Bali | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Nov

Twenty reasons to visit Seminyak

Surfers on shore at Legian beach. Photo: Getty Images

1 Kopi luwak

“Civet coffee, where cherries are passed through the native cat”, is a very nice way to describe the natural process of creating Bali’s special kopi luwak (or civet coffee). By passing through the civet’s digestive tract, the coffee beans are mellowed out, creating what’s arguably the world’s most expensive coffee. Cruise homewares and sip kopi luwak at Becik (Jl Dhyana Pura 4, +62 361 737 816) or pull up a chair, poolside, and sip at Anantara Seminyak hotel (Jl Dhyana Pura, +62 361 733 7773, anantara.com). Expect to pay about $9 a cup. (PS: jalan, abbreviated to Jl, is Balinese for “street”.)

2 Bodyworks

In a land of cheap spas, Bodyworks has the edge. It’s cheap, efficient and the 80-plus staff will try to squeeze you in for that urgent facial/pedicure/hairdressing fix. Expect to pay about $20 or less for most services. “And you’ll always get a reliably good treatment every time,” Bali-based Australian fashion designer Penny Pinkster says. “I opened my second boutique next door so I could pop in when it’s quiet.” (Jl Kayu Jati 2, Petitenget, +62 361 733 317, bodyworksbali.com) Jari Menari (“dancing fingers”) also gets a guernsey for its yoga-influenced stretching massage, from 300,000 rupiah ($30) (Jl Raya Basangkasa 47, +62 361 736 740, jarimenari.com).

3 Rooftop dining

Seminyak is having a love affair with rooftops. And why not, when the weather is this good? SOS Supper Club, on the roof of Anantara Seminyak hotel, is the leader of the pack, with nightly DJs and unfettered views of the Indian Ocean. Book a table under the stars for a steak dinner or flop on a day bed to snack and watch the stars come out with a Bali Classic in hand (strawberry, lime, cranberry, lychee with pomegranate juice and sparkling wine) or a pitcher of SOS punch. Of course, they do bottle service, too (Jl Dhyana Pura, +62 361 737 773, sosasupperclub.com).

4 Beach sunsets

South Bali is blessed with sunsets over the water and the cheapest entertainment in town is a walk along the long stretch of Seminyak beach at 6pm. On the way, you can buy drinks, hire a surfboard, rent a sun lounger or just park on the sand to watch the golden sun dip down over the Indian Ocean. Sunday is the day off for most workers in Bali, and everyone heads to the beach. Pop down late afternoon to see a slice of local life, from kite flying to beach soccer and plenty of perambulating.

5 Pura Petitenget

In a land of temples, even Seminyak’s crazed real estate scene pauses for religion. Pura Petitenget is just beside the beach, and the quiet, well-maintained Hindu temple gives respite from the traffic below. Don your sarong, wrapped over trousers, and visit just before sunset when the light catches the mossy sculptures for a quintessentially Balinese moment.

6 Boutique fashion

The island’s best fashion is found in Seminyak, with beautiful, often handmade clothes at a price you’ll never find in Australia. Fondle a soft charcoal jersey at Buddha Wear (Jl Oberoi 15X, buddhawear.com) and see what the Brazilians are up to at chic and sexy Lulu Yasmine (Jl Oberoi 100, luluyasmine.com) and Lily Jean (Jl Oberoi 102X or Jl Mertanadi 73X, Kerobokan for the sale shop, lily-jean.com). For Parisian “Bourgeois Boheme”, visit Magali Pascal (Jl Oberoi, 177X), and Animale is a good stop for understated menswear (Jl Raya Seminyak 31, animale.com). For accessories, check the gorgeous strappy flats at Kumuru (Jl Raya Seminyak 67) and TropicSurf’s Jack Chisholm suggests you check out Drifter for classic surfboards, imported surf clobber and good Indonesian coffee (Jl Oberoi 50, driftersurf.com).

7 Petitenget

Move over, Jl Oberoi (aka Laksmana or Kayu Aya) and Jl Dhyana Pura (aka Abimanyu), Jl Petitenget is the hottest dining strip at the top of Seminyak, with Metis and Sarong firmly on the faves list. The hot new ticket is the Petitenget, next door to Pura Petitenget, which serves “modern bistro” for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the latest venture of restaurateur Sean Cosgrove of Corner Store fame, sit on the terrace and order the poached chicken salad with pistachio and celery with a mandarin Bellini, or seek respite from the heat in its cool, chic lounges (Jl Petitenget 40X, +62 361 473 3054,petitenget.net).

8 Surfing

It doesn’t have the wild reef breaks of Uluwatu and west Bali, but the long straight beach at Seminyak is a beginner’s paradise, says Bali surfer Jack Chisholm of TropicSurf, who teaches families and beginners out the front of Anantara Seminyak. “Anantara’s beach also has fun, peaky waves out the back that will keep even advanced surfers happy.” Other reliable locations include the stretch in front of Ku De Ta, popular with intermediate Europeans looking for an easy ride to practise their skills, and at the end of Double Six Road. The surf season runs from April to November, and is best in the mornings before the trade winds kick up. The big beachfront hotels have their own lifeguards, too (tropicsurf.net).

9 Tailors

Forget the $100-and-six-week turnaround of Aussie sewing shops, Bali’s tailors are fast, cheap and obliging. Say hi to tailor Ipong at Tidy Tailors for quality fabric and experience (Jl Kayu Aya 8, +62 361 736 603), while super-fast nips, tucks and copies can be squeezed in at busy Mode Kara: bring your beloved clothes for remakes or repairs (Jl Oberoi 88, +62 361 735 788).

