With Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival rapidly charging up the straight, it’s time for potential visitors to lock in an appealing rate for accommodation.
Metro Apartments on Bank Place, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, has released a spring racing offer with rates from $140 per night throughout the racing period.
Book before October 7 and you save up to 15 per cent.
The package includes accommodation for a night in a compact room, complimentary wifi, 25 per cent discount voucher for meals at Mitre Tavern (100 metres from the apartments), early check-in at 1pm and late check-out at 11am.
Visit www.metrohotels.com.au.
Great views of Lord Howe Island … from the luxurious Capella Lodge. Image: Rhiannon Taylor.
Lord Howe Island’s top-of-the-line Capella Lodge has reopened following a four-month refurbishment by Baillie Lodges.
The new look includes a refreshment for each of its nine luxury suites, with significant additions to the Makambo Loft and Catalina Suite.
The Capella Spa has a loft setting overlooking the ocean, while additions in the main lodge include a teak-clad bar in a nod to the island’s seafaring heritage, as well as new furniture and soft furnishings which together create a more contemporary feel.
With spectacular views of the island’s dramatic twin peaks. Mount Gower and Lidgbird, the premium Makambo Loft now features extensive outdoor decks offering several lounging options, while a new heated plunge pool and private canopied daybed are ideal for relaxing in the afternoon breeze.
Best-suited to families or friends holidaying together, the Catalina Suite has a light and spacious loft addition, now offering two bedrooms and two bathrooms with flexible bedding.
Phone (02) 9918 4355 or visit www.capellalodge.com.au.
Martha ‘Cookie’ Brim … the face of Tjapukai for many years.
One of the first female performers at Australia’s oldest Indigenous tourism business has passed away, with Martha ‘Cookie’ Brim losing her battle with cancer at the age of 44.
“Cookie was among the first group of Djabugay women who joined Tjapukai in 1995 in preparation for the business expanding from a dance theatre at Kuranda to a cultural park offering more Indigenous experiences at Caravonica in Cairns,” Tjapukai General Manager, Shirley Hollingsworth, said.
“Cookie was really proud of her culture and was a very strong female among the Djabugay people.
“Using the knowledge she gained from exploring the Kuranda rainforest with her late grandfather Warren Brim, Cookie was instrumental in developing Tjapukai’s bush food and medicines experiences.
“This included selecting plants to grow in the cultural park which could be used in tours and demonstrations, and creating a manual to teach new staff about the cultural food and medicines of the Djabugay people.
“Cookie was the face of Tjapukai for many years.”
A celebration of Cookie’s life will be held on September 28 at Kuranda Pony Club followed by interment at Kuranda cemetery.
Look but don’t touch … this bear only appears completely relaxed.
In June 2020, Ecruising will offer an intimate 11-night Alaskan adventure, including 10 nights aboard the ultra-luxurious Silver Muse.
Priced from $7259 per person twin-share, including two nights in Vancouver, the ‘Alaskan Wonderland’ itinerary will take passengers from Vancouver to Seward experiencing the breathtaking sights of ocean and landscape along the way.
A must-see for any sailing aficionado will be a cruise through the Inside Passage, renowned for its dramatic beauty, and home to tiny isolated communities located in shoreside villages.
Seals can be spotted basking on ice floes, while the thunderous snap of massive glaciers can be heard breaking in the distance.
Another highlight will be docking in Skagway, home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Guests will feel as though they have been transported to another time as they explore the charming surrounds of the Gold-Rush-era town.
With sweeping mountain views, spectacular lakes and forests, North-country folk call this route the Golden Horseshoe.
Phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel.
Packed with character … cruising the sacred Brahmaputra River.
Australian travellers can save more than $2700 per couple on an Indian river cruise and overland safari which have been combined in a new package next April from Cruise Traveller and Adventure Resorts and Cruises.
The 19-night package combines a cruise on the sacred Brahmaputra River with inclusive stays in lodges at three of India’s top national parks, including Pench National Park — the setting for Rudyard Kipling’s famous novel The Jungle Book.
Wildlife that guests can spot on safari by jeep or boat include antelope, spotted deer, sloth bears, leopards, wild boars, porcupines, monkeys, hyenas and royal bengal tigers.
The package also includes a visit to Kolkata, long regarded as one of India’s cultural hubs, where guests will stay at the 130-year-old Oberoi Grand Hotel.
The seven-night cruise, on board the 46-guest Mahabaahu, includes dining on Indian cuisine, cooking demonstrations, daily yoga, performances by local singers and dancers, and a safari where guests can spot rhino, elephants, tigers and buffaloes.
Prices start at $9795 per person twin-share, including a discount of $1370 per person if booked by January 30.
