Book A Hotel Easier with Traveloka App

Can you feel the summer slowly approaching? Because I do. And what does summer entail? Yes, vacation! Whether you want to go out of town, out of the country, or simply have a short staycation, you’ll do it, right? What if I tell you that you can now book your summer plans not only easier, but also at a discounted price? You read that correctly and all you have to do is download Traveloka on your smartphones!

I recently tried using Traveloka booking a hotel for a short staycation. I was surprised that they have narrowed down all affordable hotels in every area. And that they are offering exclusive discounts up to 20% on select hotels and flights for their members. After browsing the app, I decided to stay at a hotel near our school in Bel-Air, Makati. There are so many affordable hotels to choose from, yet I ended up choosing Versailles Stay at One Central. Not only that it is the nearest hotel in school, it is also the most affordable.

To give you an idea on how my hotel room looked like, here are some of the photos I took. Please bear with the low quality photos as I only used my phone in taking it.

 I decided to go with Versailles Stay’s Twin Bed Deluxe as my friend (and feasibmate) will be staying with me. The room is spacious it can accommodate at least 6-8 persons. The room has its own living room (with flat screen TV, cable, and DVD player), dining area, kitchen (with refrigerator, electric stove, and microwave oven), and bathroom. I was most excited with their TV cable as it has all Korean channels – KBS, SBS, MBC, and TvN! Woo~ But the best part was, they have a swimming pool! So it’s only fair that we start celebrating summer, yes? 

 If booked directly at Versailles Stay, Twin Bed Deluxe cost Php5,198/night, but since I used Traveloka, I only get the room for only Php4,302.40/night with complimentary breakfast for 2 too! Anyway, that was a really nice 2 days and 1 night stay. We certainly had a good time there. I even invited some of my friends to visit us at the hotel and join us to swim! For more info about Versailles Stay, visit their website at http://www.versaillesstay.com/

Now, I know you’re quite curious on how Traveloka works, so here’s a step-by-step with photos on how to book a hotel be it for your staycation, out of town, or out of the country vacation.

Step 1: Of course you have to download the Traveloka App first. It is available both in App Store and Play Store for free!

Step 2: Register/Create an account, because they have discounts exclusively for their members only.

Step 3: Choose whether you want a local vacation or an international one.

Step 4: Narrow down your option by entering your preferred destination, check-in date, duration, total guest, and number of rooms you would like to book.

Step5: Choose the hotel that suits your budget

Steps 3, 4, and 5

Step 5.1: Check for the hotel information (amenities and such)

Step 6: Select room. 

Step 6.1: In here you can see the specifics of each room. What is included in the deals and so on.

Steps 5.1, 6, and 6.1

Step 7: Confirm your chosen room

Step 8: Fill in the necessary details 

Step 9: Review your booking

Steps 7, 8 , and 9

Steps 10 and 11

Step 10: Proceed with the payment. Traveloka accepts credit card, over-the-counter, and bank counter payments.

Step 11: Wait for your hotel voucher to be issued in your email address, and lastly

Step 12: Enjoy your vacation!

Easy, right? So, where will your next vacation be?

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https://www.traveloka.com/en-ph/

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Five Things Every First-Time Travelers Must Do

So, you’re planning to travel for the very first time… I know how you feel – you’re excited and nervous at the same time. The things that you watched in the movies are starting to flood your brain (and Liam Neeson is so not your dad when things go rough). But then again, life is not as fun if you don’t travel and see the world, yes? As scary as it may be, you just have to do it. I am not a very experienced traveler, but after my first travel, then the second, third, (and hopefully the fourth one before my birthday) I have totally got out of my comfort zone (hi, room!). And here I am, sharing the five things you should do before you start traveling.  They are very basic, yet important.

Know your budget

Money has been my number one alibi not to travel. To quote Jim Rohn: “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse”. Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. You should know your expenses limitation; only you know how much money you have in your pocket. My very budget-friendly trip was in Batangas, with so many resorts and hotels there, we didn’t have any problem looking for the place to stay in, and we only spent less than a thousand pesos! So, research on the places that are within your budget. Or you can you join group tours, not only they’re affordable you also get to meet new and potential friends while you’re at it. There are also online hotel and flight booking sites, like Traveloka, where you can find discounted hotel and flights deal.

Don’t over-pack

Believe me, I’ve been there. I was a chronic over-packer who packs everything and ends up not using half of it. While it may be better to be prepared for all weather and activities, you’ll only tire yourself up. Decide on the things that you really need before you pack, check the luggage allowances (if you are to travel by air), and always prepare a big zip lock bag for dirty clothes so they won’t affect the clean clothes. But always, always pack extra underwear or two. Pack less, but pack smarter.

Do the research

Experiencing different things and cultures are the reason why you travel. You have chosen your destination for a reason. But before you leave, you must do the research first. Find out every important detail of the place you’re going to visit so you can prepare the things you’ll have to brought with you. Following travel blogs is a big help as they tend to have useful tips and itinerary. Researching is the best way to get information’s. I remember when I visited Cagbalete Island in Mauban Quezon, if we didn’t do the research, we will never know that Villa Pilarosa doesn’t have an electricity during the day and that the market is a one - hour away by boat. So yeah, research is definitely important.