Biku PIC: Belinda Jackson

10 Interiors with a Balinese twist

Seminyak’s interior shops are a haven of treasures for stylist, creator of the Fashion Assassin label and 37-time Bali visitor Alex Zabotto-Bentley (azbthecreative.com). His top five interior faves comprise Horn Emporium, where owner Anita scours Jakarta for early Dutch antiques, while Namu is worth a stop for its very modern, very chic decorative arts from resin. He also lists Kody & Ko for its 2Pac timber effigies, while Carga pulls apart Balinese designs with a Western treatment (Jl Petitenget 886, +62 361 847 8173). “And Geneva is the craziest warehouse on Earth, with beautiful cut coconut-wood tapas trays to bizarre bronze owls,” he says. “Absolutely mental.” (Namu, Jl Petitenget 234X, +62 361 279 7524; Carga, Jl Petitenget 886, +62 361 847 8173; Horn Emporium, Jl Petitenget 100X, +62 361 4738 330; Geneva, Jl Raya Kerobokan No.100, +62 361 733 542; Kody & Ko, Jl Kayu Cendana C002).

11 Biku

Pull up a pew for coffee and a tarot reading at the fantastical joglo (teak house) that is Biku, a gorgeous destination cafe. Fifteen-minute tarot readings cost 80,000 rupiah. The only downside is that everyone knows it’s fantastic. Phone ahead to reserve a table and order the Asia High Tea for two (170,000 rupiah), in which tiers of samosa, Vietnamese spring rolls and ayam sisit (Balinese shredded chicken) are served with green tea, oolong or perhaps masala chai. Yes, they do scones, and the signature cocktail is the Biku coconut martini (Jl Petitenget 888, +62 361 8570 888, bikubali.com).

12 Snakeskin accessories

Vegans, look away, but for the rest of you, dyed snakeskin accessories are a hot buy from Seminyak’s fashion stores. Find gorgeous clutches, belts and ballet flats, all handmade in Bali from Indonesian python skin, and a steal from $50. Try Naputo or sister shops Prathivi (Jl Raya Seminyak 16, Jl Kayu Aya 15, naputobali.com).

13 One for the kids

Until you travel in Bali with kids, you have no idea how kid-friendly it can be. Seminyak is chock-full of beautiful villas, with separate kitchens, big bathrooms and pools, making travel with kids a no-brainer. Nannies booked through villa complexes or hotels cost about $8-$9 an hour, with even better day rates negotiable. Cute kids’ boutiques include French designer Clara Mia‘s divine little costumes (Jl Oberoi 43, +62 361 733 893).

14 Sensational seafood

Mamasan restaurant
PIC: Belinda Jackson

Pull up at smokin’ Mamasan, the cooler little sister to Seminyak dining stalwart Sarong, and order the snapper dumplings for a taste epiphany (Jl Raya Kerobokan 135, +62 361 733 072, mamasanbali.com). Those in the know earmark Sundays for a spectacular seafood buffet at the W Seminyak’s beachside Starfish Bloo, which costs 475,000 rupiah a person (Jl Petitenget, +62 361 473 8106, starwoodhotels.com). Ubudphiles stranded in the craziness of Seminyak should head to Sardine for seafood and organic produce while overlooking the rice paddies (Jl Petitenget 21, +62 361 843 6111, sardinebali.com).

15 Beach bars

A long-time Bali fave, the pouty Ku De Ta, has a rival: the hottest place in town to watch it all go down is Potato Head, a beach club-cum-restaurant on the sands of Seminyak beach. Big and busy, the potential madness is tamed by groovin’ Marvin Gaye or perhaps some Curtis Mayfly. Order from the casual menu, from its pan-Asian restaurant Lilin or Tapping Shoes‘ French fine dining after 6pm. There’s a minimum spend on the beachfront sun loungers (about $50), but get in before the 6pm pre-sunset rush. Kids are welcome, and there’s even a kids’ pool. No Bintang singlets, 11am-2am daily. If you’re into keepin’ it real, grab a beanbag and a jug of sangria at the ultimate beach bar La Plancha for sunset (Potato Head, Jl Petitenget, +62 361 473 7979, ptthead.com; Ku De Ta, Jl Oberoi, +62 36 173 6969, kudeta.net; La Plancha Double Six Beach, +62 361 890 0000, laplanchabali.com).

16 Made’s Warung

Don’t be expecting the usual dingy tiles and rickety tables at the island’s most famous warung (restaurant). Made’s is all-singing, all-dancing, with a cute little Balinese dance show each night. Noisy and fun for first-time visitors, order the Balinese plate for a taste of the warungs (or go the Japanese menu, the Italian, the Western – you get the picture). The shops within the Made’s complex make for surprisingly good, upmarket browsing (Jl Raya Seminyak, madeswarung.com).

17 Ethical shopping

Stylish indi vie is one of a handful of sleek retail outlets selling environmentally sound homewares, locally designed ceramics and jewellery and ethically produced Balinese handcrafts, with profits going to charities such as those helping the island’s street children in Made’s Warung shops (Jl Raya Seminyak, +62 361 730 927). Find similar products in retro-cool Press Ban cafe (Jl Oberoi 50, +62 361 730 486). For a totally Balinese souvenir, grab a beautifully made, locally designed Bali Towel, complete with handmade tassels. The towels are found in top resorts, Lily Jean and uber-emporium Word of Mouth (Kunti Arcade, Jl Kunti, wordofmouthbali.com). The “Nyoman” is modelled on the classic black-and-white saput poleng temple material, from $40 (balitowel.com).

