Travel | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Jan

From Elysium to Middle Earth: travel deals 20 Jan 2013

The crowd-pleasing silvery gibbon, Indonesia.

Track down the Asian Big 5, find Elysium in the Hunter Valley or hit Middle Earth, in this week’s domestic and international travel deals.

ACT

With the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum
of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia (currently showing the Toulouse
Lautrec exhibition) all within cooee of each other, it’s easy to see why art
lovers love Canberra. Plan ahead and save when you stay at the Mercure
Canberra. Book 30 days in advance and save up to 30 per cent on your room rate.
Costs from $112 a night, room only. 136 565,
accorhotels.com.

SOUTH
AUSTRALIA

Need a break after the rush and bustle of Christmas? Head
to the serenity of the Barossa Valley, an hour’s drive north of Adelaide. The Novotel Barossa Valley costs from $239 a
night; fly return with Virgin Australia to Adelaide and stay two nights until
March 31. Costs from $429 a person, twin share, ex-Sydney. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

Stay five nights, pay four at Daydream Island Resort
& Spa and get full buffet breakfast daily and free use of watersports
equipment and open-air cinema. Two children under 14 also get to stay and eat
breakfast free for stays January 28-March 31. Costs from $598 a person, twin
share, four nights. 1800 075 040,
daydreamisland.com.

Elysia, Hunter Valley NSW

NSW

The Hunter Valley’s Golden Door health retreat, Elysia,
is running a ‘bring a friend for half-price’ deal over summer. Packages include
beautiful spa cuisine, snacks, an initial assessment as well as wellness
seminars, exercise equipment and classes including meditation and early morning
tai chi. Book before January 31 for stays until February 14 and save $525. Costs
from $1575, two people for two days.
1800 212 011, goldendoor.com.au/health-retreats/elysia.

VICTORIA

Forget heatwaves, it’s time to
plan your snow play, and happening Hotham has launched its early-bird specials.
Stay five nights in a ski-in/ski-out one-bedroom White Crystal apartment, in
the middle of the village, and save $251 when booked by January 31. Costs from
$2102 for five nights during the value
season, June 7 -27, July 22–August 1, August 26-29 September. Costs
from $2256 for five nights during peak season (June 28 – July 21 and August 2 –
25). 1800 468 426, hotham.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Eagle Lodge, Faraway Bay

Far up on the remote Kimberley coastline sits the aptly named
Faraway Bay, a tiny resort amidst the wonders of pristine waterfalls, sublime
waterways and ancient Aboriginal art. Book before January 31 and save 10 per
cent off the regular rate, and they’ll also include a free night at the
Pinctada Kimberley Grande Resort, Kununurra before you fly out to the remote property.
Rates include guided activities,
unlimited boat charters to hook the big one, and all meals and most drinks. Costs
from $3330 for two nights. 0419 918 953, farawaybay.com.au.

NEW ZEALAND

Just 3½ hours from Sydney, Wellington (aka Wellywood to Middle-earth devotees) is ramping up the deals.
Book a ‘Spring into Summer’ deal at the five-star Bolton Hotel and get buffet
breakfast and an antipasti tasting plate for two, as well as late check-out. Normally
from $382 a night, stay before January 27 and pay from $151 for two people.
Stay January 28-April 1, costs from $238 a night, weekends only. 1300
887 979, wotif.com/hotelW12421.

Traverse Britain on its railways, including the most
scenic routes – from Inverness to Kyle
of Lochalsh in Scotland, Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales Exeter to
Penzance, in the West Country – and buy your freedom to hop on and hop off at
will. Buy a selected BritRail pass before February 14 for travel until February
28 and save 20 per cent. Costs from $170 for a three-day, second-class
Britrail Consecutive Pass. 1300 387 245, internationalrail.com.au.

THAILAND

Head for the hills in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand and
stay three nights for the price of two in the tranquil Tamarind Village, until
March 31. With just 45 rooms and suites, the hotel is decorated by the region’s
rich tribal weavings and patterns. It also offers a 10 per cent discount on
stays booked more than 30 days in advance, until October 31. Costs from $300
for three nights, includes buffet breakfast. (02) 9211 6590, tamarindvillage.com.

Notre Dame cathedral, Paris.

EUROPE

Get the passport out for some serious stamping when you
cover 15 European countries in 30 days on Topdeck’s popular Discover Europe
trip. All the icons are there: baguettes at the Eiffel Tower, wine tasting in
Bordeaux, gondolas in Venice and bicycles in Amsterdam. Save 7.5 per cent on
summer trips when booked and paid for by February 28. Costs from $5411 a
person. 1300 886 332, topdeck.travel.

INDIA

Get your Bollywood on where it all began, in Mumbai,
where you’ll enjoy two free nights at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel when you book
a 14-day Splendours of Rajasthan journey. Highlights include the Pink City of
Jaipur, Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort and a stay in a traditional tented camp with
evening birding walks. Save up to $1045 a person and get two nights free, when
travelling until April 15. Costs from $7410 a person, twin share. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

TOURWATCH

If you haven’t heard of the Asian Big 5, this is the trip
for you. Join Wildlife Asia board member Clare Campbell (pictured) travelling through
Indonesia, from Jakarta to east Borneo and Sumatra, to see and save five endangered
species. Bornean orang-utans, Sumatran rhinos, Asian elephants, Sun bears and
the crowdpleasing Silvery gibbons all are under threat from disappearing
habitats and poaching.

