Palm Cove - Peppers Beach Club and Spa

(Us hanging out by the pool, chilling, resort style).

 

Peppers Beach Club & Spa is an elegant and inviting resort in an idyllic setting - Palm Cove, Tropical North Queensland's most intimate beachfront getaway. It is set only 30 metres back from the beach, and laid out in a gorgeous resort style sprawl.

Set in the heart of the charming Palm Cove village, Peppers Beach Club & Spa is the perfect place to indulge in tropical relaxation. It's a place where you can relax, dine, shop, have great adventures and be pampered from morning until night.

Stately melaleuca trees shade the resort's porte cochere, welcoming guests into a private world where the air is scented by fragrant gardenia and cooled by gentle ocean breezes. Experience any of the three pools, offering cascading waterfalls for romantic interludes, a lap pool in a rainforest setting or sandy beach perfect for kids' play.

There are four restaurants on site, the room service menu is to die for, and the service is impeccable - it is a holiday where you truly feel like you are being spoiled with the elegance of the property and the attentiveness of the staff.

(Me heading off to my spa treatment.... dum dee dum - I didn't realise the pleasures that would await).

For an extra treat, the day spa on site is also worth a visit. I enjoyed a couples' massage that was to die for and a vichy treatment that made me relaxed enough to melt.

Palm Cover is a stunning destination - beautiful, relaxing and a gateway to many activities if you don't feel like lying by a pool every day.

Melbourne - A self drive suggestion through Lorne, Mornington Peninsular and Moonah with Bec

Melbourne Self Drive!

En route to the wedding of the year in the very trendy suburb of Fitzroy, Melbourne, we decided to do a bit of a self drive holiday in Victoria.

Having always wanted to check out the Twelve Apostles, and Jon’s love of Wine, we thought we’d combine the Great Ocean Road and Mornington to make the perfect 4 day driving tour of Victoria.

We headed straight from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, south to Geelong for a bite to eat, before reaching our first destination, Lorne. Taking only a couple of hours to reach the entrance to the Great Ocean Road, we were very pleasantly surprised at how easy the drive was to this point and how funky and pretty Lorne was.

We took up camp at the Mantra Beach Resort, Lorne, in a gorgeous One Bedroom Ocean View Apartment. As the name suggests, we were right on the beach, and if staying in Lorne, the Mantra is a must.

What amazed us about Lorne was how instantly relaxed you felt here, and all the great restaurants and shops on the main strip. This is certainly a great destination for a long weekend, even if you don’t want to drive any further…

But we did, and the next day we took on the Great Ocean Road. And the weather gods were certainly on our side, as we had perfect weather, which I was extremely thankful for, as not only is the view spectacular, but the roads are very windy.. So make sure you buckle up J J

From Lorne to the Twelve Apostles, you are looking at about a 3 hour drive (one direction), but along the way there are PLENTY of towns to stop. There is also the gorgeous Otway National Park, great pit stop, there is a very cool old lighthouse to climb and if your lucky, dozens of Koalas in their natural habitat.

But ofcourse, the star of the Great Ocean Road are the Twelve Apostles. And having it been one of my childhood dreams to see them, I was not disappointed.

My suggestion – if you can avoid doing it in a day tour, and can afford a night in Lorne and some car hire, then this is the far better way to see it. The drive will be much nicer and you will certainly enjoy the experience more!

From Lorne, we headed East over to the Mornington Peninsula. From Lorne to Portsea, in a car, then the Ferry (with the car on board) it took about 3 hours. We had a lunch stop at the Portsea Hotel, very famous to the Victorians and the food (and view) was delicious!

After lunch, it was all about hitting the wineries. And they did not disappoint! Jon was very excited – his credit card was not….

We had a lovely night at the 5 star Peppers Moonah Links, before hitting the tourist spots the next day. We checked out the Hot Springs and the Lavender and Maze farm and of course the gorgeous beach huts along the coast line! (My highlight)

Having only the one night in Mornington, I’m not sure we did it justice. If you’re going to do it, allow at least 2 nights…

From Mornington we headed back to Melbourne…

We all know how amazing Melbourne is, so I won’t go in to too much detail.

