Tangalooma Resort, Moreton Island - Susie

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tangalooma resort to visit the dolphins! Tangalooma resort is located on Moreton Island, a short 70 minute ferry ride from the Holt Street Wharf, just outside of Brisbane CBD. Infinity actually sells seamless product to this destination - transfer from airport or hotel to Holt St Wharf, then the ferry across to Moreton before you start your relaxing island holiday. 

When you arrive first timers are greeted by the hotel staff and helped with check in etc. which is a lovely touch for people who don't know the island well. Bags can be dropped off at the ferry and are taken to your room for you so you can start your holiday literally the second you step on the ferry.

We stayed in the lead in room, the standard hotel room. It was spacious, with a  massive king size bed - love star fishing on holidays! - a large bathroom, and a private balcony with chairs and a little table to enjoy the view. We were lucky, the hotel itself mostly overlooks other buildings, but a few of the rooms on the northern end do have sunset views which is pretty special, so let us know if we can put in a request for you. It is good, standard 3.5* - nothing flash but clean and tidy.

The facilities and tours available on the island are what can really make your trip special. There are heaps of free activities - archery, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding- and then there are the tours you can do as well! Snorkeling the wrecks was our choice and it was really beautiful. There are literally hundreds of species of fish to see, along with star fish, sharks (the non scary kind), and sometimes a dolphin or dugong!

And then there is the piece de resistance! Dolphin feedings! It is definitely worth the extra to get a package that includes your ferry transfers, breakfast and dolphin feeding on one night of your stay, and we should have these inclusions loaded as a value add for most date ranges. 

Tangalooma's feeding program is a unique and very special experience. All of their  dolphins are wild dolphins who choose to return to the resort nightly or every few nights for feeding. They know and trust the feeders and even bring their babies in to play in the shallows which is a pretty special event to watch (there were two babies while we were there who were copying everything their mum's did and it was the most beautiful thing ever). 

Although you don't get to handle / touch the dolphins, you do get to feed them fish, and if you are very lucky, they may bump you with their tails :)

Overall, I found this to be a lovely little weekend break. It isn't fancy, but it is definitely fun. 

Freycinet Lodge (4*, Coles Bay) - Susie

This is a 4 star eco lodge, one of a few in the world that is actually set within a national park and has stunning surrounding views. There are 60 cabins with varying views – from ocean to hills to forest- set throughout little cul de sacs all over the property. 

(The view from the front of my cabin).

Each of the rooms has their own walkway to front door and there is a myriad of room make up options to suit families, couples, solo travelers and luxury travelers (the wineglass premier cabin is luxurious with a private outlook spa).

(The view from Oyster Bay).

N.B. As this is an eco lodge, most cabins do not have TV! They do hire portable dvd players and dvd’s at the lodge, and there are also board games available to play in the lodge, but just a reminder, this isn’t your standard hotel sell – it is a unique and natural escape.

(View of the property from Oyster Bay - this isn't a touched up photo - it really looks like this!)

Freycinet Paddle - half day tour

The Freycinet paddle is a 3 hour experience (not just an activity!) kayaking through the (hopefully) still waters of Oyster Bay. The views are stunning, the guides informative and very helpful, and although a basic level of coordination is needed, not a great level of fitness is. 

This is not the kind of activity I would pick for myself on a holiday, and I was blown away by it. The serenity on the water while the mountains loom before you ominously; the satisfaction of completing an activity that you find a challenge; and sharing it with your boat mate and the rest of the tour group is a surprisingly bonding experience.

I would recommend this to anyone wanting to see a different side of Tasmania, and maybe themselves. 

Hollybank Treetops Adventure

Located about a 30 minute drive from Launceston, this is a really exciting experience (particularly if you are a little afraid of heights as you will feel a seriously satisfying sense of achievement completing this tour). 

Soaring through the forest from 3 metres to 50 metres above the ground, on lengths of track running from 20 metres to 400 metres, this is both a thrill for the senses and a delight for the eyes. 

The guides are informative and safety is paramount on this zip line tour through the Hollybank forest. This is a tour for literally anyone (over the age of 3 and upwards) with a sense of adventure or a desire to see Australia’s forests up close.   

Tram Car Dinner (Melbourne) with Bec!

The Colonial Tram Car dinner exceeded every expectation I had!!

 

I took my mum and boyfriend to Melbourne for a long weekend and thought it would be fun to do something touristy and experience something totally different. I was unsure of what would be in store for us, but was delighted to find the night fun and delicious!!

 

The Tram departs just near the Crown Casino complex, so a very easy walk or taxi ride from any Melbourne CBD hotel.

