Spread the love

The new seven-storey Atura Adelaide Airport hotel, to be managed by the Event Hospitality and Entertainment consortium, is scheduled to open this month [NOTE SUBS: September].

The consortium includes QT Hotels and Resorts, Rydges Hotels and Resorts, Atura Hotels, Thredbo Resort and Event Cinemas.

It will offer direct walkway links with the airport’s domestic and international check-in areas, and feature 165 guestrooms, Hangar Bar & Grill, a business centre, eight flexible function and meeting spaces, on-site gym, plus a port-cochere for guest drop-off and collection.

Atura’s signature, free-flowing communal spaces will be a key design feature of the hotel and integrate seamlessly with the airport plaza and terminal, with spaces accessible to all travellers not just hotel guests.

It will have 24-hour reception and free wi-fi.

Phone 08 7099 3300 or visit www.aturahotels.com.

Paperbark Camp … offering two spring specials over coming months.

Australia’s original ‘glamping’ retreat —Paperbark Camp at Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast — is offering two spring specials.

In September, guests receive a complimentary whale-watching cruise as part of a two-night stay, while in the October school holidays, Paperbark Camp will offer 50 per cent off regular rates for children.

Boasting open campfires, luxury bedding, contemporary furnishings, free-standing bathtubs and hot showers overlooking the bush, and just A five-minute drive from the shores of Jervis Bay, Paperbark Camp offers an idyllic nature escape.

The first special is valid for mid-week bookings of at least two nights until September 27 and is available from $880 per couple for two nights, including dinner, bed, breakfast and whale cruise.

The second special is valid October 1-14, with prices starting from $880 per couple for two nights, including dinner, bed and breakfast, with children charged at $55 per night.

Phone 1300 668 167 or visit www.paperbarkcamp.com.au.

 Riley, in Cairns … a range of opening specials.

Crystalbrook Collection, will welcome guests at its first Australian resort, the five-star Riley, in Cairns, on November 6.

To celebrate, the hotel is offering a range of opening specials:

— Pre-pay your Riley stay and pay from $209 per night and receive a complimentary upgrade.

— ‘Laze and Graze’. Spend the night and enjoy a full buffet breakfast for two at Paper Crane, valet parking and late check-out from $339 per room per night.

— Pay for two, stay three. Book any Urban, Resort or Sea room for two nights and the third night is on the house.

Expect a nod to environmentalism, in-room Apple iPads complete with healthy-living apps, Staycast by Google Chromecast for video streaming, access to hundreds of complimentary movies and box sets, and Nespresso machines with recyclable pods.

Visit crystalbrookcollection.com/riley for booking and conditions.

Falls Creek Country Club … specials offering discounts of 50 per cent and more throughout September.

Falls Creek, Victoria’s largest alpine resort, is having its best back-to-back snow seasons in a decade, and with over two metres of snow cover, there’s going to be some superb September skiing and snowboarding.

Falls Creek Country Club has specials offering discounts of 50 per cent and more throughout the month and guests are also entitled to a 50 per cent discount on snow-equipment rental.

For example, pay from $1555 for five nights in a two-bedroom deluxe apartment, a saving of over $2200 on high-season rates.

These apartments have a full kitchen, drying cupboard for clothing and boots and an individually controlled hydronic panel heater. Most bathrooms have spa baths with a shower over the bath, and all linen, towels and swimming pool towels are provided.

Phone 03 5758 3391 or visit www.fallscreekcountryclub.com.au.

 Bona Bona Island … explored on the Madang-to-Cairns itinerary.

Coral Expeditions and Australian Geographic have formed a partnership using the former’s fleet, including Coral Adventure, which is due for launch next April and will include an Australian Geographic Society research room.

The partnership will encompass special Australian-Geographic-curated expeditions and will initially promote four immersive adventures in the second half of next year:

— The saltwater people of northern Australia, featuring a journey from Darwin to Cairns via the Torres Strait, Arnhem Land, Cape York and The Great Barrier Reef.

— Ningaloo and the bluewater wonders of Australia’s west, a coastal odyssey from Broome incorporating the Rowley Shoals, Montebello Islands and the Dampier Archipelago.

— Pioneers and frontiers of Papua New Guinea, an expedition along the exotic coastline of PNG from Madang to Cairns via Sanananda and the Sepik River.

— Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands, an exploration along the ancient spice routes of the West Papua region, taking in legendary Cenderawasih Bay.

Phone 1800 079 545 or visit www.coralexpeditions.com.

