kids | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Aug

Sun, ski and kids’ iPads apps for good, not evil: travel deals August 18

Ski-in, ski-out Falls Creek, Victoria

As the rain and hail beat down, a week in Byron Bay is sweet music to the ears in this office. But then, so is the idea of hot chocolate in the snowfields, especially as Falls Creek has cracked the one-meter mark! Sun, ski: choose your passion. There’s also a cool new kids’ iPad application that is (a) cheap (b) educational and (c) won’t send you into a world of spam and irate sword-wielding cats demanding you buy more, more and more.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Sneak away to beloved Byron Bay for a long weekend of
surfing, coffee and music. Save 15 per cent when you book a three-night package
at BreakFree Eco Beach between September 21, 2013 – March 31, 2014. Costs from
$432, three nights, studio room. breakfree.com.au.

VICTORIA

Stay three nights at Falls Creek and get a three-day lift
pass and three days of ski or board rental, parka and pants and snowsports
school for kids. From $499 adults, $405 kids (3-14 years) 13-29 September,
quote ‘snowtime intro’. 1800 453 525, skifalls.com.au/deals.

CANADA &
ALASKA

Get a free return flight to Canada (just pay taxes) and
one free night when you book an APT Canada tour by October 25. The 19-day tour
of the Canadian Rockies and Alaska departing April 14, 2014 costs from $10,395
a person, twin share. 131 398, travelscene.net.au.

KIDS

Turn the iPad into a weapon for good with the new Kid
Tracks app, aimed at kids 6-12 years. Download the free app and then buy
‘tracks’ for 99c each, which lead kids (and their virtual pet) through 46
attractions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

The multiple-choice questions
mean kids learn and earn, with prizes at the end. You get to visit the Old
Melbourne Gaol, Harbour Bridge or even the Art Gallery of NSW with serenity and
sanity intact. kidtracks.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun-Herald newspaper

Aug

Pony ballet in Melbourne, private islands in Cambodia: travel deals

Song Saa island, Thailand

Pssst, life is full-on, sometimes deals don’t always fall on your desk when you planned. If you’re ready to go, and go now, check these little babies out!

GO NOW: MELBOURNE

Combine a night of horse ballet and a city stay with the
Cavalia show and Fraser Suites Melbourne until August 18. Get Gold tickets and
an overnight stay in a deluxe studio from $429 for two people, saving $60. 1800
800 488, frasershospitality.com.au.

GO SOONER: LORD
HOWE ISLAND

Keen birders and lovers of luxury take note: stay seven
nights at Capella Lodge and get free flights from Sydney and a free night until
September 30. From $3900 a person, seven nights. (02) 9918 4355,
capellalodge.com.au.

GO SOONER: CAMBODIA

Check in to Song Saa Private Island, in the Gulf of
Thailand, for four nights of sustainable luxury. Pay half price until September
30, from US$3298 (A$3637), double, all-inclusive for four nights in a jungle
villa. +855 236 860 360, songsaa.com.

KIDS

Let the kids run away to the circus, take over the kitchen
or create art from beach debris at Club Med Cherating, Malaysia. Save on stays until
September 1, from $1057 for adults, $614 for kids 4-11yrs, seven nights. 1300
855 052, clubmed.com.au.

This article was published in the Sun-Herald newspaper (Australia), Belinda Jackson

Jul

Hidden secrets on the Mornington Pen, Barrington Tops and foodie Sicily: travel deals July 21, 2013

Discover the hidden secrets of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, NSW’s Barrington Tops, or a kids’ getaway in Sydney.

GO NOW: Discover
the Big Blue Backyard at the Mornington Peninsula’s secluded St
Andrew’s beach. Until August 31, stay three nights and pay for only two in one
of their three retreats, with Cape Schanck nearby. Costs from $1191, three nights. 1300 896 627, mrandmrssmith.com.


Big Blue Backyard

GO SOONER Enjoy a home amongst the gumtrees near Barrington Tops, three
hours north of Sydney. Stay three nights, pay two in one of Yeranda’s three
bush hideaways with $50 credit at nearby café. Costs from $325, three nights. (02) 4992 1208, yeranda.com.au.

