Hilton SF

First-time in Hilton SF

When it comes to hotel chains, the name Hilton is not unfamiliar to tourists. Not only because it’s a nice family name but also due to the brand image it has carved in the hotel industry. My first nights in the US, specifically in San Francisco, were spent in a cozy bed in Hilton San …

First-time Travels

First Time Travels from Tripbase

This is the first time that First-time Travels will be featuring an article from a guest blogger. I love that. As I’m pretty sure that every seasoned traveler started out as a first-time traveler, I welcome stories about travel experiences when you first embarked on your travels or when you first visited a place. Read …

Farmerbrown

First-time in Farmerbrown San Francisco

Farmerbrown. The name wasn’t familiar to me before until I encountered it and it definitely stuck in my memory bank. Not only was the place where I had my first dinner in San Francisco, if not in the USA, but how I got there was in itself an interesting tale. I was in this beautiful …

Palawan

First-time in Black Island

Nothing prepared me for the surprise I’d find in my first-time at Black Island. Part of our Calauit tour in Palawan was some stopovers at islands around Busuanga. A short distance away from Calauit was Black Island, where the Slovenian franchise of Survivor, Survivor Srbija: Philippines, shot some of their episodes. Black Island loomed from …

First-time in Bonito Island, Philippines

The weather in this part of the globe is once again changing. The slight chill in the air has ebbed away and Philippine summer seems to be entering earlier than expected. It’s not really a sudden shift because, in our tropical country, weather conditions could be rainy, normal (dry and warm), and warmer.  Most of …

Malatapay Beach Resort

First-time in Malatapay Beach Resort, Negros Oriental

Right after our plane touched down in the runway of the Dumaguete City airport, at the capital of the Negros Oriental province in the Philippines, we embarked on about half an hour ride by van to the southern part of the island towards Malatapay Beach Resort. It was night when we arrived at the resort. …

Kusina salud

First-time in Kusina Salud, Philippines

Getting out of the capital of the Philippines, Manila, to nearby cities and towns is not an uncommon occurrence among the urban dwellers. With friends and relatives from abroad visiting every now and then, it gives us more reason to escape the metropolis. But with the “Viaje del Sol”, Spanish for “Way of the Sun”, …

Guangzhou

First-time in Guangzhou RiverSide Youth Hostel (Jiangpan)

I’ve never experienced hosteling until I went to Guangzhou, a city in the southern part of China.  I thought it would just be another small hotel, or an inn, for that matter.  I didn’t expect that there was entirely something different with the experience, particularly with youth hosteling, which I never realized till I was …

Kaitulari

First-time in Kaitulari Resort, Philippines

Before it’s name came about, it was only referred to as “Kay To(to) Larry”, which literally means “Larry’s Place” or “Toto Larry’s Place”, with “toto” as a form of endearment to men in the Hiligaynon language.  Thus, the resort became popularly known as “Kaitulari” and the name stuck. Kaitulari is a resort tucked in the …

Ruins Talisay

First-time in the Ruins, Talisay

I went home last Christmas with a mission: to visit another tourist spot in my own province. It helps to know what’s going on in my own backyard, figuratively speaking, so that when I travel, I also get to talk about interesting things about my hometown.  Being away from home for 11 months in a …

Hollywood

Highlight of 2009: My first-time travels

Watching travelers in an airport coffee shop while waiting for my flight, I couldn’t help but wonder what 2010 has for me when it comes to traveling. Of course, 2009 was a good one. I have covered almost 20,000 miles, visited four countries, and enjoyed several beaches and landmarks. It was my first time to …

Calauit

First-time in Calauit Island

As Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra, and Gloria the hippo escaped to Madagascar and to Africa, we also had a little escapade of our own into a small island in the Calamian group in Palawan, called Calauit. It’s a wildlife sanctuary created by the Philippine government. Since we had to catch …

Coron

First-time in Coron

Coron is one of the must-see places in my list of destinations within my home country, the Philippines. Together with Busuanga, Culion, and several islands, they form the Calamian group of islands in the northern tip of the Philippine province of Palawan. Though not as hyped as Bali or Boracay or Phuket or any beach …

Tagaytay

First-time in Tagaytay

This weekend I went to Tagaytay. I frequent Tagaytay a lot that I have lost count how many times I have returned since the first time I visited this city. That was in college when we stopped by to marvel at the views as we were passing through towards Batangas. Tagaytay City is about two hours from …

Antipolo

First-time in Antipolo, Rizal

Antipolo is one of the cities in Rizal, a nearby province from the Philippine capital, Manila.  Situated in the hilly part of the province, it has a vantage point that overlooks the whole Metro Manila. Because of its proximity to the capital, most people frequent Antipolo. I went there this weekend and I tried to …