The Wknd Travel

N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial

Over the last few weeks, I started sharing with you some details about our Melbourne, Australia Trip last April 2019. I’ve posted about the parks, gardens & heritage sites we visited, the hipster laneways, communal spaces & modern areas we walked through & the famous bathing boxes we went to. I also gave you some insights about Flinders Backpackers Melbourne, the extremely popular & affordable accommodation we booked for 7 nights while in the city. Today, I will share with you 1 of the 3 day trips we took during our trip – that is the Great Ocean Road Tour.

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a 243-kilometer road along the southeastern cost of the Victorian State. This long road stretch was built from 1919-1932 by the returning soldiers for those killed during the World War I. This road is listed in the Australian National Heritage & is also the world’s largest war memorial. Today, the Great Ocean Road is one of Melbourne’s most famous day trips outside the city.

Day Tour Booking

We booked our 1 day Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Tour with Sightseeing Australia. It’s the same agency where we booked our Hunter Valley Wine Tour in Sydney last year. The agency then endorsed us to another tour company called Wildlife Tours Australia.

The day tour cost us AUD 105 per person. It includes all pick-up & drop off at selected places, morning snack, park entrance fees, wildlife viewing & a friendly & informative bus driver / tour guide. Lunch meals were not included.

Itinerary

Allow me to share with you our day trip itinerary. The tour bus picked us up (you can choose your pick-up station upon booking) at St Paul’s Cathedral, corner of Swanston St & Flinders St at 7:15 in the morning & dropped us off at around 8:00 in the evening. The tour usually lasts 12 hours; may even take longer depending on traffic.

MORNING TEA

We drove for a few hours away from the Melbourne CBD & stopped in a park / public open space for 30 minutes & had morning tea. Our driver / guide brought us some cookies, coffee & tea for snacks.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD MEMORIAL ARCH

We continued the journey & stopped at the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch. This arch marked the original start of the 243-kilometer war memorial. We stopped here photos.

EASTERN VIEW BEACH

A few meters from the memorial arch is a pristine beach in Eastern View, Victoria. We took some time to walk around the nice beach & got some amazing photos.

WYE RIVER COASTAL RESERVE

We went on for about 30 minutes until we reached the Wye River Coastal Reserve. It is a reserve where we saw wild koalas. The reserve had a caravan park in it & the Great Ocean Road beach was just at the other side of the road. We also stopped by a lookout which gave stunning views of the Victorian coast.

APOLLO BAY LUNCH

Next stop, lunch! We headed to the coastal town of Apollo Bay to have lunch for 45 minutes. We went into this local restaurant & ordered food. I got the Aussie staple food – fish & chips! The meal prices were higher than the usual, maybe because it is a popular stopover area.

OTWAY RANGES RAIN FOREST

After lunch, we went away from the coast & headed to the Otway Ranges Rain Forest, still on the Great Ocean Road. We took a guided walk through the rain forest, among the ancient Eucalyptus trees & cool forest scenery.

TWELVE APOSTLES

From the rain forest, we drove for an hour to reach Port Campbell National Park, also known as the Twelve Apostles. It is Melbourne’s & one of Australia’s most famous landmarks. The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore. These landmarks were formed by erosion & natural occurrences. If I remember it right, only 7 or 8 of the original 12 can be seen from the view deck. This part of the tour was the highlight of this day trip. Too bad the skies were not clear during our visit. Nonetheless, the views from the boardwalks were stunning.

LOCH ARD GEORGE

Loch Ard George is located a few minutes away from the Twelve Apostles. This place is famous of its beautiful limestone cliffs as well as the famous shipwreck site of Loch Ard.

GIBSON STEPS

The final stop of this Great Ocean Road day tour was a brief stop at the Gibson Steps. We were given a few minutes to go down & have a final walk at the Great Ocean Road beach.

