I am Ulyssa Elaine - Travel, Food and Lifestyle Blogger

Last January 20 - 23, my family along with my relatives went to Singapore for a 4-day trip to celebrate my aunt's 60th birthday. I have been to Singapore three years ago with them also (except for my Mom and my sister) and the place is still familiar to me. At that time, I just relied our travel to my cousins because I was a first-timer and recently turned 21 at that time (such a baby). This time my Mom and my sister trusted and relied to me because my sister and I managed to travel alone to South Korea (without our parents). Thank you! :)

Moving forward, I want to share the apps that I used to survive on our 4-day SG trip.

Explore Singapore MRT (left), Google Maps (center), Uber (right)

1. Explore Singapore MRT map - The app was developed by Explore Metro and was recommended by Lonely Planet and CNN. The app has a street maps of every station and a route planner to check what stations to take and how many stations to get there.

What I love from the app is you can check if even in offline mode, which means without internet connection. How cool, right? Internet connection in SG is a bit pricey though. I have saved a few bucks without getting lost. :)

Got this screenshots from App Store:

You can download the app in App Store and Google Play.

2. Google Maps - The app was developed by Google Inc. I guess everyone is familiar with this app so I won't elaborate it more. If the app mentioned above helps to find the MRT routes, this app helps me to check the whole place (around the area stores, hotels, landmarks, etc.). It is very useful. :)

You can download the app in App Store and Google Play.

3. Uber - The app was developed by Uber Technologies, Inc. There's no need to wait for a taxi because with Uber, you can book a ride hassle-free.

Note: Uber in SG is a bit pricey compared in Manila but it's safe.

You can download the app in App Store and Google Play.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I'm just sharing my experience with the apps.

How about you? Did you use any apps when you travelled here? Share your experience.

Sunday, January 29, 2017 No comments

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 No comments

Photo from http://holidaysuites.ph/

Holiday Suites Hotel and Resort Palawan is a modern and comfortable hotel to stay in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It is just a 15-minute away from the airport and opposite of the city's shopping mall, Robinsons Mall Palawan.

I highly recommended this place because it's perfect for families. We stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights.

» The Rooms «

You have 3 options to choose from:

Superior Room - a 20 m²/215 ft² non-smoking and air-conditioned room with shower. You can choose either 2 single beds or 1 double bed.
Deluxe Room - a 24 m²/258 ft² non-smoking room and air-conditioned room with shower and city view. The bed comes with a double bed or a queen bed.
Family Room - a 28 m²/301 ft² non-smoking room and air-conditioned room with shower and city view. The bed comes with 2 double beds.

All rooms comes with free toiletries, towels, and free bottled water. The rooms also comes with a TV with cable channels. Wi-Fi is available in all rooms but unfortunately, the signal is not that strong. Anyways, we're in a vacation so we didn't mind it at all.

Note: I availed the family room and it's perfect for a family for 4.

» Amenities «

View at morning

View at night

Swimming Pool - Open daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Function Hall - It's open to cater special events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties as well as seminars or conferences.
Recreation Area - They have a massage area as well as play area, for those who loves to enjoy table tennis, darts, and so on.

» Dining «

They have an in-house restaurant, which is open from 6:00 am to 2pm. My family really enjoyed our daily buffet breakfast.

» Service «

The front desk is open 24/7 to cater the guests' needs. What I love about them was they offered FREE roundtrip airport shuttle van. We just gave a tip to the driver for serving us patiently and excellently.

» My TripAdvisor Review «

“Very good location, cosy and affordable place to stay, friendly staff” - My TripAdvisor Review

» Info «

Website: http://www.holidaysuites.ph/

Address: North National Highway, Barangay San Manuel, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, Philippines

Check-in from: 2:00 PM

Check-out until: 12:00 PM
Contact Numbers: (048) 433-2526/ 0917 558 2990/ 0939 924 2756 / holidaysuitespalawan@gmail.com

Tripadvisor Rating: #4 Best Value of 50 hotels in Puerto Princesa

» Overall «

Our family really enjoyed our 3 days / 2 nights stay. We will definitely go back and stay here for our next Palawan trip soon.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I booked the accommodation via Agoda.com for only Php 5,033.14 or $100. What a great deal, right? The prices may vary depending on the season.

