Africa | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Mar

Find the romance of Persia or follow the Great Migration: travel deals 10 March 2013

Ancient cities, warm hospitality, wild landscapes: the romance of Persia is calling. Closer to home, get fabulous in northern NSW or Thailand, or follow the Great Migration across the Serengeti and Masai Mara.

TASMANIA
Walking is the new cycling, which is of course the new golf, and one of the best walking destinations in the country is Tassie. The new Three Capes walk hugs the sea cliffs of the Tasman peninsula and out to Cape Raoul. This three-day tour also includes a visit to Port Arthur and a jet boat wilderness cruise (yes, you read that right). Normally $1095, book before March 23 and save 15 per cent on the April 24 departure. Costs $930 a person, three days. 1300 666 856, tasmanianexpeditions.com.au.

Toulouse-Lautrec, Canberra.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Travelling to Canberra to see the best of Toulouse Lautrec is a whole lot cheaper than hauling off to Paris. Stay at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra during the boho Paris exhibition and you’ll get overnight accommodation in a Park Room as well as two tickets to the Toulouse Lautrec exhibition, breakfast and free parking. The offer runs until April 2, quote code ‘TOUL’. Costs from $345 per room. 131 234, canberra.park.hyatt.com.

VICTORIA

Golf aficionados head far west for a putt in the sun, and non-golfing spouses will enjoy the diversion of staying a houseboat on the Murray River. Stay four nights on a deluxe houseboat and play Mildura’s two 18-hole courses, including buggy hire and get full breakfast provisions, dinner at the Gol Gol hotel and a gourmet barbeque. Normally from $900 a person, save $350. Costs from $550. 1800 800 842, willandrahouseboats.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
It’s billed as the ultimate fishing safari, and when you spot the barramundi lurking in the shadows of the waters around the Kimberley Coastal Camp, you’ll have to agree. The remote camp is on the Kimberley’s Admiralty Gulf, and is offering half-price fishing safaris from March 19-22 or March 22-25. Includes air transfers from Kununurra, a scenic flight over the magnificent Mitchell Falls, all meals, accommodation and fishing tackle use. Costs from $3382 a person. 0417 902 006, kimberleycoastalcamp.com.au.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Cabarita Ocean Spa, NSW

You’re a healthier you, on the NSW far north coast. Book a health retreat at Cabarita Ocean Spa with a friend and save 25 per cent on all stays until March 23, and singles get 15 per cent off. Expect surfing and stand-up paddling, as befits an ocean retreat that’s moments from the coastline, as well as lashings of organic, locally sourced food and Sodashi in the spa. Costs from $1650 a person, twin share, three nights. (02) 6674 3111, cabaritaoceanretreat.com.au.

EUROPE

Canny backpackers have long known that an overnight train journey saves on the cost of accommodation. Do it in style and save, as Rail Europe celebrates its 18th birthday with up to 65 per cent off City Night Line trains, which operate in eight countries including Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Book by April 2, travel by June 30. Costs from $59 in couchette, $70 in double sleeper economy. raileurope.com.au.

INDONESIA

Bali bargain hunters alert. Fly with Virgin Australia from Sydney to Denpasar and stay seven nights for the price of five in a deluxe pool view room at the Kuta Lagoon Resort, on Jalan Legian. The offer includes breakfast, airport transfers and regular shuttle buses to the surf and bangle sellers at Kuta Beach. Book until 3pm June 7 for travel from April 28 to June 14. Costs from $1,079 a person, twin share. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

CHINA

It’s time to get your skates on, literally, to catch an earlybird ski bargain. Club Med’s Early Bird Ski Booking deals knock up to 30 per cent off all bookings made by July 1, including five nights in Yabuli, China as well as Europe and Japan. Packages include ski passes, lessons, all meals, open bar and snacks as well as travel insurance. Valid for travel from December 1 to April 7, 2014. Costs from $1033 for adults, $584 for children, five nights. 1800 258 263, clubmed.com.au.

Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary, Koh Samui, Thailand

THAILAND

Heal thyself: at a discount price, at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary on Koh Samui’s south coast. First-time guests can stay four nights, pay for three until April 30. Repeat guests are not forgotten, with a stay five, pay four deal until May 31. Includes airport transfers, all meals and treatments in your wellness program as well as an initial wellness consultation and holistic activities. Costs from $3500 for seven nights on a wellness program, or accommodation only from $224 a night. +66 (0) 77 429 800, kamalaya.com

KENYA & TANZANIA

Follow the migration paths of wilderbeest and zebras across Tanzania and Kenya, across the Masai Mara and the Serengeti. This package includes eight nights’ accommodation in luxury tented camps and a treehouse, as well as game drives and a visit to the Ngorongoro crater. Book until March 31 for travel until March 24, then May 1 – May 24 and save $1840 a person. Costs from $6629 a person. 1300 320 795, www.adventureworld.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Wind towers, Iran.

Blow the myths out of the water and discover one of the friendliest countries on earth: Iran. This tour departs from Shiraz, reached easily from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, where there’s no drinking wine, but plenty of beautiful gardens and the astonishing ancient city of Persepolis. Highlights include the romantic desert city of Yazd and one of the world’s largest plazas, Naksh-e Jahan Square, in bejewelled Isfahan. There are hill villages, palaces and fine museums as well as plenty of tea stops and fine Iranian cooking to be sampled. The 18-day Highlights of Persia tour departs October 1. Costs from $3850 a person, twin share. (02) 9418 7803, byroads.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

Dec

Rug up and reap the benefits: wintery holiday bargains

Turkey

If you’re keen for a wintery holiday, there are bargains to be had.

New York City

In post-Christmas Manhattan, crowds drop off, hotel prices come down, sales take off and ice skates come into their own. It’s Restaurant Week, too, in January/February, during which key fine-dining places offer fixed-price menus.

The 414 Hotel in midtown Manhattan has a “stay four nights, pay for three” deal in its queen-size rooms, from January 5 to February 28. The 414 is a small hotel comprising two townhouses with a courtyard in between. West 46th Street (46th and Ninth Avenue), from $155 a night. 414hotel.com.

The Condor Hotel is in a commercial-residential Jewish neighbourhood of Brooklyn where Hasidic tradition meets hipster gentrification. The subway is about a three-block walk from the hotel, as are a string of restaurants on Myrtle Avenue. The hotel has a seven-night offer in January and February with savings of up to 20 per cent. A twin room, with kitchenette and balcony, costs from $US167.82 ($160) a night , including taxes, dropping to $US131 a night, including taxes, for the bulk of the seven-night stay. The hotel has a lounge and garden and the room rate includes breakfast. 56 Franklin Avenue. condorny.com.

Paris B&B, petiteparis.com.au

Europe

Cathay Pacific has early-bird flights to Europe via Hong Kong for those who can delay their Christmas gift to themselves until April 2013. Economy-class return flights cost from $1640 if booked by December 31 for travel between April 1 and May 31 or between September 1 and October 31. Destinations include London, Rome, Milan, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow and Amsterdam. Early-bird premium economy return seats to Europe cost from $3112. 13 17 47, cathaypacific.com.

The “Canton route” is a new take on the classic “kangaroo route” from Australia to Europe. Canton is Guangzhou, a city of about 12 million just across the delta from Hong Kong, and an emerging stopover for travellers, courtesy of it being the home base of China Southern Airlines. Early-bird fares are available for bookings made until December 31 for travel from January 22 to June 30, 2013. Costs from $1289 for a return economy-class fare to Paris or Amsterdam; from $1439 to London. Conditions apply. 1300 889 628, csair.com.au.

Paris apartments to rent can be well-placed gems. Stays in January mean savings, too. For example, an apartment in the 17th arrondissement about 15 minutes’ walk from the Arc de Triomphe is a green oasis in the centre of the city. Originally built as a nuns’ cloister, the apartment can accommodate three people and has a kitchen. Stay in January for €140 ($173) a night, twin share.petiteparis.com.au.

Ephesus, Turkey

Austria is ski central. An eight-night Ski Plus package in Tyrol’s SkiWelt costs from $675 a person, quad share, when booked with any other winter Europe tour. Includes overnight transfers from London and breakfast daily. 1300 266 845, contiki.com.au.

Turkey encompasses cosmopolitan Istanbul, ancient Ephesus and mournful Gallipoli. An 11-night tour visits the sites, including Demre on the Mediterranean coast and the trading port of Phoenicus, now Finike. Save 15 per cent on bookings until January 15, 2013, for travel from December 19, 2012, to December 19, 2013. From $935 a person. adventureworld.com.au.