The group of up to 12 will travel on traditional river
boats (klotoks) and trek through
rainforests, staying in jungle lodges and on boats to view the wildlife and
visit animal rescue centres and the Dayak villages of Borneo. Departs 10-18
March, 2013. Costs $3100 a person plus $1000 secured fundraising. Excludes
international airfares, 0499 773 303, wildlifeasia.org.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Jan

Tickets, please!

The Shard, London.

An astonishing line-up of new attractions awaits globetrotters in 2013, as Belinda Jackson and Julietta Jameson discover in their round-up of the best.

For lovers of the highest, biggest, cleverest or freshest, this year presents a remarkable array of new attractions in all corners of the globe.

From Paris to far-north China, amazing feats of architecture, adrenalin-pumping roller coasters, world-class collections and even an endangered-animal experience will welcome visitors in 2013.

Here’s our guide to 10 of the best.

1. Marina Boulevard, Singapore

Gardens on the Bay, Singapore.

Type of attraction Botanical spectacular.
Wow factor More flowers than Interflora on Mother’s Day.
Great for Gardening enthusiasts, respite from the Singapore heat and humidity.
Open Now.

Singapore’s penchant for creative new architecture is fully in play at Gardens by the Bay. The Supertree Grove, a collection of fluted glass towers, is like something out of a futuristic space station. The walkways 22 metres above ground between the towers offer terrific views.

Two glass domes sit like giant sea snails on the edge of Marina Reservoir. Inside, visitors are surrounded by an extensive botanic collection, carefully zoned and climate controlled. It’s a soothing and intriguing experience that, all up, 700,000 plants collaborate upon.

The Flower Dome is a pleasing walk through different microclimates and their plants. The Cloud Forest, with its 30-metre waterfall centrepiece, mimics a tropical climate 1000-3500 metres above sea level. By night, light shows transform the gardens into a flashier – and perhaps more child-friendly – place.

“We could have used this for far more valuable commercial or residential developments, right in the middle of the new Singapore city,” says the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. “But our planners in URA [Urban Redevelopment Authority] believed that a large and beautiful park was an important element of our new downtown in Marina Bay South.”

Entry to the domes ranges from $S8 ($6.15) to $S28. gardensbythebay.com.sg JJ

2. London, England

The View from The Shard

Type of attraction High-rise viewing platform.
Wow factor On a (rare) clear day, you can see forever – or at least 64 kilometres away.
Great for Marriage proposals, London first-timers getting their bearings, a different perspective for London veterans.
Open February 1.

The controversy surrounding Renzo Piano’s The Shard made that about Sir Norman Foster’s quirky “Gherkin” in the same city look a doddle.

The Shard – all 95 storeys of it – dwarfs the London skyline.

It’s hated as incongruous and hailed as elegant. Either way, there’s no denying it’s spectacular.

The tapering edifice on the edge of the Thames at London Bridge is the tallest building in western Europe and incorporates offices, apartments, a hotel and two floors of public viewing space – The View from The Shard. The view is nothing short of breathtaking. The aspect of the winding course of the Thames is a highlight – it affords a deeper understanding of the way this warren of a city works.

“This iconic building is already the new centrepiece for the city,” says the head of international media at VisitBritain, Paul Gauger.

“The View from The Shard will be the must-visit attraction for London in 2013 and I’m sure for years to come.”

The attraction is expensive, however. Tickets cost £24.95 ($38) for an adult and £18.95 for a child. Compare that with the €14 ($17.70) price of an adult ticket to the top of the Eiffel Tower. theviewfromtheshard.com JJ

3. Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Legoland Malaysia

Type of attraction The world’s sixth Legoland.
Wow factor Miniland: made from 30 million Lego bricks over three years.
Great for Young families, hardcore Lego buffs.
Open Now.

Set on the border of Singapore, Legoland is hands-on, with more than 40 attractions, including mini trains, tots’ playgrounds, castles and carousels, and roller coasters.

The park is zoned into areas where you can build and test your creations, play jousting, damsels and dragons, or journey into the Land of Adventure to hook up with pharaohs and dinosaurs.

Intricate Miniland is a city of animated models of Asian landmarks, including the Taj Mahal and Petronas Twin Towers, at a scale of 1:20.

Coming in late 2013/early 2014 are a Legoland water park and hotel.

Buy online seven days in advance for the best price, from 112 ringgit ($35) for adults (12-59 years), 88 ringgit for children and seniors (3-11 years, 60-plus years). www.legoland.com.my. BJ

4. Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Yas Waterworld

Yas Waterworld (artist’s impression)

Type of attraction The world’s biggest water park.
Wow factor The world’s largest surfable sheet wave.
Great for Families, thrill seekers, anyone who feels the heat at 50 degrees.
Open January 24.

There are 43 Emirati-themed water rides at Yas Waterworld, including the little-kid-friendly Marah Fortress, complete with water cannon, and Dawwama, a 20-metre-high funnel ride that propels you into the air.

“Cameras installed inside the ride are meant to capture the looks of pure terror on riders’ faces,” the organisers say with unbridled glee.

There’s a designer Arabian souk (market) within the park.

Action-packed Yas Island, half an hour from Abu Dhabi, is the leisure island of the Emirates, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism. It’s home to Ferrari World, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit, and a string of hotels and shops. You can buy multi-park passes to Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld, or single-entrance tickets cost from 225 dirham ($58) for adults, 185 dirham for children under 1.1 metres, free for children under three years. yaswaterworld.com BJ

5. Sichuan province, China

The Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre

Type of attraction Endangered wildlife sanctuary.
Wow factor Up close with pandas – what’s more “wow” than that?
Great for Voluntourists, nature lovers.
Open Midyear.

