no, I probably wouldn’t be able to see them as beautiful as it once was.

Come 2022, Norman asked me which place we’d go and visit on his birthday. It was a bit too late to organize an international trip + we just got married and spent our honeymoon in Boracay, so we didn’t have a huge budget. I suggested that we go to Bohol because aside from Chocolate Hills, the reefs in Bohol, particularly in Panglao Island, is very beautiful and perfect for our fun diving sessions.

Anyway, when we went atop the stairs to get a good view at the Chocolate Hills, I was mesmerized. I never thought I’d appreciate it as much as I did when we were there. These photos couldn’t give justice to how beautiful the view was.

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption ⁠— Dauis Church

Posted on 07/03/2022 by Lenn

Dauis, Bohol, Philippines, 2022

Located in the town of Dauis in the island of Panglao, the church is also known as The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. It was built in August 1923 and is one of the most sophisticated and complex structures of its kind in Bohol. Dauis church is said to have been built according to a plan for basilicas which explains the church’s high central nave flanked by lower aisles.

📷: Fujifilm X-A3, Fujinon 27mm 2.8 V2 pancake lens
🎞: Lightroom Premium

Bohol, Philippines

Posted on 07/02/2022 by Lenn

As the world slowly lifts travel restrictions and opens up to tourists, we celebrated my husband’s birthday in Bohol. It’s a domestic travel, which I pretty much appreciated because our home country is very beautiful and there are so many places we have yet to visit. We’ve planned this trip after our Boracay trip in February, and we were lucky enough that the restrictions did not heighten.

We stayed at Panglao Sea Resort which is a very lovely and peaceful place at the heart of Panglao Island. The staff and the owner are all very friendly and accommodating. We definitely fell in love with the place as well as the food. Continue reading →

Travel Bag: Packing My Luggage

Posted on 06/19/2022 by Lenn

As the world slowly opens up and returns to ‘normal,’ we are finally allowed to travel again! This year, we’ve scheduled domestic trips first, and this month, we’re heading to Bohol. It’s one of the most well-known destinations in the country—not just for its iconic tourist spots like the famous Chocolate Hills but also for its incredible dive sites. In recent years, more and more people have taken an interest in diving, and Bohol is definitely one of the top spots in the country to enjoy this sport.

This will be my first time visiting, so I’m really looking forward to exploring the place. One of my goals is to swim with the sardines—and, if I’m lucky, with the turtles too! I’m excited to share my experience on my blog once we get back, but for this specific post, I want to share the things I always bring with me when I travel. Think of it as a “What’s in My Bag” post—except it’s my luggage. Haha!

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Freediving Session at Bubblemaker Dive & Beach Resort

Posted on 04/07/2022 by Lenn

I just wanted to share with you our quick yet very fun trip to Batangas for a freediving session with one of the best freedivers, Gen Abanillo. I’ve always watched my then-boyfriend (now-husband) dive deep under water whenever we go to the beach and I’ve always envied it. If you don’t know yet, I used to be a swimmer at school when I was in elementary. So I kind of feel frustrated that I can’t go that deep under the sea. Well, of course, pool swimming and laps are different than swimming in open water, so that answers that. Continue reading →

Honeymoon at Boracay Island

Posted on 03/15/2022 by Lenn

We knew that we wanted to have our honeymoon after the wedding so we can relax after all the tiresome craziness that is wedding planning. During the early days of the preparation period, the hubs wanted to go to Maldives, but given the situation with the pandemic where nothing seems to final because of the changes in restrictions, we didn’t opt to push for an international flight and went for a domestic adventure instead.

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Makati City: Dasmariñas Village

Posted on 06/05/2021 by Lenn

We booked this place in replacement for our supposed out-of-town trip that was cancelled because of the heightened restrictions imposed in NCR. We needed a breather from so many things, and it was really good thing that we found this place online. The whole place was very clean, spacious, and safe. Continue reading →

Lenn of Spades ♠

Tag Archives: travel