Ajijic - Hacienda Frontage
JULY 2016: Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Puerto Vallarta to Tlaquepaque to attend Spanish Immersion Classes. I stayed in a Homestay for 14 nights. I pre-booked the Homestay through my Spanish School. The cost was US$21 / night including Breakfast and Lunch Monday-Saturday. The Homestay was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a room in a house with an ensuite … what I got was my own separate unit. I completed my Spanish classes and it was time to move on. MY PLAN: I am not in Mexico at the best time of year. Down south near Oaxaca it is the […]

Tlaquepaque – Mexico – To Ajijic

JULY 2016: Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: It is recommended that, if you plan to live in or travel in Mexico for any length of time, you should try and learn some Spanish. I made my way from Puerto Vallarta to Tlaquepaque to attend Spanish Immersion Classes. CULTURLINGUA: I took the middle-priced Tlaquepaque option for US$650. You are, usually, quoted in US$s – but can pay either in US$s or in MXP (at the conversion rate on the day of payment). I was willing to pay a bit extra for private classes. Other schools only had 2 hours of group […]

Tlaquepaque – Mexico – Spanish Immersion Classes

JULY 2016: Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I had made my way from Manila, Philippines to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and I stayed in the Plaza Santa Maria for 4 nights. I pre-booked this hotel using Expedia and I paid a discounted price of US$29 / night. It was Low Season and this was one of the best rates that I could find … in High Season, it would have been very hard to find something in Puerto Vallarta within our GRANDPAcking budget. Note to self: I may have to get off of the ‘beaten path’ in Mexico if I am going to […]

Puerto Vallarta – Mexico – To Tlaquepaque

  JULY 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Puerto Galera to Manila and I stayed in the Leesons Residences for 10 nights. If you read my Puerto Galera to Manila post, you will see that I DO NOT recommend the Leesons Residences unless you: Can get a massive 60-70% discount off of their Rack Rate; and Are happy to be stuck in the middle of nowhere Manila was my last stop in The Philippines and, indeed, South East Asia. It was time to start the 2nd phase of My Plan and head for Mexico. MY FLIGHT PLAN: I had booked […]

Manila – Philippines – To Puerto Vallarta ...

  JULY 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Marinduque Island to Puerto Galera and I stayed in the Sabang Inn Dive Resort for 7 nights. Even though I was there at the end of the ‘season’, and the service starting falling apart, I recommend this resort. The Sabang Inn was very good value for the PHP940 / night that I paid. It was a decent sized room with many ‘comforts’ not typically found at this price in The Philippines: a wardrobe, satellite movie and sports channels, hot water shower, fridge, furniture, and plenty of power ports (some […]

Puerto Galera – Philippines – To Manila

  MAY/JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: You can come to The Philippines and hit all of the popular spots from Palawan Island (Puerto Princesa, Sabang, Port Barton and El Nido) to Coron to Boracay to Siquijor to Panglao to Malapascua … But the Central Spine offers more of an authentic Philippines experience at a cheaper price without the crowds … with beaches and experiences that are just as good. In this post, I suggest a 1-2 month itinerary for those who want to follow a ‘Road Less Travelled’. All on a GRANDPAcking Budget of US$54 / […]

Central – Philippines – A Road Less ...

  JUNE 2016:   OVERVIEW: In this post, I tell you about a little ‘hideaway’: Marinduque Island … I tell you how you can spend a month living in peace and quiet on this idyllic little island … and do so on a GRANDPAcking Budget. ABOUT MARINDUQUE ISLAND: Marinduque is an island province in the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Region. Its capital is Boac. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and the Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is west of the Bondoc Peninsula of Quezon province, east of Mindoro Island, and north of the island province of Romblon. Couple […]

Marinduque – Philippines – A Perfect Escape

  JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Lucena City to Marinduque Island and I stayed in the A&B Coral Resort for 3 nights. I recommend this resort. The A&B was very good value for the PHP1,000 / night that I paid. In fact, it was one of the best value for money beach resorts that I have stayed in at that price after 5 months in The Philippines. I was in Marinduque Island as a short cut to Puerto Galera. Taking this shortcut meant that I got to see one more island before leaving The Philippines […]

Marinduque – Philippines – To Puerto Galera

  JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Naga City to Lucena City and I stayed in the Castle Bernardina for 2 nights. The Castle Bernardina was OK for the PHP1,000 / night that I paid. I got it at a good price because I used an AsiaTravel discount voucher. Without that voucher, it would have cost PHP1,300 / night. At that latter price, it would have been poor value for money. I was in Lucena to make my way to Marinduque Island. My plan was to spend 4 nights in Marinduque en route to Puerto Galera, Mindoro. The […]

Lucena – Philippines – To Marinduque Island

  JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I was expecting to be in Burias Island for a few days; I abandoned it after 1 night. I quickly made my way from Burias Island to Naga City and I stayed in the Nagaland Hotel for 3 night so that I could catch up on some work over the weekend and do some re-planning. The Nagaland was just what I needed after Burias Island … aircon, hot water shower, cable tv, furniture, and clean. Naga City was OK – but just another unkempt Philippines city … but it was nice to be […]

Naga – Philippines – To Lucena City

  JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Donsol to Claveria, Burias Island and I stayed in the Montenegro Lodge for 1 night. The Montenegro is the only accommodation in Claveria Town. It was well below GRANDPAcking Standard. I rented a Moto (Hamal / Hamal) to take me to San Pascual in the north of the island with the intention of finding a better place to stay. The accommodation in San Pascual was not much better, so I decided to abandon Burias Island. I quickly looked in Agoda to find nearby towns with hotels. In this area of The […]

Burias – Philippines – To Naga City

  JUNE 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Masbate City to Donsol and I stayed in the Amor Farm Beach Resort for 3 nights. The Amor was good for the price but it is was empty … I was the only person there! I was in Donsol to SCUBA for Whale Sharks and Manta Rays. The season usually ends in July … but this year it ended early. There were no Whale Sharks nor Manta rays around. I had a quiet (and boring) 3 nights in the resort. It was time to move on to Burias Island. Burias […]

Donsol – Philippines – To Burias Island