The rescue centre is the third part of and completes a giant panda preservation network, collectively the only place in the world where visitors can get close to large groups of captive pandas. Dujiangyan encloses the panda area of China’s west, making for easier protection, breeding, rescue and research work.

Voluntourists are invited to spend a week or so there, helping feed and care for the pandas.

Helen Wong, who runs panda tours for Australians and organises access to the animals, says it’s a “very moving experience” getting so close.

“At the centres, people can get to know this indigenous species and understand why they are such an important treasure,” she says.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is sponsoring a new bamboo plantation as part of its Care for Panda project. It will help feed the rescued ill and elderly wild giant pandas at the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre.

Guests at the Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu, will be able to visit the Dujiangyan centre, take education tours and participate in activities, such as preparing food for pandas. chinagiantpanda.org JJ

6. Paris, France

The Department of Islamic Art, Musee du Louvre

Type of attraction The Louvre’s newest department.
Wow factor The entrance, a 15th-century Egyptian Mamluk vestibule, sets the tone for the treasures within.
Great for Art and design lovers.
Open Now.

After nearly five years’ refurbishment, the new Department of Islamic Art exhibits almost 3000 of the Louvre’s 12,000 Islamic works, spanning 12 centuries and many countries, from Spain to India.

Treasures include Turkish ceramics, Iranian ewers, tiles from central Asia and a silver-and-gold basin used to baptise Louis XII, many on display for the first time.

“The Egyptian Antiquities department is one of the most popular, but the new Islamic art collection is a great opportunity for Australians to go off the beaten tracks and discover an amazing civilisation,” says Coralie Pierre of French Travel Connection. The department’s new home is almost worth a visit alone: the collection is in an 18th-century palace courtyard roofed by a gold, flowing architectural “veil”. The cost of the new wing? About $131 million. Entrance costs from €11 ($13.90) for adults, free for children under 18. Closed on Tuesdays. louvre.fr BJ

7. Jackson, New Jersey, US

Six Flags Great Adventure

Type of attraction Theme park.
Wow factor Animals and 13 roller coasters. Oh, my!

Great for Wildlife spotters, adrenalin junkies.
Open March 23.

This adventure park in New Jersey will become the world’s largest theme park when it merges its fun park and Wild Safari animal park.

Scream your way down the new four-storey-high Big Wave Racer water toboggan or splash through the million-gallon wave pool.

Make like Paris Hilton and hit the stand-up Green Lantern roller coaster. Or spot, hand-feed or zip over the top of some of the 1200 animals in the safari park. If you’re lucky, you’ll eyeball a red lechwe, kudu, nilgai twins or a khulan. Get the best (camera) shot from an open-air safari vehicle on the park’s new Safari Off Road Adventure or the new zipline for a bird’s-eye view of the African-style park. The park is 1½ hours’ drive south of New York City.

Buy tickets online from $US42.99 ($41) for adults, $US34.99 for children under 137 centimetres, free for kids under two years. sixflags.com BJ

8. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Rijksmuseum

Type of attraction Art gallery.
Wow factor The long-awaited return of one of the world’s best art collections.
Great for Culture vultures.
Open April 13.

A decade and $300 million later, the Netherlands’ national art gallery reopens. It’s five years late – “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” general director Wim Pijbes says – but the delay was, in many ways, a blessing. There has been incredible progress in museum technology in the past five years; the museum has responded. The base collection will comprise 8000 works telling the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to now.

Highlights include the Rembrandts and works by other artists from the Dutch golden age of painting, such as Vermeer and Hals.

Cardboard cathedral, NZ.

There are revamped gardens, new public facilities and an Asian Pavilion, plus the stunningly renewed facade of the grand 17th-century building. The museum expects annual attendance to rise from about 1 million visitors before the closure to 5 million.

Amsterdam will be an art mecca in 2013. Also reopening are the Van Gogh Museum and the modern art gallery. rijksmuseum.nl JJ

9. Christchurch, New Zealand

The Cardboard Cathedral

Type of attraction A temporary cathedral.
Wow factor Seats 700 people, who won’t get wet when it rains.
Great for Fans of architecture and sustainability – atheists and the faithful alike.
Open April.

Built in 1881, the Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral was severely damaged in the February 2011 earthquake and in two subsequent quakes. The Gothic stone building is being replaced temporarily by a transitional cathedral made from 320 giant cardboard tubes, the signature material of “emergency architect” Shigeru Ban, who is working, for no fee, on the project.

The Japanese architect specialises in designing temporary buildings in disaster zones using cardboard, which is cheap, recyclable and readily available. It’s also more earthquake resilient and it won’t go soggy, thanks to a concrete floor, timber beams and polycarbonate roof.

It has a lifespan of about 20 years, and in the ultimate recycling move, the temporary cathedral will become the permanent house of worship for the St John’s parish, which also lost its church, hall and vicarage in the same earthquake. “The arrival of the cathedral will provide an important venue for both spiritual and community gatherings,” says the chief executive of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism, Tim Hunter. christchurchnz.com/planning/cardboard-cathedral BJ

10. Daqing, China

Jurassic Dream

Type of attraction Theme park.
Wow factor Cutting-edge animatronics and roller coasters featuring spectacular visuals.
Great for All ages of kids who dig all things dinosaur.
Open Sometime in 2013.