18 Kangkung

If you’re iffy about eating meat abroad, Bali doesn’t disappoint. The king of vegetables, kangkung, is water spinach tossed with garlic, chilli, tomato, galangal and shallot and served with rice: a powerhouse on a plate. Hit the lunch buffet at Warung Kolega (Jl Petitenget 98A), Warung Ocha (corner Jl Raya Seminyak and Jl Dhyana Pura) or the highly rated Warung Sulawesi (Jl Petitenget).

19 Cocktail hour

Indonesia’s crippling taxes don’t encourage wine binges. If Bintang beer isn’t your bag, you’ll just have to drink cocktails stuffed with tropical fruit. Hot spots include upstairs at Mamasan for Lychee Banshees (Jl Raya Kerobokan 135), the low tables at the front of Chandi for a spiced, herbed Mojito (Jl Oberoi 72), buzzy Cubana (Jl Petitenget 12B, cubanabali.com) and old fave La Lucciola (Jl Petitenget, +62 361 730 838) or any of the beach bars mentioned above. Finish with a glass of pop at the Champagne Bar (Jl Oberoi 42C, +62 361 737 889).

20 Luxe-tastic villas

Ombak Luwung Villa

You may be in the crush of Seminyak, but those tiny gangs (Balinese for “lanes”) hide lush, sprawling villas. Those on a budget should check out Maca Villas, from $138 a person, creativeholidays.com), Serene Villas‘ one-bed villas from $212 a night with early-bird and last-minute specials (serenevilla.com), or the fully staffed three-bedroom Villa Natura, which is $US295 ($284) a night, (privatevillasandhouses.com). For a villa with the buzz of a hotel, try the Elysian, from $US385 (theelysian.com), or Royal Seminyak MGallery Hotel’s one-bedroom villas start at $620 (mgallery.com). The four-bedroom Jaja-Liluna, comprising three self-contained pavilions around the pool, costs from $925 a night (marketingvillas.com), while the oceanfront Ombak Luwung starts at $1500 a night (privatevillasandhouses.com).

SOURCE: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Oct

Baby got backpack

Me and Yasmine, en cyclo, Hanoi. PIC: Belinda Jackson

Dummy cord, check. Vegemite, check. Belinda Jackson learns the art of travelling plus one.

Last month, I travelled to Vietnam for work with a 17-month-old in tow. Newsflash: we survived. We’re always talking about making work family-friendly – so, for the travel writer, it’s a case of “have baby, will travel”.

For a travel writer,it’s a case of ‘have baby, will travel’.

In the years before my family went from two members to three, I’d swirled the waters of the Ganges in India, galloped with gauchos through Chilean Patagonia, camped in the western deserts of Egypt and trekked the Kashmiri Himalayas.

In contrast, my first work trip with baby Yasmine was to the kids’ paradise of Fiji, when she was five months old. “Come and do a story about our nannies,” the Outrigger hotel offered. Say “nanny” to a woman who for five months hasn’t slept more than four hours at a stretch, and she’ll jog to Fiji.

“Babies are just hand luggage,” an old travel hand told me. “Travel as much as you can with them while they’re young.”

Apart from being so portable – and, for the first nine or so months, staying put when you put them down – babies travel free on domestic and some short-haul international routes, or pay up to 25 per cent of the adult fare, before jumping to a hefty 75 per cent once they’re aged two.

If that ain’t an incentive to go directly from the delivery ward to departure gate, I don’t know what is.

Yes, travelling with a baby has been a shock to the system: my gorgeous Mandarina Duck luggage has been replaced by a far sturdier wheeled duffle bag to fit the nappies, snacks, wraps and plethora of accoutrements required by a sub-10 kilogram human. The days of travelling with only carry-on luggage are but a dream. And each flight is spent praying she will sleep during meal service, to avoid the unbearable foot-in-tea scenario.

Chi-chi hotel rooms have given way to apart-hotels, such as Oaks and Mantra, which can be as compact as the tiniest hotel room, but with a kitchenette and often a washing machine squeezed in. It saves 100 calls to housekeeping for more milk, to warm up food and could they please send a cleaner to gouge yoghurt from the crevices of the linen-covered sofa. And I now understand villas and holidays in close-by Queensland.

I have joined the ranks of Australians who travel with a tube of Vegemite for a convenient, vitamin-packed sandwich. And I have learned the importance of dummy cords: our worst places for dropped dummies are in Hanoi’s wet fish market and on the toilet floor of a plane hovering over Indonesia.

Previously, I’d seen baby bassinets only from the other side of the bulkhead – in business class – but am now a firm fan. Their capacity ranges from 10-kilogram up to 18-kilogram babies, though not all planes have them, as I recently learnt while booking a flight, with Virgin Australia back to Bali. And night flights are ideal – unless someone else’s child chooses to spend the evening shrieking. Never have I seen so many bottles of baby Nurofen and Panadol emerge so swiftly from handbags throughout the cabin.

Hitching a ride … Vietnam-style. Photo: Getty

For most Australians, the pinnacle of baby-friendly destinations is Fiji, which trades on its affinity with children. Bali is getting in on the act, with its beautiful villas and armies of nannies (see story page 27), but deliciously wallet-friendly Vietnam is a close contender.

On the eight-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City, staff on Vietnam Airlines take endless photos of Yasmine, stuff her with cake and play with her curls incessantly. It is no different throughout the country. The minute we walk into hotels, restaurants, galleries or shops, a smiling person drops to their knees and says hi to the baby, leaving me free to shop, check in, or check out the menu.

More lessons: Asia is far more patient with children than Western countries, though without the safety barriers we enjoy, which means no pool fences, and rooftop bars are dicey propositions. Pavements are generally non-existent, so baby carriers make more sense than prams. And Asian nannies tend to learn their skills through experience with their own children or siblings, rather than a TAFE course. Make of that what you will.