From there, we started our trip back to Melbourne. It took us about 3 hours before we reached our final stop, St Paul’s Cathedral. Overall, it was a long but a great day tour. The views were stunning & one-of-a-kind. It’s a unique place to visit in Melbourne & in Australia, something one should not miss when visiting the city / state. I recommend taking a tour through this agency because doing it your own could be too tiring. I won’t mind doing it again in case I fly back to Melbourne.

(L-R) Me, Leng, Shane & Lord at Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell, VIC. Photo courtesy of Shane.

Have you been to the Great Ocean Road? Which was your favorite spot? Was the weather nice & clear during your visit to the Twelve Apostles? I hope the weather will be perfect in my next visit as I’m surely going to be back. Share your experiences in the comment section below. Do you have any questions about the Great Ocean Road or Melbourne in general? Feel free to post them below or e-mail them to contact@thewkndtravel.com & I’ll answer as soon as possible. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Before I forget, I want to let you know that it’s been a year since I first went to Australia with my friends. We explored Sydney for a few days & I flew to Brisbane for 3 days to spend some time with my relatives. Check out the Sydney & Brisbane blog list below to know more about my Australia previous trip.

Tuesday Tip: 6 Steps On How To Apply For An Australian Tourist Visa
N9 In Straya Series: Exploring SYDNEY By Foot Part 1 – Heritage Sites Within The City
N9 In Straya Series: Exploring SYDNEY By Foot Part 2 – City Icons, Alleys & Harbours
N9 In Straya Series – BONDI BEACH & COOGEE BEACH – A Short Trip To Two of Sydney’s Suburban Beaches + BOUNCE SYDNEY HOSTEL Tribute
N9 In Straya Series: HUNTER VALLEY Day Tour – Australian Wine Tasting At Its Finest
N9 In Straya Series: SCENIC WORLD BLUE MOUNTAINS – Nature & Adventure In One Place
N9 In Straya Series: BRISBANE Weekend – Quality Family Time In QLD
Hostel Of The Day: THE POD SYDNEY – Minimalist & Contemporary Hostel In The Middle Of A Busy City

Thanks for joining me today.. Until the next Melbourne post! ✌️

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 328 – Legazpi to Manila – ₱600 ($11.50) Flight Back To Manila

Last month, I introduced a new section in my website called Flight Report. This section will talk about my experiences on the flights I took in the past. My 1st flight report was about our Taipei to Manila flight with EVA Air last June. It was a decent flight for such an affordable fare. Check out the post here to know more about this 5-star airline economy experience.

Weeks after the 1st post, here I am sharing with you another flight report of a recent flight I took. 2 weeks ago, I went home to my hometown to surprise my mom on her birthday. I took the bus from Manila to Bicol & took a flight back from Legazpi to Manila with Cebu Pacific Air. The flight back to Manila will be the subject of this flight report. How did the flight go? What aircraft was used for the flight? Was it on time? Find out in the text below.

Cebu Pacific Air

View from Legazpi Airport’s pre-departure area. Hello to the A320 aircraft & to Mayon Volcano! 🙂

Cebu Pacific Air is the country’s largest low-cost carrier flying to over 60 destinations within the Philippines, across Asia Pacific & the Middle East. This private airline is fully-owned by JG Summit Holdings, led by the Gokongweis. It has a wholly-owned subsidiary called Cebgo which flies to smaller airports in the country. The airline operates a fleet of 70+ planes consisting of Airbus & ATR aircraft & has new-generation aircraft orders in place.

Cebu Pacific Air is known for providing the lowest fares in the Philippine airline sector. They are famous for their ₱1-base fare promotions to all of its routes, being offered a few times a year. They also hold special & regular fare promotions that enable a lot of Filipinos travel to destinations at affordable fares. The airline is one of the founding members of Value Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of low-cost carriers. It also has a loyalty program known as GetGo.

