People always say that you can't spend a 3-day vacation to the United States or a US territory without spending at least a thousand dollars. This year, I only have a $700 budget but I want to go back to Guam and still have an enjoyable trip. My last vacation to Guam in 2015 was well-funded and exorbitant, but I don't have the means this year, so these are the times that I morph into a shoestring budget traveler, and it's enjoyable and exciting!
When I booked this trip, I really had to roll up my sleeves and considered the following before jumping off the cliff:
1. DATE OF AVAILABILITY
The first thing that I always consider is my time frame availability. For this year, the only time that I can travel outside the Philippines is the last week of April so I looked at travel dates from 24th to the 30th. Seat Sale on various airlines are over and I don't see any hope that there will be one that will happen within my planning period. I don't plan to buy regular-priced tickets so my go-to travel metasearch engine is always Expedia, where I can always find, well, not the lowest prices, but the best deals online!
I usually play around with the dates, departure and arrival times, airline choice, and other factors that I can stretch so that my budget will fit and after a few deliberations with me and myself, I finalize my choice and seal the plan. I was able to book a United Airlines flight for 4 days, from 24th to the 28th for just $329.19. I know this is not the best price but to me, this is the perfect rate that will fit my requirements. I also chose United Airlines again over Philippine Airlines because they exceeded my expectation from the satisfying experience that I had with them last year. I didn't have anything to complain about, from customer service, to processing speed, to warm and friendly Chamorro flight attendants, to the smooth takeoffs and landings of their aircraft. It's total satisfaction!
2. PLACE TO STAY
Just like what I said in my previous article, I'm not really picky about the place to stay. Last year, I stayed at a hotel because I booked it along with my airfare through Expedia but I realized that I overspent on this area. I wasn't able to enjoy all the amenities and packaged services because I prefer being outdoor all day. I only need a bed where I can rest and sleep at night, that's all.
I searched for a cheaper place to stay in Agoda and there were a lot of promising hotels, inns, transient homes, and apartments that offer low-rates lodging but it was difficult to match room availability with my flight dates. Most of them are not flexible. If you adjust the time, the rate goes up. If you move the days, the rates drastically change. I tried calling their Customer Service hotline, but the reps that I talk to are not helpful at all.
A friend told me about a popular hostel just within the borders connecting to Hagatna, and it's known to be the cheapest place to live temporarily while in Guam. And what's best is that it is owned by a Filipino businessman who personally oversees the operation and services in the hostel. It's called Red Plumeria Suites located at 218 Route 8 in Maite. I searched for its website and I only found an old, outdated website and their Facebook page which is more updated because of the testimonials of previous guests, while their posts and reviews serve as answers to questions I might want to ask.
There's a slight problem that I see. There's no online booking form, no customer service hotline, no web-based payment processing. What I saw was the email address
redplumeriasuites@yahoo.com and the phone number +1 671-888-3775 which were posted on their Facebook page. I immediately sent an email so I can get more information and interestingly, I got a reply within 24 hours from the hostel's owner Mr. Red Ibe, and patiently answered all my questions and provided me more information that he thinks I would need to know. I provided him my flight details and asked him if I can book a room on those dates and he gave me a Standard Room for just $70/night, tax-free (which makes it $280 for my 4 days stay) with free airport pick-up/drop-off and free daily breakfast. Not bad, huh. Not bad at all!
The surprises didn't end there. I didn't have to pay in advance, or wire the payment, or key-in my credit card details online, because the payment will be handed over to Mr. Ibe in cold cash, yes you read it right, in cold cash, upon check-in. Wait, there's more! The hostel is just about 5.5 km from the airport, which is around 7 minutes drive, and it was Mr. Red Ibe who personally picked me up at the airport from his SUV that plays Filipino songs from the radio station KTKB-FM Megamixx 101.9. That was crazy! I'm not really excited to hear Filipino songs in a foreign country but I just didn't expect that there's a Filipino station on Guam's airwaves.
3. PLACES TO EAT
The biggest reason why it's important for me to know where I will be staying is to plan for the nearest places to eat so I can budget how much I can allot for meals. I scanned the place in Google Map and luckily, there's a lot of fast-food outlets and restaurants near Red Plumeria Suite. Agana Shopping Center is just on the next street, one kilometer away which will take me 4 minutes to get there by the hostel's free shuttle service, or a 15-minute walk so I can enjoy sightseeing within Hagatna's not-so-busy streets. There's my favorite sandwich restaurant Subway, where I can have a $7 six-inch meal; just right next to Wendy's, which is my second choice once I get palate fatigue from the same sandwich meal every day. There's also Panda Express, a Chinese restaurant which I have always wanted to try when I first came to Guam but I never had the chance.