We’ve also discovered that exclusivity doesn’t necessarily mean anti-children, to wit the super-luxe Orpheus Island, in far north Queensland, which figured if the baby could cope with the helicopter journey to the island, she was most welcome.

We haven’t hit Europe yet, but the plan is to break the journey with a stopover on Singapore’s Sentosa Island beaches. I have to add the coda that I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a healthy baby who learnt from a very young age to sleep in the car, on a sofa, in helicopters and in the noisiest restaurants beside the wok station.

And I’m travelling with only one. I doubt it would be so simple with two, or three.

However, hope springs eternal: last week, I spotted a woman at Tullamarine airport calmly navigating the crowds with four children under eight. Nobody was crying and everyone was carrying their own luggage, save the toddler in the stroller. Woman, I salute you.

I’m now at the stage where Yasmine is walking, yet without the facility to reason or bargain with. Will it get easier? I don’t know. But life is a journey, and each journey is unique. And that’s what keeps me (or rather, us) travelling.

Top five pearls of wisdom

The Baby Jogger City Mini pram pulls shut with one hand and weighs just eight kilograms. Infants can be tucked in and carried on with the excellent Phil & Ted’s Explorer cocoon and I truck Yasmine around in an Ergobaby carrier.
Essential packing items: a dummy cord that connects pacifier to progeny; and a large scarf for modest breastfeeding that doubles as a handy wrap during cold flights, emergency towel, sunshade …
Feeding the baby (bottle, breast, snacks) on takeoff and landing helps their ears “pop”. Sucking on a dummy also helps.
Baby food tubes (Rafferty’s Garden, Heinz and so on) are unsmashable and give kids a taste of home, such as spag bol. Squirt over rice or pasta for a bigger meal.
Pack a toy bag with snacks, short colouring-in pencils, books and toys. Some airlines rent out iPads loaded with kids’ games and movies for about $10.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald.

Oct

Where the wild things are: Ubud

Gateway to heaven: Villa Alamanda

The forest is absolutely roaring tonight. Frogs croaking, crickets creeping, there’s a bird that screams like it’s on a rotisserie. Well, it could be a bird. Our driver, Gusti, describes it as a ‘little animal’. It could be the small child in our party.

This is Ubud: fertile, fecund and slightly wild. And that’s just the people. With my unerring sense of bad timing, I’ve just missed the Ubud Writer’s Festival, where John Pilger was one of the headline acts, and again, I have failed to get to one of Ubud’s legendary yoga classes. Surely, however, nothing can top the inspirational class I did with Danny Paradise, years ago, for a mere $20 at one of the neighbourhood yoga hangs. The memory sustains me.

We’ve stayed in two places in Ubud this time, the first being a private villa, Villa Alamanda, and I’ve returned to the lodge at Taro Elephant Park for the second time this year.

The four-bedroom villa is set in a small village just outside Ubud, though you wouldn’t know it. It overlooks a river ensnared in wild jungle, and the grounds include a vast infinity pool that spills down the hillside, and breakfast each morning looks out onto the wilderness.

Yet at night, I can hear plenty of chatter and the chime and clang of gamelan. This past weekend was one of the two most auspicious dates in the Balinese calender, popular for religious ceremonies including weddings, so the streets are lined with decorations and occasionally, we’ll drive through a village where the locals are dressed in their Sunday best.

The village school took the opportunity to have its new classrooms blessed, and we wandered in to witness the ceremony conducted by our villa’s head chef. The very well behaved kids, lined up watching the ceremony, had a little riot at the appearance of the curly-haired babe, but unlike my strict Mass ceremonies as a child, nobody was waiting to whack them with a cane. Perhaps that’s why Hinduism has remained so strong in Bali…

Oct

Lemme hear you go Woo! Travel deals 14 October 201

WooBar at the new W Hotel Singapore

Snap up the bargain of the century with six cases of wine when you bed down in St Kilda, or throw your hands in the air like you don’t care at the new WooBar Singapore’s new W hotel in this week’s travel deals.

VICTORIA

If you ever needed a good reason to stay in St Kilda (aside
from it having the town’s best band pub, great pizza cafes, awesome spas,
smokin’ beachside cafes), here’s another. Book a standard non-bayview room at
the Novotel Melbourne St Kilda until October 31, get six bottles of wine, worth
$200, absolutely free. The deal also includes free car parking and breakfast
for two. Costs from $179 a room, a
night, quote ‘wine and wind down’. (03) 9525 6191, novotelstkilda.com.au.

NSW

Revel
in all things Polynesian, without leaving the state. The Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley’s midweek Polynesian
inspired special includes overnight accommodation in a deluxe spa room,
breakfast for two, $50 to blow at the restaurant and two hours of Polynesian
spa fabulousness at its Villa Thalgo. Start with a body scrub, lagoon water
bath and a Mahana massage using sacred oils. Just an hour from the city in the
Hawkesbury Valley, the 4.5-star hotel has been recently renovated. Worth $499,
pay $289 a room, a night, Mondays to Fridays until December 28. 131 515, sebelhawkesburyvalley.com.au.

TASMANIA

If you’ve got the time, then Tassie’s got the deal, with a
five Strange+Wild nights which includes accommodation for two, priority access
tickets to the Museum of Old and New Art’s (MONA) Theatre of the World extravaganza,
car hire, a ferry ride up-river to MONA, a bottle of Moorilla Muse chardonnay,
maps and tourist guides. Save up to $796
a person until April 8, 2013. Costs from $915 a person, (03) 6277 9900,
mona.net.au/short-breaks.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Lovers of the tv series ‘McLeod’s Daughters’ will already
know Kingsford Homestead, a beautiful five-star historic home in the Barossa
Valley, just north of Adelaide. Accommodating just 14 guests in its suites and
cottages, stays at the homestead include three or five-course dinners and big,
hearty country breakfasts, as well as drinks and canapés at sunsets and
lashings of local wine. Costs from $1580 for two nights for two people. 1300
130 483, travel.com.au.