Airfare

Believe it or not, I only paid ₱596.32 ($11.50) for this flight from Legazpi to Manila. The airline had a ₱11.11-base fare sale last 11 November 2018 & offered flights from Legazpi this cheap. The fare only includes 7 kilograms of carry-on baggage. Check in baggage, in-flight snacks & seat selection are offered for additional cost; basically how modern low-cost carriers work. I was only travelling light, so I didn’t need to avail of these additional services. Imagine only paying that much. The fare was cheaper than the usual bus fare from Legazpi to Manila.

Flight

I initially booked a flight for 30 July 2019. The airline changed my original flight schedule & offered change booking, full refund, travel fund storage or rerouting options. I took advantage of this flight change & booked the night flight day before.

The flight was operated by a 6-year old Airbus A320-214 aircraft delivered to the company in December 2012. It operates an all-economy class 3-3 configuration & has 180 on-board seats in total. The flight took about 42 minutes, from the scheduled 1 hour & 20 minutes flying time. It departed Legazpi Airport on time & arrived Manila Airport 30+ minutes ahead of schedule.

Check In, Baggage & Boarding

Cebu Pacific Air provides counter, online & mobile check in for all their flights. Legazpi Airport has a relatively small but efficient check in facility. I already checked in online & have my boarding pass on my phone so I didn’t have to go through the usual counter check in. Passengers also don’t need to print their boarding passes – less paper used plus a good move for the environment.

Here’s a screenshot of my mobile boarding pass; didn’t go through manual check in. I removed the QR code for security purposes. The staff also asked for a government issued ID during boarding 🙂

The airline offers prepaid baggage for all their flights. Passengers have the option to include baggage at the time of booking or in the manage booking section up to 4 hours before the flight. Baggage fees vary per weight allocation & prices change as the day of the flight approaches. If you want to get reasonable baggage fees, include the baggage allocation while booking the flight or add it at least 15 minutes before the day of the flight.

Here are the check in baggage fees from Cebu Pacific Air’s official website as today, 11 August 2019.

The boarding process was alright – the flight started boarding around 20 minutes into the scheduled departure. The passengers rushed up to the gate when the ground staff announced boarding. I waited for the majority of the people to board & decided to board last. The ground staff checked my mobile boarding pass together with a valid identification card to confirm my identity.

Seat, In-flight Meal & Entertainment

Cebu Pacific Air offers in-flight services for additional fees. The airline automatically assigns seats to its passengers days before the flight. If the passenger wants to be seated in front or in exit seats, he / she must pay for the seat. The seats have a 28-inch pitch & a basic recline. The seats don’t have the best legroom but it’s okay for short flights. Each passenger has a seat pocket in front; the seat pocket contains the aircraft safety card & in-flight magazine.

Here’s the amount of legroom that you get when you fly on a Cebu Pacific Air Airbus A320 aircraft.

Preferred seats can also be booked through the website.. Here are the rates as of 11 August 2019.

The airline doesn’t offer free in-flight meal & has no on-board entertainment. Snacks are available for pre-order in the website up to 24 hours before the flight & are also available for purchase on-board. The airline also offers items or souvenirs (blankets, eye shades, neck pillow, etc.) for sale. The full snack menu & brochure of items for sale can also be found in the in-flight Smile Magazine.

No in-flight entertainment or whatsoever. You only get a plain seat with a tray table with an ad.

Here are the meal prices as of 11 August 2019 – meal includes a free drink if you pre-book it online.

I did not avail of any add-on for this flight. It was a short flight back to Manila & I didn’t have many things with me. Basically everything beyond the free 7 kilogram carry-on baggage allowance is offered for additional fees. This is how low-cost carriers operate. They make money out of everything they can charge so they can offer fares at the lowest possible cost.

Lavatory

The flight only took 42 minutes – too short for me to use the lavatory. It didn’t take long when the seat belt sign was switched on again & when we started our descent to Manila. Perhaps, next time on a longer flight?

Cabin Crew Service

Cebu Pacific Air’s cabin crew were nice & very welcoming. They make sure that they greet all passengers upon entering & before leaving the plane. Safety instructions were shown manually by the cabin crew. They performed all necessary security checks before we departed for Manila. While on air, they walked down the aisle & sold snacks & goods to the passengers with smiles on their faces. I’ve been flying with the airline for years now & I can say that they’ve maintained their service through time. The in-flight cabin crew service was great – beyond what I expected from a low-cost airline.