 

You can choose from an early dinner, a late dinner or lunch. Based on which you choose determines how much food you will receive.

 

Early Dinner is 3 courses, Lunch is 4 courses and the Late Dinner is 5 courses.

You may question how good the food can be on a tram - well let me assure you it's DELICIOUS! Not only is the food delicious, but the price includes all your Alcholoic and non alcoholic drinks.

 

The staff were AMAZING and the tram takes you on a gorgeous tour of Melbourne. We chose the Early Dinner which meant the sun was still out and we had gorgeous views of the St Kilda Esplanade in Beach.

 

All in all a fantastic tour to do or sell for anyone travelling to Melbourne. With prices starting from just $77pp (including drinks), this one really can't be missed!

Sky Dive Cairns with Sharni

SKYDIVE CAIRNS

We sell two options from Cairns and guests can choose to dive over Cairns or Mission Beach about 1hr south, to land on the beach. I did the 14000ft Skydive in Cairns which we sell at $299 in the system, and loved every moment of it. This was my 3^rd skydive and the flight was probably the most beautiful and scenic I have experienced. 

                       

As we flew up my instructor was passionately pointing out the sights and having me look here and there, at the rainforest and the reef.  You couldn’t ask for a more breathtaking place to jump out of a plane, or a better view for a 60second freefall!! 

Pro Dive, Cairns with Sharni

PRO DIVE CAIRNS 

The 3 guys I went up to see were doing a PADI learn to dive course with PRO DIVE CAIRNS and I went out to join them for one day. Scuba diving is AMAZING. The Reef is AMAZING. No one should go to Cairns or anywhere in TNQ without doing a Reef trip. EVER.

There are about 100 different companies to choose from but if you have people looking at getting their certified diving qualifications then I can confidently recommend Pro Dive, they are fantastic! You get the chance to sleep out on the reef too :) If you have people who are just looking at a day trip then we have LOTS of options to choose from.. Whether they want to scuba or snorkel or sit in a glass bottom boat, they need to experience the beauty and magic of the reef!!!! Ask us which one we think is best for your clients…

Gilligans Backpacker, Cairns with Sharni

Cairns, a backpackers Paradise..

I (Sharni!) have just come back from a quick 3 days break in Cairns and had an AMAZING time!!! I have a group of friends who I used to live with in Ireland who are backpacking around Australia so I met them up there for a few days. 

Although normally I’m a bit of a hotel snob I decided to join them at Gilligans and can honestly say I loved it. The deluxe dorm rooms were everything you could ask for, with air-conditioning, a fridge and a balcony and comfy beds. I honestly couldn’t fault the place, especially for $12 per night ;)  The hostel itself is great too, with a tour desk, a kitchen, a gym, a fantastic lagoon style pool and a restaurant. Then there is the Bar/nightclub with its crazy drink specials and delightfully accented internationals, good times!!

I spent most of my time nursing my poor hungover self, BUT did manage to squeeze in a few awesome activities too ;)

My suggestion..

The best place to be in Cairns is at the southern end, near the lagoon and Casino. There are lots of restaurants to choose from and it’s an easy walk to everything you could ever need, including the Marina (so you can get on your boat and head to the reef ;)) Mantra Esplanade is a good 4* that super central and I really like…

Bay of Fires Lodge and Cradle Mountain Huts Walks

These are fully escorted and full board walking tours that leave from Launceston between the months of October and May. They are loaded in the system as MODS out of LST. 

Cradle Mtn Huts Walk

This is a 5 night/6 day walk that operates from Launceston daily during their peak times (based on booking numbers) and 2 – 3 times a week during their slightly slower periods.

This walk is the more challenging of the 2, covering 60 kms over the 5 days and the terrain itself is more varied and steep, but the pay off is the incredible views and the absolute wilderness experienced in this heritage listed National Park.

Their group sizes hit a maximum at 10 with 2 guides, there are private huts, 3 course dinners, and Tasmanian wines offered at the end of each day to relax while you take in your surroundings.

Picking up from Peppers Seaport, you travel to their orientation and checkin centre at Quamby estates then get bussed to Cradle Mountain for the start of your adventure. 

This is a truly unique experience and varied levels of fitness are catered for (with additional side trips off the tracks offered), but certainly something to prepare for. The maximum walking day is 12kms with and the terrain steep in some places, so get stair walking!

Bay of Fires Lodge Walk

This is the shorter and less strenuous option! 4 days/ 3 nights, 23kms and primarily flat! Sounds delightful doesn’t it? Throw in some stunning coastal views, beautiful lodge style accommodation (shared facilities), and you have yourself a gorgeous walking holiday.

