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ON THE GO*

with JOHN ROZENTALS

TRAVEL: 24 NOVEMBER 2017

John Rozentals Travel Briefs 145

Golfers can pack their clubs and join an eight-day One Ocean Expeditions cruise that combines rounds on some of world’s finest and most challenging courses with a seafaring expedition of the wilds of Canada.

To tee off this ultimate expedition, passengers will be welcomed with dinner of fresh, locally caught lobster as the ship, One Ocean Navigator (Akademik Ioffe), sails past the lighthouse in Nova Scotia’s historic port town of Louisburg.

In addition to covering Nova Scotia, the voyage will visit picturesque Prince Edward Island, along with smaller islands of the vast Gulf of St Lawrence. Passengers will have the chance to lap up the many elements of a region spectacular for its colourful culture, traditions, breathtaking views and abundant wildlife.

Rounds of golf will be played at the impressive Ben-Crenshaw-designed Cabot Cliffs at Inverness, its neighbouring Cabot Links, Prince Edward Island’s The Links at Crowbush, and the historic Highland Links in Ingonish, which dates back to the 1930s.

The package is priced from about $4500 per person, triple-share, including green fees at all courses, all meals on board (including packed lunches on golfing days), transfers (including clubs and gear) from ship to shore and a comprehensive program for non-golfers.

Phone 1300 368123 or visit www.oneoceanexpeditions.com.

*****

Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne has undergone a full refurbishment, with 11 new penthouse apartments, a revamped rooftop-view pool and entertaining terrace, and sophisticated new décor in all of its 155 apartments.

The hotel has adopted a modern international style throughout, setting the tone in its elegant new lobby, with a new feature fireplace, amplified by rich ebony timbers, velvet upholstery and an autumnal colour scheme.

Each of the 155 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments have new furniture, fittings and bathrooms.

The 11 new penthouse apartments have a New-York-loft appeal in a palette of rich natural timber and black granite with olive-green accents and grey metallic finishes conveying a sense of elegance and luxury.

Visit www.adinahotels.com/hotel/melbourne.

*****

An Australian couple, Tristan Harley and Rutty Talati, have launched Emu Trekkers, which they believe is Australia’s first 100 per cent, not-for-profit tour operation run by volunteer guides.

Inspiration for the venture came from an experience they had during their honeymoon, trekking volcanoes in Nicaragua in 2016, with a group that raised money for local children.

They returned to Australia with a desire to create a similar program here. So Emu Trekkers was born — a social enterprise offering guided walks with the goal to support children in need.

Emu Trekkers’ mission is ‘Hike Australia. Help Kids’. The registered charity will donate funds from the walks to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. In addition, Emu Trekkers will take disadvantaged children on walking tours.

The cost of a walk starts from $49.

Visit www.emutrekke srs.org.

*****

Save 54 per cent on a two-night stay for two at one of Victoria’s most picturesque towns.

Pay from $299 for two at the Vibe Hotel Marysville, with one child under-11 staying free.

The hotel is located about 90 minutes from Melbourne, and offers contemporary accommodation amid the lushly forested region just beyond the Yarra Valley.

The offer includes daily buffet breakfasts, a complimentary glass of wine, $50 food-and-beverage credit to use at the hotel’s restaurant, free wi-fi and midday checkout.

Phone 1300 88 99 00 or visit luxuryescapes.com.

*****

As the schoolies season gets underway around Australia, Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is foregoing the massive teen holiday market in preference for ‘moolies’ — mothers of schoolies escaping their children and partners to go away on all-girls short breaks.

The region’s accommodation operators, spas, cooking schools and attractions are seeing major growth in groups of women heading to the coast for time away from the kids.

One of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland’s major accommodation houses, The Falls, reports that women’s groups constitute 48 per cent of their Manor House stays.

Owner Alan Dryden said it was a very fast growing market for the Hinterland: “It is the restaurants, boutiques, spas, cooking classes, luxury accommodation, bush walks in the Hinterland that are key attractions for women’s groups coming to the Sunny Coast,” he said.

Other Sunshine Coast operators — such as Spicers Tamarind, which runs boutique accommodation, an award-winning spa and cooking school, the famed Spirit House Cooking School, and Fried Mudd, which offers interactive pottery sessions for groups — report a similar trend with women’s groups.