TOP END

Discover some of the most remote beauty spots in
Australia, spending 13 days exploring the Kimberley. The Kimberley Complete
tour starts and finishes in Broome, cruising Geiki Gorge, Emma Gorge at El
Questro and the beautiful Windjana Gorge, staying in wilderness lodges and
taking a helicopter flight over Mitchell Falls. Couples can save up to $1500 on
departures between April and October 2013 when they book by December 31, 2012. Costs
from $7145 a person, twin share. 1800 240 504, kimberleywilderness.com.au.

SINGAPORE

I’d like to show you a room shot, but hey,
this is the ELEVATOR. W Hotel, Singapore.

Singapore
now has its own W Hotel, set on Sentosa Island, the city-state’s super-chi-chi
beach getaway. So naturally, the hotel’s three room types are classed as Wonderful,
Spectacular and Fabulous, normally priced from SGD430++ ($343) room only. Get ahead of the pack and
snap up an Island Glamour Welcome opening package, which includes one night in
the Wonderful guestroom, breakfast for two and cocktails, until March 31, 2013.
Costs from SGD$388++ a room. 1800 325 2525, wsingaporesentosacove.com.

INDONESIA

A magnet for surfers, Uluwatu is at the southernmost tip of the island of Bali and its famous sea temple. Nearby, the family-friendly Uluwatu Surf Villas looks over the high cliffs, down to the surf beaches, prime location for daily sundowners. Normally $290 a night, all accommodation bookings on TravelMob are 20 per cent off until November 10. Costs from $232 a room a night. travelmob.com.

BALTICS

Get off the beaten track with a journey through the
former Eastern Bloc countries of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia,
finishing in the glamorous museum mecca of St Petersburg. Book and pay for the
11-day journey 12 months ahead and save 10 per cent. Book by December 27, 2012
and fly from $1754 a person with Emirates, with a free stopover in Dubai. Costs
from $2319 a person, twin share. 1300 230 234, globus.com.au.

SPAIN

It’s got Gaudi, Picasso, the Alhambra palace and then there’s tapas. Oh Spain, we love you. The 10-day cultural extravaganza, Treasures of Spain, starts in Barcelona, and visits Valencia, Granada, Cordoba and finishes in Seville. Includes accommodation, some meals, transport and tour guide. Book before October 31, save on seven departures between May 19 and October 13, 2013. Past Peregrine travellers also get additional discounts. Normally $5090, costs from $4581 a person, twin share. 1300 854 400, peregrineadventures.com.

USA

The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles

Girls, get your
scarves and sunnies on and hit the road with the ultimate road trip, from LA to
Vegas. The package includes four nights’ accommodation at the Hyatt
Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles,
three nights in the Westin Las Vegas, return flights and eight days’ car hire.
There are also bonus tours including a tour of Hollywood, a helicopter flight
over Vegas, entry to Madam Tussards. Book by October 20, travel November 9-30,
February 1 – March 20, 2013. Costs from $2290 a person, twin share. 1300 000 872, myholidaycentre.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Many Vietnam
tours take you through the Cu Chi tunnels, the elaborate tunnels of the
VietCong, but this is a tour with a difference. The guides are author Jimmy
Thomson and Sandy MacGregor, a former ‘tunnel rat’ serving in the Vietnam War
who led the group that discovered the tunnels and the underground city of Cu
Chi. The tour also visits the Vietcong Caves in the Long Hai mountains and a
few days in the sin city of Vung Tau, a notorious town where troops went for
R&R. Oh, and there’s time for shopping, too. The Tunnel Rats tour departs
October 26, 2012. Costs from $1900 a
person, twin share, land only. (02) 8229 4764, sapperswar.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Oct

Who the hell is Rhonda? Bali fashion

‘Who the hell is Rhonda?’ I heard a fellow Aussie ask, here in Bali yesterday.

It must be the humidity, as it took me a while to figure this one out, too: I just couldn’t understand why the tat strips of Jl Legian and Double Six, in south Bali, were filled with singlets with such slogans as ‘Rhonda is Mine’ and ‘Keep your eyes on the road, Rhonda’.

Insurance company AAMI must surely be delighted with their star, Rhonda, who features in their safe drivers’ rewards campaign, has found international fame. Bintang beer singlets, it’s time to move over.

Oct

Washing instructions: Littlehorn designs

Washing instructions tag spotted on kid’s t-shirt by Littlehorn, at the other-worldly Horn Emporium, on Jl Petitenget, Bali.

Washing instructions: ask your mother,
she will know what to do.

Just in case you missed the shop,
here’s the exterior.

Even the shop’s loo is fab, thanks to
Alex Zabotto-Bentley’s impeccable styling.

Oct

Doing the Nile in style: travel deals 7 October 2012

Do the Nile in style, let Versace bags you a pool lounger on the Gold Coast or shop it up in Melbourne and Malaysia.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Yes, there are bargains to be had on the crazy Perth
hotel scene, creating a great excuse to go west and throw yourself into the
city’s delicious food scene, led by the newly crowned top eatery in town,
Fraser’s in Kings Park. Save 40 per cent on room rates at the Mantra on Murray
until March 31, 2013 when you stay on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights. Costs
from $169 a night in a queen studio. 131 517, mantra.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mount Lofty House lives up to its name, with panoramic
views over Adelaide and out to sea, yet it’s only 15 minutes from town. Stay at
the boutique country hotel and save up to 50 per cent with its ‘Discover the
Adelaide Hills’ package which includes overnight accommodation, breakfast for
two and one of three activities in the Hills: lunch for two at The Locavore in
Stirling, wine tasting at Shaw & Smith cellar door and winery, or a round
of golf for two at Mt Lofty golf club. Costs from $249 a room. (08) 8339 6777, mtloftyhouse.com.au.

