Hotel Review: Experience ibis Singapore Bencoolen

The lobby at ibis Bencoolen, Singapore 

When traveling abroad, I rely heavily on free WiFi access to stay connected to my family and friends back home. Purchasing a local SIM in the country I visit is not on top of my mind and is costly for a budget traveler like me.  

So when the staff at ibis Hotel Bencoolen told me and fellow blogger, Mica, that we'd be staying in a premium room with a free Handy smartphone that has unlimited data access, and with free local and international calls, I knew instantly that my 2-day stay in Singapore will be fun.

When I entered my well-lit room at the 11th floor, my eyes rested easily on the phone sitting adjacent to the comfy-looking bed. It didn't take long before I started dialing my mother's number to inform her that I've arrived safely and finally settled in my hotel.

Skyscanner 2014 Bloscars: A 48-hour Singapore trip

I stared out the windows as the plane took a descent few minutes before we hit the runway of Changi Airport. The bleak and overcast afternoon sky did not dampen my spirit as the familiar sight of this metropolis came to view -- Singapore is still breathing with a lot of trees and skyscrapers. 

I was on this all-expense paid trip for the Skyscanner Bloscars 2014 Travel Awards in Singapore, a trip that was made possible by Skyscanner.

Just a background, Backpacking Pilipinas won second place in the Philippine Skyscanner 2014 Bloscars Travel Awards. And quite unexpectedly, along with the runner up title came the prize for a free trip to Singapore. What a surprise!

My travel companions for the two-day trip were fellow travel bloggers and Skyscanner winners - Allan of Lantaw (country winner), Carla the Blissfulguro and Mica the Senyorita. I'm glad to have represented our country together with this crowd of inspiring bloggers!

Backpacking Pilipinas wins 2nd Runner-Up in the Philippine Skyscanner 2014 Bloscars Travel Awards

To be among the top 10 finalists, together with some of my favorite travel bloggers, was already a big surprise, so imagine how special it was for me to wake up one day to the news that I made it to the top 3! Yes, I was elated! The nomination and the 2nd Runner Up finish in the Philippine Skyscanner 2014 Bloscars Travel Award are great kickstarters for Backpacking Pilipinas, and I can feel that we're off to an awesome year ahead!

A month after the finalists were named, the Philippine Bloscars winner was announced last week via the Skyscanner's website. The winner was assessed by Skyscanner based on several criteria and the votes from the public. 

Vote for Backpacking Pilipinas!

Hello Backpacking Pilipinas friends,

I have some very exciting news for you!

This blog, backpackingpilipinas.com, is one of the finalists for the Skyscanner Philippines Travel Blog Awards. I'm super excited since it's my first time to be nominated for something like this, and quite an honor to be included in the list along with nine other awesome travel bloggers. 

You may actually help me win by voting for me. Yehey! 

Click this link to vote: Vote for www.backpackingpilipinas.com

And here's something for you... Skyscanner Philippines is giving  free flight vouchers worth P18,000 weekly just by simply voting. Yep, yep!

Vote now and share this to your friends, too. :) Thank you so much!

Sending you good vibes,

Che Gurrobat

Blogger