Blog Archive - PATRIK LORD TRAVEL BLOG

Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Life begins where WIFI is weak

Published on: July 21, 2025

Short review: “Runa Runa The Best Guesthouse” in Koh Samet Thailand

I stayed a few nights at "Runa Runa The Best Guesthouse"

"Runa Runa The Best Guesthouse" lives up to its name! I recently enjoyed a great stay here, finding its location incredibly convenient—just a 5-minute walk from the pier. This also puts you within easy walking distance of several beaches, as well as a fantastic array of restaurants and bars. While breakfast isn't served on-site, countless options are available just around the corner. The guesthouse itself was spotlessly clean and fresh, and I appreciated their laundry service. All of this came at a very budget-friendly price. Highly recommend for a comfortable and well-located stay!

Published on: November 5, 2024

Going for an evening snack | Nice guesthouse Verano in Tagbilaran Bohol | Philippines

Going for the evening snack, staying at Verano Guesthouse

I was going out for a late evening snack. It was lively karaoke outside the gates. Verano Guesthouse is impressive with a 180 degrees view from the terrace. The neighbourhood outside Verano Guesthouse may look unsafe but it's perfectly safe so no worries.

Published on: November 5, 2024

Best Accommodation Jagna Bohol, Paseo Del Mar Seaside Dive Inn | Philippines

The most nicest accommodation in Jagna, Bohol

Paseo Del Mar Seaside Dive Inn. An affordable and beautiful located resort with sea view just outside the central Jagna in the southern Bohol, Philippines. The resort also arrange diving trips. A special thing with this resort is all the dogs and cats they have. So nice!

Published on: July 6, 2023

Hotel Celtic in Paris | Montparnasse | Paris | France

Hotel Celtic in Paris. I got the last room!

So I decided to go to Paris for a week. I usually prefer to stay in area of Montparnasse. But this time it was a little bit hard to find a suitable place. Finally I found the Hotel Celtic in the heart of Montparnasse. I was lucky, I even got the last room. A typical Parisian style hotel where my room gave the shape of a pizza slice a new meaning. It was located opposite of 8 Rue d'Odessa which actually was the address where my mom and dad lived with my grand parents many years ago!

Published on: January 19, 2019

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay

Yes, there are sunsets here at Punta Ballo Beach

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Main entrance, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The main entrance to Easy Diving Resort

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Beachfront, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Down at the beachfront

Come as guest leave as friend

Come as guest leave as friend, is Easy Diving's motto. And yes, I think so. I made some friends here. Easy Diving and Beach Resort is beautifully located on Punta Ballo Beach around 15 minutes from downtown Sipalay. Expect to pay around 200-250 PHP to the tricycle driver. The Resort has 20 air-conditioned bungalows plus 2 bungalows with fan.

It was very quiet here

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The restaurant comes with sea breeze and ocean view

The bungalow was very fresh

Since I don't like air-condition I booked my bungalow with fan instead, actually there were two fans. Everything was very fresh and clean. The bungalow had a nice little porch with two chairs and a table where you could sit in the evenings and enjoy the quietness and practice stargazing. A so called free WiFi was included as a pocket WiFi. As far as I remember you had 3 GB of load for free. When you had consumed that you had to pay extra to get an additional 3 GB load. I was told this was only temporary until they had fixed a more permanent WiFi solution. I hope they did.

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, My room, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

I really like the idea of bedside tables with lamps

The bungalow had no AC instead it had two fans which suited me much better!

It was very clean everywhere

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Say no to plastic, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

To fight the plastic pollution you could buy an aluminum bottle for 500 PHP with free refill of service water

The restaurant where you could enjoy Easy Diving's delicious food. They also accept walk in guests.

In the evenings they had mosquito coils so I was spared from mosquito bites

The food heaven

In the restaurant they served excellent food, both Filipino and European style. The tuna steaks became quickly my favourites. Not to mention the delicious pancake with fresh mango and ice cream which was really addictive! In the evenings the atmosphere was really cozy in the restaurant. I was just sitting there inhaling the sea breeze and watched the sunset and contemplated about how good life was.

