Inside the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Click here to view more of Jonathan's photographs

Abu Dhabi & Greece November 2011

Jonathan Doneley has just returned from a well deserved break travelling to Greece with a brief stop over in Abu Dhabi flying with Etihad.  I caught up with Jonathan upon his return to find out all about it.  Ed.

Ed:  How was your flight with Etihad?

JD:  My Etihad experience was fantastic.  Admittedly I was in Business Class - the attendants were attentive yet unobtrusive.  I would describe the food as 'real' - it looked and tasted fresh and was near top restaurant quality.  The wine selection was vast with a large range of Australian wines on offer.

Ed:  You stopped off in Abu Dhabi briefly - what did you manage to see in your short stay?

JD:  Yes I was only there for 24 hours and given it was Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), the 'must see' mosque was sadly not available to visit.  Whilst not a petrol-head, visiting Ferrari World was amazing and for all those boys out there who love their toys, this must be on your 'bucket list'!  Another highlight was visiting the 7 star Emirates Palace Hotel the world's most expensive hotel built at a cost of 3 billion dollars!  Its opulence was breathtaking.  Traditional decor is used inside mostly in silver, gold, marble and glass mosaics and the chandeliers are made of Swarovski crystal.

Ed:  On to Athens...

JD:  I was visiting Athens at an interesting time in their history.  The general population seem to have accepted that the country is bankrupt.  Whilst not happy, they are a proud people and determined to get the country back on its feet. This did not impact on my stay and I was entranced with the history and the beautiful countryside.

Ed:  How was your stay in Athens and surrounding villages?

JD:  I found the countryside to be beautiful and picturesque.  

Stayed overnight in the township of Aracova, a beautiful little town perched on the hillside - this village had a very warm and welcoming feel. The township of Delphi was equally wonderful.

Meteora (literally meaning 'hovering in the air') - further north from Delphi. This is where we saw the monasteries; built on the cliff tops around the 16^th century.  To build the monasteries they had to "pull/lift" the materials up the mountainside. The scenery was absolutely stunning. These buildings still operate as monasteries - where do I apply?!

Then back to Athens, staying at the St George Lycabettus hotel, a boutique hotel located in the "diplomatic quarter".  Now here you would be forgiven for thinking Greece was not experiencing any financial problems.  The coffee shops were full of people casually sitting back and enjoying life.  Lycabettus Hill is behind the hotel and, a walk to the top offers great views of Athens - took the wind out of me walking to the top but it was worth it.

Ed:  Other attractions you would recommend?

JD:  Visiting the Museum of the Acropolis mustn't be missed.  It is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens.  The museum was built to house every artefact found on the slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece.  It also lies on the archaeological site of Makrygianni and the ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.

Ed:  Favourite place?

JD:  Impossible to name one but the monasteries and Arocova are right up there.

Ed:  To whom would you recommend this visit?

JD:  Anyone who has the slightest interest in ancient history - you will come away addicted.

Out of Africa! November 2011

Maree McClelland was the tour manager of 'Africa - Trans Kalahari Tour': exploring the scenic, wildlife and cultural attractions from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to Cape Town in South Africa.

Maree is often asked where her favourite place is in the world.  Whilst an impossible question to answer, if she did, Africa would be right up there!  Here is her account of this fascinating experience.

Ed:  give our readers an overview of this exciting adventure tour

MM: Our tour commenced in Zambia where we boarded our purpose built Safari Truck for the journey of over 5000 kms via Botswana and Namibia through to Cape Town, taking in all the 'must seea highlights along the route. Of course we took time to stop and observe the animals along the way. These were very special moments and there were many of them!

Ed: What was the highlight and funniest moment

MM: I enjoyed watching our members relax and adopt the "out back way of life".  Hair dryers, mobile phones, make-up: all the essentials of city life were forgotten.  I laughed every time I heard a conversation about how many days in a row pairs of shorts had been worn without washing.  We could not help but relax and enjoy in fabulous Southern Africa.