“China has become the new Eldorado for theme park designers thanks to frenetic development,” says the online journal of the theme parks and leisure industry, NewsParcs. That’s good news for lovers of theme parks and dinosaurs.

Heilongjiang province in the far north of China is the home of Heilongjiangosaurus, an obscure duck-billed species of dinosaur.

Fossils of it, and many other species, have been unearthed here.

Up until now, there has been little to entice enthusiasts in, especially with the oil-rich region’s shocking weather – during the long winter, the temperature can drop to a chilly minus 30 degrees.

Enter Jurassic Dream, which puts paid to climate concerns by being one of the biggest covered, temperature-controlled theme parks in the world.

“The all-indoor theme park is a stunning celebration of dinosaurs … that will thrill guests of all ages,” says Craig Hanna of Thinkwell, the mastermind behind the park.

Highlights include the Mystic Caverns Express, a family roller coaster that takes riders through extravagant dinosaur-related visuals, and the crowning glory, Dinosaur Encounter, a walk-through experience full of cutting-edge animatronic dinosaurs.

The 5.7-hectare 2013 version of the park is set to be quadrupled by 2015, with the likely addition of a hotel. thinkwellgroup.com JJ

Source: Sun Herald newspaper

Jan

Getting out there with your fantasies: travel deals 13 January 2013

The Gordon River, Tasmania.

Live out your Man or Woman from Snowy River fantasy or check into the Wildman Wilderness Lodge – it’s time to get out there.

VICTORIA

Head for the hills to live out your Man or Woman from Snowy River fantasy at the Grand Mercure Pinnacle Valley resort in the Victorian Alps, half an hour from Mount Buller. Nearby activities include fly-fishing, bushwalking, golf and, of course, horse riding. A two-night tree change usually costs from $160 a night, stay until April 30. Quote the code “summer special” and get a free bottle of wine in the room. Costs from $288 for two nights. (03) 5777 5788, accorhotels.com.

NSW

Blow the city smog away with a quick getaway on the central coast. Stay at the four-star Crowne Plaza Terrigal, pictured above, by the seaside, just an hour from Sydney, and save 10 per cent and get breakfast as well. Valid on two-night stays from Sunday to Thursday in a queen or king room. Book until January 31, stay until February 28. Costs from $406, two nights. 1300 888 180, zuji.com.au.

TASMANIA

Tassie celebrates 30 years since the creation of its South West Wilderness World Heritage Area and is offering you the chance to see what the fuss is about. The Ultimate Wilderness Experience package includes two nights at Strahan Village, a cruise up the Gordon River aboard luxury catamaran Lady Jane Franklin II, main picture, a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway and buffet dinner at View 42° Restaurant and Bar. Save $131 on stays until April 30. Costs $880 for two people. 1800 420 155, puretasmania.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

It takes just 2½ hours to hit the glorious Whitsunday Islands from Sydney, so why are we here? Stay five nights, pay for just four at the adults-only beachfront Beach Club on Hamilton Island between January 28 and March 28. Includes a full breakfast buffet daily, VIP airport transfers and free watersports such as snorkelling and cat sailing. Costs from $2280 for five nights. 13 73 33,hamiltonisland.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

You could take a lifetime to explore the remote north Australian coastline, but 22 days is a good start with this Treasures of the West Coast tour, which spends two nights at the luxury Wildman Wilderness Lodge near Kakadu, a cruise through Chamberlain Gorge in El Questro and the spectacular Katherine Gorge, and feeding dolphins at Monkey Mia. Book by March 31 and Scenic Tours will include free flights to Darwin from the other capitals, for six departures from June. Costs from $9495 a person, twin share. 1300 723 642, scenictours.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Jan

Some like it hot: and then there’s Oodnadatta

On the Oodnadatta Track.

This morning, as Sydney puffs its way through a heat wave, breakfast TV did a cross to Oodnadatta. The tiny town in northern South Australia is experiencing a run of above 45C degrees, topping out at 48C on Saturday – that’s 118.4 Fahrenheit for all you imperialists out there.

A few years ago, I travelled to Oodnadatta to do a newspaper story about the pubs along the track (which the subs creatively titled Aussie Crawl).

Our editors sent us there in January. The photographer, Randy Larcombe, and I pulled in to sleepy Marree for water and, lured by the espresso machine on the counter, a coffee.

“Where are you from?” asked the woman at the counter.

When we told her we’d just come up from Adelaide, her face turned purple. “You’re bloody Aussies! You know better than to come out here in the middle of summer!” We blamed it on our Sydney editors. She bought it. We shouldn’t have bought the coffee. It was dreadful.

PS: a big hello to the Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta, a welcome pit stop and burger mecca in the desert founded by Lynnie and her husband Adam Plate. We were terribly sorry to hear of Adam’s death last year. He told me how he and Lynnie, fresh from art school in Darlinghurst, were walking camels and donkeys through the desert in the 70s before stopping at Oodnadatta. They put the town and the track on the map, and on breakfast TV.

Jan

Lame Van Halen leads Melbourne limping into 2013: opinion

Happy new year, everyone!

I hope you saw Christmas in with a bang from London, New York, or the back blocks of Gippsland (for those whose work won’t let them leave the confines).