A few steps to the left, across Hwy 4, is McDonald's, where I can have a $5.99 Big Mac Meal, the usual combo that I buy in the Philippines. To the right is Taco Bell where I can try a variety of Mexican-inspired foods but I guess a $5.99 Burrito Supreme Combo Meal will do. Chuck E Cheese's is also an option, and maybe try having a pizza and sub sandwich combo, if I have the chance to go to Guam Premier Outlet again, to shop before I go back home to the Philippines. If an average meal is $6, then I can survive with less than $50 for 4 days since breakfast is served free in the Red Plumeria Suites anyway.
4. PLACES TO SEE
People say that there's really not much to see in Guam that's why it's not a favorite tourist destination for most Asians, especially in the capital city Hagatna. Among the 19 municipal villages in the country, Tamuning is the place to be when you visit Guam since it is the economic center of the country and it is where the island's main thoroughfare is based. Aside from being the country's seat of government, Hagatna is one of the major commercial districts of the island but it is rather popular with tourists whose immense love of natural attractions and hidden beauty is explored in this diffusely populated village. There is a long list of major attractions that await visitors of Hagatna, and I was lucky to have seen some of them just a few steps from the place I stayed in. What's best is that I didn't spend a single penny going around Hagatna. A walking tour is all you need to feast your eyes on the unseen beauty of the island and it may even only take a day.
Being raised a Catholic from the Philippines, the first place I visited is one of the most familiar landmarks in downtown Hagatna, the first Catholic church on the island called Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica. It's 900 miles from Red Plumeria Suites and it took me only 10 minutes to walk when I found an alternate route by the bridge crossing the Hagatna River. Just across the basilica is the new three-story building of Guam Museum, which was constructed just 2 years ago, and is nearing its completion this year. The museum showcases over 250,000 historical artifacts, photographs, and other archived chronicles of the country. Right next to the basilica is yet another attraction that features a restored palace of the former Spanish Governor during its colonization in 1734 called Plaza de Espana, which serves to be one of the country's most famous landmarks.
In just 600 meters towards the north can be found other places of interest that represent the beauty of the island and the amazing culture of the island's inhabitants. In just 8 minutes walk towards the direction of the Agana Bay is the Paseo de Susana peninsula, built from the remnants of World War II in the 1940s. Just at the corner of the two main highways of Hagatna is Chief Quipuha Park, where a large statue of Chief Quipuha was built to commemorate the island's first Catholic Chief and is honored to be one of the greatest Chamorro leaders. Walking through the Paseo Loop, or following a series of kiosks and mini-stores nearby, is an amazing place to see locals of the island, gathered together at Chamorro Village to exhibit their heritage through their cuisine, art, cultural dances, customs, and novelty items. A large number of foreign visitors, me included, are all in awe of this hidden gem of the country where you get to experience being a Chamorro local through their products and by mingling with the community.
Just a few more steps towards the rear side of Chamorro Village is the new baseball facility called Paseo Stadium which was constructed in 1981. The multi-purpose facility is being prepared to be the venue for next month's event which brings together artists and craftsmen from 27 Pacific islands for the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts. The stadium is facing the bay where an old Japanese defensive fortification can be seen called the Agana-Hagatna Pillbox. Apart from the historical landscape showing structures of the World War II remnants at the peninsula, a short walk at the serene bayside will surely provide you total relaxation just by breathing in the western Pacific wind and listening to ocean waves.
My 4-day stay in Hagatna is really satisfying and I believe I have seen everything that I wanted to see. I am a foreigner who loves walking around the place, trying to live like a local even just a few days, and taking pictures of its main attractions. It's what makes me happy. And it's quite incredible that I only spent around $695 for my entire 4 days stay. The major expenses are mainly on the airfare and the hotel accommodation and everything else is either free or just plainly cheap. It really helps if the hotel accommodation comes with an airport transfer and free breakfast so it takes out some of the worries in budgeting expenses. At least I was able to experience both lavish spendings on my first visit to Guam and a very tight budget for this second adventure. And both yielded exciting, satisfactory, and fabulous results!