Yeranda’s bush hideaways

GO LATER: Get
a free night’s stay when you book a cooking tour of Sicily with chef
Dominique Rizzo before July 31. The 15-day tour departs May 3, 2014. Costs from
$6095 a person, twin share. (07) 3267 1667, purefoodcookingtours.com.au.

Dominique Rizzo

KIDS

Planning a weekend away in your own backyard? Upgrade the kids
to Swissotel Sydney’s kids’ rooms, chocked full of toys, dvds and kids’ minibar.
The rooms, for kids age two to 12 years, can be a separate room or set up in the
parents’ room. Costs from $229 a room a night (half-half) or $299 for two rooms
(interconnecting available). 1800 334 888, swissotel.com/sydney.

Swissotel Sydney’s kids’ rooms

SOURCE: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Jul

Kids in Paris: travel deal June 30, 2013

Children in the Tuileries Garden, Paris.
Pic: Hotel Le Meurice

Paris in summer is a kids’ playground, with puppet theatres, donkey rides, carousel rides and duck feeding in the lake of the Tuileries Gardens.

Stay nearby, at the luxe Hotel Le Meurice, between July 14 and August 29 and pay half price on a deluxe or executive room for the children, including breakfast, room upgrade and $120 dining credit.

Costs from $3846, two rooms, two nights. virtuoso.com.au.

Jul

Play in the snow, on the golf course or in New York City: travel deals July 14, 2013

It’s all about playing: in the snow, on the golf course, in China or New York City, in this week’s travel deals.

KIDS:
Kids 14 and under ski free on July 20-21, August 2425 and
September 14-15 at Thredbo when they’re with a paying adult on a two-day lift
pass. Also, the Learn to Ride week, September 16-20, throws in free lessons and
gear hire on all lift passes. (02) 6459 4100, thredbo.com.au.

GO NOW Bunker
down in the Tasmanian wilderness at the Barnbougle Dunes spa and golf course.
Their winter deal includes 18 holes of golf, a hot stone massage, overnight
accommodation and breakfast for two. Usually $718, save $192 until September 30.
Costs from $526 a couple. barnbougledunes.com.au.

GO SOONER Sleep
sweet in eight New York City hotels: pay for two nights in a suite and get a
third night free until September 2. Hotels include the new JW Marriott Essex
House, hip The London NYC and the Mad Men-esque The Chatwal. nycgo.com/thirdnight.

GO LATER Get
free flights to China when you book a 19-day China Explorer by October 31, for
travel in 2014. Highlights include Kunming’s stone forest and Chengdu’s panda
breeding centre, Beijing and Xi’an. Costs from $7595 a person, twin share. 1300
278 278, aptouring.com.au.

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

Lighthouses and London: travel deals 30 September

Cape Schanck lightstation, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

From lighthouses to London, the chill of Beijing in winter to Tahitian summers, read on for this week’s international and domestic travel deals.

VICTORIA

The Mornington Peninsula’s in the midst of a Spring Fling, with 30+ special offers in its vineyards, galleries, accommodation and restaurants until end October. Down the tip of the peninsula, 90 minutes from Melbourne, stands the gleaming white Cape Schanck lightstation, and your bed for the night. Normally $158 a couple, costs from $110 in the self-contained Inspector’s Room, with breakfast and entrance into the museum. 1800 804 009, visitmorningtonpeninsula.org.

QUEENSLAND

There’s nothing like a post-winter pick-me-up than a
five-star escape to Noosa, with its superb restaurants, super-cute boutiques
and rainforest walks to secluded beaches. Check into the Sheraton Noosa Resort
& Spa and save 20 per cent on the room rate, with free breakfast for two
adults thrown in as well. Book by October 31, stay until December 22. Costs
from $204 for a superior twin room, a night. 1300 888 180, zuji.com.au.

Tasmania’s Derwent Valley
PIC: Tourism Tasmania and Geoff Murray

TASMANIA

Small, yet perfectly formed, Tassie is the ideal
self-drive destination, with hidden beaches, tiny wineries and oh-so-twee
villages made for meandering. The
self-drive Touring Afterglow package includes seven nights at one of 12
Innkeepers Apartments across the state, seven days’ car rental with a free $75
petrol voucher (October 8-December 21), entry for two into the Museum of Old
and New Art’s Theatre of the World exhibition, a World Heritage cruise for two
and a National Park pass, all up, worth $3433 for two people. Travel between
October 1 – December 21 and save up to $1235. Costs from $1099 a person. 1300
130 269, tassieafterglow.com.au, innkeeper.com.au.