Mexico

High in the wine region of Valle de Guadalupe, 20 eco-cabins meld into the environment to create Endemico, a Design Hotel in Mexico’s Baja California. Remote, yes, but also just 90 minutes from San Diego by air. Get 20 per cent off the best available rate on two-night stays, or stay three nights, pay for two, until March 17, 2013. Costs from $US280 for two nights; from $US350 for three nights.designhotels.com.

Egypt

Now’s a great time to visit – without the crowds or the heat. Tempo Holidays has a two-for-the-price-of-one package on its 11-day Wonders of Egypt tour, which visits Cairo and Alexandria, El Alamein’s World War II battlefields and includes a four-night cruise on the Nile. Book by December 31, travel until September 30, 2013. Costs from $3162 for two people.

Morocco

Marrakesh is the jewel of Morocco. It’s winter here, so rug up and admire the snowy peaks behind the city. Save 30 per cent on three-night stays at Angsana Riads Collection Morocco until February 18, 2013 (excludes stays between December 23 and January 6). Costs from $350 for three nights. 1800 050 019, angsana.com.

Cruise New Zealand

Save up to $930 on the price of an inside cabin on a 13-night voyage aboard the Dawn Princess from Melbourne to New Zealand departing on February 18. Sail through the stunning Fiordland National Park and visit Wellington, Napier and Auckland. The voyage costs from $1369 a person from Melbourne, or $1800 from Sydney, which includes Qantas flights and a two-night pre-cruise stay at the Crowne Promenade Melbourne. The deal also comes with a $75 shipboard credit. Book by December 31. 1300 596 345, cruise1st.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Dec

Animal antics in Africa and Adelaide: travel deals 25 November 2012

Discover the Way of the Panda in Adelaide, go gorilla-tastic in Africa, or hitch a ride on a camel in Broome in this week’s best international and domestic travel deals.

TASMANIA

Stepping into summer, it’s shaping up as peak walking
time for Tasmania’s hills and mountains. Yes, you can camp, but it’s so much
nicer to fall into a hot tub after a day trekking the highlands. Cradle
Mountain Chateau is knocking its rates almost in half until December 20, quote
booking code ‘PT004’. Normally from $105 a person, costs from $65 a person. 1800
420 155 www.puretasmania.com.au

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL
TERRITORY

Canberra celebrates its centenary in 2013, with a
year-long calendar of events, with indigenous cultural explorations, art
exhibitions and sporting face-offs, canberra100.com.au. Stay at the 4½-star Pavilion on
Northbourne in a deluxe room with the
big buffet brekky, and save up to $286 a night. Valid for stays until February
2013, quote ‘Canberra Sale Special’. Costs from $140 a night. 1300 88 7979, wotif.com/hotelW6953.

WESTERN
AUSTRALIA

Where else can you ride a camel along the beach but
in Broome? Soak up that golden WA sun on Cable Beach and save up to 30 per cent
off your room at the 4.5-star Oaks Cable Beach Sanctuary, curled around a
lagoon-style swimming pool. Book by November 30 for travel until April 30,
2013. Costs from $139 a night for two in a studio room or stay five and save 40
per cent, from $595 for five nights. 1300 888 180, zuji.com.au.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Let Wang Wang and Funi show you ‘The Way of the Panda.’
Adelaide Zoo’s two pandas are one of the city’s great drawcards for kids and
adults, set in eight hectares of botanic gardens. The zoo is a pleasant walk
(ok, five minutes in a cab) to BreakFree Adelaide, in Hindley St, which is offering
the fourth night free for families who stay three nights in a two-bed apartment
until March 27, 2013. On top of that, stay before January 18, 2013, get a
two-for-one Gray Line Barossa Valley tour. Costs from $615 for three nights. 132 007, breakfree.com.au.