Melbourne’s tallest buildings sang with a symphony of fireworks and about half a million people headed in to the city for the 10-minute display. The alcohol-free apparently event went off well, with police happy and lots of smiling tourists kissing for the TV cameras. However, the Letters to the Editor in today’s Age newspaper turns up the tarnished side of the PR coin:

“We attended New Year’s Eve in the city,” writes Fiona Jackson. (Yes, she is related.)

“I cannot fathom why, at Federation Square at 7.30pm, early 1980s music was being blasted and the stage lay empty. Duran Duran and Van Halen? Did the organisers just whack on the golden oldies radio station? At Flagstaff Gardens between 11pm and midnight, at least 2000 people soberly waited for fireworks, bereft of an MC or live entertainment. A 90-second countdown video and a DJ was embarrassingly lame.

“Here were missed opportunities where Melbourne could have shone and put on local acts. Many underemployed performers would have jumped at the gig. Let’s put some effort into the experience, not just crowd management.”

An excellent point regarding under-employed musos, and given the stories circulating in the press regarding heavy-handed policing at the MCG and other events, perhaps the jibe of crowd management vs experience has found its mark?

PS: Sadly, I can’t share any Melbourne fireworks pix with you, not least because I wasn’t there. And to whip them off the City City of Melbourne home page would be absolutely too naughty, considering the content 😉

Dec

Best shopping finds of 2012: Vietnam quilts

Yes, it’s time to look back, so I’m looking at the best shopping finds in 2012, a list topped by the beautiful quilts of Mekong Quilts.

I visited their shop in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a cool, quiet space hung with handmade quilts made in the poorest villages in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The organisation is not-for-profit, and says 50 cents from every dollar spent in its shops provides books and scholarships for school children, and promote health and quality-of-life initiatives amongst what they describe as ‘the poorest of the poor’ through the NGO Mekong Plus, which started in 2001.

The group employs around 300 women in rural Vietnam and the Svay Rieng province of Cambodia to stitch the quilts, and now also to make baskets and other household products. Naturally, all are absolutely beautiful, and well worth the money.

The helpful girls in the shop wrapped my quilt in strong plastic so I could stash it as checked-in luggage, and it was almost as light as a feather.

My ABC quilt, which fits a baby’s cot, cost 1,155,000 Vietnamese dong (about A$50), a beautiful investment in every sense.

Mekong Quilts Hanoi

13 Hang Bac str, Hanoi, Vietnam

Also found in Ho Chi Minh City

Tel: +84-4-3926 4831

Website: www.mekong-quilts.org

Dec

Unearthly delights and pleasure palaces await, from Udaipur to Adelaide: travel deals December 23, 2012

Lose yourself in the Garden of Unearthly Delights, go art deco in Kuala Lumpur or sail and rail around Australia’s best wine regions in this week’s best Australian and international travel deals.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Summer in Adelaide brings the world’s best performers to town, with the deeply weird Garden of Unearthly Delights kicking off on Valentine’s Day until St Patrick’s Day, with Circolombia from (you guessed it) Colombia and the US’s own Ruby Wax (gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au). Then WOMADelaide runs from March 8-11, 2013. Stay at the Adelaide Central YHA and save $46 on a three-day festival pass, or save $52 on a four-day pass. Rooms cost from $68 a person (four-bed dorm) or $107 a person, twin share. (08) 8414 3000, yha.com.au.

TASMANIA

There’s a lot to love about Lonny (that’s Launceston, to non-locals), including the Tamar Valley wine route. Hit the historic town midweek and shave your hotel bill by one-third at Peppers Seaport Hotel, pictured above. Stay two nights between Sundays and Thursdays until March 31, 2013, with breakfast thrown in. Usually about $350 a night, it costs from $452 for two nights. 1300 737 444, peppers.com.au.

NSW

March means Mardi Gras in Sydney. Save up to $485 a person with Gay Globe’s three-day 2013 Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras packages. The deal includes three nights at the Cambridge Hotel, grandstand parade-viewing tickets, entry to the official Mardi Gras party and tickets to the recovery party at The Laneway. The packages start on Friday, March 1, 2013, with drag races at Bondi Beach, with handbag hurling and high-heel sand sprints. Saturday features 10 hours of entertainment and 15,000 people partying the night away. Optional add-ons include a tour to the Blue Mountains or all-gay Sydney Harbour Bridge climbs. (02) 8005 1690, gayglobe.com.au.

VICTORIA

Stefano’s Bakery, Mildura

Would you fly 1000 kilometres for a meal? Yes, if Stefano de Pieri was behind the cookers. Stay two nights in a 4½-star one-bedroom apartment in Mildura and receive a bottle of Stefano’s own wine and a gourmet breakfast at Stefano’s Cafe Bakery and sit down to an eight-course degustation dinner at Stefano’s Restaurant. It’s all about Stefano. Happily, you’ll also get a late checkout. Book Stefano’s Indulgence by March 31, 2013. Usually $850, it costs from $730 for two guests for two nights. 1300 539 559, visitmildura.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

It’s hot, it’s sultry, and you’ve left the kids behind: Lizard Island, pictured above, knows that occasionally it’s time for just the two of you. The adult-only resort has 24 beaches so odds of privacy are good. Stay five nights and pay for only four, saving $1444 on one of the Great Barrier Reef’s northernmost resorts. Includes all meals, most drinks and water activities such as snorkeling. Valid until March 31, 2013. Costs from $5776 for five nights. 1300 863 248, lizardisland.com.au.