How about you? Have you been to Palawan? Where did you stay? Share your experience.

Sunday, November 13, 2016 No comments

Palawan is one of the places on my bucket list. Growing up in a mountainous province of Cavite, my family love to spend a vacation in a powdery white sand beaches for a change. We often go to our nearby province "Batangas", if we want to spend a day at the beach. Seven years ago, our family spent a 3 days / 2 nights vacation at Boracay and it was a memorable one. I was a student back then. This year, we went to Puerto Princesa, Palawan and it was my first vacation treat to them. 😊

» When To Go? «

Summer season (March - May) is the peak season for Palawan because of many holidays such as holy week and so on.

On our case, we opted to travel at the month of November. It was a sunny day when we went there. We didn't experience heavy rains or high waves.

» How To Get There? «

There are few airlines offering a direct flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa, Palawan such as Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines as well as AirAsia.

We chose Cebu Pacific and we didn't encounter any problems at all.

» How Long To Stay? «

We stayed for three days and it was a bit short for me because we failed to go to Underground River. I guess you must stay for at least four days so you can go and enjoy every attractions.

» Where To Stay? «

It took time for me to choose the best hotel for our family trip. On our case, we checked-in at Holiday Suites and Resorts Palawan. I have posted a hotel review on my blog -> http://www.iamulyssaelaine.com/2016/11/holiday-suites-hotel-and-resort-palawan.html.

Disclaimer: I only purchased a family room for 4 pax (3 days / 2 nights) for only Php 5,033.14 / $100 via Agoda. How cheap, right? But never under-estimate this because the daily buffet breakfast was included on the package + FREE roundtrip airport shuttle van. We saved a lot because of this package.

» Things to Do «

Here are the activities we did on our 3 days / 2 nights trip:

1. Honda Bay Tour (Starfish Island)

- This small island is considered as a snorkeling location because of its crystal clear water that tames the starfish.

2. Honda Bay Tour (Luli Island)

- It is one of the famous tourist attraction because it's the only island that sinks and rises with tide.

Note: High tide is in the afternoon.

3. Honda Bay Tour (Cowrie Island)

- The most populous island in Honda Bay. It's like a mini Boracay because there are many activities to choose from. We didn't try all of them because we were a bit tired.

However, there are more activities that you can do and experience. Here are those:

Honda Bay (Pandan Island, Snake Island, Dos Palmas, and so on)
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
Ugong Rock
Sabang Mangrove Forest
Iwahig Firefly Watching

» Where To Eat? «

Because we already have a daily buffet breakfast, we saved a few money for our travel. On our first day, we just ate at nearby fastfood chain across the hotel. On our second day, we chose to eat at Balinsasayaw Restaurant to give it a try. We already tried the restaurant before because they have branches in Cavite (Silang and Tagaytay).

Balinsasayaw Restaurant is originated in Palawan.

Note: Sorry the photos were a bit dark. I'm not good in taking photos at night time.

» Overall Expenses «

Airfare - Php 8,264.80 / Php 2,066.20 per person

Hotel - Php 5,000

Activities (Honda Bay):

Tricycle Hire: Php 500
Terminal Fee: Php 20.00 / Php 5.00 per person
Boat Hire: Php 1,300
Environmental Fee: Php 160.00 / Php 40.00 per person
Starfish Island Entrance Fee: Php 200.00 / Php 50.00 per person
Luli Island Entrance Fee: Php 240.00 / Php 60.00 per person
Cowrie Island Entrance Fee: Php 400.00 / Php 100.00 per person
Cowrie Island Lunch Meal: Php 800.00 / Php 200.00 per person

Food - Php 2,000+

= Php 18,884.80 / Php 4,721.20 per person

I can't believe that we just spent less than Php 20,000. If we didn't do a DIY, probably our expenses will take about more than Php 20,000 for 4 persons.

Note: There are no affiliate links on this post.