Quamby Estates, Launceston

This is what used to be the old government house for Launceston and has been converted into a stunning and unique boutique property. It is homestead style accommodation with a seriously luxurious twist.

There are sitting rooms dressed in beautiful furnishing and gorgeous art work, a golf course and tennis court on site, and the service here is impeccable. They love their property and they want you to love it too.

And they do a lot of weddings on their perfectly manicured and picturesque lawns. Just saying ;)

Country Clubs, Launceston

This is the 5* option attached to the casino, just a short (free) shuttle away from the Country Club Villas. There are heaps of restaurants on site (even a small food court for some cheap eats!), the casino, a links golf course, swimming pools, beauty parlour, hair dresser, free wifi and complimentary valet parking to name a few.

The rooms themselves are quite old school glamour. The bathrooms are marble, the furnishings are decadent and there is a soft refurbish in process at the moment just to keep things looking fresh and up to date.

There are balconies on a lot of the rooms with smoking permitted outside. And quite a few of the rooms offer the interconnecting option. 

Country Club Villas, Launceston

This is the 4* option which is part of the Country Club (casino) group. In my opinion, it is an upmarket motel. The furnishings are pretty dated and not all of the amenities are top notch, but it is basic, clean and comfortable and the facilities on site are amazing.

There are 3 restaurants, a bottle shop, a bar, a pool, a spa, free parking, internet at reception, and full use of all the restaurant facilities at the Country Club. 

There are also a lot of animals around. It is about a 10 minute drive from Launceston and set on a lot of property so we saw heaps of birds and rabbits! (Which is pretty special to see just nibbling the grass in between rooms).

Mercure, Launceston

This is a really excellent lead in property for Launceston. It is a 4*, the “grand old dame” of Launceston, and not over the top or fancy, but just a really good lead in hotel.

There are 115 rooms across the property and 24 hour room service. The Tram Car Bar is a novel treat- an entire tram car is in the bar!

They have a range of room types and room make ups, some with shower over bath, some with walk in shower. All of the rooms are very large and spacious for a hotel style and any room types requested that aren’t loaded in our system can be requested direct from the hotel.

N.B. Not all of the rooms are air conditioned. Some are in the higher room types, then there are air conditioning units in the next level of rooms, then fans in the lower. This isn’t a big deal I don’t think as Launceston doesn’t get significant heat enough to warrant it as a concern. 

Sebel, Launceston (4.5*)

The Sebel was built in 2005 so it is very modern and hasn’t had the mass “tired” look creep in. A lot of the rooms are refurbished yearly to keep them looking fresh and it is a part residential / part hotel property which actually gives it a really nice fee. There is a lot of foot traffic at reception and the staff know their residential customers creating a homey feel.

The reception is 24 hours and all their staff have RSA’s (so can serve alcohol) and barista training so wine and coffee service is available at all times their licensing permits. They are also incredibly friendly and professional.

This is a hotel that is very proud of its standard, facilities and the property in general which leads to superior service and treatment of their guests. They WANT them to be there and want them to come back.

Market Square – the main restaurant – does breakfast and dinner daily and has a massive Tasmanian wine list. They also do their best to source as much of their produce locally so people are actually eating the region they are staying in.

The rooms are all king bedding or king split – there are no queens or doubles through the whole hotel. They are large and spacious, many with balconies, modern and VERY clean. 

Peppers Seaport, Launceston (5*)

Located on the North Esk River the water view rooms in this property are stunning. The views are lovely and the rooms are modern, clean and very well appointed.

It is a little bit out of town centre, but still easily walkable and there is a row of restaurants below that offer charge back to the rooms at Peppers.

Luxury Suite (1 bedroom)

·         Has a balcony with water views

·         Is spacious and just beautifully modern

·         Is an apartment style with kitchen facilities

Studio (city view)

·         These are split into a vestibule entry so they can be made up as inter connecting through the outer door.

·         Very large for a lead in room

·         Couch and sitting are fitted in comfortably

·         Bathrooms were just stunning – bright and shiny and gorgeous, oh my!

Hotel Grand Chancellor, Launceston

The hotel Grand Chancellor has the iconic frontage you would expect from both their brand and any hotel which has been built in the classic Georgian style.

It is a solid 4.5* you can feel confident selling. Their refurbished rooms are loaded in our system as the Superior and their non refurbished are currently the Deluxe.

(Superior room) 

The differences are purely superficial – ie. The superiors have the white 3 layer bedding systems and the superior bathrooms are recently renovated – but the overall difference is quite significant. The superior rooms look modern and clean and fresh and suit the current 4.5* expectations. 

(Deluxe room)