Davao City: 4 days, 3 nights itinerary

I’m quite fickle minded, really. That’s one thing about myself that I hate the most. Haha. One moment I’d want this, but soon wouldn’t want it the next. I’m really, really fickle to the point that I regret buying something or I regret not buying something! This post is one of the products of my fickle-mindedness. I wanted to write about my stay in Davao in one single lengthy post, then changed it to separate days-post, and now this: separate tourist spot-post. So yeah, please bear with me. LOL!

 

Anyway, I’ve already shared with your our first day in Davao here. Basically, for this post, I want to give you guys an overview and our itinerary for this trip.

Tickets I snagged my tickets at a REALLY cheap price. If I’m not mistaken, Cebu Pacific was on Piso sale, so I got my round trip tickets with baggage allowance at around Php900! Dirt cheap, huh? That was the cheapest tickets I’ve bought so far. I booked them half a year early though (bought the tickets in May 2011, travel is on January 2012). But that’s really the case if you want to get cheap tickets: book as early as possible.

 

 

Accommodations This wasn’t our problem during our Davao trip since my then-ex (now ze boyfriend) lives there, and we stayed in their lovely home. That’s another tip, loves: if you have friends who within the area, do contact them! Aside from *free* accommodations, they’ll be able to tour you around quite well since they’re locals. It would save you the hassle, I promise.

 

 

Places to Visit Whenever I construct an itinerary for a certain trip, I always Google “things to do in *insert destination here*” Do you do that, too? Or ako lang yung ang Google-everything? The internet is one of the best creations of mankind. You can learn any information about absolutely everything, and it’s the same even in creating an itinerary for a trip. Googling (is that even a word??) up destinations enable me to know which places are must-see places to visit and dine. It also helps me create a reasonable time frame for my itinerary. Yeah, I’m OC like that. Dapat may oras talaga. So yeah, do Google na lang the must-see and must-try places in your destination. Lots of hits, for sure.

Itinerary

Day1

• Flight to Davao | Our flight was via Cebu Pacific at 12 noon. We arrived at the airport a little before 10am at the airport. We had our lunch at Shakey’s and waited for boarding time.
• Zip City Hilltop | Straight from the airport, we went to Zip City Hilltop at Ma-a for a zip line ride.
• Abreeza Mall | We went to Abreeza Mall to pay for our day tour reservations at Pearl Farm Beach Resort.
• AJ’s house | Dinner and AJ’s 21st birthday celebration! Read my blog entry about our first day here.

Day 2

• Eden Nature Park | Eden Nature Park in Toril, Davao is a must-see place if you plan to visit Davao. Read my entry about Eden here.
• Buffet Palace Restaurant | Buffet Palace Restaurant is one of the first buffet restaurants in Davao City. It’s located at Tulip Drive, Matina.

• Davao Crocodile Park | Davao Crocodile Park in Ma-a boasts a “state of the art” crocodile farming system in the Philippines. They educate people about crocodiles and inspire people to appreciate nature.
• Aldevinco Shopping Center | If you want to buy pasalubong for your family and friends, then do visit Aldevinco Shopping Center at CM Recto Ave. cor. Roxas Ave.
• Jack’s Ridge | Jack’s Ridge is another must-see place in Davao. Be sure to visit this place at night as the view of Davao Downtown is exquisite. The main restaurant here is Taklobo Restaurant. It might get crowded though, especially during the weekends, so, if it’s possible, do reserve ahead of time.

Day 3

• Pearl Farm Resort | Our visit to Pearl Farm Resort in Samal Island is the highlight of this trip. It’s quite expensive thought, but totally worth every peso.
• Mooon Café, Abreeza | It was our last night in Davao, and we wanted to experience Davao’s nightlife. We couldn’t decide where to eat, so we agreed to eat at a restaurant not found in Manila. Mooon Café is a Mexican restaurant originally from Cebu.
• Matina Town Square | Matina Town Square, or MTS, is the place to be if you want to experience Davao’s nightlife. It has tons of restaurants and bars to dine and drink with your friends.

Day 4

• Flight back to Manila

Ito na talaga! PROMISE Haha!

 

Until next post, loves!

 

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Davao City: Life is Here

Hi, loves! How are you? I’m great, btw. Sorry for being MIA for the past few days; my schedule was jam packed! Thursday, I went to Los Banos for ze boyfriend’s birthday salubong (he is turning turned 23!). We had an amazing dinner date at Joe’s, and then had a couple of drinks at Jacques, and we went to IC’s Bar, too, for another party. We went back to Manila last Friday afternoon to have dinner with ze boyfriend’s mom. We had reservations at the Jeepney Café at Hotel Intercontinental Manila. The buffet was so-so; I loved their steak and their dessert station. A gastronomic experience, indeed! Then come Friday, we went to SM Megamall for lunch before ze boyfriend’s mom leaves for Davao. Then we boarded the bus to go back to Los Banos for another party: Edwin’s birthday. Will blog about this soon, prolly. Too bad, though, I didn’t have much photos during my (long) weekend. How was yours, anyway?