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Tuna Steak, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Oh my! I could die for this tuna steak with spicy wasabi sauce and garlic rice

My second love, tuna steak with creamy yellow curry sauce...

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Pancake, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

My secret lover forever! Pancake filled with fresh mango served with ice cream and chocolate sauce

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Bicol Express, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Bicol Express, a famous spicy dish from the region of eastern Philippines, Bicol

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Breakfast, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

As delicious as it looks, the crispy bangus (fish) with rice and egg. So so Philippines!

After a night of stargazing you need a real breakfast, so what can be better than hash browns with bacon and egg??

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Shrimps, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

A delicasy for the most demanding taste, spicy shrimps fried with chilli and garlic

Easy Diving has lots to offer

Easy Diving offers a lot, specially for those who are divers and I was told there are some really good diving spots just near. But even snorkelling was good if you swam enough out from the shore line. All the staff, from the owner to the room service were all very friendly and helpful. My highlights were the food, the quietness and beautiful location by the sea and not to mention my stargazing moments from my porch.

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Stairs, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

One of the many stairs at Easy Diving

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Reception, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The friendly hotel dog taking a nap in the reception

Video clip

The video shows a bit of what to expect from the stairs and the snorkeling near the beach.

Conclusions about Easy Diving Resort

I paid 2300 PHP per night for the bungalow with fan and breakfast included. That was competitive when I compared with other resorts in the same area at Punta Ballo Beach. The location of Easy Diving is more convenient than those resorts at the famous Sugar Beach which is only accessible by boat. But be aware of the stairs, if you can't or don't like to walk in stairs then Easy Diving might not be for you. There are many stairs to walk when moving around in the resort. Aside from that, the food, the friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness in the bungalow were excellent.

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
5 Rooms
5 Service
5 Value for the money
5 Cleanliness

Easy Diving and Beach Resort
Punta Ballo
6113 Sipalay-City
Philippines
(0063) 91 730 003 81

Published on: January 16, 2019

Go Hotels Dumaguete, Philippines

Go Hotels in Dumaguete, surprisingly good!

I spent one night at Go Hotels in Dumaguete and it was surprisingly good. I usually have other options in Dumaguete but they were fully booked. I kind of hesitated when I arrived there coz at this time they were renovating the place so I was worried it might be very noisy. The receptionist promised me that it wouldn't be any problem with noise and it turned that she was right.

Go Hotels, Lobby area, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The lobby at Go Hotels

The lobby area was large and spacious

Convenient location

Go Hotels is nothing for the one who is looking for a beach resort near the sea with amazing sunsets and a white sand beaches. Aside from that Go Hotels has a very convenient location. It's 2 minutes walking distance from Robinson mall with shopping and restaurants. It's 5 minutes walking distance from the Ceres bus terminal. It's 10-15 minutes walking distance from downtown and the famous Rizal Bouleward (Or just the Boulevard) where you have everything you can wish for.

Go Hotels, Coffee shop, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The adjacent coffee shop

The room but no breakfast

The room came with a private shower and CR and it was nice and clean. The AC was quiet and easy adjustable. The TV was working with all the channels that you ever want. The bed was fresh and of good quality so I had a good night's sleep. I paid 1500 PHP for one night and the breakfast not included.

Go Hotels, The room, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The room had a good, quiet, and easy adjustable air condition

I love to have a window in my room!

Go Hotels, Breakfast, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Breakfast in the coffee shop. Nothing out of the ordinary, a traditional beef tapas with coffee stick and creamer. The breakfast was not included in the room price.

Conclusion

If you are not looking for a beach resort or that cozy little family owned hotel with personal service and home cooked food... well then Go Hotels can be an alternative. Competitive price, good location, nice and clean room make Go Hotels to an excellent choice to stay for a couple of days.