The Novotel Melbourne on Collins

VICTORIA

One of Melbourne’s best shopping hotels, the Novotel
Melbourne on Collins, is 20 years old in October, and marks the occasion with a
$7 million make-over. Stay two nights until November 11 and get 20 per cent off
the best available rate, pay only $20 for breakfast (normally $29), $20 for
valet parking (normally $35) and $20 for internet (normally $27.95 a day).
There’s also a $20 deal on antipasto tasting platters and 20th birthday
cocktails. Costs from $412 a room, two nights. (03) 9667 5800, novotelmelbourne.com.au.

NEW SOUTH WALES

The
recently renovated Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley’s new midweek
‘Polynesian Stay & Spa’ package with a Polynesian inspired spa treatment at
its Villa Thalgo day spa. An hour from the CBD in Windsor, the 4.5-star hotel
spa’s deal includes overnight accommodation for two in a deluxe spa room,
breakfast, $50 to spend at the restaurant and two hours of body scrubbing,
lagoon water bath and a Mahana massage. Normally $499, costs $289 a night,
Monday to Friday until December 28. 131 515, sebelhawkesburyvalley.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

There’s no need for
bagsing your poolside lounger at dawn at the Palazzo Versace: the staff will do
it for you. In fact, you don’t know poolside lounging till you’ve lounged by
the lagoon at the Gold Coast’s most luxe address. We’re talking private
cabanas, chilled face sprays, platters of summer fruits, PV’s own sunscreen, a bottle
of sparkling wine and two nights in a superior room. Save up to $910, costs
from $938 for two people, for two nights. (07) 5509 8000,
palazzoversace.com.au/packages.

TRANS-AUSTRALIA

Traverse the country, from the chasms of the Blue
Mountains, across golden hay plains and the vast interior desert on a train
journey across Australia. Save 30 per cent on all journeys in Gold Service from Sydney to Perth, aboard The Indian
Pacific when you book by December 24 for travel until March 31, 2013. Save
$630, costs from $1584 a person, twin share. 132 447, greatsouthernrail.com.au

MALAYSIA

One of the best shopping destinations in Asia, Kuala
Lumpur is easy to get around, and Malaysians love a bargain, from the five-star
malls to Chinatown knock-offs. Bargain hunters will also love the 25 per cent
saving on the four-star aparthotel Swiss Gardens Residences. The recently
refurbished hotel between Chinatown and the main shopping strip, Bukit Bintang,
and has a free shuttle bus. Book by 14 days in advance until December 15,
travel by December 30. Costs from $103 a night. 1800 846 835, hotels.com.

USA

Soak up the magic at California’s Disneyland, staying at the Disney Paradise Pier hotel, which gets you in an hour earlier than the general masses. Kids stay free with the Disneyland Resort Magic package, which includes four nights’ accommodation, a three-day Park Hopper Bonus ticket, dining with Disney characters and airport transfers. Book until October 31, travel January 2 – February 14, 2013 (excluding January 18-19). Costs from $1009 adults, $325 kids, twin share, four nights. 1300 747 400, creativeholidays.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Stay four nights or more at The Rees Hotel Queenstown and
receive a NZD$100 voucher to spend in hotel’s True South dining room, as well
as complimentary wi-fi internet, free parking and a late check-out. Offer valid
for stays from October 7 – December 20. Email reservations@therees.co.nz with
“Booking Code SHD” in the subject line. Costs
from $390 a person, twin share. +64 (0)3 450 1100, therees.co.nz.

VIETNAM

Be one of the first to stay at the new Banyan
Tree Lăng Cô hotel in central Vietnam, which opens 1 November. Expect pool
villas, fabulous spas and an 18-hole championship golf course. Normally
USD850++ a night, its opening specials cost from USD735 a night (two night
minimum) plus USD765 worth of hotel credits to spend at the bar or the spa. Or
stay three nights, add round-trip transfers as well. Book now for stays from
November 1 – March 31, 2012. Costs from USD1470++ a room for two nights. +84 54 3695 888,
banyantree.com.

Cruising the Nile in style, Egypt.

EGYPT

Cruise the Nile with 11 of your best friends on a private
dahibaya, an elegant, 19th-century style riverboat, and save up to $21,300. The
boat has six cabins and a plunge pool and includes all meals, drinks, entrance
fees and an Egyptologist to explain the region’s rich treasures. Valid on
departures until February 23. Normally, $44,300 costs from $26,780 for 12
people for seven nights. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

Melbourne’s Arts Centre

TOURWATCH

In November and December, Melbourne resonates to one of
the great operatic events, Wagner’s four-opera Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle). Directed by Australia’s Neil Armfield and
conducted by Richard Mills, three cycles of the epic will be performed at the
Arts Centre Melbourne. The package includes eight nights at the Sofitel
Melbourne in a superior king room, daily breakfast, airport transfers, four
performances and transport to the Arts Centre. It also includes three small
group touring experiences in between the operas, including a tour of
Melbourne’s fantastic alleyways and arcades, a full day on the Great Ocean Road
and a day on the Mornington Peninsula, lunching and wining. From November 18 –
December 13. Costs from $5760 a person, twin share. (02) 9957 4511,
maryrossitravel.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

Aug

Vietnam on famil, en famille

Playing with restaurant staff at Temple Club, Saigon.