THAILAND

If you’ve come over all James Bond-like thanks to Skyfall, then go back to where it all started, amid the islands of Phang Nga Bay, a filming location for The Man with the Golden Gun. The Koyao Island Resort, reached by speedboat, comprises 23 Thai-style beach-facing villas hidden among the coconut palms. Usually from $740 for five nights in a sea-breeze studio, costs from $530 for two people, for five nights. 1800 667 731, koyao.com.

BALI

There’s never really an off-season in Bali, but post-Christmas, it all calms down just a little, and so do the rates. Nunia Villas in Seminyak is halving its prices on stays in the resort’s one-bedroom villas. Includes a free airport pick-up, Balinese lunch for two and a 30-minute massage on arrival. Book by January 8, 2013, for stays from January 9-June 30, 2013. Usually $330 a night, costs $165 a night. 1300 859 565, cantikbalivillas.com.

The Majestic spa, Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur’s hotel scene has got a shot in the arm with the opening of the newly restored art deco-style Majestic Hotel KL. Stay three nights at one of its sister beach resorts – Pangkor Laut Resort, Tanjong Jara Resort or Gaya Island Resort – and get a free night at the Majestic. Otherwise, book five beach nights, and get two free nights in KL, saving from $217 a night. The deal runs until November 30, 2013. Tanjong Jara Resort costs from $126 a night, room only. +0011 800 9899 9999, ytlhotels.com.my.

INDIA

See winter in Rajasthani style at the Taj Lake Palace, pictured, in Udaipur, a pleasure palace on Lake Pichola, built in 1746. The package includes two nights’ accommodation, airport transfers, daily yoga and a half-day tour. Book and stay by March 31, 2013, and save 10 per cent off food and drinks. Room-only usually starts at $830 for a double. Costs from $1547 for two people, two nights. (02) 8356 2566, tajhotels.com.

CENTRAL ASIA

The super-luxurious Golden Eagle is a private train traversing the railroads of Russia and the Central Asian stans and Mongolia before arriving in Beijing. Get up to $800 credit towards your international airfare when you book before January 31, 2013, for travel September 20-October 10, 2013. The 21-day Silk Road journey costs from $US22,395 ($21,190) a person. 1300 851 800,abercrombiekent.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Shiraz, sparkling, sauvignon blanc — what’s your poison? Hit the road through Australia’s best wine regions, but in this case, your transport includes five nights on the Dawn Princess, sailing from Melbourne to Sydney via Burnie and Hobart in Tasmania. The 14-night tour also includes two cross-country train journeys on the iconic Indian Pacific from Sydney to Adelaide to visit the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, before returning to Melbourne on the Overland train. The sail-and-rail trip includes three nights in Sydney, heading up to the Hunter Valley. Book by January 2, 2013, for travel April 23, 2013. Costs from $2739 a person, twin share. 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Dec

Three strikes: salted caramel hits out

I thought it was novel that I bought a salted caramel donut from Movida Bakery a few weeks ago. No jam. No chocolate. Salted caramel.

Then, just a few hundred meters and a few heartbeats away, still in South Yarra, the sweet scents from Burch & Purchese lured me in and hit me with salted caramel spread and a chocolate, mandarin and salted caramel cake. This is Adults Only sweets, kids, and they (and their cult following) take their salty caramel pretty damned seriously.

The triumvirate hit a week down the track, when I sauntered in to the northside’s new St Ali’s outpost, in the wilds of Carlton North. And there it was, except this time, the salted caramel appeared in a macaroon lurking on the side of its hit-me-between-the-eyes coffee. (Obvious note: salted caramel is the new macaroon.)

Laid back? You bet. St Ali North

I was caught off guard: I had only just finished mainlining what looks like your standard bacon-and-egg fry, but was in fact stone fruit halved and fried (that’s your ‘tomatoes’), and bacon ice cream, (the roll of white ice cream was doing a good poached egg impersonation, and the bacon was in the form of a scattering of tiny bacon chips on top), served on brioche. Yes, more salt-and-sweet: it was fabulous. I wish I’d photographed it for you, but reader, I hoovered it all up so fast, you would have had to use the ‘sports’ setting on your camera.

It’s not just me, check out seven (seven!) more Melbourne haunts to get the taste of 2012 in the excellent Broadsheet magazine.

Dec

Spot roos, swan around Melbourne, trek Bhutan: travel deals

Powderhounds … it’s going to be a great year for
heli-skiing. Photo: Getty Images

Stay for free in chic Melbourne, send the kids out ‘roo spotting in rural Queensland or trek Bhutan: what’s not to love about holidays?

Victoria

In what has to be one of the sweetest deals in town, the Art Series hotel group (Blackman, Olsen and Cullen) is letting you roll the dice on what it calls “the overstay checkout”. Stay one night and the next day at 11am you can request a late checkout. If nobody’s booked to stay in your room, you get to stay another night, free. And so on, day by day, until the room is booked again. The deal runs from December 16 until January 13, 2013. Costs from $165 a night. 1800 278 468, artserieshotels.com.au.

NSW

To celebrate the first major exhibition of the 20th-century great Francis Bacon at the Art Gallery of NSW, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth gives you one night’s accommodation, full breakfast for two and a free double pass to the exhibition, worth $60. The Cultural Stay package is available until February 24, 2013. Costs from $325 a night. 1300 656 565, sofitel.com.

