Sand – Maldo Travels

Lisboa – City Sites and the Beach

Jean Maldonado — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 23:45:00 +0000

From Canas de Senhorim, it was about a 2-hour 40 -minute scenic drive through mountains and valleys. The highways are great and once in the city, the roads become very hilly and narrow. Our rental was automatic which made driving in the hilly city much easier. We found a car park near Castelo de São Jorge and then walked to Praça da Figueira to have some breakfast. We found a great restaurant that has a tasty vegan menu.

After breakfast, we walked uphill for about 30 minutes to Castelo de São Jorge. We went through stone-tiled roads and several building walls were decorated with iconic tiles. There were also great views of the city on the way. The castle complex is quite large and we walked the perimeter of its walls. We didn’t go inside though and headed to a viewpoint instead. It was about a 25-minute walk to Miradouro da Graça. This is a great spot for unobstructed views of the city and the iconic suspension bridge Ponte 25 de Abril. There are several tables and chairs with parasols here where you can order snacks and drinks. We took a break here for about 30 mins before heading back to the car park. When we got back, we came from the top and found that the car park rooftop was also a great viewpoint of the city. It was about 1.30 PM now so we headed to the beach at Sesimbra.

It was about a 1-hour drive with some traffic getting out of the city. As we arrived at the beach, we got a wonderful elevated view of the sea driving down winding roads. We found a car park a short walk away from the beach. There are several bars along the beach and private spots with parasols that you can rent. There are also plenty of public areas where you can set yourself up. The beach is sandy and stretches for miles. There are cliffs at the far end and it’s a very beautiful place. We chilled here for about 3 hours before heading back to Lisbon for dinner.

There was a lot more traffic on the way back, especially crossing the bridge so it took us about 1-hour 30 minutes. We made a stop at Torre de Belém before heading for dinner in the city. The riverside is a beautiful walk, especially at sunset. You get a great view of the suspension bridge and Santuário de Cristo Rei as well. We headed for dinner at around 7.30 PM and then drover back to Canas de Senhorim.

San Jacinto – Relaxing Beaches

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 23:25:00 +0000

From the capital city Quito, it’s about a 6-hour 30-minute drive down the winding roads that descend the Andes. We left at around 6 AM and stopped in Santo Domingo de Los Tsachilas for some breakfast at around 8.30 AM. We then continued for another 2 hours and 30 minutes to Chone where we took a small break at around noon. We then drove 1 hour 15 minutes to San Jacinto getting there at around 1.30 PM. It’s a very small town and joins with San Clemente. We stayed in a villa just off the highway which was 2 blocks from the beach. After settling in, we headed to a restaurant in San Clemente. The tide was high in the late afternoon with violent waves crashing onto the rocky shores. It wasn’t possible to get in the sea but there was a beautiful sunset on the horizon.

The following day, we headed to San Jacinto beach where there’s a colorful sign with the town’s name. The tide was low now with gentle waves so it was possible to get in. A family friend was from the area and he met us there and took us to a beach a little further south towards Crucita. This beach was on the mouth of a river so you could bathe in the river as well. There was also a protected mangrove swamp where you can go for a walk. A site official takes you around and provides info on the flora and fauna. It’s free but they sell bracelets to help with the maintenance of the site. There are several birds at the beach, especially cranes. You can also look for small crabs popping out from their burrows.

At around 4 PM, we went to get some food at Hotel San Jacinto. They have a seaside restaurant serving fresh seafood and outdoor seating. They have a viewpoint looking out to the sea that you can climb. The waves break on the banks so you’ll get wet when a large wave comes in. After eating, we headed to Bahia de Caráquez which was about a 40-minute drive away. There’s a small town in this bay which has a large bridge that crosses over to San Vicente. We drove over the bridge and walked out to a pier at San Vicente Malecon which has great panoramic views of the city. After the sun had set, we headed back to our villa.

On the final day, we headed to the beach at Crucita in the morning which was a 20-minute drive south of San Jacinto. This beach is more touristic and we had breakfast at one of the beachside restaurants. After breakfast, we went for a short stroll along the beach before making our way back to Quito.

Nusa Penida – Scenic Island Beaches

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 23:14:50 +0000

We booked this tour in Kuta for 800,000 IDR¹. The tour bus picked us up from our hotel at around 7.30 AM and it’s a 30-minute drive to Sanur Beach. We’re given our boat tickets here and have 15 minutes to walk around the beach. It’s quite empty in these early hours but some of the stalls are open if you want to grab snacks or drinks. The ride on the speedboat to Nusa Penida takes 1 hour and we arrive at around 9.15 AM. We get off on the north side of the island at Toyapakeh. There are several guides here picking people up so you have to wave your receipt for yours to spot you. We then get on another tour bus and head to Kelingking Beach. The island is quite mountainous and we drive through the winding roads of the mainland to reach the south-west side of the island. It takes about 50 minutes reaching our first destination at 10.15 AM. We arrive at the cliffside which has an amazing view of the beach and the peninsula reaching out into the sea. We only have about 15 minutes here to take pictures so we can’t head on the trail down to the beach.

