Pacific Islands Travel, including Cebu, Koh Samui, Palau, Guam, Saipan, Langkawi, Phuket, & Fiji

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Pacific Islands Travel

As mentioned on my welcome page as one of the Top Ten reasons why I like living in Japan, travel to other Asia Pacific islands from Tokyo is both convenient and relatively inexpensive. But as a poor English teacher, I haven't always had that many funds to travel outside of Japan.

Within the past few years, however, I've fortunately managed somehow to take advantage of frequent flyer miles, special airfare campaigns, and occasional discount tour packages to travel to some very awesome destinations in the Asia Pacific islands.

In short, Tokyo, Japan has proven to be a very convenient launching pad for other exotic Pacific island travel locations in Asia, including Cebu, Philippines, Koh Samui, Thailand, Palau, Guam, Saipan, Langkawi, Malaysia, Phuket, Thailand, and Fiji.

Below, you will see some of the places I've had the pleasure of traveling to.

Cebu, Philippines Travel

The first exotic Pacific islands travel destination I'd like to share info about is Cebu, Philippines. I was blessed to have observed SO much beautiful scenery there.....both natural and human. smiley

Miss Silka Cebu 2009 swimsuit competition

Click on the following link to view more details on my Cebu, Philippines travel.

Koh Samui, Thailand Travel

The next exotic Pacific islands travel destination I'd like to talk about is Koh Samui, Thailand. For most of my adult life, I've always dreamed of retiring someday on a remote Pacific island with white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, palm trees, and pretty women. smiley

Koh Samui is not only my favorite Pacific island so far, but the scenery and ambience there are the closest to what I've always had in my mind for the ultimate Pacific island paradise. The picture below should help prove my point.

Baan Samui Resort beachside, Koh Samui, Thailand

And I can't wait to tell you more about it. Click on the following link to view more details on my Koh Samui, Thailand travel.

Palau Travel

It's surprising how many people have never even heard of this place. What a shame. If you're a diver, you probably HAVE heard of it and maybe even have it on your "must see" list, as it's arguably one of the most spectacular diving spots on God's green Earth.

I'm not a diver, but that didn't keep me from having a wonderful time in this Pacific island paradise.

Ice Box Park on Malakal Island, Palau

As you can see above, Palau is a pretty green and lush place. Click on the following link to view more details on my Palau travel.

Guam Travel

Guam was the first stop on my Pacific island tour back in March 2007. I can't wait to tell you all about it. You're gonna fall in love with this place. But please go soon, because the U.S. military plans to relocate 20,000 marines and their dependents here from Okinawa, Japan within the next few years.

Who knows for sure what kinds of tourism and environmental impacts this will cause, so I recommend you visit Guam ASAP.

Hotel Nikko Guam & the Crystal Wedding Chapel

Please click on the following link to view more details on my Guam travel.

Saipan Travel

Saipan was the 2nd stop on my Pacific island tour in November 2007. Because of a reduction in airline service to this island, it can be a bit troublesome getting there without a direct flight, but definitely well worth your efforts.

Rainbow from the Saipan Grand Hotel

Sad history, but some of the most beautiful scenery and most heartfelt friendly and cordial staff you'll encounter anywhere. Trust me.

Please click on the following link to view more details on my Saipan travel.

Langkawi, Malaysia Travel

It's still a mystery to me why I never even heard of this place until about a month before I actually visited Langkawi. This place is becoming more popular among Japanese tourists and so there are ample tour packages available these days for travelers from Japan.

Langkawi, which means "reddish brown eagle" in the colloquial Malay language, is a cluster of 99 exotic tropical islands in far northwestern Malaysia which has been designated a World Geopark by UNESCO.

The famous Langkawi eagle(s) at Eagle Square in Kuah Town

Langkawi offers secluded coves and long stretches of white sandy beaches. Washed by the calm turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, the islands are covered with age-old rainforests and home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna.

In short, it's probably one of the best kept secrets among the most beautiful Pacific island destinations available for your vacation travel.

You definitely owe it to yourself to have a quick look at the special page I've compiled showing my 98 photos, 14 videos, and sightseeing descriptions of my Langkawi, Malaysia travel.

Phuket, Thailand Travel

It was great to travel back to Phuket after such a long absense. My first visit there was in April 1996 (pre-Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Dec. 2004), so indeed a lot had changed as of this March 2012 trip when I finally got to go back.

To be honest, I didn't see any remaining damage from the catastrophic quake/tsunami that killed nearly 5400 people in Thailand, 250 in Phuket alone.

In fact, Thailand's largest island is clearly booming economically, and overall, despite sometimes getting a little irritated with some of the street vendors, I must say that was good to see.

Swimming pool @ the Royal Paradise Hotel Phuket

Since my visit to Phuket, I have struggled with whether I liked it better than Koh Samui, Thailand, and haven't come up yet with a decision, smiley

but they're both without question must-see Pacific island travel spots.

I hope you have time to check out the pics, video, map, and my story on my Phuket, Thailand travel page.

Fiji Travel

I'd been itching to travel to the South Pacific islands for several years, and in February 2013 I finally got my chance. For my 1st ever visit to the southern hemisphere, I chose Fiji.....for a number of reasons. For one, English is their primary language....after all, they were a British colony for nearly a century.

Secondly, I read on a number of websites about how very friendly and hospitable that the Fijian people were. It's TRUE! I hope the pic below lends a little credence to my story. smiley

I was very touched by the unbelievable warmth of the wonderful Fijian people!

Fijian smile,
South Sea Cruises staff

If you should ever have any interest in traveling to the beautiful South Pacific island nation of Fiji, you might enjoy reading my Fiji Travel page with a day-by-day account of the magical 6 days I spent there, including my pics, video, & map. Enjoy!

Please Come Back Again Soon !

My hope here is to continue sharing my stories, pictures, and videos of other exotic Pacific island travel paradises as I get a chance to visit them.

In the next few months, please stay tuned to this Pacific Islands Travel page as I update the linked travel pages with more details on some of the most spectacular scenery you can expect to see anywhere on the planet.

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you'll stop by again soon...

Cheers,
Gary