blog

FLEW

We flew with Garuda Indonesia and have been since our second trip to Bali – we’ve never looked back! The cabin crew are consistently amazing with their assistance and the meals are to die for. My family also opted for business class on the night flight home which was spacious and comfortable to enjoy a large selection of movies, games, music and TV shows. Economy seating on board Garuda is just as spacious with many goodies provided for a cozy flight.

STAY

On this trip, we stayed in three separate locations throughout our two and a half week holiday. We first stayed at a mansion – The Lembongan Beach House, just a short boat trip away from Bali at Nusa Lembongan which was a luxurious stay with its beachside views and facilities such as a large pool, swing, pool table, bar and many relaxation areas.

We then stayed in Jade Villa for the third time which is quiet and relaxing for a laid-back trip. It’s located just a short walk from the beach with many restaurants and shops surrounding.The Onion directly across the road is a common hub for the kids due to the pool tables and night entertainment! We celebrated Christmas in Sanur.

Finally, we stayed at Bali Garden in South Kuta for New Years and everyone loved this! The hotel looked over Kuta Beach which made for amazing fireworks on New Years with the annual hotel party with entertainment & DJ. A restaurant is located within the hotel allowing for a great lunch everyday whilst sitting by the 3m deep pool. The rooms were traditional Balinese style, large and airconditioned with a great balcony view of the natural style of the hotel. We decided to take two rooms for the 4 of us and had an interconnecting door. The other two families we were with also had interconnecting rooms. Bali Garden is opposite Waterbom Park, Bubba Gumps, a short walk to the markets, next to Discovery Mall and plenty of quality restaurants within minutes.

ACTIVITIES

The kids always love visiting Tree Top Adventure Park located near the botanical gardens where they can zipline and rope swing, always having a blast! We visited the Monkey Forest in Ubud which created endless laughter from the monkeys’ actions as well as admiring the natural fauna of Bali.

After this, we all went on a two-hour bike ride (all downhill) where we visited a village and learnt about Balinese religion and lifestyles. The bike ride finishes with a refreshing swim at a waterfall and a three-course meal provided by the company.

We always visit the third best waterpark in the world, Waterbom – the kids always have a blast on the rides. Snorkelling whilst at Nusa Lembongan exceeded all our expectations! The hundreds of fish surrounding us was definitely a highlight. We also went ziplining and cliff jumping in Nusa Lembongan which was a great action packed adventure for the kids. We usually always fit in a visit to Tanah Lot and Echo Beach for some snake holding, blessing, shopping and sunset. We definitely had a great time at all our activities!

RECOMMENDATIONS

We recommend a full day at Waterbom for families because of the action packed fun for all the family! Staying at Nusa Lembongan and experiencing ‘old Bali’ is a definite recommendation for all age groups – the options for activities or even just relaxing is endless! Furthermore, families would love the stay at Bali Garden, especially for New Years! The bike ride would also be perfect for families and the monkey forest for all ages!

Words by my daughter, Alex Collins.

One of my clients Lesley and I travelled to Altai Mountains in Russia in August 2018.

We have been on a 10-day Altai Overview Tour Starting and finishing in Novosibirsk (Capital of Siberia in Russia).

We have had an amazing time. It was a guided tour, we used Tour Basis for overnights, moved every 2 nights to another Tour Base (usually moved across the mountains to another river valley ) and had radial hiking tours from each Base.

We have chosen to stay in a tent, there was a choice of staying in a hut as well. Last stop we had at Lake Teletskoye or Golden Lake (largest in Altai). All the sites we have seen are magnificent.

Here is Lesley’s account of our wonderful trip:

We were collected for our adventure by a small tour bus and then travelled overnight before arriving at our first tour base along the Chusky Tract in the Altai Region.

Surrounded by glorious mountain and river scenery, our tour base provided basic facilities, as did the other tour bases we encountered. Other equipment provided was basic. Meals were very basic camp fare.

The activities planned daily were far from basic. We were treated to magnificent sights at every turn. Soaring , snow-capped mountains. Huge, rushing rivers. Waterfalls. Glaciers. Rock structures. Fascinating local towns. Animal life. Vegetation of every type.

Our cook, tour guide and driver looked after us every step of the way. Some challenging hiking tested us, but also brought us to yet more wonderful places to see.

Our small group of travel companions became our second family, a very enjoyable feature of the tour.

Our tour ended at the beautiful Lake Teletskoye. The old hotel accommodation here seemed like 5 star and we enjoyed having shower and bathroom facilities after our camping.

Our return coach trip was relatively comfortable, allowing us to see different parts of the countryside and some of the other interesting larger cities.