Northern Territory

Darwin gets green and steamy over Christmas, so breakfast by the pool, followed by a cool dip, is the order when staying at the Holiday Inn Darwin. Stay three nights and save 20 per cent on accommodation, and there is free brekkie and kids under 17 can eat and stay free with a Happy-Go-Lucky package. Book and stay by February 28, 2013. Costs from $327 for three nights’ B&B. Quote “happy”. 138 388, holidayinn.com/happy.

Queensland

You don’t have to drive for days for a bush holiday. Spicers Hidden Vale is a luxury retreat on 4800 hectares, less than an hour’s drive from Brisbane. Best of all, it includes an all-day kids’ club, where kids aged between four and 12 can herd sheep, go mountain biking, spot roos, play in the animal nursery, go fishing or visit cattle stations in a four-wheel-drive. And you? Hit the pool, have a massage, do yoga, go horse riding or have a drink at a live jazz session on Sundays. Book a two-night Family Farmstay until January 31, 2013 (excluding December 24-26 and January 1), and enjoy a free kids’ club, valued at $260, and kids dine free, with a pony lead for each child. Costs from $798 for a family of four, for two nights. 1300 284 667, spicersgroup.com.au.

The Blackman hotel, St Kilda, Melbourne

Tasmania

Take your morning cuppa among the treetops during the Tahune Forest Air Walk or amid the beautiful Allendale Gardens and Rainforest on a 12-day coach tour of Tasmania. The trip begins and ends in Launceston, with highlights including a cruise down the Gordon River. Book by December 30 and save $350 a person on departures on February 16 and 23, and March 2, 2013. Costs from $3135 a person, including airfares from Sydney. Quote code SH when booking. 1800 815 906, seniorscoachtours.com.au.

Thailand

Koh Phangan island’s beauty is undisputed. Stay six nights, pay for four at the four-star beachfront Buri Rasa Village. Daily breakfast and speedboat transfers from Koh Samui airport on stays May 1-July 15, 2013. Must be booked by December 31, 2012. From $495 a person, twin share. 1300 138 755, travelindochina.com.au.

Europe

Happy to rug up? Save 20 per cent on a Eurail Global Flexi Pass in the northern winter and get a roaming SIM card worth $50. The pass is for trains and ships through 23 countries from Ireland to Romania for 10 or 15 days’ travel in a two-month period. Must be booked and paid for by December 31, for travel until March 31, 2013. From $430 (under 26s), $660 (singles 26 and over). 1300 387 245, internationalrail.com.au.

USA

Chicago does winter beautifully, with its free ice rink in Millennium Park open until mid-March and its Christkindlmarket – said to be the largest of its kind outside Europe – running daily until Christmas Eve. Stay two nights at the Swissotel Chicago, save 20 per cent on the best available rate until February 25, 2013. From $US318 ($303) a room. 1800 121 043, swissotel.com.

Canada

Powerderhounds are sniffing the air at Whistler, which recently opened for winter, and the pros are forecasting a great year for heli-skiing. The new Ultimate Whistler Experience package includes five nights for the price of four in a four-star hotel in Whistler Village, three days’ skiing at Whistler Blackcomb, one day’s heli-skiing at 6000-10,000 feet, and a free Fresh Tracks pass for each adult. From now until April 21, 2013. Costs from $1462 a person. +1 604 905 3337, whistlerblackcomb.com.

New Zealand

Yes, Huka Lodge is luxurious, but then the private Alan Pye Cottage, set on the lodge grounds, takes it up another notch. It can accommodate two couples and from April 1-September 30, 2013, the rate includes a private two-hour cooking lesson from Michelin-trained executive chef Michel Louws. So if you’ve snagged a trout in Lake Taupo, bring it in for regal treatment. The two-night package includes five-course dinners and country breakfasts. Costs from $8970 for two nights. +64 7 378 5791, hukalodge.co.nz.

Tourwatch: Bhutan

In a world where it seems everybody’s travelling, it’s hard to escape the pack. The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan limits the number of international visitors, to preserve its ecosystems and its indigenous traditions. However, it has recently opened remote national parks to hikers, with two new five-night treks. The seasons for the Merak & Sakteng Trek are short — March 15-May 31, 2013 and September 1-November 30, 2013. The trek, graded easy-moderate, offers a rare chance to see remote villages, yak herds, the semi-nomadic Brokpas people and endangered wildlife in the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan. Packages include the five-night trek, two nights pre-trek in Samdrup Jongkhar and two nights post-trek in Trashigang. Costs from $US2706 ($2580) a person from Assam, India. 1300 367 875, bhutan.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Dec

Star-spangled winner: Como Melbourne

It’s not only rock stars who get made over, as Belinda Jackson discovers in Melbourne’s revamped Como hotel.

Robbie Williams stays here whenever he’s in town. Beckham drank in the hotel bar and of course La Minogue has hit the penthouses.

In its 22 years, South Yarra’s Como hotel has had ’em all, from Nana Mouskouri to Cyndi Lauper and Paris Hilton, a swagload of tennis players and old-school rockers including Springsteen and Bon Jovi.

Situated on Chapel Street, near Toorak, which is the equivalent of Monopoly’s Mayfair, the star-studded hotel has changed hands and fallen into the MGallery suite of unique properties.

Quite a lot of gold has also changed hands though the new owners are coy about the number of dollars in the multimillion-dollar makeover, but the figure of $5.3 million is bandied about, roughly $50,000 a room. Consequently, the hotel purrs like a well-fed cat.