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
5 Rooms
4 Service
4 Value for the money
5 Cleanliness

Go Hotels Dumaguete
Calindagan Rd, Dumaguete
6200 Negros Oriental
Philippines
Phone: +63 35 522 1100

Bantayan road trip part 2

Crystal clear water

Already from the ferry we spotted those nice fabulous beaches with white sand that we had read about. This was really promising. Even in the port in Santa Fe the water was crystal clear. In fact many of the big resorts are located close to the port.

Bantayan Island is surrounded by many pristine beaches with crystal clear water and white sand

Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort

Most places were fully booked the day we arrived at Bantayan island. But on the fly we had managed to get a cottage at Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort. On the map it looked close to Santa Fe and the port. But the reality turned out to be different. The distance was 6-7 km and the road going there was partly very bad.

Happy to have reached the destination or hmm just hungry?

Simple accommodation but nice

When we finally arrived there someone was very hungry. We ordered lunch and ate it in their open air restaurant. The accommodation was simple but nice with private bathroom, AC and fan. I really liked the place because the whole resort was surrounded by lush forest vegetation but with a nice view over the sea.

The food was good but maybe a little bit pricey

Remote location

Due to the remote location of our resort, we were really dependent on our scooter, without it we had been stuck there. But every time when we were going back from town after darkness it was an adventure. Not so much for the traffic more on negotiating bad roads and watching out for stray dogs.

Two beauties posing together

Driving in the darkness was all ways adventurous!

We never ate at Tristan’s despite the nice location by the sea

Food market in Santa Fe

The Food market is an area big as a few quarters where most restaurants and bars are situated. Are you looking for nightlife, then it’s here you should be. Many times we went all the way from our remotely resort in to the Food market for our dinner.

One small part of the Food market

Those kids seemed not mind to be photographed

Cge naah! ( come on! )

Our favorites

One favorite was the French bakery, he had super delicious cheese cakes and baguettes. Another fabulous place was the Tiki bar which had very yummy food, specially their hamburgers which were both big and tasty. Outside the central of Santa Fe we sometimes ate cheap at small eateries and barbecue places.

Did I hear the word food??

The French baker guy made nice cheese cakes accompanied with real strong and good coffee

The reason why we became valued customers at Boulangerie Française

Here they had the delicious Tiki hamburger with egg and bacon

At the local barbecue place

Fresh barbecue sticks for the people!

Digging deep in the pots here

Back to basic, barbecued chicken with rice!

To be continued...

Published on: March 14, 2018

Bantayan road trip

A longer road trip this time

Inspired from our previous road trip to Sipalay we decided to go for an even longer one this time. So why not make it big and go roughly 600 km back and forth, like from Dumaguete to Bantayan island!

The need of travel light

When you are two persons on a regular scooter you need to travel light. There are many considerations you need to think about and one thing is not to bring too much clothes.

Someone really needed to rethink the amount of clothes to bring

Go with the flow

We hadn’t made any detailed plan for our route. Our motto was to be spontaneous and go with the flow. We took the ferry from Tampi over to Bato to Cebu island.

The ferry over to Bato on Cebu island went smoothly

We took our lunch here and witnessed a motorcycle accident. A reminder for us to take it easy. By the way no one was hurt except maybe for the self esteems.

Overnight in Malboal

Our first stretch was not that far. We arrived in Malboal when it started to be dark so we realized we had to stay there for the night. Some consultations among the booking sites and we ended up at the T Breeze Coastal Resort which was nicely located by the sea.

Life could be worse

Breakfast was not included in the price but at least the view was for free

Doing FaceTime with the daughter

Hit the road again

The T Breeze Coastal Resort was really a nice place but we were bound for Bantayan island after all, so we had to hit the road early the next day.

A friendly hotel dog accompanied us at certain moments (when we were eating) at T Breeze

Buko juice

Aside from dogs, buko juice is the man’s best friend when it comes to drinks. Refreshing and healthy at least if it’s fresh and comes without sugar. Strangely enough it’s sometimes hard to find fresh buko juice... despite there are so many coconut trees everywhere here.