Last week, I travelled in Saigon and Hanoi for work, with a 17-month-old in tow. News flash: we survived.

It’s not often I do a blog about the family, mainly because the term ‘mummy blogger’ makes me cringe, and also because I think most people would be bored with twee tails of my junior assistant. But if you’re not, here goes:

Living in Australia and wanting to holiday with kids, conventional wisdom says you holiday either at your local beach, in Queensland or, further afield, in Bali or Fiji. Lovely places all of them, but hello? How limited is that?

What little advice I read about babies and Vietnam was a truism in the Lonely Planet that the main problem is controlling what they put in their mouths.

So true, especially when I watched her throw her dummy onto the ground in Saigon’s main wet (very wet) fish market. A kind trader hosed the dummy down with cold water and then watched carefully to see if I’d reinsert. I diverted the awkward situation by pausing to give the baby a drink of water after thanking the trader and walking off, mid-drink.

Fiji trades on its affinity with children: the same should be said for Vietnam. The staff on Vietnam Airlines played with her curls incessantly, taking lots of photos and trying to stuff her with chocolate cake, and it was no different throughout the country. As another traveller said to me recently, “Asia is far more patient with children than our Western countries.”

Chilling out in a bassinet aboard the Vietnam
Airways flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

The minute we walked into hotels, restaurants, galleries or shops, a smiling person would drop to their knees and say hi to the baby, leaving me free to shop, check in, or check out the menu. Baby chairs were everywhere (compared with the icy reception I received from a Sydney maitre’d recently: ‘No, madam, we do NOT have high chairs’), and people, you could order off-menu to suit the child!

I stayed in four and five-star hotels, so paid accordingl: the going rate for babysitters was $8/hour, comparable to Bali’s five-star hotel rates. Thanks to the three-hour time difference, the baby slept around 7 or 8pm, as the sun was going down, and I organised babysitters to co-incide when she’d be sleeping: easier on her, easier on them. I also spotted plenty of shops in the big cities selling bottles, dummies, wipes and nappies: babies are big business in Vietnam.

The main issues were the same ones we adults encounter: keeping hydrated and avoiding the hottest and most humid times of the day. In August, Saigon was cooler and drier, whereas the noise and heat of Hanoi’s Old Quarter meant two hours outside at the most. Any more than that, and there were tears. I thought rooftop cafes would be a good, breezy escape, except there were so many escape routes – mainly over the side of unfenced terraces. Not so good.

A few pointers:
Most milk sold in Vietnam is sweetened, so ask for non-sweetened for babies’ bottles.
I have had success with night flights, as the baby is so exhausted, she’ll sleep all the way home, unless another kid starts bellyaching (which happened recently coming home from Bali. No fun for anyone, especially his parents).
In Hanoi, I used our pram for cool, early morning walks around the lake to watch the locals play badminton and do martial-looking exercises. Otherwise, the sidewalks are almost non-existent, so baby carriers make more sense, though kids do get hot if squished against you for a long time.
Gorgeous tropical fruit is everywhere – the usual rule applies to peel everything.

Essential packing items:
Dummy cord (see fish market above).
Baby food tubes (Rafferty’s Garden etc – they’re not packed in glass so they’re unsmashable, and sometimes kids like a taste of home such as spag bol or lamb casserole, no matter what the age. They’re great squirted over rice for a bigger meal.)
A toybag with short colouring-in pencils, books for the plane and favourite soft toy. 101 Dalmations, on Disney Channel, was invaluable, with plenty of time spent woofing at the screen.
Photos of family from home, so she didn’t miss her papa or nana.

(PS: if you’re wondering about the headline, ‘famil’ is short for ‘familiarisation’, slang for a press trip.)

Jul

TRAVEL DEALS: 22 July 2012

Hong Kong kids do masterclass

Everyone loves a bargain, even if the transport to your resort is a luxury speedboat. It’s the Maldives, of course. Or why not swim with whales in the Kingdom of Tonga? As you do… it’s all here in this week’s travel deals.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
With the MacDonnell Ranges as your
hotel’s backdrop, there’s no mistaking you’re in the Territory. The Alice in the Territory hotel is close to
the airport and 2km from town, with a complementary shuttle bus to Todd Mall.
There are also free in-house movies and a kid-pleasing pool, where we white
southerners can show off our office tans. Normally $165, costs from $110 a
night until August 31, 1800 002
333, quickbeds.com

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

August means
Arts in across the state, with the massive South Australia Living Arts (SALA)
visual arts festival running from August 3-26. Oaks Embassy, in downtown
Adelaide, is throwing in free breakfast when you stay two nights or more.
Normally $194 a night, a one-bedroom apartment, which includes use of the pool,
gym, sauna and spa, costs $139 a night until August 31, two-night minimum stay,
1300 721
514, oakshotelsresorts.com

Victoria’s Yarra Valley

VICTORIA

With frosty nights and sparkling days, the Yarra Valley
glistens in winter, and its chief drawcards – cellar doors, art galleries and
country walks – are perfect cold-weather activities. Overlooking Healesville, hip
little hideaway Mt Rael’s winter special knocks $100 off two-night midweek stays
(Sun-Thurs) until August 31. Normally from $175 a night, costs from $250 for
two nights, (03) 5962 1977, www.mtrael.com.au