Our next stop is a 30-minute drive away to Angel’s Billabong arriving at 11 AM. This is a natural infinity pool that looks over the sea. However, it was closed off so you cant swim in it and can just take pictures from around it. It is very busy here and we stayed for about 10 minutes to get some pictures. We then headed to Broken Beach which was a 5-minute walk away. This destination is a cove where an arch in the cliffs lets water flow in to form a pool. We get around 30-minutes to walk around the perimeter before heading back to the tour bus.

At around noon, we continue to our last destination at Crystal Bay stopping for lunch at a tourist restaurant. We’re done with lunch by 1.15 PM and reach Crystal Bay at 1.30 PM. This is a popular sandy beach lined with beach chairs, umbrellas, and bars/restaurants. We’re given snorkeling gear and the guide says we don’t have to swim too far to see some sea life. We head into the water and is very shallow for about 20 meters. There are corals and rocks in the shallow water so it would be best to head out with water shoes. It’s a great snorkeling spot where you’ll get to see plenty of corals, fish, and other animals swimming around. We had about 2 and a half hours at Crystal Bay and we spent most of our time snorkeling. We then also grabbed some ice-cold beers and sat on some benches in the shade enjoying the view.

At around 4 PM, we headed back to the harbor which was a 30-minute drive away. We got on the boat and were back at Sanur Beach by 5.30 PM. Our pick up was late and arrived at around 5.50 PM. This was rush hour time and after dropping off other tour groups at their hotels, we reached our hotel at around 6.30 PM.

Patong – Phuket’s Party Beach Town

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 22:28:00 +0000

With our flight departing at noon from , we left the hostel at 8.45 AM for the Airport. A Tuk Tuk from the hotel cost us 8 USD² and took 30 minutes. We had a connecting flight in Bangkok with a transit time of only 1-hour 45-minutes. The lady at the counter said we had to pick up our bags and re-check the bags in Bangkok but we should have enough time. With another 2 hours to wait, I logged into the WiFi to check emails and saw our Patong hotel had been canceled so I spent 30 mins booking another one. We landed at the smaller Don Mueang International Airport so getting to customs was quick. We let the staff know about our flight leaving soon and were put in the priority queue. We managed to clear customs, re-check our bags, and go through customs again within the 1 hour 45 minute connection time. It’s a 2-hour flight to Phuket and the airport there is also fairly small.

At the exit, there were stalls offering shuttle services and sim cards. We tried to use the airport wifi to see if they had Uber³ or an alternative app but that didn’t work. We had to take cash out at the ATM to buy a Sim card since they didn’t take credit cards. After connecting to the internet, we looked up taxi apps but didn’t find anything reliable and it had been over an hour now so we got the shuttle service which was 180 THB⁴ per person. We were directed to the shuttle pick up location and waited there for about 15 mins until the next shuttle came. We were first taken to the office a 5-minute drive away where everyone got off to give their hotel details. After everyone was done, we hopped back in and the driver instructed everyone to put their seat belt pointing at a sign saying 1000 THB fine for no seat belt. The driver didn’t speak much English and wasn’t very friendly. It was about an hour’s drive and the traffic was a little crazy with winding roads closer to Patong. Our driver also drove quite quickly whilst lane hopping. We got dropped off on the main road a short walk from the hotel. We checked in and were in our room by 6.30 PM.

The Town

After settling into our room, we went for a walk on Bangla Road. There was lots of light and music along this road. The first part was mostly bars and restaurants. The stretch closer to the beach was then filled with clubs and bars. The side roads also had bars and some street food areas. It’s a very lively and nice atmosphere filled with people. We walked up to the beach and then across. There were still tour agency stalls open as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. We walked along a street parallel to Bangala and found a nice food market called Otop. We decided to eat here and were not disappointed. Prices were reasonable between 100 and 200 THB for food. We then walked across until we reached Bangala and headed back up to the hotel. We were in Patong for another 3 days and had tours planned during the day. In the evenings we went out to Bangala and found the bars with live music to be great.

On one of our free afternoons, we headed to the and rented some Beach chairs from 4 PM until close which was 6 PM for 100 TBH each. We also bought some ice-cold 750 ML Chang beers for 180 TBH each and played cards. There are several water sports at the beach as well including jet-skiing, parasailing, and the banana boat. We then went for a walk along the beach until the sunset before heading back to the hotel to get changed before checking out a bar. We went to a live music bar called Lion Livemusic and the band was amazing. They could play practically any song and the singers were great. We then checked out the two big clubs; Tiger and Illuzion. There are loads of reps selling drink deals and we thought this was needed for entry. Turns out entry is free once you dodge them. Both venues are huge and the music played is mainly charts/electro.

Playa del Carmen – Lively Beach Town

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 08 May 2018 20:34:45 +0000

A quick one and a half hour bus ride away from Cancun, we can find Playa del Carmen which offers spectacular beaches, fun activities, and a great nightlife. The pedestrian-only Fifth Avenue is a nice walk during the day with many shopping options and a variety of restaurants. There is also Plaza Paseo Playa del Carmen which is an outdoor shopping center with many high-end stores and a food court. The port to take the ferry to Cozumel island is around the corner from this shopping center. Other exciting activities which Playa has to offer are snorkeling, skydiving, and theme parks. At night, there are a number of bars and clubs along Fifth Avenue. My personal favorites are the rooftop or beachside bars where you can enjoy a nice cold drink whilst getting the breeze and fresh air from the ocean.