Buko means young coconut in Filipino

I have this weird thought that one day someone will chop the hand off while preparing the Buko juice...

The buko stand had many satisfied customers

Gathering energy for the next stretch on the scooter

The last stretch to Bantayan island and our first lunch at the Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort

Tuburan city

It took longer than expected to drive so we had to stay overnight at Tuburan city. Still around 80 km from where we would take the ferry over to Bantayan island. Tuburan hadn’t much to offer but we found a hotel and a 7/11. That’s all we needed!

Tuburan was a sleepy little town which hadn’t much to offer

We were lucky, we found the only hotel in town just in time. It offered a simple accommodation and a nice sunset from the balcony.

Breakfast was not included in our hotel stay but we had a 7/11 just nearby.

First time ever I had breakfast at a 7/11 and to be honest the sausages are warmly recommended

Tired of driving

The next day we started early after breakfast. This last stretch up to Hagnaya port went fairly smooth. But I started to feel tired of driving so I wanted us to reach the ferry as soon as possible.

Here we took a short break

Hey I just want a small ice cream... cege nahh...??

Finally at Hagnaya port where we took the ferry

Someone was seasick again

Finally Bantayan island in sight!

Pamilacan island Philippines

Something special

Since we had two friends from Sweden visiting us here in the Philippines we wanted to show them something special. So we decided to go to Pamilacan island.

A beautiful house with an astonishing view located inland on the island

And of course there were amazing sunsets here as well

Boat from Baclayon

At Baclayon we met with Mam Elvie who had arranged our stay at Enas cottages. The weather was good and the sea looked calm. Mam Elvie told us that it normally takes 45-60 min to go by the boat to Pamilacan.

Going from Baclayon to Pamilacan island

Someone was still seasick after the boat trip

Free coffee was included in the room rate

I wanted to extend

After an hour or so we reached Pamilacan. The sea was calm in the beginning but later on it became quite rough. Nevertheless we made it and as soon as I sat my foot on stable ground I realized I wanted to extend our stay to two nights instead of only one night. Hey, it’s not everyday you pay a visit to the paradise, right?

A visit in the paradise

Accomodation

The accomdation at Enas cottages was simple but nice. No AC, tv or hot water. But a fan, a mosquito net and a private toilet with a bucket of cold water were available. This accommodation is not for everyone but it was good enough for us. Three meals per day were included in the price.

Pancakes with coco jam for breakfast

Bonding with the guys

Snorkeling

The main activity here at Pamilacan is snorkeling aside for just unwinding and contemplateing about how good life is after all. You have at least two beaches where you can swim and snorkel freely. Then you have the Coral garden and the Marine sanctuary where you need a guide to accompany you. We did both the Coral garden and the Marine sanctuary. We were more lucky with the Coral garden since the weather was better and the sea was more clear.

Highlights

We also did dolphin watching in the morning. It was a long ride with the boat but the only thing we managed to see were the tails of a couple of dolphins. We were also supposed to see sea turtles just outside Enas cottages but we didn’t see any. My highlights were the spectacular sceneries of the island specially under the water and the quietness at night time.

The highlights of our trip to Pamilacan island

Facts

Boats are available from Baclayon on Bohol. Expect 60 min to go with the boat to Pamilacan. We paid 300 PHP per head one way. Inquire at the pier in Baclayon.
Accommodation was 850 PHP per head and night with three meals included at Enas cottages.
Snorkeling guides 250 PHP per hour. 150 PHP for renting snorkeling gears.

Another breathtaking sunset

Published on: February 24, 2018

Apo island the pearl of the Visayas

Going to Apo island

When you get visitors all the way from Sweden, what can be better than show them the little pearl of the Visayas, Apo island. Apo island is probably most famous for its sea turtles. Wednesdays is a good day to go there because it's market day at the Malatapay market just near the port for Apo island. There will be many locals going back and forth Apo island and the market so it will be easy to get seats on a boat. Facts about how to get there, fees etc see here >>>

Sea Turtle, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Apo Island is known for its many sea turtles.