WESTERN
AUSTRALIA

Cape Lodge, Margaret River

Dripping with awards, including best boutique hotel in
Australia, the five-star Cape Lodge has the best neighbours: Margaret River, Voyager
Estate (with its new wine room) and the whale-filled Indian Ocean. Surrounded
by vineyards, it has just 22 fabulous rooms, a stand-out restaurant and top
cellar doors nearby, but bless, you can still do a twilight kangaroo safari. Normally
from $475 a night, book before August 26 and pay from $349 a night on midweek
stays, 1300 130 485, travel.com.au

Peppers Ruffles Lodge

QUEENSLAND

The Gold Coast hinterland is laid at your feet when you stay at
Peppers Ruffles Lodge & Spa, which is set on the hills overlooking this
magnificent stretch of Australia’s coastline. Peaceful and lush, the new one
and two bedroom owners’ villas’ midweek special includes gourmet breakfast, a
fruit basket and nightly turn-down service with chocolates and port. Normally
from $750 a night, costs $1318 for two midweek nights until end September, 1300
987 600, peppers.com.au

NSW

Learn the art of directing
a perfect plume of wine (aka: spitting) on a weekend away in Mudgee. Trelawney
Farm is throwing in six bottles of Logan’s wine for guests staying the weekend in
the 1880s farmhouse. Set 4km out of Mudgee on 25 acres, each room in the Coach
House and Barn End Cottage has its own style, and is
kitted out with home theatre, open fireplaces and linen. Costs $2500 for two-night
weekend for up to 10 guests. Or stay three, pay two nights on midweek stays
(Sun-Thurs) before December 15, costs $1600 for three nights, 0423 330 833, www.trelawneyfarm.com

THAILAND

The new Centra Coconut Beach Resort Samui is set on Thong
Tanote Beach, a quiet corner on happening Koh Samui. Comprising 53 rooms and
villas, the resort is celebrating with opening specials. A superior pool view
room costs from $58 a room a night, including breakfast, until October 31, +662
101 1234, centarahotelsresorts.com

HONG KONG

Let the kids conquer Hong Kong with a family summer
getaway at the SkyCity Marriott Hotel, on Lantau island, near Hong Kong
Disneyland and the Giant Buddha. Kids can do a junior masterchef or master
housekeeper class (help with the housework!), and the hotel is adding $60 of
dining credits, 10 percent off spa treatments and 6pm checkout. Costs from $250
a room (2 adults, 1 child), 1800 251 259, hongkongskycitymarriott.com

BALI

Anantara Seminyak Bali is celebrating a Three Day Weekend
Getaway from August 16-19 with a poolside breakfast, side-by-side hour massage
or perhaps a chocolate facial for the kids, and a dance party at the resort’s
SOS Supper Club, one of the most happening hotspots on the island. Those with
kids will get a half-day free babysitting and daily ice cream. Save $180 (and
get a whole lot of extras) costs from $ 1,239++ a room for three nights, +62 361
737 773, anantara.com

USA

If
you’re up for the great American roadtrip, kick off with Contiki from LA on the
Southern Adventure, and cross the country from California to Louisiana. The
13-day tour ticks off the Grand Canyon and Vegas, baby, and shows how they do
barbies in Texas and cruise in New Orleans. Book 6 months in advance, save $105, costs
$2034, book 12 months in advance, save $209, costs $1930 a person, contiki.com.au

MALDIVES

Synonymous with luxury, the
tiny islands of the Maldives have got it all: white sand beaches, tropical
palms, baby blue lagoons. Stay seven nights at the Taj Exotica Resort &
Spa, and pay for six. Fifteen minutes by luxury speedboat from Mali airport,
the hotel is located on its own private island, naturally. The deal is also laden
with extras, including a romantic beach dinner, a la carte breakfast, a sunset
cruise and 15 percent of spa treatments. Travel until November 30, book by 15
November, costs from US$5223 (A$5097) for seven nights. (02) 9957 4511,
maryrossitravel.com

TOURWATCH

Snorkelling with whales, Tonga

Snorkelling with humpback whales not on your bucket list?
Perhaps it’s because you thought you never could. The Kingdom of Tonga is a
favourite hang for the massive mammals between July and mid-October. Like many
humans, they are lured by the warm waters for romance, using it as a stopover for
love on their migration from Antarctica. Stay one night at the Scenic Hotel
Tonga, in Nuku’alofa, six nights in the Puataukanave Hotel, Vava’u, and have
two day’s whale watching with the chance of getting up close and personal. The
tour also includes four dives over two days including all diving gear, return
airport transfers and a guide. For travel between August 14-21 and September
4-11, costs $2003 a person, twin share, 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

Jul

Taking it easy: Bali or bust?

Warm sun, icy cocktails, hot Petitenget restaurant, fabulous fashion stores that I’ve cruised, but not shopped.

Head down, I’m writing Bali. The island of the Gods is so close, just 5.5 hours from Melbourne, and I soooooooooo want to go back. But then I think:
there are so many other places to be going at this moment. Should you just go with
what you know and love, or head somewhere different?

Egypt is, of course, massively on sale, but with many waiting to see how the new Muslim Brotherhood president beds in, it’s a waiting game. Vietnam is on fire and Cambodia is going crazy while the South Pacific’s Cook Islands are getting a run at the moment. The inbox is full of Asian deals, and the US, particularly Hawai’i, is going crazy, with more and more Aussies flocking to its gentle shores.

If you could snap your fingers now, where would you be? Shaking it at Burning Man? Standing in the middle of the Atacama Desert? Chasing wildflowers in the French Alps or chewing bagels in summery New York City. (Notice the ‘warm’ theme creeping through here?)

PS: If you boggled at the idea of 5.5 hours being ‘close’, then you’re obviously not Australian. Or maybe Russian. Russians understand what it is to be far away.

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