 Athens …  highlight of Cruise1st’s 46-night voyage to London.

Take an epic voyage from Sydney to London — from the Opera House to Big Ben — with a 49-night cruise-stay-fly package from Cruise1st.

It includes 46 nights cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, plus two nights of post-cruise accommodation for exploration of London.

Highlights and stops include Australia’s east and north coasts, Singapore, Penang, Mumbai, Dubai, the Suez Canal, Athens, Barcelona, Valencia, Cartagena and Gibraltar, before disembarking in Southampton.

Explorer of the Seas is geared towards family fun and athletic activities, featuring panoramic vistas, numerous dining experiences, a basketball court, rock wall, ice-skating rink, mini-golf course, spa facilities, fitness centre, casino, and Broadway-style entertainment in the Main Theatre.

The trip starts on March 29, with departures priced from $8099 per person twin-share ex Sydney, including flights back to Australia from London.

Phone 1300 596 345 or visit www.cruise1st.com.au.

 Sightseeing over Antarctica … a humbling experience.

Antarctica Flights is offering a range of sightseeing excursions over the icy continent this year and next: ex Sydney on November 18, ex Hobart on November 25, ex Melbourne on December 31 and February 10, ex Perth on January 26, ex Brisbane on November 10 next year and ex Adelaide on November 24 next year.

A privately chartered Qantas 747 will spend up to four hours over the ice on a 12-hour round trip, descending as low as 10,000 feet.

Complimentary drinks and will be served, and prices start from $1199 per person.

While not quite out of this world, the flights do take you out of the country … 

but passports are not required.

Phone 1800 633 449 or visit www.antarcticaflights.com.au.

 Cosmopolitan Lima … a highlight of Intrepid’s Peru itinerary.

You’ll need to act quickly but you can save $669 on Intrepid’s seven-day northern-Peru trip departing October 6.

Pay from $2006 per person twin-share instead of $2675, and discover lost cultures and a variety of landscapes on an adventure through the Andes.

Travellers will experience the magical scene of mist rising from a flourishing rainforest at the Gocta Falls, a scene which until 2005 was only known only to the locals.

Also indulge in cocktails by the pool from the comfort of the Gocta Lodge and spend a full day exploring one of the most important archaeological sites of the Andes, the ruined Chachapoya fortress of Kuélap.

Included are an expert local leader, most meals, transport, accommodation and most activities.

Phone 1300 061 695 or  visit www.intrepidtravel.com/au.

 Legacy Yen Tu … built using ancient methodologies to emulate a peaceful way of life

MGallery has opened Legacy Yen Tu, a wellness sanctuary located on the sacred Yen Tu mountain, situated near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay.

The destination is part of Vietnam’s historical golden era and dates back more than 750 years.

Legacy Yen Tu MGallery has been built using ancient methodologies to emulate a peaceful way of life, and the rooms feature the signature wooden-inked slab traditionally used for calligraphy, and an outdoor patio living area.

Legend has it that a hermit monk An Ky Sinh travelled to Yen Tu mountain in search of medicinal herbs during the pre-Buddhism times some two thousand years ago, and since then, the mountain has been regarded as a divine and sacred place.

Guests can savour authentic Vietnamese cuisine at the hotel’s Tho Quang restaurant or an evening wine-down at Thien Tra Lobby Bar which overlooks the picturesque mountain views.

Visit www.accorhotels.com.

 Winnipeg … Hang out at The Forks to look like a genuine Pegger.

Manitoba’s Winnipeg, with its eclectic art scene, foodie hub, and welcoming, progressive locals, is fast becoming known as Canada’s cultural capital.

If you want act like a genuine Pegger in this uber-cool city, one of the things to do is to hang out at The Forks.

For thousands of years, The Forks National Historic Site was the meeting place for Indigenous people, and today it remains the heart of Winnipeg, where locals and visitors can connect and make the most of this nine-acre hub of shopping, dining and entertainment.

The Forks is located where the Red and Assiniboine rivers converge.

Take a seat at one of the communal tables at The Common and discover how friendly Prairie folk really are, as you talk over a craft beer and platter filled with locally produced delicacies.

Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane, with direct flights from Melbourne available three times per week, with connecting services to Winnipeg.

Alternatively, VIA Rail, the national Canadian rail service, runs from Vancouver to Winnipeg. The two-day journey spans British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan before reaching the Manitoba, the heart of Canada.

Visit www.travelmanitoba.com.