Verdict

My experience with Cebu Pacific Air on 5J 328 last 29 July 2019 was awesome. The cheap ticket was a steal given my only aim was to fly back to Manila. The services were very basic – 7 kilograms free carry-on baggage & a typical low-cost airline seat pitch. Every other add-on (baggage, seat preference & in-flight snack) came with additional fees. Glad I didn’t have to avail of those additional services.

Will I fly them again? OF COURSE! Cebu Pacific Air offers a handful of flights between Manila & Legazpi every day. Having a range of convenient flight schedules to choose from (especially night flights) gives us locals more time to spend with our families in our hometown. I’ve been flying with them between Manila & Legazpi for years now & I don’t mind doing the same thing in the next few years. Thanks to this airline for offering cheap flights to & making hometown within reach.

In case you’re interested with more information about this Legazpi to Manila flight, check out the full details below:

Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Flight Date: 29 July 2019
Flight Number: 5J 328
Route: Legazpi (LGP) – Manila (MNL)
Duration: 42 minutes
Seat Number: 9B
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214
Aircraft Registration: RP-C3272
Age: 6 Years
Year Delivered: 2012

One last photo of the Cebu Pacific Air Airbus A320-214 that flew me from Legazpi to Manila. 🙂 🙂

Are you a Cebu Pacific Air frequent flyer? If yes, what is your favorite destination flown by the airline? Can you share the cheapest ticket you got from them? Believe it or not, I got a Manila-Narita-Fukuoka-Manila ticket with them worth ₱1,613.19. I used this ticket last February when I went to Tokyo, Nagano, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara & Fukuoka with my family. What are your ₱1-fare stories with Cebu Pacific Air?

Feel free to share yours in the comment section below. You can also tell me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you for joining me in this Flight Report! Looks like the next flight report will be about Cebu Pacific Air again but for an international destination. Any guesses where I’m going next?

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei

3 weeks ago, I shared with you a flight report on how our EVA Air flight from Taipei to Manila went last June. I mentioned in the post that my family went on a 4-day trip to Taipei to celebrate Father’s Day. I know I haven’t posted any detail about our whereabouts in Taipei but allow me to show you the details (& photos) of our 1st day in Taiwan. After arriving at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, we rushed to our accommodation & left our bags. We immediately boarded the car to Taichung. Let me show to you which picturesque places we went to in this short day trip to the city.

TAichung city

Houli Flower Farm – one of Taichung’s top tourist attractions.. Such a beautiful place to visit!! 🙂

Taichung City is an industrial city located in central Taiwan. It is located 2 hours by land from Taipei, also 2 hours by train via the TRA (Taipei Railways Administration) train & about an hour by train via Taiwan High Speed Rail. The city has gained a lot of attention from international tourists because of its unique & picturesque spots. It is in fact a famous day trip taken by people outside Taipei.

day trip around taichung

The fastest (but also the most expensive) way to go to Taichung from Taiwan is via the high speed rail. The most affordable (& slow) way to reach the city is via the TRA rail. We were travelling with a 2-year old kid & we thought taking these trains will be very inconvenient. Going around Taichung on our own is also a different story.

What a picturesque scenery in Green Fantasy Forest – a relatively unknown Taichung spot! 🙂 🙂

We opted on renting a car (with driver) that will take us to Taichung (from Taipei), bring us around selected places & drive us back to Taipei. I searched the internet & found Albert Corrales of ACWorx Tours Taiwan. I arranged the transportation & itinerary with him & bargained for an affordable day tour rate. While Taichung has a long list of places to visit, Albert recommended that we only choose 3 so that we can make use of all our time in these places. We chose to visit the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm (of course) & the Rainbow Village.