Ed:  Reading the itinerary, the type of accommodation range from chalets to rest camps.  Give us a flavour of the accommodation.

MM: The style of accommodation varied from permanent tents with en-suites, cottages built in the trees with hippo grazing below in the night through to historic cottages and modern hotels.  Just when we though that we had found our 'favourite' place another even more charming one was presented.  Amazing really when you consider the isolated areas we visited.  One lodge was located 91 dunes from the main road in the Kalahari!

Ed: Describe the various local cuisines experienced

MM: We dined extremely well throughout.  On several occasions we had the opportunity to eat the 'farmed game'.  Springbok, zebra and warthog were amongst some that I tried and don't feel the need to try again!  I must admit that I did enjoy serveral Kudu steaks.  Potjiekos (literally translated 'small pot food' - similar to a camp oven) was a treat, served outdoors.  We enjoyed a springbok stew cooked this way.  We stayed in the Waterfront area in Capetown - a very nice area full of fabulous restaurants, shops etc.  It was an inconvenience having to find clean/ironed clothes but we all stepped out and throughly enjoyed the area.

Ed:  Who would you recommend this tour to

MM: Baby boomers who have sense of 'soft' adventure should not miss this tour.  If you have enjoyed travelling outback in Australia, you would love this style of travel.  (I feel that the camping version would be far too tiring!).  If you want to visit these remote areas and National Parks, this is the best way.  This tour will repeated.

Ed:  Where are you off to next?

MM: My now annual cruise around New Zealand on the Dawn Princess will be in February.  It's great to be home for a while but by then I will be excited to jump on board and be travelling with Wings Away friends again.

 

Gold Coast revisited - November 2011

Elise Marrgatt spent a week on the Gold Coast for a family holiday with her partner and 5 year old son.  Here is her account of the experience.

"Myself, partner and 5 year old recently returned from a week on the Gold Coast.  I will admit I had booked the Gold Coast mainly for my son's benefit and personally would have preferred somewhere in Far North Queensland, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the Gold Coast.

I hadn't been there for a good 8 years at least and it's amazing how your perspective changes once the agenda does (family holiday versus couple holiday).  The Gold Coast was perfect for us.  We stayed at the Chevron Towers of Renaissance right in Surfers Paradise.  It was a very large apartment complex (three towers of apartments) which was above a shopping centre with Coles, Bakers Delight and Cafes just a press of the lift button away. We had a 2 bedroom one bathroom apartment which was fine.  The apartment contained everything we needed and was clean and comfortable.  The resort facilities with a large lagoon style pool, plenty of bbq's, gym, lap-pool was the main attraction for us and these features did not disappoint.

However if you wanted to base yourself at the resort for the duration of your trip and are travelling with young children, I think there are better places to stay.  We had the theme park passes and spent 4 of our 6 days at the theme parks, which my little man adored (as did I much to my surprise!).  I had forgotten how beautiful the beaches are at Surfers and we spent most mornings at the beach before we headed out for the day.  Because this was a family holiday, we were up early and to bed early so we didn't really venture out much at night.  I don't think a day has gone by since when my son hasn't mentioned something about this holiday, so I would happily do it all again.  I came home with a new found respect for the Gold Coast!"

 

June/July 2011 Bali with two teenage boys!

WAT Senior Travel Consultant, Elaine Williamson, has just enjoyed a three week vacation in Bali along with her husband and two boys aged 15 and 12.

I caught up with Elaine shortly after her return to find out how they enjoyed their holiday.

Ed:  Where did you stay - describe the property and its facilities

EW: We stayed at Melasti Beach Resort in Legian.   It is a 3 star hotel suited to families due to the enormous suite cottages they offer. These cottages can accommodate a family of 2 adults/2 kids easily. As our boys are older we opted for interconnecting cottages that gave us 1 queen bedded and 1 twin bedded cottage with the luxury of a 2nd bathroom.