Except to recommend:

The Mercure Treasury Gardens Hotel! Fantastic location, fantastic rooms and I was extremely surprised!

And check out the Yarra Valley Wine Trip for a great day out J

Hayman! Bec's favourite place in the world!

Hayman Island

For those who have worked at Flight Centre awhile, you would know that HAYMAN ISLAND is my favourite place ON EARTH……

There are many critics (Trip Advisor included) who comment that the Island is getting old and no longer the jewel of the Whitsundays that it used to be. To those people, I say, you are wrong! And you miss the point of what Hayman is about!

In 8 years, I’ve visited the Island 10 times (very lucky I know) and each time I return with excitement and anticipation of a fantastic holiday ahead.

The allure of Hayman is the location. Set at the Northern end of the Whitsunday Islands, it is about a 60min Luxury Catamaran Transfer from Hamilton Island.

When you arrive at Hamilton Island (off Virgin or Jetstar flights) you are met at the Hayman Island counter then directed to the Luxury Hayman Boats.

Upon boarding, you are met with champagne, wine, beer, soft drinks. Whatever takes your fancy and then platters of tasty treats.

The great part of the boat trip, aside from the magnificent views, is this journey is used as your check in process. So you fill in all your forms and details, and once you arrive at the Island, you don’t have anything else to worry about, apart from, RELAXING!

After a gorgeous 60 min launch trip, you arrive at the Hayman Island Marina. Stepping off the boat, you are greeted by members of the Hayman Staff and driven down to the resort by buggies and personally taken to your room. They call this the “Meet and Greet” service, and this is your opportunity to ask your staff member any questions you may have about the resort and your room.

During this whole process, your luggage is taken care of for you. Once you check your bags in at your departure point, you don’t see then again until they are delivered to your room on Hayman  - BRILLIANT!

And from there, the choice as to what to do is up to you……

Be it, lie by the Famous Hayman Pool, drink cocktails, visit the World Renowned Day Spa, shop up a storm in the gorgeous boutiques, eat at the amazing restaurants, visit the Activities Centre (tennis, gym, squash, basketball, small driving range), do one of the many Bush Walks…. And this is before we even talk about the water activities.

Fishing, snorkelling, diving, speed boat drop off, kayaks, canoes, catamarans…

Then we have Helicopter trips, secluded picnics…..

Basically, anything you can imagine doing on a Tropical Island, Hayman delivers.

And if you don’t want to imagine doing anything, and are simply happy to read a book, drink a cocktail and enjoy the view, then there is no better place!!

Sydney - Swissotel, Sydney Eye Tower, Aquarium, Madame Tussaud's, Taronga Zoo with Carol!

While on holidays in Sydney we stayed at the Swissotel Sydney. This 5 star hotel  is located at the end of Pitt Street Mall along Market Street which is about a 5 minute walk to Darling Harbour and a 15 minute walk to the Opera House, Harbour Bridge. 

We stayed in a Classic Room which was spacious and can either have 2 double beds or 1 king bed.  The bathroom is set up with a separate bathtub and walk in shower. The kids thought the heated pool was the best part of the hotel.  And if clients are wanting spa facilities there is Amrita Spa which guests pay direct. The staff were very helpful and friendly.

Everyone must book their clients The Sydney Eye Tower  (Centrepoint) because if you have not been to Sydney this is where your clients will go. We were 250 metres above Sydney’s streets with 360 degree views and could see as far as 80km in any direction. If your clients are not scared of heights add on the Skywalk for an exhilarating outdoor viewing experience.

The Sydney Aquarium (Sea Life) is at Darling Harbour and takes you through different underwater worlds, from Australian river systems to the Great Barrier Reef.  There was so much to see and took us quite a while to get through it, well worth the admission price.

We all had a great time at Madame Tussauds where you interact with the world’s most famous figures in wax. There is something here for everyone from sports, music, film, tv studio, history and world leaders.