The Rollin Pin, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

It was empty at the Rollin Pin today where I had my breakfast.

Knives, Malatapay market, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

They have everything at Malatapay market...

Dried fish

Livestock, Malatapay market, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Here the livestock market. 5 PHP to go in there.

Fisherman with his catch, Malatapay market, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The fisherman with his catch

A short clip showing the lively livestock market

Never sit under a coconut tree!

Instead of hiring a boat we had arranged a transfer through Liberty lodge where we were going to stay. We shared the boat with two other tourists and some locals. We were waiting over an hour for the boat to show up and get ready for the trip back. When we patiently were sitting there waiting we suddenly heard big THUMP! A big vicious coconut had fall from the palm tree and hit the woman in the striped t-shirt. She was very lucky since she wasn't hit in the head. The woman fainted by the shock and was carried away by some helpful people. Obviously she missed the boat but I guess, at least she survived the incident with just the fright and some minor bruises.

The port, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

A few minutes after this pic was taken the woman in the striped t-shirt was attacked by the coconut!

Unloading and loading our boat.

On our way to Apo island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Finally on our way and I managed not to get sea sick!

Liberty Lodge, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Liberty lodge and our room was at the very top of the building.

We had to climb many stairs to get to the Top 1 room.

View from our room, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Our view from the room was not bad. We paid 3700 PHP for one night with the extra bed included.

We were lucky, we swam with the sea turtles

We arrived at lunch time so we had the afternoon for snorkeling with the famous sea turtles. At first we didn't see any of them but later on we were lucky. That time of the day it was relatively many tourists and the snorkeling guides were busy towing around tourists who were not able to swim and snorkel by themselves.

A video clip showing the sea turtles

Life is wonderful

In the afternoon most of the tourists went back to mainland and only those who would stay over night were still on Apo island. After dinner we went up to the lighthouse at the top of the island and enjoyed the sunset. At 10 PM the electricity was shut down in order to conserve energy and the whole island got totally quiet. It was an almost surreal feeling to sit there on our balcony star gazing and contemplate about the all the wonderful things in life.

Going to the lighthouse, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

350 steps something and 600-700 m to walk to the lighthouse.

Lighthouse, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The lighthouse and the new construction at the top of Apo island.

Sunset, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The view from here was very rewarding.

Sunset at Apo island.

A compilation of pictures from our trip

Don't expect to sleep long in the morning

At roughly 4 AM the first rooster was calling good morning. Even the dogs were still sleeping at that time. 30 minutes later all roosters on the whole of Apo island were calling good morning together with the dogs which were barking. I guess they were also awakened by the roosters. 6 AM the boatsmen started up their boats. The good thing was that we took an early breakfast and plunged in the sea snorkeling before all the tourists were coming from the mainland. Time goes fast when you enjoy so already at 1 PM it was time to take to boat back again.

Going home, Apo Island, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

After 24 hours on this beautiful island we were heading back to mainland.

The budget

The budget for us on this trip was:
A double room with an extra bed at the Liberty lodge 3700 PHP with three meals included.
600 PHP per head back and forth with the boat, ask Liberty for the transfer.
100 PHP an environmental fee upon arriving to Apo island.
28 PHP with bus from South Terminal in Dumaguete going there.
20 PHP with jeepney going back to Dumaguete.

Not included in our budget, but available if you need it: Rent of life vests (when snorkeling), renting a table ( to put your stuff), snorkeling gear and snorkeling guides.

Going there:

Take a jeepney from Dumaguete city centre, around 20 PHP. Tell the driver to let you off at the Malatapay Market in the town of Zamboanguita, around 40 min from Dumaguete. Go down to the shore and rent a motorized boat that will take you to Apo island. The round-trip boat ride costs 2500 PHP (good for 4 passengers), 3000 (good for 6 passengers) or 3500 PHP (good for 8 passengers). Solo travelers may join other groups, and share the costs for the boat rental.

Or you can let the lodge arrange with the transfer as we did on this trip.