The property is a true 3 star hotel.  It does not have all of the fancy bells and whistles but does tick most boxes for family travel.   There is a large central pool with swim up bar and two other pools attached to the other wings of the hotel.

Just at the front is a 7-Eleven style shop to stock up on snacks and drinks in your room.  The hotel has its own day spa at wonderful prices.   A 1 hour full body massage was $8.00 and a full pedicure and foot massage was only $9.00. You really can't go wrong.

The hotel was directly across the road from the beach, however this road is closed to traffic and was more like a large paved footpath than a road.

It was well located for restaurants, shops and daily beach activities all within a 5 minute walk of the hotel.

Ed:  How were the meals - did you discover any favourite restaurants outside of the hotel?

EW: The meals in Bali are so cheap. To eat out at a good quality restaurant for 4 with drinks and meals would only cost about $30 for the family.

There are many smaller low key restaurants and to choose these would only set you back around $20 for a family. These restaurants are more relaxed however the food served was wonderful, especially for the price paid.

There were no issues even for a fussy eater. You could always find on the menu the much loved chicken schnitzel and chips!

Most main meals cost around $4.00 and drinks around 80 cents.

Ed:  Given you have two teenage boys, what activities outside of the hotel did you enjoy?

EW: Kintamani Volcano and local village bike ride - 26km from Kintamani through the local villages experiencing the daily life of the locals in the rice terraces.  You are even given the chance to get off your bike and help in the fields. Mostly down hill so no issues for any riders. The kids in the local villages would line the roads waiting for a high five as you rode past.  Lunch was included with a typical Balinese family in their compound.  A great introduction to their way of life.

• White Water rafting on the Ayung River near Ubud.  2 hours of rafting with short stops along the way.  Suitable for everyone who can manage the 400 odd stairs down to the river and then back up at the end of the day
• Horse riding on the black sands of Sanur beach.  Stops along the way to local vendors selling drinks and treats.
• Stopping to see the local villages who spend the entire day sorting black pebbles on the beach into similar sizes to sell.
• Hired a local registered tour guide and driver for the day to head up north to Git Git and Bedugul.  Here we saw local villages and the traditional way of life for those who are struggling to survive.  Full day cost was $55.00 for the entire family. Wonderful value and gave us the opportunity to see a variety of villages and their way of life
• Waterbom Park - Water theme park similar to Wet n Wild but on a much smaller scale.  Boys were still more than happy with the rides on offer.
• Most day tours include a buffet 

Ed:  What was the highlight and the funniest moment of your vacation:

EW:  We loved sitting on the beach with the locals each evening to watch the wonderful sunset.   The locals had stalls selling beer and soft drinks with chairs set up for the view.  It was great to sit with these people and listen to how important the tourist industry is to their survival.  Most of these people struggle to survive and love it when the tourists bring over their pre-loved clothes and linen from home and donate it to them.  Very easy to do when most Aussies head over to Bali with empty suitcases ready to shop.

The funniest was when my oldest made friends with the son of the General Manager of the hotel.  I was looking for him one day only to find him behind the front desk helping to check in tourists.  For him it was a working holiday.

Ed:  What was the family's verdict:

EW:  We loved Bali.  My husband and I had been there 16 years prior and boy had it changed.  Not all for the best.  Although there has been an increase in tourist numbers, the roads in particular had not changed.  Holiday makers must remember that it can take up to 3 hours to travel 40 km therefore many of the full-day tours can involve many hours sitting in traffic chaos. 

It is however a wonderful affordable holiday destination for families and has the ability to keep everyone happy. 

We would go back.  However, we do like to experience something different.  I think next time Borneo and Brunei 

Maree McClelland - Canada & Alaska tour - June/July 2011

Maree has just returned from hosting a group tour of Canada and Alaska.  The participants had been friends since university and as they were all turning 60 this year, decided to make a special trip to celebrate.  Maree was invited to go along to manage the tour - a fun time was guaranteed!

