Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

Just like the majority of my wanderlust friends, I also eagerly and excitedly await the Travel Mart Event happening this weekend at SM Megamall.  We are not certainly travelling this year since we can still feel the heavy blow of acquiring Little Mansion to our pockets.  Besides, we’re still not through with the major expenses as we’re yet to settle a few more financial obligations and duties.  The monthly amortizations are also yet to start so basically, we haven’t attuned of how our regular monthly financial trend shall be like following the big move.  So for now, we have to keep an eye and control our expenditures until such time that we can determine we’re all good and have fully settled.  Hopefully, all will be well by the end of the year.  Until then, we can reward ourselves with all our hard work and sacrifices by going on an out of town or even an out of the country vacation, depending on the budget.

We haven’t planned out the concrete details yet but we’re looking at a couple of options.  Either we’re going back to our favorite local beach destination where practical vacation rentals abound for a week long stay or pursue our long time dream to visit Mickey and Minnie at Disneyland.  Hong Kong will do since it’s the nearest to our country.  It was initially our preferred honeymoon destination five years ago but due to budget constraints, we settled to go to Boracay instead.  We may not have seen Mickey or Minnie then but we had the grandest time of our lives.  Beach getaways, in a beautiful tropical and archipelagic country like ours, are a popular getaway favorites.  White pristine sand, cool blue waters, relaxing and cozy vacation rental homes – this is what paradise is all about. 

So either of these two options, it’ll certainly be perfect.  I’m hopeful that the Travel Mart through the cool deals and promos that’ll be offered will help us come up with the better choice.

For many, a cruise to some exotic locale would be the ultimate luxury vacation. Because the idea of a cruise is associated with luxury, most people don’t realize that a cruise is not as out-of-reach as they might think. There are cheap cruises out there, too, and they can be every bit as delightful and wonderful as ones that cost ten times their price.

Did you know that some companies offer 3-night cruises from England through Belgium and France for less than $500? That’s including meals for the entire trip — and you go full-circle, ending up in England again! Imagine a full week of cruising through the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, visiting a new delightful country each day. France, Italy, Corsica, Spain and Majorca are yours to experience, with 8 hours or more to spend at each before you move on to your next destination.

That’s practically a day in each country — long enough to breathe in the exotic atmosphere, collect souvenirs, take photos and move on. You’ll be able to relax and enjoy yourself without common vacation worries like finding a hotel to stay in or being hassled with security at an airport before leaving.

Often, cruises are not discounted due to lesser quality, but rather because they haven’t filled the cruise ship to full capacity at the regular price. Sailing with less than the maximum amount of passengers loses the company money, so they’re willing to slash prices to fill those empty slots — and that’s where you come in. Sign up for last-minute cruises for 60 percent or more off of the regular price. You’ll be on the exact same cruise and ship that others paid twice as much for! Most cheap cruises provide all of your meals and rarely cost more than $1000, even for the week-long cruises, so don’t let your budget keep you from seeing the world!

Our tropical country has welcomed the rainy season since June but the frequent rains can’t stop me from thinking about the beach.  Pristine white sand, crystal blue water, getting sun-kissed, watching my son and his Dad enjoy the sand – just the picture perfect vacation for me.  I just know the family vacation destinations that can give me this type of experience and also offers affordable family vacations.  It’s the Breezes Resort in the Caribbean.  Their family vacation packages include the Super Summer Sale in which Super-Inclusive package is just $106.  Sweet deal indeed.

I couldn’t help it but I stopped the online task I was doing earlier just to concentrate on what the husband was glued to on the television. It’s a foreign travel show and they featured about our dream out of the country vacation spot..the Caribbean! I saw my friend’s Caribbean cruise pictures last year and I was so envious of her experience. Even though her camera was not a DSLR, the shots were perfect because Caribbean group of islands as it is, is gorgeous. The TV show tackled about the must visit points of interest and places to see when having a Caribbean cruise. They also discussed in passing inclusive Jamaica vacations. I got interested with the pictures of Negril Jamaica that were briefly flashed and so I researched and learned further about this place on the web. I have learned that beach resort Negril is a a large town in the westernmost part of Jamaica. There are Caribbean cruises that includes Negril as a docking point and it’s where tourists can perfectly enjoy and experience the magnificent Jamaican culture and scenery. The most popular point is the “Seven Mile Beach” where the luxurious Breezes Grand Resort and Spa is among the resorts that line the coast on this Jamaican side. If you are after all inclusive resorts, I’ve read that the north end of the beach is where such resorts are located. How I wish that we can really travel to this place someday. I haven’t experienced an all inclusive vacation but I heard that it’s the ultimate type of getaway because everything that a tourist needs are specially catered like accommodations, meals, drinks, recreational activities, entertainment and many more.

