Upcoming Trip: From Flight to Resort... Taiwan here we come!

This short staycation is just going to be an escapade to simply relax (in the hotsprings) and just taking it slow.

Flight Tickets - Jetstar

The search for the cheapest plane tickets commenced about 3 months before the day, and I have to admit the prices that Jetstar offers (to Taiwan) is the cheapest amongst the budget airlines. For the (specific) dates that I wanted, Jetstar was S$144 for both departure and return tickets (S$288 for a pair of return tickets per person not inclusive of the seats, luggage etc...). Though I kind of regretted buying it so early because a week after I did the return flight for Jetstar was cheaper by S$10, but it was still the cheapest out of all the budget airlines.

*Side note: A month later Jetstar's fare for departure had increased by S$20 to S$164 for the same date! So I guess it was a good thing to purchase the tickets about 3 months before.*

The cheapest Scoot had was S$190-220 for departure and S$190 for return per person.
 
Scoot Fares - Departure
Scoot Fares - Departure
Scoot Fares - Return to Singapore
Scoot Fares - Return to Singapore
 
And Tiger offered S$199 for departure and S$138 for return.

Tiger Fares - Departure
Tiger Fares - Departure

Tiger Fares - Return to Singapore
Tiger Fares - Return to Singapore

For add-ons such as luggage, with Jetstar charging S$26 for 15kg and S$27 for 20kg, it was cheaper than Tiger which charged S$28 for 15kg and S$32 for 20kg, and Scoot S$15 for 15kg.

Needless to say, I chose Jetstar and thanks to DramaQueen winning a Jetstar photo contest (she won a S$100 voucher!), we got to save S$100. ^^

Voucher power!

Total price? S$339.50 per person. It was paid with a credit card that has free travel insurance as long as you use the card for flight tickets. Although paying with the credit card cost S$17 per person (extra), it is at least S$3 cheaper than getting the Jetstar insurance which cost S$20 per person. And since the credit card used includes travel insurance, I just took the S$17 as the insurance cost. Planning for holidays are just so fun (now if only the budget was limitless... that would be even better)! ≧◠◡◠≦✌


Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort (馥蘭朵烏來渡假酒店)

With the flight tickets booked, it was time to look at where to stay. Taiwan is a nice place with scenic lush forests and steep mountains, and its capital Taipei is vibrant and full of color. After the first hotsprings experience at Grand View Resort Beitou, I wanted a relaxing trip - one where taking in the surroundings and just doing nothing at all.

So it was down to shortlisting the resorts, Grand View Resort Beitou was one of the strong candidates but ultimately Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort won simply because it is in a location I wanted to visit (Wulai) the last time I was there, plus meals (breakfast, tea and dinner) were provided, along with the hot springs experience.

After searching online for a better price and some contemplation, I decided to book directly with the resort by emailing them (to ensure that everything would go as smoothly as possible). Still if you want a cheaper rate of around S$50++ (or more), you could search online.

I usually book online, so this was the first time I am emailing a resort/hotel to make a reservation. Nevertheless, the experience was good. The response was fast and the booking was made efficiently within days of the confirmation of the flight. The person-in-charge of the reservation was named Grace. She was efficient and answered any queries that I had. So with questions answered, reservation letter filled up and sent, booking confirmed and transportation booked, all that is left is wait for the final confirmation letter via email 5-7 days prior to arrival. I can't wait! (‐^▽^‐)



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