Zoo Express is the easy way to visit Taronga Zoo.  The cruise takes you from Darling Harbour or Circular Quay (departs every 45 minutes) with interesting commentary about Sydney along the way. The Sky Safari cable car took us up to the Zoo and once up there the animals at the Zoo would have to have the best views of Sydney city and the harbour. There are animals of every kind (the kids favourites were the Chimpanzees and Gorillas.) The Free Flight Bird Show was amazing as the birds are so well trained and the kids thought the Seal Show was funny.

Heron Island

WOW! Heron Island has to be the most beautiful island of the Whitsundays. 

(By the lovely Training and Development team)

Only a 1 hour flight from Brisbane to Gladstone Airport, you will be met for your short coach ride to the jetty where your modern launch awaits for your 2 hour ride to Heron Island.

However, for the most spectacular ride ever, upgrade to the 30 min helicopter ride.  This isn’t just a transfer this is one of the most amazing flights you will experience anywhere in the world.  Arrive like a Rock Star just as Corina our Sydney Infinity Holidays trainer did below:

Travellers come from the world over to experience all that Heron has to offer including the spectacular diving, snorkelling and of course baby turtles! Guests staying at the resort varied from Gladstone families over for the weekend, University study groups and honeymoon couples.  The island is all about relaxation and getting back to nature with no phone reception or tv you can really get away from everything.  For those starved of news from the outside world there is wi-fi in the bar at a small charge of $3 per 15 minutes and a flat screen TV .   Cocktail hour is from 5pm to 6pm.  With all of your meals included it is a stress free holiday.

The Heron Beachfront Suites offers a spacious relaxing environment as you relax and listen to the waves roll in only metres from your balcony or patio.

Infinity Holidays Training & Development Team  enjoying a cocktail at Happy Hour

From left to right: Julie Barton – Team Leader & Brisbane Trainer, Corina Bonello – Sydney, Helen McAuliffe – Melbourne Trainer, Sarah Haines – Assistant Team Leader & Brisbane Trainer & Linda Di Stefano – Adelaide Trainer (Linda relaxing in the bar before dinner)

Our team were lucky enough to enjoy the reef without getting wet on the semi-submersible coral viewing cruises, with our naturalist guide providing commentary.  We saw sharks, turtles, stingrays and every type of fish possible!

Once you have exhausted yourself with reef walks, snorkelling, the semi-submersible, star gazing, learning about the Island and the eco system you can still find time to watch the beautiful sunsets with a cocktail in hand or find a quieter spot to relax and contemplate life...

Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne Zoo is an easy tram ride north of the city, past the Victoria Markets (basically, if I can find it, anyone can!) and almost into the suburbs. 22 hectares of animal amazingness then lay before you to be explored at your own speed and leisure.

The zoo is massive! There are too many animals to count, shows to see, kiosks to eat at, parks and quiet areas dotted around the site, and zoo keepers to answer any and every question you may have about their friends. I visited the zoo when I was 8 and was enchanted by the butterfly house and still am. It is hot, calm and peaceful having butterflies dance through the sky for your viewing pleasure.

Many of the other animals are cheeky and playful and I think this is a wonderful tour for people of all ages and families. It is a lovely day out.

Melbourne Aquarium

Melbourne Aquarium!

The Melbourne Aquarium is located right in the CBD, just before the footbridge over to the Crown complex. It is easy to get to and quite the fun little detour in a city more well known for its food and cultural experiences.

The highlight for me was definitely the Antartic Penguin Experience. They are amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing! This is the first enclosure of its kind in Australia and they are a sight to behold. Whether cruising around their pool or waddling over their arctic landscape, they are enthralling little fellas and quite the surreal experience in the middle of a capital city.

There are thousands (?) of other animals to view at the aquarium - turtles, frogs, snakes, eels, jellyfish, fish of all shapes and sizes, sharks and so many more it is impossible to count (although that would be a great way to keep the kids busy while here). It is a fun experience for the young and old; anyone with a curious mind really!