Shake it, spa it, catwalk it: Travel deals 9 September 2012

Four-Diamond Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa 

Nostalgic surfer chic meets Miami swim catwalk on the Gold Coast and learn to shake what your mama gave you at the home of samba, salsa and tango. 

VICTORIA

Quest’s five new studio apartment properties in inner-urban Sydney and Melbourne include a kitchenette, workspace and free wi-fi. They’re kicking off with deals such as $175 a night, down from $300, at Quest Studios East Melbourne, close to the shopping strip of Bridge Road and Melbourne’s top sports arenas. Includes breakfast for two at a local café. Stay until October 30, quote ‘SHSO’ when booking. (03) 9413 0000, questapartments.com.au.

TASMANIA

Save 40 per cent when you book a night at Launceston’s Country Club Tasmania, on the edge of the state’s second city. A night in a 4.5-star deluxe room for two includes a bottle of Tasmanian wine, 18 holes of golf and a 30-minute massage as well as breakfast in the Links restaurant. Go horse riding, take a wine tour or fish for trout in its private lake. Costs $299 a night, until September 30.  1800 635 344, countryclubtasmania.com.au 

QT Gold Coast

 QUEENSLAND

Get the party started on the Gold Coast with a two-night stay in the slinky QT Gold Coast, self-described as ‘nostalgic surfer chic meets Miami swim catwalk’. That’ll help you choose your wardrobe. On top of a saving of $384, you’ll get breakfast, an exploratory dinner for two in its hugely popular signature restaurant, Bazaar and $50 spa credit or a party starter at the happening Stingray Lounge. Costs from $450 a room for two nights until November 30.  (07) 5584 1200, qtgoldcoast.com.au.

Seashells Resort Mandurah

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Mandurah is only an hour south of Fremantle, which is gearing up for the return of the replica Dutch ship Duyfken, the first European ship to reach Australia in 1606, on Sunday 23 September. Stay three, pay for two nights in a one-bedroom apartment at the 4.5-star Seashells Resort Mandurah until November 30. Costs from $210 a person, three nights, twin share.  132 757, harveyworld.com.au.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Watch the sun rise on Uluru, discover galleries of Aboriginal rock art and visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Book 12 months advance for your journey into the red centre, saving up to $450 a couple on a six-day Red Centre Discovery. Included is a dinner and a discovery tour of the Earth Sanctuary World National Centre, airport transfers and guiding. Deal valid on departures until December 28, 2013. Earlybird special costs from $1689 a person, twin share. 1300 228 546, aatkings.com.au.

NSW

Spring has sprung so put a wiggle in your walk with a visit to the town of love and light, Byron Bay. Normally $780 room only, the sleek Byron at Byron resort’s spring package gets you 10 per cent off in the spa, restaurant and bar, as well as free yoga, wifi, daily breakfast buffet and bike hire to cruise the rainforest trails down to the beach. Valid for stays until December 10. Costs $794 for two nights in a standard suite. 1300 554 362, thebyronatbyron.com.au.

FRANCE

B&B,  Île Saint-Louis, Paris

You may still be shopping for the wardrobe to suit your Parisian jaunt, but your apartment will certainly come up to scratch. Set on the Île Saint-Louis, an island in the middle of the Seine, the B&B is on the third floor of a traditional Haussmann building, and despite its antique interiors, its owners welcome kids. There are two rooms, great for families or two couples. Save from E44 a night on stays between November 1 and March 30. Costs from E175 a night. petiteparis.com.au.

HAWAI’I

Hit the sands of Waikiki beach and stay eight nights at the Four-Diamond Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa, with breakfast, flights and airport transfers. Kids under 17 stay free, under-12s get free lunch and dinner with a paying adult. Bonuses include a tour of Pearl Harbour and Honolulu city and one entertainment show or catamaran dinner cruise. Costs from $1990 a person, twin share, eight nights and return airfares with Hawaiian Airlines. 1300 00 42 92, myholidaycentre.com.au/hawaii.

Semara Resort & Spa

BALI

Hot to shop and the island’s best dining strip, Seminyak is the fast-beating heart of Bali. The Semara Resort & Spa’s Winter Escape deal saves $438 on stays until September 30. Book a two-night stay in a superior poolside room, get daily buffet breakfast,  dinner for two at Finns Beach Club, two hours for two in the spa, wifi, yoga  and meditation classes and airport transfers. Costs from $484 for two people, two nights. +62 (361) 847 6661, semararesorts.com.

MALAYSIA

Koto Kinabalu, Malaysia

Get a double dose of the tropics and a free Darwin stopover on your way to Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu. Price includes return flights to KK via Darwin with Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia, two nights at Darwin’s Travel Lodge Mirambeena Resort and four nights at Novotel Kota Kinabalu. They’ll throw in a free tour of Litchfield National Park, worth $149, full breakfast daily and one free nightBook by end September, travel November 1 – December 7. Costs from $1459 a person (land and air). 1300 747 400, creativeholidays.com/asiaonsale.  

AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST

Blend African wildlife with the craziness of Cairo and Jordan’s deserts over 26 days from Cape Town to Cairo. Book before December 31 and your friend flies free (paying only taxes of $795), saving up to $2040 per couple. Departs August – October 2013 and includes all flights within Africa, two charter flights in Kenya, 4WD game viewing and accommodation in private game lodges and luxury camps. Costs from $18,995 a person, twin share. 1300 229 804, aptouring.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Learn to shake what your mama gave you, and where better than the home of samba, salsa and tango, South America? This 14-day dance-themed tour starts in Santiago, Chile, where you’ll tackle the cueca and rumba, lubricated with wineries visits, before hitting Buenos Aires’ La Boca district for up-close-and-personal tango workshops. There’s samba and salsa classes in Rio de Janeiro as well as visits to Copacabana Beach and Corcovado Mountain, to stand at the feet of Christ the Redeemer, and the tour includes a trip to the Argentinean and Brazilian sides of the magnificent Iguassu Falls. Departs March 3, 2013. Costs from $3995 a person, twin share and includes some meals and all South American flights. 1300 558 987, tempoholidays.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson Sun Herald