The whole Taichung day trip took us about 10 hours. We arrived back in Taipei before dinner time. The package included all parking & driver fees. It didn’t include entrance fees (which we paid on the specific places) & lunch. In case you’re interested in the services of ACWorx Tours Taiwan, feel free to send them a message on Facebook or message Sir Albert on Viber at +886903021282.

Allow me to share with you some of the photos I took during this day trip.

GREEN FANTASY FOREST

Entrance fee: 300 NTD per person

HOULI FLOWER FARM

Entrance fee including 2-hour BBQ lunch buffet: 350 NTD per person

RAINBOW VILLAGE

Entrance: Free of charge

We may only been to 3 places in Taichung but we definitely enjoyed our time in these selected spots. We made the most of every place without thinking of making it to the next spot. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Albert of ACWorx Tours Taiwan for arranging our transportation & driver for this trip & for the safe day trip.

Have you been to Taichung? What do you think of the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm & the Rainbow Village? Which is your favorite spot? I find the flower farm to be just alright. The Rainbow Village was too crowded. Will I go back? I don’t know – maybe to the other spots in the city! You have anything to say or share? Make sure to utilize the comments section below. You can also send your thoughts directly to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb

Over the last few weeks, I shared with you some details of our walk-a-thon around the City of Melbourne. I talked about the places we’ve been to in the city, mostly parks & gardens, heritage sites, hipster laneways & communal spaces. Melbourne is such a walk-able city – most of the places to visit can be reached by foot. I mentioned in one of my previous posts that my friends & I also went on day trips outside the city to see what the Victorian state has to offer.

One of the day trips, or should I stay half day trips, we took is a morning at the Brighton Bathing Boxes site. The iconic Brighton Bathing Boxes are located in Dendy Street Beach in Brighton, Victoria. These boxes played an important role in the seaside bathing culture in Melbourne in the 1900’s. Out of the thousands of bathing boxes present in the costs, only 82 of them remain. All these 82 bathing boxes are found at the Dendy Street Beach. Up to now, these boxes are licensed by the local government council as bathing boxes; although some of them are no longer functional.

The Brighton Bathing Boxes have become a popular tourist attraction outside Melbourne. Visitors flock to this site to see & have a photo with the colorful & uniquely-designed boxes. These boxes sport the intricate Victorian architecture with its original wooden materials. A photo with the bathing boxes is perfect for your next Instagram post or your Facebook profile photo. This place may be out of the way, but it’s definitely worth the visit.

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Access

Going to the Brighton Bathing Boxes is very easy. From Flinders Street Station, take the Sandringham Line to Sandringham. Get off at Middle Brighton Station & walk for about 15 minutes to Dendy Street Beach. The boxes are located on this beach. Take note that the nearest station to the bathing boxes is Middle Brighton Station & not Brighton Station.

The Sandringham Line was under repair / redevelopment during our visit. Public Transport Victoria provided free bus rides to Sandringham from the Parliament Station. These buses stop at every station on the Sandringham Line. We rode these free buses to Brighton & back to the city. It also helped us save some cash. Make sure to check the Public Transport Victoria website for service interruptions / maintenance.

Looking for a place to stay in Melbourne? Check out Flinders Backpackers. This hostel is affordable & has a great vibe. Know more details about the hostel by clicking this link.

Brighton Bathing Boxes

The 82 Brighton Bathing Boxes are positioned as one line on Dendy Street Beach. Visitors have 82 boxes to choose from for their best photo. We went there around 10-11 in the morning on a public holiday & oh boy, there were a lot of people. There were only a number of people swimming in the beach due to the relatively cold but sunny weather.

Brighton Beach

My friends & I decided to check out Brighton Beach since we were already in the area. Brighton Beach is about 15-20 minutes walk (about 1.2 kilometers) away from the bathing boxes site on Dendy Street Beach. Brighton Beach was quiet compared to the bathing boxes site. There were close to no one swimming because of the cold winds. We took the ride back to the city from Brighton Station.