VICTORIA

The few weeks before Christmas is when bargain hunters
slip in a sneaky getaway: take San Remo,
for example. Just over an hour south of Melbourne, the sleepy town is
the gateway for Phillip Island, and the place for fish and chips on empty,
windswept beaches, visiting tiny cellar doors and shopping the weekend produce
markets. Stay two nights, get 10 per cent off, or stay three or more and get 20
per cent off at Silverwater Resort on stays until December 20 quote code
‘Santa12’. Costs from $278 a room, for two nights. 1800 033 403,
silverwaterresort.com.au

TRANS-AUSTRALIA

It’s time to break out the iconic Aussie songs,
Gangagang’s ‘Sounds of Then (This is
Australia)’ and
of course Icehouse’s ‘Great Southern Land’ – you come over all patriotic when
you’re crossing our country’s Red Centre.
Save up to $611pp on The Ghan, travelling from Adelaide
to Darwin or vice versa. Book before December 24 for travel until March 31,
2013. Was $2116, costs from $1505 a person, Gold Service, and was $3210, now
$2259 a person, Platinum Service. 13 21 47, greatsouthernrail.com.au.

The Dipan Resort Villa & Spa, Seminyak, Bali

BALI

Seminyak is
Bali’s hip and beating heart, with the best boutiques, bars, spas and
restaurants on the island. Stay in The Dipan Resort Villa and Spa, a
22-suite hotel in the pinnacle of Seminyak hip, Petitenget, for half the price,
but still get breakfast, wi-fi and a welcome massage. Stay four night and get a
dinner in the resort restaurant as well. Book now for travel until July 3,
2013. Costs from $130 a night in a hotel room, or $241 a night in a one-bedroom
villa. 1300 85 95 65, cantikbalivillas.com.

Flamingoes on Lake Nakuru, Kenya.

KENYA

Kids travel free
when they’re with two adults on an eight-day Kenya Highlights package. Each
couple can have one child under 12, who stays in the same accommodation and the
deal includes all meals and sightseeing. Highlights include meeting the Maasai
and the masses of flamingos on Lake Nakuru. Costs from $1895 a person, twin share.
1300 195 873, benchinternational.com.au.

CHILE & ARGENTINA

With a BMW F650 GS between your legs and the panorama of
snow-capped volcanos before you, is there any more beautiful place in the world
than the Andes? This nine-day tour by road bike starts and ends in Santiago and
covers 2100km, travelling south into Patagonia, where you cross the Andes to
Argentina and beautiful Bariloche. Compass Expeditions is offering US$800 off
for the rider and $400 for co-riders. Tour departs 28 December, 2012. Includes
bike hire, fuel and 10 nights’ accommodation. Costs from $3490, $2190 for
pillion. 1300 887 327, compassexpeditions.com.

AFRICA

Spend 20 days visiting the gorillas of Africa in some of
the continent’s most spectacular scenery, including Masai Mara, Victoria Falls
and Tanzania’s Lake Manyara and the Serengeti. There’s mountain gorilla
trekking in Rwanda, game drives, a boma dining experience beneath the
stars. Travel Associates is offering one free return economy flight with South
African Airways when two people book together. Book by December 31 for travel
on May 31, 2013, includes all internal flights and up to eight game park
drives. Costs from $16595 a person, twin share. 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au

TOURWATCH: SWEDEN

The low Swedish coastline was surely designed for
kayaking, and the new West Coast Sweden: Bohuslän Archipelago journey with
Southern Sea Ventures is a girl’s or boy’s own adventure writ large. The
itinerary includes beach camping and stays in snug lodges, paddling through
thousands of granite islands while observed by seals and seagulls. You’ll be
led by Swedish seakayaker Ulrika Larsson, who started her paddling career in
the Stockholm archipelago and has paddled the Swedish coastline solo. The
10-day trip includes eight days’ kayaking, and has a moderate grading, so some
paddling experience is necessary, and it helps if you’ve seen the inside of a
tent before. Departs August 25, 2013 from Gothenburg, in southern Sweden, and
includes all kayaking equipment. Costs from $2250 a person. (02) 8901 3287, southernseaventures.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Sep

Cape Town the best beach spot in Africa

Clifton Beaches, Cape Town, www.capetown.travel

Now here’s an interesting snippet: apparently the best beach town in Africa is Cape Town.

Thrashing last year’s winner, Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, Cape Town also trumped Bazaruto in Mozambique, Diani Beach in Kenya and Tanzania’s Zanzibar Island at the 2012 World Travel Awards.

South Africa also won best airline (SAA), top villa (Ellerman House & Villa), best train (The Blue Train) and best safari lodge (the unrivaled Shamwari Game Reserve, which is where Brad Pitt soothed his heart, post-Jen, and Nicholas Cage proposed to his waitress).

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