NSW

Golf aficionados know the 18th hole at the championship course at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley has been redesigned, now a 454-meter par-5. Get out there and try it for yourself with a Stay and Play package, which includes two rounds of golf with a cart, deluxe room accommodation and breakfast, saving 30 per cent, or $136, off the regular rate. Available Sundays – Thursdays until December 31, book three days in advance. The hotel also offers free kids’ club. Costs from $280 a night for two adults. 138 388, crowneplazahuntervalley.com.au/stayandplay.

El Questro homestead, Kimberley, NT.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Stay four nights, pay for three at the five-star El
Questro Homestead, a working cattle station in the eastern Kimberley. Don’t
worry, you won’t be coughing down cattle dust at The Homestead, a luxurious pad
enjoyed by the likes of Our Kylie. The deal includes all meals, most drinks and
tours around the station, such as the dramatic Chamberlain Gorge, on stays now
until October 30. Costs from $3645 a person. 1800 044 066 travel-associates.com.au.

TURKEY

Bodrum is Turkey’s playground, and with good cause: it’s
got the warm waters of the Mediterranean, a 15th-century castle and lots of
architectural ruins, sunshine galore and, the clincher, Turkish cuisine. Stay
two nights for the price of one at the 81-room Maçakizi hotel. Costs from $145 (E116) a night
including breakfast, wi-fi. until October 30. 1300 896 627, mrandmrssmith.com

ENGLAND

South Kensington is more London than Hugh Grant, what
with Kensington Palace, the Victoria & Albert Museum and two Royal Parks,
not to mention the High Street Ken boutiques. The Mercure London Kensington is
one of 1400 Accor hotels across the world currently doing a pay three-stay two deal,
knocking a third of your hotel bill. Book until October 21 for stays until
November 11. Mercure London Kensington costs from $367 for three nights. 1300
656 565, accorhotels.com/staysave.

AFRICA

Hit the African road, from the Kruger to the Kalahari, on
a seven-day overland tour. Your chariot is a safari vehicle, your bed a
sleeping mat. Spot the big five, hear the roar of Victoria Falls, sink a
sundowner on the Chobe River. Book by November 30 for travel until December 26,
and save 25 per cent. Costs from $756 a person as well as a local payment of
US$250 a person. 1300 320 795 adventureworld.com.au

The Temple of Heaven, Beijing.

CHINA

If you don’t mind rugging up, you can snap up a bargain
on a 14-day tour of China’s wonders, from the Forbidden City to Xian’s
Terracotta Warriors, the water town of Wuzhen, and, of course, the Great Wall
of China. Save $1000 a person and get two extra days in the itinerary on six winter
departures in February and March 2013, includes air fare from Sydney, visas,
four-star hotel accommodation, most meals and three cultural shows. Costs from $2880 a person, twin share. 1300
788328, helenwongstours.com.

TAHITI

Celebs love Tahiti, and with new flight-accommodation
packages, we commoners can learn to love it too. Save up to $660 a couple when
you book an Over Under Bora Bora deal, which includes return airfares with Air
Tahiti Nui from Australia to Tahiti,
domestic flights from Papeete to Bora Bora, breakfast, three nights at the
Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and four nights in an overwater bungalow at
the Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora. Book until March 31, 2013, travel between
November 1 – December 20, January 20 – March 31, 2013. Costs from $3250 a
person, twin share. From travel agents, 1300 858 305,
tahititravel.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Marrakech, Morocco. PIC: Belinda Jackson

The scent of the desert pervades Morocco’s beautiful
cities, the shifting sands dictating the style and colours of Meknes, Fez and
Marrakech. This tour goes off-track to palm-fringed oases, isolated kasbahs and
through the Sahara by camel and 4WD, to bed down for the night in a Berber tent. You’ll also visit the impossibly beautiful
seaside village of Chefchaouen and Roman ruins at Volubilis, before finishing
in Casablanca, with its tumble-down glory and gritty realism. Souks, alleyways,
traditional crafts and stucco villages: the tour’s style is about exploring,
rather than flag-waving guides, and you’ll sleep in family-owned riads – traditional buildings facing an internal
courtyard – as well as Western and Moroccan style hotels. Departs November
16-30 with a maximum of 14 guests. Costs from $3140 a person, twin share. 1300
783 188, activetravel.com.au.