This sums up our brief morning visit to Brighton & the Bathing Boxes site. Is this place worth going? Definitely. Will I visit the place again when I fly back to Melbourne? I don’t know. Seeing the boxes for the first time is great & that’s it. There’s nothing else to see in the area.

Have you been to the Brighton Bathing Boxes? What is your favorite bathing box? Were there a lot of people during your visit? Share your experiences & trips in the comment section below & let’s engage in a discussion. Do you have any questions about Melbourne & Brighton in general? You can also post them in the comments below or send it to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you for taking your time to read my post. Watch out for my upcoming stories about our Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Tasting Tours. It should be posted on this website soon!

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

Flight Report: EVA AIR BR 277 – Taipei to Manila – Taiwan’s 5-Star Airline For An Affordable Fare

Last month, I ran a poll on my Facebook page & asked you, my readers, if you are interested in reading flight / trip reports in this platform. 101 out of the 107 respondents said they want to see this type of content here. A few weeks later, here I am, sharing with you the very first flight report on this website.

Coincidentally, this is also my website’s 100th post – YES!! I believe the best way to celebrate this milestone is to introduce this new section called Flight Report. This blog section will always include information about the fare & the flight. It will also tackle experiences about the check in & boarding procedures, seat quality, in-flight service & a lot more.

My family & I flew to Taipei, Taiwan (I know – wait for the newest Taipei posts in the coming weeks) about a month ago for a 4-day father’s day weekend trip. I’ve been to Taipei twice, one in 2015 with my high school friends & the other in 2017 with my colleagues / office friends. My mom insisted that we go to Taiwan (again for me) to have another family trip since our last was Singapore in 2015. Third time’s a charm & the trip happened. We flew with Evergreen Airways, commonly known as EVA Air, for both Manila to Taipei & Taipei to Manila legs.

EVA Air

EVA Air is a privately-owned & international full-service airline based in Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. It commenced operations in 1991 & since then has been flying to multiple destinations in Asia Pacific, North America & Europe. It is also Taiwan’s second largest airline, next to the flag carrier, China Airlines. The airline is Taiwan’s 5-star carrier certified by Skytrax, an international airline & airport review company.

Let me share with you my thoughts about our EVA Air BR 277 flight last month. EVA Air runs 3 daily flights between Manila & Taipei. The flight I am about to tell you was our Taipei to Manila afternoon flight. Apologies, I wasn’t able to get as much detail as I can during our Manila to Taipei flight because of its early morning departure. I was asleep most of the time on board that Airbus A321-200 flight to Taipei.

Airfare

My family & I booked our tickets about 4 months before our intended trip. Each economy return ticket cost USD 127.32 or about PHP 6,600+ in our currency. You might think this is expensive; but it’s not. My previous tickets to Taipei cost me PHP 2,700+ return, but only provided an airline seat & carry-on baggage. It didn’t include check in baggage, food or whatsoever; the schedules were inconvenient. Our ticket to & from Taipei included in-flight meals & entertainment, 30-kilograms check in baggage per way & free seat selection. If you try to add these services to my previous tickets, it’ll be pretty much the same cost.

Details of our Manila – Taipei – Manila ticket. Each passenger only paid **USD 127.32 round-trip**.

The fare we paid for was such a great deal for a return flight to Taipei on a 5-star airline. It was worth every single peso.

Flight

BR 277 from Taipei to Manila took 1 hour & 55 minutes in the air. The plane left Taoyuan Airport a little late but managed to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on schedule. The flight used a 3.5-year old Airbus A330-300 delivered to EVA Air in 2015. The plane has 2 passenger classes – business class & economy class. Business class seats were at 2-2-2 configuration while the economy class followed a 2-4-2 seat configuration.

Check-In & Boarding

EVA Air’s Economy Class Check-in Counters at Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2.

Check-in & boarding was alright. We were travelling with a kid so we were always a priority during check-in & boarding. The ground staff assisted us to a special check-in counter while we boarded the plane first among the economy class passengers. I can’t say the experience was amazing or bad because I didn’t get to experience the usual process.

