TRAVEL DEALS: 6 MAY

Oaks Mons Komo

$ QLD

Clear the Brissy hustle and head to the beach at Oaks Mon Komo, a brand new property overlooking Moreton Bay. Water babies note: it boasts a glass-edge ocean-view pool, the popular Suttons Beach is just across the road and there’s a restaurant, sports bar and gaming facilities on site. Opening specials see apartments going for a quarter of their normal price. Costs $119 for a one-bedroom apartment (normally $393), $179 for a two-bedroom apartment per night (normally $573), oakshotelsresorts.com

$ TAS

Who knew Launceston had a Paris End? Stay amongst the majestic buildings of one of Australia’s oldest cities and pay nearly half price at the 4.5-star Colonial Launceston. Book from May 21, rate includes breakfast, free parking and movies. Cost from $118 a night, twinshare, 1300 130 485, travel.com.au

$$ NSW

The English National Ballet comes to Sydney from 8-17 June, with 14 performances at The Concourse in Chatswood. The program features Celebrations, a selection beloved classical pas de deux from Manon, Don Quixote, the Black Swan from Swan Lake and Trois Gnossiennes.Packages at the nearby Mantra Chatswood include two premium tickets to the ballet, a bottle of wine and 1pm checkout. Costs from $499, 131 517, mantra.com.au/ballet

$$ VIC

Napoleon is set to conquer Melbourne this winter as the National Gallery of Victoria’s 2012 Winter Masterpiece Napoleon: Revolution to Empire, celebrates French life from the 1770s to the 1820s. Stay at the four-star Crossley Hotel on Little Bourke St in the city’s centre and get a free night on all three-night stays in a standard room. Travel until September 22. Costs $354 a room for three nights, 138 833, sunloverholidays.com.au

$$$ NT

Tick the Territory’s Big Three - Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon - off your bucket list in one easy swoop, and take a mate for free.  Book an All three in the NT four-day short break with AAT Kings and get the second airfare free. The tour includes an Uluru sunset tour, walks in Kata Tjuta and Walpa Gorge and climbing in the Kings Canyon, as well as three nights’ accommodation at Kings Canyon Resort and the Outback Pioneer at Ayers Rock Resort, with guides and transfers. Travel between April 17 – June 30, book by May 13. Airfares with Virgin Australia from Sydney to Ayres Rock cost $466 for two seats. Tour costs from $799 a person, see travel agents, 1300 228 546, aatkings.com.au

$$$$ SA

Linked to the mainland by a 30-minute flight, Kangaroo Island’s best-known inhabitants are its namesake kangaroos, as well as seals and sea lions. KI’s best-known address, the uber-luxurious Southern Ocean Lodge has launched a cool-season package that saves up to $2800 a couple on three-night stays. In addition, get upgraded to the next suite and receive a $400 lodge credit to spend on an adventure, spa, wine room or boutique. Costs $2499 for three nights, southernoceanlodge.com.au

INTERNATIONAL

$ FRANCE

Historical Le Marais, on Paris’s Right Bank, is chockers with royal mansions, the Bastille, art galleries and Paris’s flourishing gay community. Of course, that’s where your apartment is, too. This fully-furnished, petite one-bedroom sleeps two and comes with wifi and breakfast basics. All you have to do is trot down to the boulangerie each morning for your fresh baguettes. Tres Parisien!  Save $38 a night when you book five nights, until August 31. Costs $190 a night, 0410 716 930, petiteparis.com.au 

Waterhouse, South Bund, Shanghai

$$ CHINA

Forget the mega-hotels that dominate Shanghai’s skyline: boutique is best. The tiny Waterhouse at South Bund has just 19 rooms. Architecture aficionados will recognise the work by Neri & Hu Design on the 1930s building, which has been welcomed into the Design Hotels family. Stay three nights in a Bund, Terrace or River suite, pay for two. Includes breakfast and a food & beverage credit. Costs from $885 for three nights, 0011 800 3746 8357, designhotels.com/the_waterhouse

$$ EUROPE

Polish up your language skills in Europe’s roads – it may not always be the most polite conversation, but self-drive holidays open up the land of the locals, and polish your map-reading skills simultaneously. Winner! Save $300 off car rentals when you book a family-sized Scenic Renault for 21 days or more. Book before May 16, collect by June 30. Includes unlimited kilometres, insurance, GPS, with no excess and 24-hour roadside assistance. Costs from $1599, 1300 551 160, renaulteurodrive.com.au

$$$ NEW ZEALAND

So you’ve got champagne tastes, but a beer budget? Leaping from a helicopter to the pristine snow doesn’t have to break the bank. The Queenstown Heli Shred package includes a full day’s heli-skiing, a week’s accommodation, a day pass for Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, return flights and lift pass for Treble Cone, drinks at Queenstown’s bars and some meals, saving $250. Costs $1495 a person (dorm accommodation), $1895 a person (twin share), (03) 9017 1142, queenstownadventureholidays.com

$$$$$ KENYA & TANZANIA

See two million wilderbeest pouring over the rivers that mark the border between Tanzania and Kenya, across the plains of the Serengeti into the lands of the Masai Mara on their annual migration. It’s a heartstopping spectacle of life, death, dust and glory. Snap up a last-minute deal, saving 10 percent, on a 16-day escorted tour through the two countries’ famed national parks. Book by May 18, travel August 18. Costs $9915 a person, twin share, 1300 363 302, africanwildlifesafaris.com.au

TOURWATCH

Capture the scents and tastes of India’s spice trade with spicemeister Ian (Herbie) Hemphill. Herbie and his wife Liz are taking their 11th small-group tour to India to discover the spice trade and all its history, mixing tourism and food. Herbie’s favourite places include Jaipur and its markets and fascinating Deogarh, where you’ll stay in a maharajah’s palace. “We also go down to South Cochin, to the heart of the world’s spice trade, where cardamom and pepper are native to the area,” he says.  There’s also cooking classes in local homes, because Aussies love to see how others live, he adds. Travel January 13-19, 2013. Includes return air fares, all meals, accommodation, tours, tips and departure taxes. Costs $9500 a person, (02) 9555 6035, herbies.com.au