SOURCE: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Oct

Stranded on Hayman Island

My beach villa, Hayman Island, Queensland

The view from my room is of a sandy beach, azure waters and palm trees: it’s the quintessential Queensland holiday ideal. Forget about leaning over the balcony to get the view, just roll over in bed and there’s all that maritime beauty, staring you in the face.

The resort on Hayman Island reopened last August after a $30m renovation, $4m alone spent on plants and landscaping, overseen by landscape guru Jamie Durie.

This morning started with yoga then pastries at breakfast, a bushwalk across the island’s ridge for a spot of turtle spotting while snorkelling, a little massage in a rainforest cabana and lunch was a bento box crammed with prawns, oysters, avocado and general divineness.

Even though we’ve been having very unQueensland weather of clouds and wind, I’ve managed to sport a spot of sunburn, and the high winds meant none of the expedition boats went out, and the internet also got knocked for six.

But if I was to be shipwrecked anywhere, a beach villa on Hayman wouldn’t be hard situation to live with.

Sep

Feral at Dreamworld, flora in Canberra: travel deals 23 September 2012

Go feral at Dreamworld, or floral in Canberra or find out if it really is all happening at the zoo, in San Diego.

TASMANIA

Can’t decide between drinking beer or hunting for Tasmanian tigers? Do both when you stay the Cradle Mountain Chateau, at the northern side of the dramatic national park that includes Tassie’s best-loved mountain and serene Lake St Claire. The 60-room hotel includes a Wilderness Gallery featuring photography of the region’s dramatic scenery and night tours of the local animals. Save 55 per cent on stays until December 20. Costs from $65 per person, twin share. 1800 420 555. cradlemountainchateau.com.au.

ACT

Floriade celebrates 25 years in 2012.

Canberra bursts into colour with Floriade, its annual
flower extravaganza, until September 23. Now in its 25th year, highlights of
the festival include The Best Exotic Marigold Tea House, with Indian teas and
music in a wildly exotic setting, and Floriade NightFest, comedy, music and
light displays from 6.30pm nightly, floriadeaustralia.com.
Murrays’ bus service has a web special providing daily return services between Sydney and Canberra until October 14.
Normally $83 return, costs $59 return. murrays.com.au.

VICTORIA

Knock two of Victoria’s most beautiful walks off your bucket list with a two-up walking deal with Park Trek. Spend four days walking the coastal Great Ocean Walk (November 3-6) then head inland and upwards, for another four days in the Grampians (November 8-11). You’ll carry just a small, light daypack, and the price includes all accommodation, meals and expert guides. Book two tours, save $110. Costs $2190 a person. (03) 9877 9540, www.parktrek.com.

Bustin’ some moves at Dreamworld

QUEENSLAND

The price of unlimited happiness is $59.99. That’s the
cost of a kids’ ticket that gives unlimited visits to Dreamworld and WhiteWater
World from now until June 30, 2013. New this summer is Kung Fu Panda Land and
new rides in Wiggles World, and there are balloon twisters, roving beatboxers,
magicians, and, from September 22 to October 7, evicted Big Brother Housemates
(pssst, you can watch BB being filmed live at Dreamworld Studios for $15).
One-day tickets normally cost $69.99 kids/$109.99 adults, but the Unlimited
World Passes also include a free SkyPoint Observation Deck annual pass, worth
$29, that shoots you to the top of Q1 tower, at Surfers Paradise. Costs $59.99
for kids, $109.99 for adults. (07) 5588 1111, dreamworld.com.au.

OUTBACK AUSTRALIA

Birdsville, the Alice, Kakadu, Uluru: the Outback is calling, and what better way to see it than by private aircraft? This 12-day journey covers 10,000 kilometres, visiting the iconic towns of the outback, including Katherine, Broome and Longreach. Includes all meals, accommodation and guides. Harvey World Travel clients also get one night’s pre-tour accommodation at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, and airport transfers. Book by October 31, and save $1000 on travel between March-August 2013. Costs from $13,495 a person, 132 757, harveyworld.com.au.