Document your trip

The best thing to remember your first trip is to document it. There will be lots of fun and exciting things that could happen along the way, so take lots of photos, and post in on your social media accounts or blogs to keep track of your trip. Bring the appropriate camera with you so taking photos will be much easier. Of course, power bank is a must. You don’t want an empty battery when you’re in the perfect moment with your friends or family. I want to share a travel hack that I read from way back: “Every time you enter a new destination, take a photo of the country or city sign; this way you know where your new set of photos starts and the previous set ends”. Clever, right?

Enjoy the moment

The most important thing is to enjoy yourself. Life is too short to stay in one place. Make it worthwhile – travel often. It is best to have your first trip with your best of friends, like what I did. Savor the moment; soak everything up, because you will never know when your next travel will be. Try every activity, the foods, and the culture because that’s the whole point of traveling, to try different things. See the world, because you’ll never know what’s waiting for you out there.

Do you have more tips for first-time travelers? Comment it down below.

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My Villa Pilarosa, Cagbalete Island Budget Trip

“If travelling was free, you would never see me again”. Five months ago, you wouldn’t probably hear me say that. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, so I promised myself that even though I am scared of travelling, I will travel to my heart’s content. It just so happened that my first trip was with my friends at Villa Pilarosa, Cagbalete Island, Mauban Quezon. Can you believe that our budget was only 1,500 pesos all-in? That also includes our food and accommodation.

Villa Pilarosa is a hidden and a private resort in Cagbalete Island. The resort is surrounded by mangrove trees – there’s so many mangroves that you won’t even notice that there is a resort behind it. The ambiance of the resort was very peaceful and has this very probinsya feels – definitely a perfect place to have a nice rest away from the civilization. Take note, there’s no Globe signal there.

  

The first thing we did was to have a nice rest and sleep a little before we enjoy the crystal clear water of Cagbalete, the four of us was up all night after all. We left Manila around 12:30 midnight and we were at Villa Pilarosa by 8AM. Travel time was about 5-6 hours. You can either ride a passenger boat to get to the resort or rent one, we chose the latter, so we could enjoy our whole time without rushing and leave whenever we want.

You must make a reservation before coming here, especially during peak season. Surprisingly, when we arrived at the resort, all the guests were getting ready to leave. We asked the person-in-charge, Kuya Andrew, if they were expecting more guests besides us, he said no, the resort was all to ourselves! LOL He even gave us a discount! Since we are the only guest that day, Kuya Andrew upgraded our small cabana to medium – for free! 

After we had lunch, the water was slowly getting lower. And while waiting for the sand bar to come out, we had a nice chat with the people at the resort and had another rest on the havocs.

And when the sand bar appeared, we took the chance to take some pictures. Since we’re the only ones there, we did almost everything! We danced, sang, posed, and walked around the island. It’s just sad the we missed watching the sunset, but there’s always the sun rise, so it’s fine. 

The morning came and that’s when we really enjoyed swimming in the clearest water of Cagbalete. Another good thing about Villa Pilarosa, you can use their balsa (raft) and life vest; just ask Kuya Andrew and he will surely let you.

No matter where you go, the water is all clear and the fresh air is just so relaxing. Just remember to put on sun block, though, because there isn’t any shade in the swimming area.

Tips before going to Villa Pilarosa, Cagbalete Island

• Leave early so you can avoid unnecessary delays such as traffic.
• Make sure that you have extra money with you. The 1,500 pesos may be enough, it still won’t hurt to have extra pennies with you.
• Buy all the things you need in the market first – food and water. There is a mini sari-sari store at the resort, but expect a higher price of the products.
• If you think you can’t survive without a mobile signal, or the internet, then bring an extra SIM (Smart or Sun) with you.
• Bring sun block and mosquito repellant with you.
• The electricity is only available from 6PM – 6AM, so you better have extra power banks with you.
• If you want to cook, you can use all their cooking materials and utensils for free. All you have to pay is the P50 for the firewood.

Budget Breakdown

• JAC Liner Bus (Manila to Lucena) – P210 (we paid P168 for students)
• NCR Lines Bus (Lucena to Mauban) – P53 (we paid P43 for student)
• NCR Lines Bus (Mauban to Lucena) – P53 (we paid P43 for student)
• JAC Liner Bus (Lucena to Manila) – P210 (we paid P168 for students)
• Environmental and Tourism Fee – P50
• Boat (Tourist boat-back and forth) – P2000 (we paid P500 each)
• Cabana – P1500 (we paid P375 each)
• Food – P150 each (note: all of us have baon, so we didn’t buy much food at the market)

TOTAL: P1,601 / P1,497 for students

Not bad, right? Although I think P1,500 will be adequate if you are to use a passenger boat. You can refer to the photo below for the boat rates.

Our 2 days and 1 night surely were unforgettable. We were surrounded by clear water and a magnificent view. Cagbalete Island is definitely worth going for. And if you want to be away from the crowd, then Villa Pilarosa is for you.

For reservation, reach out to 

Villa Pilarosa Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Villa-Pilarosa-Cagbalete-Island-217287048361837/?fref=ts

or contact Kuya Andrew: 09993663884

What do you think of this trip? Would you like to see more travel post on this blog? Let me know on comment box below.






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