For today, I’d be sharing with you my first trip to Davao last January 16 to 19, 2012. This is a memorable trip for me for two reasons: first, it’s my first time to ride an airplane; second, it’s my first time outside of Luzon. Yeah, and add up the fact that I ‘m visiting my then ex-boyfriend (aka as ze boyfriend), and we’re staying at their place. LOL

DAY 1 I was glad that I was able to go to this trip with friends Jen, Vea, and LA. It made the trip more memorable. Anyway, our flight was scheduled at 2PM, and we were at the airport before noon. After checking in, we had lunch, and waited for our flight.


Have I mentioned it was my first time to ride airplane? It was Jen’s first time, too, so we had mixed feelings towards the whole flight thing. I was quite worried since the then-ex told me I should try gasping for more air by yawning to prevent my ears from popping, and I had trouble “gasping for air.” Haha! That was the funny part.



So yeah, we landed, finally! HELLO, DAVAO!



The then-ex and his cousin, Kuya Butch (+) picked us up from the airport. Nothing much on our itinerary that day, but a zipline ride at Zip City Davao.



I heard great comments about Zip City Hilltop in Barangay Langub, so we decided to give it a try. The place was majestic. You have a wonderful view of Davao Gulf and Mt. Apo while traversing the cable. Aside from the view, the zip line is fitting for first timers: the length is only 320 meters, and 120 meters above the ground. Compared to other zip lines, this is a baby. Plus, it’s dubbed as the “most friendly zip line for all ages.”



I forgot how much the zip line fee is, but it’s quite affordable, I’m sure. Plus, they gave us coupons for a nearby restaurant. Finally, here we are, donning our safety gear on the unloading platform.



It was everyone’s first time to try zip lining. AJ was truly terrified coz he’s afraid of heights. Hehe. Time to conquer that fear, dear! But yeah, I was having doubts, as well. I mean come on, NO ONE WILL FRIGGIN’ CATCH ME IF A FALL!!!



AND WE SURVIVED!!! It was truly a fun experience, I must say. The mixture of fear, euphoria, and that adrenaline rush, amazeballs!



After our zip line ride, we headed to Abreeza Mall to pay for our reservations at the Pearl Farm Resort. We paid Php1800 for our daytrip for Day 3 of our Davao trip. We then headed home to prepare for AJ’s birthday (January 17) salubong. Her sister, Erika, and I baked cupcakes! Haha!



That’s for now, loves! I’ll share with you the rest of our trip soon!

Love,


ZIP CITY
Location: Hill Top Davao, Barangay Langub, Diversion Road, Ma-a, Davao City
Contact Numbers: +6382-2822339, +6382-2861055 +639236586049
Email: davaowildwater@yahoo.com.
Website: http://www.zipcity.psdgroupph.com

Technorati Tags: Davao,travel,trip,airplane,Cebu Pacific,zip line,adventure,friends,Zip City

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Hong Kong Days 4 & 5: Shopping in Hong Kong

The last two days of our stay in Hong Kong were a blur. SRSLY. “Exploring Hong Kong” meant shopping for us. Hihi. For Day 4, we headed to the other island and explored Causeway Bay and Central.

 

Since our agenda for the day is mainly shopping, I wanted to wear something I could easily change in and out to. I chose the blouse+skirt combo. The weather was still a bit chilly since rain showers were  here and there, so I opted to add a cozy sweater.

 

Sleeveless blouse and skater skirt (similar here) from Pixie Dust, Sweater from Forever 21, Bag from Longchamp, and Flats from Charles & Keith

 

From our hostel in Tsim Sha Tsui, we rode the MTR (Tsuen Wan Line) towards Central and dropped off at Admiralty station, where we boarded the Island Line towards Chai Wan. We dropped off at Causeway Bay station. The whole trip took us about 10-15 minutes in total.

 

First stop is, of course, Forever 21 at Jardine’s Bazaar. It’s the first thing you’ll see once you get out of the subway station. It has 5 floors, I think. Forever 21 at Causeway Bay is the flagship store in Hong Kong. Prices are relatively cheaper compared to here (duh!), so it’s worthwhile to shop here. Scored some dresses and makeup items since they have tons of makeup here. Didn’t get to “hoard” items since I was overwhelmed with the items in the store. Haha. Parang ang dami masyado, eh. My sisters and I spent about an hour or two here.

 

Photo from Katz

Photo from Tourism Hong Kong

 

We then headed to Times Square to visit SOGO, which is the last standing Japanese department store in the area. Times Square was really crowded, even if the weather wasn’t really nice.

 

SOGO is the biggest department store I’ve ever been to! It houses tons of brands, but mostly luxury brands, like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, etc. I love their makeup “floor”! Kaso, ang daming tao so ‘di ako nakapag try masyado. They have Chanel, Shiseido, MAC, and many more! I wanted to try out the Japanese brands coz of its high quality, but I got too lazy to do so.