The lobby is a funky affair of poke-in-the-eye bright magenta carpet and sparkling white Space furniture, which sets the tone for the hotel: a gentle palette spattered with ultra-bright colour. Neutrals freaks, don’t be scared; the colour is maturely toned down with soft greys that are surely inspired by an autumnal Melbourne sky.

Originally built as an office, the building that houses the Como is horseshoe shaped, which makes it a little confusing finding the rooms. Our party of three checks in to our fifth-floor one-bedroom suite: my sister gets the comfy trundle that’s already made up, her own stash of Morrissey toiletries on the towels. The baby gets a cot tucked in beside my king-size bed that’s built for jumping on.

Out the window, we can look through a glass roof into the Como Centre, an upmarket shopping centre almost completely given over to hairdressers and European-style cafes, as well as the Palace Cinema.

One wall of the suite is a slick kitchenette, the diminutive name belying the stack of cutlery, glassware, fridges and microwave, and there’s an office nook with – get this – reachable power points.

Pendant lights hang over a round dining table and two wide couches look towards the TV. It’s all very spacious and large free-standing mirrors feature in all suites, opening the rooms up further.

A motif of the hotel’s mascot, a rubber duck, now appears throughout the marble-tastic art deco bathrooms, but the duck himself (and it is a him) is also enjoying a makeover, to be revealed next month.

The hotel comprises 107 rooms, including six “des reses” on the third floor that open onto a Japanese garden. But the Como’s calling cards are its three penthouses, now renamed Gold, Gem and Pearl. They really are very adult – each spans two floors, connected by a winding staircase.

Pearl, as the name suggests, is all about sophistication, with a sexy, subdued palette, whereas Gem is fired up with accents of strobe-yellow by way of a laser-cut coffee table. Both have a bedroom on the entry level, then you climb that staircase (a deathtrap after too many glasses of pop) to be absolutely smacked in the eye by a mezzanine level given over completely to bathing. On one side is a little sauna smelling deliciously of Norsca forests and on the other is a sunken tub attended by richly upholstered ottomans and walls of sparkling, metallic tiles.

The Gold penthouse is the entertainer’s hang, with a table for 10 and that baby grand, which has been bashed by Robbie Williams, Michael Buble and many, many others. The bedroom is upstairs, away from the party zone, a wall dividing it from a spectacular free-standing tub.

Sensibly, the hotel serves only breakfast and room service – why would you keep an entire restaurant when there are a hundred on your doorstep? To test the theory, we take a one-block wander around the hotel for dinner.

A minute from the hotel, we could choose George Calombaris’s Mama Baba for “Roman-Greco flavours and freshly made pasta”, but plump for the hip new kid of the Melbourne dining scene, Claremont Tonic, a saucy little pan-Asian restaurant that gives off the vibe it has a secret nightclub out the back.

It’s got Vietnamese, it’s got Thai, and of course it’s got the flavour of the month, Korean.

We hoover bo ssam duck and knock back a chenin blanc, and while it’s pricey, compared with many other good options in the area, the service is smooth and professional.

The next morning, we hit the breakfast room, which spills out into the hotel foyer – however the interior tables are squishy and it’s just not warm. The buffet has all you require: lashings of yoghurts, fruit, a decent toaster and cereals, and the hot menu turns up a seriously mean omelette, which comes accompanied by a bacon mountain.

At 10.30am, our room is a disaster zone and I ring downstairs to confirm checkout time. “It’s 11am but I’ll extend you to midday, if you like?” I like, thank you. I could stay even later, for $25, but we opt to pack up and stash the luggage in the car and swim and shower upstairs in the gym bathrooms. The heated indoor swimming pool has a retractable roof for those hot, summer nights, while the small gym is getting a lick of paint.

Facing the Como, Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio is surely a kids’ playground, we reckon, but the shop is packed with adults, cooing over delightful chocpops, banana milk chocolate bars and tiny cakes.

Back at the hotel to check out, I’ve read all the celebrity gumpf about the hotel, but forget rock stars, the foyer is dominated by two young children, albeit clad in gorgeous Japanese-design raincoats, who team up with my progeny for an impromptu play session.

Just when I’m starting to think that it’s toddlers, not rock stars, who are now trashing the hotel rooms, the lift doors open to show a suitably grungy couple in top-to-toe black, with lashings of tatts and facial jewellery. And then, in the lobby, I spy a bloke in a black band T-shirt hauling a few shopping bags full of booze upstairs, and my concerns for the Como’s reputation are assuaged.

She’s still rockin’, she’s just wearing a whole lot more bling.

Trip notes

Where The Como Melbourne, a hotel of the MGallery Collection, 630 Chapel Street, South Yarra. (03) 9825 2731, mgallery.com.

How much From $255 a night. Get a free breakfast for two, worth $50, on stays until January 31.

Top marks Huge airy rooms. The Japanese garden rooms are true serenity in the city.

Black mark Annoying, pricey wi-fi. In 2012, really? Plus the breakfast room is set up like an afterthought.

Don’t miss A dip in the top-floor pool. Yes, it’s heated: we’re in Melbourne.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

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2. London, England

3. Johor Bahru, Malaysia

4. Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

5. Sichuan province, China

6. Paris, France

7. Jackson, New Jersey, US

8. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

9. Christchurch, New Zealand

10. Daqing, China

Happy new year, everyone!

NSW

QUEENSLAND

TOURWATCH

Victoria

Thailand

Trip notes