Seat, In-flight Meal & Entertainment

EVA Air offers a great range of in-flight services. First, seat selection is free of charge upon booking / online check-in. Take note that our fare is the lowest possible fare the airline can offer & with that, the seat selection feature is still free. The seat pitch of EVA Air’s Airbus 330-300 is 33 inches; pretty decent for me. The leg room was generous enough for it to be apt for a long haul flight. The seat was comfortable; it also featured an adjustable headrest. The seat pocket contained the necessary safety card, in-flight magazine & Duty Free brochure.

Such a generous leg room on EVA Air’s Airbus A300-300 aircraft.. Or maybe I’m not that tall? LOL

Second, in-flight meal was okay. It didn’t have the best taste, but it was decent enough to fill our stomach. And oh, they offered a full rice / pasta meal with salad & fruits on a 2-hour flight. Passengers can also choose the type of meal (low calorie, halal, vegetarian, etc.) they prefer up to 24 hours before the flight.

EVA Air provided a full rice meal with salad & dessert on a 2-hour flight from Taipei to Manila. 🙂

Third, each seat has a small touch screen monitor & an old-style remote. The in-flight entertainment had an acceptable range of movies & programs to watch. It also had a number of albums you can listen to. I wish they had more choices though. Every passenger is provided with a pair of earphones sealed in a plastic container. Each seat is also equipped with a USB port. The in-flight entertainment in my seat didn’t work for the most part of the flight. The flight attendant tried to reset it but it still didn’t function. It’s not a major issue since the flight didn’t last long.

Fourth, the cabin crew provided pillows & blankets to passengers who requested for it. Again, it is a short flight so add-ons like these are not expected, but props to EVA for having them on board (even if the supply is limited & it is only available upon request). EVA Air’s in-flight amenities on our BR 277 flight were excellent. I’m not going to complain. We got way more than what we paid for.

Lavatory

The flight only lasted for less than 2 hours. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to go to the lavatory. Perhaps, I’ll check it out in my next EVA Air flight.

Cabin Crew

EVA Air’s cabin crew were alright. I only had a few encounters with them & with those times, not everyone was wearing a smile. There were one or two who were super nice & accommodating. I generally felt they’re like robots going around distributing food & getting food trays afterwards. I can’t blame them if they had to speed up their service but I think I’m just used to the hospitality of Southeast Asian airlines. It’s not the best & also not the worst, I’ve experienced worse in another airline.

Verdict

Overall, my experience with EVA Air on BR 277 from Taipei to Manila was great – extremely affordable fare for a full-service 5-star certified airline, with on-time flight departure & arrival, quick & special check-in & boarding process (thanks to my baby cousin), amazing in-flight amenities & so-so cabin crew service. I’m not going to judge the cabin crew on that flight & generalize that all EVA cabin crew are the same; perhaps that batch wasn’t having a great day.

Will I fly EVA Air again? YES, of course! They always offer extremely cheap fares to Australia, North America & Europe. I’d love to try their long haul product in the future, especially on their newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner. If you want to know more about our flight & the aircraft used, here are the complete details of it:

A glimpse of EVA Air’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I’d love to fly this new aircraft in the future!! 🙂

Airline: EVA Air
Flight Date: 18 June 2019
Flight Number: BR 277
Route: Taipei Taoyuan – Manila
Duration: 1:55 hours
Aircraft: Airbus 330-300
Aircraft Registration: B-16336
Aircraft Serial Number: 1690
Age: 3.5 Years
Year Delivered: 2015
Engine: 2 x GE CF6-80E1A4

Have you flown with EVA Air in the past? Was it on a short haul or long haul route? How was your experience? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about my experience or EVA in general? You can send it to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

One last look at the aircraft that flew us back to Manila last June ’19 – an EVA Air Airbus A330-300

Thank you very much for joining me in this very first flight report. I hope you are excited for the upcoming ones!

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.