Here comes another beach related blog post.

But first, my apologies if you’re from the other side of the world, still experiencing snow and badly enticed. I don’t mean to get you guys envious but conditioning my mind for summer as early as now is brought about by the extreme heat we’re also unusually experiencing here in the Philippines.

In a tropical country such as ours, I have come to realize that beaches aren’t widely demanded every summer period but actually for some, it’s all year round. The reason is that beaches are favorites and also popularly booked for destination weddings. Just like in the divine beach coast of Riviera Maya in Mexico, the five signature hotels of the Karisma Group have been a wedding destination favorite. Apart from the romantic setup and heavenly vacation, their gourmet inclusive concept perfects the ultimate wedding experience.

Whoever thought of and designed this Itsa beach towel is a genius!

It may be a little too early to plan for summer outings but the extraordinary hot temperature in our country as early as January will probably make people to start planning out their summer getaways the soonest. In fact, my sisters and I just booked a resort for our family outing on April. I’ve just also blogged recently about the new rash guard set I bought for my son the other day. Talk about being excited. I really am. And I got even more ecstatic when I saw this brilliant beach bag that can be turned into a beach towel or a sun lounger cover.

This is absolutely cool and just perfect for our beach getaway. I like how it comes handy, functional and stylish. With such, I have some place to put on my sun protection lotion, a book, my sunglass, my iPod and even a few of my toddler’s small beach trinkets and toys. Then, on the beach, I have an instant towel or mat to use. It comes at a reasonable price (as low as $14.95) in different vibrant and beach colors and made from a high quality material.

It’s a great beach companion, indeed. Simply, itsa-mazing. I guess I have to contact my friend in the US right away to place an order for me just in time for our April swimming.

Traveling with the family spells indeed a whole lot of fun. In fact, it is encouraged that every family takes time to spend vacation together to bond and relax once in a while. Traveling with kids should not be stressful for parents because they can actually research online for family-friendly destinations, resorts and travel deals around the world. For example, take a look at the Family Vacation packages exclusively offered by the Karisma Group of Hotels.

The Azul Sensatori Hotel which is located in Puerto Morelos, Mexico caters the needs of children and teens and makes sure that they have fun by providing a whole array of incredibly exciting and fun activities. For kids and babies, they have the Azulito’s Kids Club where they can play toys, equipment and programs by Fisher-Price® and My Gym®. It also has a kid’s pool, water slide, splash park and playground. They have baby toys and equipment like monitor, stroller, bottle warmer, baby bathtub for the vacationing babies so mommies need not lug baby gears anymore. For teens, they have the Breeze Teen Club where they can hang out and play interactive games like Wii, CD mixing classes, beach volleyball tournaments and tennis clinics. And of course, they are known for their luxurious and cozy family-oriented suites. Family-friendly vacations such as these veers away the stress in planning your dream family vacation.

Last year, the husband got an onshore assignment offer at work. He was supposedly designated at their Chicago office for a period of one year. The great thing about this offer is that he can bring me with him (family status) and enjoy all the corresponding onshore benefits like free lodging on the first few months, free airfare and all other relocation assistance. Unfortunately, he had to decline the offer in as much as he wanted to accept because one, I was about to give birth that time. In fact, I was in my 9th month of pregnancy. And two, I was still employed then so resignation was something we could not just rush. We felt bad for passing that great opportunity up but we didn’t have a choice. We just hope and pray that same offer will be given soon and be able to pursue the supposed itinerary I cooked up. Yeah, I was really that excited.

Aside from visiting our relatives in California, an exhilirating New York Sightseeing activity was on my list. I dreamed (and I still do) of experiencing the exciting Brooklyn Tour that CitySights NY takes pride of in their site and their clients greatly rave about. A friend recently toured New York City’s attractions, neighborhoods and places of interest in a double decker bus and that experience exactly made me envious. I hope by the time comes when our great American dream come true, their slashed down tour prices for as low as $39/pax on their current hot deals page would still be offered or it would be cool, if they’d be cheaper so we can avail as much tours as we want to. For those of you who are bound to New York soon or who will spend the Holidays in the city, do check out the irresistible offers on their site.