Canada

Being early summer (recommended time to visit this area) the group were treated to fine and warm sunny days.  There was still snow on the mountains around Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper providing a beaituful contrast in all our photos and lasting memories of spectacular scenery that this area is famous for.

One of the highlights of the tour was the Rocky Mountaineer rail journey.  Travelling in Gold Leaf class entitled the group to sit in the fabulous glass dome carriages where they sat upstairs for sightseeing and dined in the dining room on the lower level.  The scenery was superb with lots of wildlife including a mother black bear with two cubs!  A small downside was an industrial dispute which meant service was by 'scab' labour.  At times resembling Fawlty Towers it meant for much amusement and provided fond memories of the crew and the wonderful two day journey.

Alaska

The group cruised on the Holland Americas Zuideram.  This ship is promoted as a "5 star cruise product".  However, if this is what you were expecting you would be disappointed.  This ship has has obviously been working hard and needs some refurbishment.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable '4 star' experience!  Any disappointment was more than compensated by fabulous scenery and great weather.  Cruising into Tracey Arm, encountering lots of icebergs, watching glacier 'calving' in Glacier Bay were cruise highlights.

Vicky Atkins just back from Ubud & Seminyak, Bali

Royal Pita Maha, Ubud

Cruise Consultant, Vicky Atkins, and her partner, just returned from their first trip to Bali.

Having been met on arrival at Denpasar and given cold face towels and chilled water, they set off for Ubud to spend three nights at the Royal Pita Maha.  An amazing hotel complete with individual infinity pool and breathtaking views from the rooms.  Surrounded by beautifully green forest and the Aryung river flowing past the hotel Vicky loved this hotel and it's now her absolute favourite place.

The next five nights were spent in the very trendy Seminyak area of Bali.  Seminyak boasts many luxury villas and Vicky chose to stay at the Villas Bali Hotel.  Another fantastic property conveniently located metres from the shops and supermarket.  The luxury of a private pool and breakfast cooked by the staff every morning was bliss!

Whilst in Bali they undertook many activities which for first time visitors is a must:

• Monkey Forest Ubud
• Elephant Safari Park
• Kintamani
• Tanah Lot sunset tour
• White water rafting on the Aryung River (great for beginners)
• Taman Ayun Temple

Vicky's verdict:  we loved Bali and would go back in a heart beat!

click here for Vicky's photos 

Seabourn Pride

Carole Fraser has just returned from an Asian odyssey travelling from Hong Kong to Thailand on board Seabourn Pride and enjoying stopovers in Hong Kong, Bangkok & Kuala Lumpur.  The itinerary included calling into Halong Bay, Da Nang & HO Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Ko Kood Thailand.

"The ship is a perfect size accommodating 200 passengers in understated luxury whilst offering most of the facilities provided by larger ships".

In a nut shell "Seabourn Pride ticks all the boxes":

• Perfect travelling companions from around the world
• Superb dining - extensive choice of food and wine
• Casual five star living
• Fantastic staff - positive and happy
• Embarkation and disembarkation was immediate
• Walk on walk off - no waiting anywhere on the entire trip
• Given not a lot in the way of daily activities, this meant the vibe was very relaxed and lots of opportunities to find a quiet corner in the company of a good book

World's largest seated Buddah, Ngong Ping

Andrew loved Hong Kong!

Wings Away GM, Andrew Cross, despite being very well travelled, had not until recently stopped over in Hong Kong.  A five day side trip to Hong Kong before attending the annual Cruiseco in Singapore, was an ideal opportunity to correct this.

And it was love at first sight!

Accommodation:

Being his first trip he decided to spoil himself and booked accommodation at the plush Langham Hotel.   http://hongkong.langhamhotels.com/

The Langham is centrally located and close to the Ocean Terminal and Star Ferry Terminal.  The MTR public transport is underneath the building and the free Kowloon trains station hotel connector bus stops right at the hotel door.  This makes the Langham Hotel an ideal place to stay.

