Week beginning 22 October 2007
travel tips: with david ellis
SAVE ON ALASKA COACH TOURS
SAVE $250 a couple on Gray Line of Alaska coach and rail tours of six
days or longer in 2008 by booking and depositing through Adventure
World before December 31. Options include the McKinley Explorer Tour
from Anchorage to Denali National Park and Fairbanks that's now priced
from $1475pp twin-share, or a 10-nights Yukon Highlights that from
$3633pp twin-share travels through historic Alaska gold rush areas and
includes a cruise on the Yukon River from Eagle to Dawson City.
Details 1300 363 055 or www.adventureworld.com.au
A RECORD 11,000 cyclists are expected to start in the 26th Sydney to
the Gong Ride on November 4 to raise money for MS – how many finish
the 90km event is another matter. The ride will start at St Peters in
Sydney's south-east and wind around Botany Bay, through the Royal
National Park and across the spectacular new Sea Cliff Bridge to
finish in the heart of Wollongong. Organisers hope it will raise
$1million for treatment, specialist services and advice for those
living with MS; to join the ride phone (02) 9413 4166 or visit
www.gongride.org.au
FORMER airline airport manager in Brisbane, Wendy Johnson has turned a
love of overseas shopping into book form to help fellow shop-a-holics:
her first pocket-size tome, Hot Spots to Shop in Bangkok advises where
to find specific products or services, details western clothing sizes
and equivalents in Thailand, lists shopping centres, hidden must-visit
stores, trading hours, phone contacts, and transport information. It
costs $19.95 online through www.hotspots2shop.com ; Wendy plans to
follow it up with Hot Spots to Shop in other Asia-Pacific cities.
A HIDDEN river retreat on the NSW coast 2.5-hours from Sydney or
Canberra offers nine self-contained luxury bungalows with spas that
have bush views, ensuites with double showers, gourmet kitchens,
air-conditioning, queen beds and balconies with BBQ. The 4.5 star
Bewong River Retreat is a short drive from Jervis Bay where guests can
go dolphin or whale watching, and at the resort swim, fish, bushwalk –
and use each bungalows' canoe. Price starts from $180 per night
including late check-out; book through www.quickbeds.com
TWENTY-FOUR nights cruising from Beijing to Sydney on the 5-star Sun
Princess in September next year will include calls at Shanghai, Hong
Kong, Nah Trang, Vung Tau, Sihanoukville, Singapore and Darwin, all
meals, entertainment, return air and taxes and port charges. Prices
start from $6279pp twin-share ex-Sydney, $6316 Melbourne and from
$6341pp twin-share ex-Brisbane; phone 1800 044 066 or visit
www.travel-associates.com.au
TRUE: ECCENTRIC American billionaire businessman, aviator and film
producer, Howard Hughes once filled the cargo compartment of his
personal jetliner with thousands of tennis balls – so it would float
if it crash-landed on water.