NSW

There’s no tv, no phones and a no-talking ‘quiet room’.
Scared yet? Spring-clean your body and mind at Solar Springs Retreat, in
Bundanoon, on the Southern Highlands, which has 20 per cent off its
all-inclusive packages during spring. The new three-night midweek ‘Seriously
Spring Time’ deal includes accommodation, all meals and three spa treatments –
a facial, foot therapy and body buff. Also included are guided bushwalks, yoga
and meditation and health and fitness talks. Valid until November 30, costs
from $820 a person, twin share, or $1540 a couple for three nights. (02) 4883
6027, solarsprings.com.au.

EUROPE

If
the road and a GPS are your friends, discover Europe by hire car. Sydney’s globalCARS is offering free pick-up
and drop-off, valued up to $640 in Rome and Madrid, at 33 locations across
Europe and the UK during 2013. Includes unlimited kilometres, insurance with no
excess and 24-hour assistance. Book and pay by October 31. Costs from $27 a day
for six-month leases, $42 a day for 26-day leases. Contact
travel agents, 1300 789 992, globalCARS.com.au.

San Diego, USA

USA

It’s all happening at the zoo, specifically San Diego
zoo, which is celebrating the birth a baby boy panda. Stay four nights at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel, pay for three,
and also get a one-day pass to the zoo, which is just 10 minutes from the
hotel. Book by 3pm March 29 2013, travel until March 31, 2013. Costs from $379
a person, twin share. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

ABU DHABI

Cancel all ideas of Abu Dhabi as solely a desert
wilderness. Check into the waterfront Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by
Anantara, stay five nights and pay four on stays now to October 31, 2013. Otherwise,
book 45 days in advance and pay by December 31, and save 15 per cent off your
room rate. Costs from $84 a person, twin share, in a deluxe room with balcony,
including breakfast. 1300 665 673,
sunislandtours.com.au.

PORTUGAL

Getting off the beaten track in Europe is possible, with
a nine-day tour of Portugal, visiting castles, cathedrals and Roman temples
including the evocative Belem Tower, in Lisbon. Balancing the history are
visits to its beaches and famous vineyards of the Douro Valley. Save 10 per
cent when you book and pay by December 27, for travel March 30 – October 12. Includes
luxury coach transport, accommodation, meals and airport transfers. Costs from
$1665 a person, twin share. 1300 237 886, insightvacations.com.

MALDIVES

All island resorts are not made equal, as the Gili
Lankanfushi (formerly Soneva Gili) amply demonstrates, to wit its 45 rustic
chic overwater villas, the overwater bar and Mr Friday, who can do everything
from pack your bag to look after the kids. Stay seven nights on the private
island, get three nights free on stays till December 19, when booked by
December 12. Virtuoso guests will also get a room upgrade, 30-minute spa
treatment for two and a private sunset sail. Costs from $4330 a room, seven
nights. (02) 9957 4511, maryrossitravel.com.

TOURWATCH

Exploring Patagonia, Chile

The only way to explore Chilean Patagonia is by
horseback. You’ll need to know the difference between nose and tail for these
five-day expeditions, which explore the wilds of the end of the earth on a
series of day rides past glaciers and mountains of unimaginable beauty, with
your gaucho bro. Each night, you’ll
return to the sublime Hotel Salto Chico, in Torres del Paine National
Park, with its spectacular mountain views and an outdoor hot spa that will surely
become your second-best friend (after your horse) at the end of a day in the
saddle. The tours depart once a month from October, cost from $2780 a person,
twin share, includes all meals, drinks, airport transfers and equipment. +56
2395 2800, explora.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Sep

Five-star kids: Cinderella and sugar overload at the Langham

Proving that it’s never too early or late to start Disnifying your life, my diary now includes a date for the Langham hotel’s Cinderella Children’s Tiffin. It is the ultimate date for Melbourne’s five-star kids.

The menu includes Tiara cookies, Kiss the Frog in Jelly, Love Heart cupcakes and, of course, there’ll be Fairy Bread. Groan-ups may gravitate toward the scones, jam and cream. Oh yeah!

The tiffin will be featured at the hotel during the upcoming school holidays. I’m expecting plenty of pink frocks and fairy wings. I don’t believe I’ll be disappointed…

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