Getting your bearings:

Purchasing a 24 hour tour bus ticket allowed him to get his bearings, enjoy the sights/smells and learn a bit of history while being driven around.  For any first time visitors this is a must (it is recommended you purchase passes prior to departure in Australia - any of the Wings Away consultants can assist you with this).

Sight seeing:

As a first time visitor he was keen to cram in as much sight-seeing as possible. 

The highlights:

Island on tour http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/day-hongkong-island.html

Stanley Markets (a must) http://www.hk-stanley-market.com/

Amazing lunch at Rocksalt, Stanley Bay

Nathan Road for the world's best shopping!

Cable car ride on Lantau Island to Ngong Ping where there is a Buddhist monastery (Po Lin) and the world's largest seated outdoor Buddha

Tailor made:

And of course the obligatory 'have some clothes made' was high on the list of must dos.  Very reasonably priced, excellent quality and all ready in 48 hours.

Verdict:

"Honkers is my new favourite Asian destination for a quick getaway - I could have done with a few more days - the people are friendly, welcoming and helpful".

Are you tempted?

If this has whetted your appetite to visit Hong Kong, please call any of the Wings Away consultants who would be delighted to put together a package for you. 

10th hole Mt Maunganui Golf Club

Some of Maree's group socialising

14 day New Zealand golf cruise tour on board Dawn Princess February 2011

Maree has recently returned from escoring a 14 day golf cruise tour of New Zealand on board the ultimate 19^th hole - Dawn Princess! 

Ed:  Describe Dawn Princess and the facilities on board

MM: This was my fifth trip on Dawn Princess and I was delighted to be back on board.  (Always amazed by how many of the staff remember you, and your name, from past cruises!)  Dawn is a premium ship with all the facilities one would expect on a ship that can accommodate 2000 guests. In addition she is a very "pretty" ship with a wonderful central atrium area.

Ed:  This  cruise sounds like a dream come true for golf devotees - first class cruising coupled by playing some of New Zealand's finest golf courses.  Describe the experience.

MM: Our Golfers embarked in Melbourne, with their golf blubs which were efficiently stowed by the Princess Crew who had them waiting for collection at the gangway for each of our four golfing ports.  Sadly, of course, we had to bypass Christchurch stopping at beautiful Akaroa instead where there was no time for golf.  The participants were transferred to the courses where they enjoyed 18 holes prior to returning to the 19^th hole on the Dawn Princess. Golfers are very "social" and so a great time was had by all as they enjoyed the onboard entertainment.  I think that our group was the last to leave the dining room each evening!

Ed:  This cruise (which due to its popularity, will be reprised in February 2012) appealed to golfing enthusiasts.  What activities were on offer for golf 'widows'?

MM: In each port we offered a shore excursion that visited the "must see" places at each destination. Of course we also allowed time for shopping! A great time was had by the partners.

Ed:  How were the dining experiences on board and the extra curricular activities available

MM: I've noticed lots of  subtle "upgrades"  on board in the past 12 months. The food was fantastic, the dining experience in the buffet was enhanced by the tables now being "set" instead of cutlery being handed out at the entrance. The dining room menu featured New Zealand dishes (yummy lamb, lobster and mussels for example).  The entertainment was fantastic and very well attended - you had to arrive early to secure a seat.

Also many new activities.   I particularly enjoyed two lectures: one featured life on board for the crew and discussed issues such as sourcing crew, pay levels, accommodation and general living on board.  Another was about life on the bridge and navigation.

ED:  What was the highlight and the funniest moment of this tour

MM:  We had a great time at our "Golf Presentation"  where we awarded prizes to the competition winners and "special commendations" for outstanding performances such as the most grappa consumed from hip flasks on the final round!  Lot's of laughs and cementing of friendships formed during the 14 days together.

Ed: 

Apart from golf 'nutters', who would you recommend this tour to!?