Phone 1800 507 777 or visit www.cruisetraveller.com.au.
The Oberoi Udaivilas … site for a three-night stay in Udaipur.
In February 2020, Latitude 33 will host 20 travellers on a 29-night cruise-tour highlighting the revitalized Silver Spirit and a land program of India’s Golden Triangle staying exclusively at Oberoi properties.
Inclusive of flights, the package is price from $21,799 per person twin-share, including the 15-night cruise from Singapore to Mumbai, two nights pre-cruise in Singapore, and the Indian land tour.
Ports of call on the cruise sector include Phuket, Yangon with a three-night stay and a selection of bonus shore excursions, Colombo and Cochin.
To start the land tour guests will check into the Oberoi Mumbai for two nights, before flying into the ‘City of Sunrise’, Udaipur, and spending three nights at the Oberoi Udaivilas.
While in Udaipur, guests will enjoy a culinary experience hosted by a family that was among the premier nobility of Mewar.
Travelling north, guests will stay in Jaipur for three nights at Oberoi Rajvilas where they’ll uncover the city’s historical sites before visiting Agra for two nights, staying at the Oberoi Amarvilas with memorable visits to the Taj Mahal at both sunrise and sunset.
The final two nights will be spent at the Oberoi Delhi.
Visit www.latitude33.travel.
The APT experience … includes being blessed by Buddhist monks.
APT has launched its 2019/20 Vietnam-and-Cambodia program, which features a host of exciting Mekong River cruises and holidays.
On the popular 13-day Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights tour, for instance, the discovery begins in Siem Reap with an exploration of the famous religious monument, Angkor Wat.
Moving into Vietnam, travellers will uncover local delicacies and history before tying off the journey in Ho Chi Minh City.
During this iconic adventure, there will be seven nights cruising the Mekong River aboard APT’s RV AmaLotus.
Prices for this tour begin at $6695 per person twin-share, including a fly-free deal.
APT’s range of exclusive ‘Signature Experiences’ will ensure authentic experiences of each region.
Indulge in a delicious Vietnamese/Australian dining experience made by APT Ambassador Luke Nguyen, delight in the beauty of Ha Long Bay on a three-day cruise, and say cheers with a bubbling flute over sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Phone 1300 196 420 or visit www.aptouring.com.au.
Apartment Lisette … a quaint Parisian apartment at a reduced price.
Petite Paris B&Bs is offering a two-bedroom Paris apartment for a reduced rate until the end of December, including the Christmas period.
Apartment Lisette is a quintessential historic apartment with large lounge-and-dining, separate kitchen and bathroom, location in the arty, romantic district of Montmartre, with metro and bus at the door.
It was priced at 149 Euro per night for two but is now 100 Euro. For three or four guests the rate used to be 179 Euro per night but has been reduced to 115.
The deal includes a welcome breakfast basket, a bottle of French wine and a Paris City Guide ebook.
Visit www.petitebnbs.com.
Sri Lankan character and class … a room at the Cinnamon Lodge.
Sri Lanka & Beyond, part of the Australian-owned Beyond Travel Group, is offering travellers to the Indian Ocean’s ‘tear-drop island’ next year the chance to save over $2000 per couple, plus enjoy a special return-airfare-rate of from $755 per person from all Australian capital cities.
The new ‘Sri Lankan Wonders’ private tour is an 11-day itinerary visiting Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Yala National Park, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya and the beach town of Bentota, with the price reduced to $1995 per person twin-share on select departures when booked by October 15.
Travel by private car with your own driver-guide and stay in historic hotels around the island, including a two-night stop at the five-star eco Cinnamon Lodge Habarana and an overnight break at the four-star Cinnamon Wild Yala lodge in a jungle chalet where guests can watch the local wildlife while lounging beside the swimming pool or indulge in special bush dining experiences.
The package also includes daily breakfast and dinner, sightseeing with entrance fees, an English-speaking chauffeur-guide, return airport transfers and services of a local representative.
Phone 1300 599 005 or visit www.sri-lanka-and-beyond.com.au.
Eidfjord, Norway … a highlight of Viking’s most sweeping Scandinavia itinerary.
Viking Cruise’s 29-day ‘Baltic Jewels and the Midnight Sun’ itinerary, departing May 2020 from Stockholm to London on board Viking Star, is now priced from $19,390 per person in a veranda stateroom, plus guests receive a free two-night extension in Stockholm or London if they book by this November 30.
There will be visits to 20 ports in 10 countries, plus cruising Norway’s magnificent fjords and enjoying overnight stays in Stockholm, St Petersburg, Bergen and London.
Phone138 747 or visit vikingcruises.com.au.
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