I recently attended a famil (Cruisefusion) on board Croisi Europe’s RV Indochine II, a brand new ship on the Mekong Delta. We only did a 4 night cruise (of what is usually a 7 night cruise) starting in Phnom Penh and finishing in Ho Chi Minh City.

Flew
I flew with Malaysia Airlines, and was lucky enough (on the way over at least) to be seated in their new Extra leg-room seats. This is a separate little cabin with only 2 rows (2/4/2 configuration), between business and economy class. Highly recommended, the service is fabulous, this small cabin has access to it’s own bathroom and the extra leg room was great! Having said that, normal economy also is really very good, service and food options great!

Stay
The RV Indochine II was a lovely ship. 31 cabins, and although they are quite small, all have lovely furnishings and expected amenities with private balconies. The outside bar and lounge area is really classy and elegant, alongside a well sized pool on the upper deck. A pool is a must on the Mekong, as being able to have a dip in South East Asia is a must! Not many ships have good sized pools on the Mekong. The panoramic Lounge/Bar area is also really nice, and this is where wi-fi is available, although a bit unreliable. All meals were included, and mostly quite delicious and plenty of it!

Activities

We did sightseeing in Phnom Phen, including The Royal Palace, some temples, the National Museum and Genocide Museum and local markets. Lunch in a local restaurant on the river was fabulous. While cruising down the Mekong, we also did some tours (in Chau Doc and Sa Dec) including ‘more temples!!’ and local markets. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, we had a ½ day sightseeing tour before a great lunch at the Majestic Hotel, then headed home in the evening.

Recommendations
I would suggest that starting the Mekong cruise in Vietnam and finishing in Cambodia is the better way to do this. The Vietnam part of the river is very busy, with lovely, interesting scenery, then the Cambodian part becomes quiet and serene, and I would imagine it would be really nice finishing in Siem Reap.

South Africa, 2018 – such an amazing experience. I can’t wait to go back!

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a Africa Safari Co. Familiarization trip to South Africa.

Most of our trip was spent in Kruger National Park where we spotted the “The Big Five” on our morning and afternoon game drives.

Each afternoon we had Sundowners (glass of red) on elevated platforms and watched the sunset and listened to the animals in the wild. This has always been something I have wanted to do and it truly lived up to all my expectations. We stayed at some beautiful lodges including Mabula Game Lodge, Black Rhino Game lodge, Imbali Safari Lodge, Karongwe River Lodge and Moditlo River Lodge. All offering their own special experiences. 

We also spent a couple of nights in Capetown which I highly recommend. I would recommend staying in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront area which is on the harbour with lots of restaurants and shops with a magnificent view of Table Top Mountain behind. We took a day tour to Cape Point with stops along the way at Camps Bay and Chapmans Peak.

Overall, an unbelievable trip and experience, thanks very much Africa Safari Co.! 

It was cold. Just a cold November day as we slipped smoothly into the river cruise ship port at the head of Amsterdam. The weather held and gave us a vision of Amsterdam proper and the sights we would enjoy. Disembarking and into the city for a quick coffee before heading to the quite little tourist city Zaanse Schans. This has everything Dutch in one place. Waffles, Windmills and Clogs. KInd of like ‘Leyland Brothers World’ in Australia. After an afternoon of Windmills it was back the the city proper for some of the this cities richer content. The tourists wander the banks of the canals for sniggering glimpses of the rude naughty and in most countries totally illegal fare that this wonderfully eclectic place offers its world traveller. I was fortunate to stay in the wonderful Grand Amrath Hotel in the heart of this bustling city. 5 minutes walk from the central station and 5 minutes walk into the red light and shopping districts. This hotel is a beautiful building from a yester year of marble and stained glass.

I was lucky enough to win an incentive trip to South Africa. It was a whirlwind trip where we experienced game drives, tours, dining and soaked in African experiences.

Flew
I flew Qantas there and back. I went Premium Economy on the way over and Business on the way back. Premium Economy was very comfortable with lovely service, decent meals and great entertainment system. Business class was very nice with great service. There were plenty of snacks you could order at any time, comfy Qantas Pyjamas and a flat-bed to sleep in! Lots of space for storage and very comfy in business class! Our internal flights with South African airways were also very comfortable, great food and customer service.

Stay
We stayed at 5 different Safari Lodges, most of which were fabulous, including Imbali Safari Lodge, Black Rhino Lodge and Karongwe River Lodge. Each one was unique and all games drives that we experienced were fantastic, spotting “The Big Five” in one day. We also spent 2 nights in Cape Town at the Cape Milner Hotel, had a great day exploring the area and a fantastic lunch down by the waterfront.

• 

Recommend
This is my third trip to Africa, and it won’t be the last! I believe everybody must get to Africa at least once in their life. Every experience is truly wonderful.