MM:  Our "NGPers" (non golf players) had a wonderful inclusive cruise holiday as they were able to access the port excursions that we had put together for partners.  In addition, anyone with a sense of fun can come along and be part of the very social times that just happen when you are around golfers!

Ed: Where are you off to next?

MM:  I'm of to the USA to celebrate 40 years since I graduated from High School in Illinois, as an AFS Exchange student!  I will then continue on to Canada and Alaska where I will escort a private tour for a group of friends who will be celebrating their 60^th birthdays!  I will feel good knowing that they were 20 when I was still at school!

Pacific Pearl - Sydney to Melbourne via Tasmania 18 March 2011

Cruising Consultant, Vicky Atkins has just enjoyed an eight night cruise from Melbourne to Sydney via Tasmania on board Pacific Pearl.  Ports of call:  Burnie, Coles Bay, Hobart and Port Arthur

Ed:  Describe the Pacific Pearl and the facilities on board

VA:  The Pacific Pearl has gone through a refurbishment and looks great.  The  Marquee Theatre is much more accommodating now for show viewing and there are a lots of nice areas to have a coffee, drink and relax as you sail.  My favourite was the Dome where there was a great view and fun activities such as learning to line dance or listening to the band who performed nightly.

Ed:  What was the highlight of this cruise?

VA: Port Arthur was a great port of call, so much history and great photo opportunities to be had.  But sailing out of Sydney with everyone on the top deck and going under the Harbour Bridge while the band played "Down Under" with a cocktail in hand is hard to beat!

Ed:  Describe the dining experience on board and extra curricular activities on offer?

VA:  The dining in the Waterfront Restaurant was great!  The setting makes you feel like you're in an up-market restaurant with great service and the food was delicious (especially the desserts!).  The Plantation buffet on deck 12 was not up to the same standard and I felt the food was limited in choice.  I only wish I had eaten more in the Waterfront Restaurant.  I signed up for Boot Camp for the cruise since I know how much those calories can creep on with all the food and boy did I do Boot Camp!!!  I also was able to do some of the other activities offered such as a Stretch Class and Bums, Tums and Thighs Workout.  Trivia was a daily activity that, unfortunately, Mum and I failed at but it was fun trying.  The Pearl also offers activities such as dance classes, art classes and many seminars on topics such as health and gemstones.  There's even a Martini making class.

Ed:  Who would you recommend this cruise to?

VA:  Dependent on the itinerary, for Tasmania the age group were mainly 45 and up

Ed:  Where are you off to next?

VA:  Bali for a very romantic  stay with my fiancé.  The Royal Pita Maha in Ubud and The Villas in Seminyak.  Both places have their own private pools and luxury accommodation so looking forward to it!

Singapore skyline

Singapore/Cruiseco Conference

Jonathan, along with Anne & Andrew attended the national conference of Cruiseco, this year held at Raffles City Convention Centre Singapore.  This event acknowledges the various Australian and New Zealand members for sales throughout the year.  Wings Away were proud to be rewarded with a top 10 agency this year.

All the major cruise lines were represented and gave presentations on their new hardware, maintenance and refurbishments as well as itineraries.  Some very exciting innovations were discussed but are yet to be announced.  Watch this space!

The conference is a full on 3 day event so not much time to play.  However, after the conference Andrew headed home and Anne flew to Vietnam.  However, Jonathan took time out to explore Singapore.  By purchasing a Hop On Hop Off bus ticket he was able to take in the sights and get an overview of this fascinating island city state.  For those not familiar with Singapore, their transport system (SMRT) is second to none - cheap, clean and punctual! 

Singapore remains a popular and vibrant destination enthralling travellers with its unique culture - a fine blend of both the east and the west.  

Alongside 'eating', shopping is considered the national past time on the island. Ranging from hi-tech wares to designer wear, there is something for everyone. Browsing around local markets and shop houses in the ethnic enclaves to the glitzy portals of Orchard Road, the experiences are wide, varied and even intriguing.