 

I also suggest you visit SOGO if you’re a brand-aholic (is there such a word???). Plus, as I’ve mentioned earlier, prices in Hong Kong are cheaper compared to Manila. Was able to buy a Longchamp Planetes Tote bag and LM Metal Tote bag, both large and long-handled, at only HK$1250 each (around Php6700). If bought at Rustan’s, I think the bags retail at around Php10000 to Php12000. Pretty good *steal*, huh?

 

We went to other malls as well, since Causeway is another shopping mecca. My sisters and I went cray cray at Etude House coz of the cheaper price. Since we really didn’t have enough time already to visit The Peak, we headed to Central instead. Guess what we did there? Yep! We shopped again. Haha!

 

Going to Central, we rode the tram, which cost us less than HK$4.  The tram ride was relatively slower than the MTR, but we couldn’t pass up this experience! Haha! Ang cute cute kaya!

 

 

When we got to Central, the first thing we did was to visit H&M. To be honest, I wasn’t aware that there’s an H&M store near the hotel (at Silvercord City, Tsim Sha Tsui) kaya dinayo pa namin ‘tong sa Central. This is the flagship store kasi kaya ito yung pinuntahan din namin. It has four floors, and houses tons of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children.

 

Photo from Hong Kong Digital PhotoVision

 

The items at H&M are a tad bit pricier compared to Forever 21, but the quality’s ok din naman. I particularly like their selection of dresses. My favorite is their jersey dresses (bodycon dresses) at only HK$79 each. The fabric’s really comfortable, plus it’s really flattering on my petite frame. Too bad I only got one jersey dress.

 

After 2 hours in the store, my family and I were hungry already and were craving for rice. Good thing my tita brought us to Jollibee, which is near the Central station.

 

 

Jollibee in Central has two floors. The staff were all Filipinos, and most of the customers are also Filipinos. Nakakatuwa kasi ang babait nila. Hi-hello forever ang peg. Don’t convert HK$ to Php when eating! Hahahaha. Kasi, lalabas talagang mahal. When it comes to food, don’t be stingy! LOL

 

For me, the taste was quite different compared to the Jollibee in the Philippines; but heck, IT IS STILL JOLLIBEE AND CRISPY-LICIOUS CHICKEN JOY!!! Haha! Their menu is a tad bit different though; some of the items they were offering are exclusive in Hong Kong, so it’s worthwhile to visit Jollibee, too.

 

So for our last day in Hong Kong, we were supposed to visit Lantau Island to see Ngong Ping. But we had too much stuff, so it’s a hassle for us to carry all our things all the way to Ngong Ping. So, we decided to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui instead and stroll one last time. Good thing the hostel allowed us to check out later than usual at a fee (HK$20 per hour).

 

We visited the malls around the hostel. They were pretty much empty since most stores open at 11AM or 12NN.

 

 

Since it’s our last day, and we’d be heading straight to the airport afterwards, I wanted to wear something that would keep me warm if the airport (and airplane) would be chilly. I chose to wear this blouse my friend got for me in Bangkok, skirt, pink socks, and flats. I know I won’t be able to sport the socks+flats combo in Manila, so pagbigyan niyo na. Haha!

 

Studded blouse from Bangkok, Skirt and Flats from Forever 21, Bag from Longchamp, and Socks from Hong Kong

 

Picture below is my makeup loot from Hong Kong. I went gaga over the clothes, so I was able to buy few makeup items lang.

 

Left to right: Lash Perm Eye-long Mascara and Oh m’ Eyes Liner from Etude House, Liquid lipstick from LUSH, and Sheen Supreme Lipstick (in Insanely It) and Pro Longwear Lipglass (in Full Speed Ahead) from MAC

We had a late lunch at Paisano’s. We’ll surely miss this one-of-a-kind New York-style pizza! My parents and sister (Erika) are so funny in this picture!

 

 

Sadly, we had to leave to Hong Kong and end our vacation *cry*. The good thing about leaving Hong Kong is how easy and convenient to go to the airport. From our hostel in Mirador Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui, we crossed the street towards Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard. There’s a bus stop there, where Bus A21 (same bus from airport to TST) will pickup passengers going to the airport. Ain’t that easy???

 

 

We arrived at the airport at around 5PM, and our flight’s scheduled at 9:55 PM. I super love their airport! It’s really spacious, and there are tons of things to do there while waiting for your flight. This is such a convenience especially if your flight is delayed (ehem, delayed flight namin when my boyfriend and I visited Hong Kong last October. More on this later).

 

Goodbye, Hong Kong, and Hello, Manila!

 

 

I hope you guys enjoyed my first travel entry, which is my first trip abroad! I had so much blogging about this trip. You can check out my previous posts on day 1, day 2, and day 3!

 

Would love to hear from you!

Dianne

Technorati Tags: travel,Hong Kong disneyland,family,trip,abroad,Hong Kong,airport,airplane,fashion,shopping,H&M,Forever21,MAC,Lush,Etude House,Cotton On,Longchamp,Bangkok

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