Visit www.visitsunshinecoast.com.

*****

Accommodation in Sydney is booking up quickly for New Year’s Eve, so for those keen to make the most of the celebrations, Metro Hotels is offering special packages at Metro Aspire Hotel Sydney and Metro Apartments Darling Harbour.

Pay from $1309 for three nights in a Premium room, including New Year’s Eve, at Metro Aspire. The offer includes full buffet breakfast, complimentary car parking, free wi-fi and a NYE gift bag with sparkling wine, chocolates and party favourites such as whistle, streamers and balloons.

A similar deal at Metro Apartments is priced from $2622 for three nights in a one-bedroom apartment, with and a double fold-out sofa bed in the lounge.

To book, visit Metro’s website at www.metrohotels.com.au.

*****

Glenn A Baker — ‘Rock Brain of the Universe’ — will lead a new Travelrite International cruise especially for music and travel lovers, down the Mississippi to experience some of the most influential music sights in the USA.

Passengers on the 16-day package next June and July, will enjoy the luxury of one of the world’s largest and most opulent riverboats, the American Queen, which will make calls make stops at music hotspots such as New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville.  

There will also be visits to Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the Louisiana Delta Museum, The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Sun Studios, Fame Studios, New Orleans Studios and the Blues Foundation’s Fall of Fame.

Guests will also enjoy performances at venues including the Grand Ole Opry, the Ground Zero Blues Club and the famous jazz clubs of New Orleans.

Prices start of $9990 per person twin-share and include airfares, accommodation, food and drinks on board the ship, world-class entertainment and access to daily sightseeing attractions.

Phone 1800 630 343 or visit www.travelrite.com.au.

*****

Backyard Travel is offering a new nine-night China package taking travellers on journeys through the ‘Middle Kingdom’s’ most iconic sites and showcasing the country’s must-see destinations.

Its ‘Best and Brightest’ tour begins with four days in Beijing, covering the city’s most famous sites, from the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic stadium, before heading to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors.

The tour concludes with four days in Shanghai, where travellers explore the city by bicycle and by vintage sidecar, wander the Old Town, take in contemporary art and be wowed by the dazzle of The Bund.

Prices are from about $3080 per person twin-share (domestic and international airfare extra).

Visit www.backyardtravel.com.

*****

TravelOnline is offering a half-price five-day Bali break at beachside Jayakarta Bali, with prices starting at $225 per person twin-share.

Included are an American buffet breakfast daily, return airport transfers by private car and the choice of one of the following free bonus extras — a white-water rafting adventure for two, Finns Bali Day Pass for two, or Splash Water Park Day pass for two.

The package is valid for sale until December 25, and for travel until December 25, and again from January 5 to March 31, with a surcharge applying on some days.

Situated in 11 acres of lush tropical gardens on the shores of Legian Beach, the Jayakarta Bali is just a short stroll from shops and restaurants and an easy drive to Denpasar’s International Airport 25 minutes away.

Facilities include three swimming pools, a dedicated children’s pool, health spa, gym/fitness centre and tennis court.

Phone 1300 883 887 or visit www.travelonline.com.

*****

An onboard spending bonus of up to $2000 per person is available for modern-day explorers keen to circumnavigate the world by ship from Australia in 2019.

The 106-night, round-the-world voyage aboard the 1950-passenger Sea Princess will stretch 63,000 kilometres and take in 39 destinations in 32 countries across five continents.

And unlike other globe-trotting ships, locally based Sea Princess offers an on-board currency in Australian dollars, with no on-board tipping or currency-exchange hassles.

On sale through Cruise Express, the world cruise heads north to Komodo Island, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The itinerary then traces a route to Oman, Dubai and Jordan, then through the Suez Canal to Malta, Spain, Holland, the UK and Germany as well as Scandinavia and Russia.

Offering a diverse mix of popular ports but also more remote, less visited destinations, the cruise then heads west to Iceland, the United States and the Caribbean before traversing the Panama Canal to Ecuador, Peru, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island and Tahiti. New Zealand is the last country visited before the ship returns to Sydney.

Fares for the full 106-night cruise are available from $23,599 per person ex Sydney. Australians booking the whole cruise will receive up to $1000 per person onboard credit and up to another $1000 if they have cruised with Princess Cruises before.

Phone 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au.