Stories from the Suitcase...Serenity now...

Today I get the pleasure of writing this post while lying on the couches on the deck of a gorgeous beach house that we have the pleasure of 'road testing' for the weekend.  I've got a freshly brewed coffee beside my laptop (it smells divine) and at the moment, because everyone is still asleep, all I can hear are the birds in the trees and the faint roar of the ocean.

Bliss.  

All the stress of the working week evaporated as soon as we drove through Byron Bay to get to Broken Head.  There must be something in the air here and I'm not talking about fumes from nearby Nimbin LOL!

People just seem more relaxed and everything moves at a slower pace.

The Pavilions is a gated complex of luxury beachouses situated at the end of a beach road, in a rainforest.  The layout is open and spacious with timber decking all around the building.  You feel like you've left Australia and landed in Bali.

To get our luxury beach house weekend started last night, the kids and everyone else were banished to the lounge pavilion to watch DVDs and I took a long bubble bath in the master bedroom.

Jealous? 

Feeling 100% more relaxed, I grabbed a glass of wine and joined the crew to watch The Hangover.  All time funniest movie.

This morning,  to continue my weekend of chilling out I headed down to the beach.

I walked along the beach, squishing my toes in the sand and breathing in the fresh air.  I'm one of those people who is always on the go, so to get the opportunity to just relax is wonderful.  Better than a yoga class any day!

This area is so beautiful and unspoilt, you feel like you're a million miles from development.  There's lots of little paths that lead into the nature reserve and you get spectacular views along the coast in both directions.  I've heard that the little bays around Broken Head are known for nude bathing, but I didn't spot any nudie rudies!

It sounds like the troops have woken up, I'll let you know how the rest of our weekend goes.

- Susan

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Stories from the Suitcase...Maroochydore

So guys, new layout, new blog, new direction...why the hell not?!


We're going to show you how real people travel.

I don't know about you guys but I luuurve to read about other people's trips away, be it for the holiday of a lifetime or just a weekend away.  I especially enjoy hearing about nightmare holidays.  It's how I get most of my survival tips.

We tracked down Alex @ Whoa Mumma for a guest spot to let us know how she survived the Easter long weekend.  Alex has a tonne of kids and yet manages to still get away occasionally (straight jacket stowed in glove box, I'm sure!)

This post should be called How I survived my Easter holiday.

I don't know if you guys follow my blog (IT IS AWESOME despite what you may have heard or read, recent laziness cast aside).  If you do, you'll know that in recent years I have been some what of a jet setter.  Hawaii, Japan, Vegas, heck even Christchurch...I've taken advantage of pretty much every Jetstar flight special.

But since popping out sprog number 4, I have been grounded.  Something to do with her screaming like a banshee whenever the wind changes.  Not the best companion for long haul flights. In fact, she's screaming her lungs out right now so I guess I better tend to Her Majesty's whims (4 teeth out in one week, she really is an over achiever).

Okay, I'm back.

What was I talking about?

Oh yes, the weekend from hell.

Hubs was going to do some training for his new job on the Thursday in Maroochydore.  Maroochydore is a mighty pretty seaside town in Queensland.

Free luxury accommodation in a one bedroom apartment.  He suggested that we all go up and spend the weekend together.  Because I'm always complaining that I never get to go away anymore.

Being the sleep deprived, bored idiot supportive wife that I am, I agreed.

Flying to another country with family in tow?  No worries.  Limited to whatever crapola you can fit into a suitcase.

Driving to another city with family in tow?

A bloody mission.  Portacot, pram, nappies, beach toys, blah, blah blah.

  At 4am on Thursday morning we set out on our road trip.  The baby, Miss 2 and 8 year old boy were pulled from their beds and packed into the car.

Let me now just say an almighty thank you to the Gods that invented in car DVD.  I always swore black and blue that I'd never get one but this little beauty kept these two quiet for 3 whole hours.

Amazing.  The fact that they were watching Austin Powers and now call each other 'sexy bitches' is irrelevant.

So we made it from the Gold Coast to Maroochydore in record time and found ourselves at our destination with a little dilemma.

What the heck was I going to do all day?  

We found the local radio station and they were all a flutter because a man- eating shark had been spotted on the local beach.  Hubs turned towards the beach and along with a dozen other JAWS fanatics (and the local TV station) stood on the beach waiting for a surfer to get chomped.

Took me about 15 minutes to figure out the date and that we'd been duped.  April Fools Day people.

Ugh.  Stupid sleep deprivation.

It was getting late (like 7.45am) so we dropped Hubs off at work and I took a few random turns, and found myself utterly and completey lost.

Sleep deprived, unable to check in until 2, with no GPS and 3 bored kids I did what any mother would do.  

Found a Hungry Jacks, fed my kids a nutritious breakfast of hash browns and lemonade, hit google and found out the way to Australia Zoo.

Saved!

I took a few more random turns, found the way out of Maroochydore and headed down the highway to Beerwah.

When I turned into Australia Zoo, I felt like Clark Griswald arriving at Wallyworld.

Lucky for me, it was open, so there was no Bindi nose punching incident.

Fabulous day out.  Kids loved it.  We saw tigers, elephants and bears, oh my!  Oh and yeah we watched the croc show.

I made inappropriate Steve Irwin jokes, threw in a few 'CRIKEYs' and got to pat a possum.

We left thoroughly exhausted and made our way back to Maroochydore.  A few random turns and I found the waterfront and we spent some time playing in a park.

We finally checked into our accommodation at 5 pm (because I couldn't find it, then realised it was 100 metres from the park we'd been playing in.  Doh!)

Hubs finished his training and I was ready for him to take over so I could have some 'me time' and start my holiday.

Bottle of wine ready.

He informed me that he was off to a work dinner at a swanky Thai restaurant.

Pleased I was not.  Several glasses of wine were downed and there may have been some expletives.

CRIKEY!

I don't know if you've ever taken your family on holidays in an upmarket, luxury apartment.

Never EVER book a hotel room if you have kids.  Nightmare.

You need at least one room to hide away in, so that you can quietly rock in the corner.

As it was, we had a spacious, uber trendy, one bed apartment to trash.

Which when you have an 8, 2 and 8 month year old to entertain, we did.

Cheese sprinkled all over the carpet amused the baby.

The 2 year old threw things off the balcony.

The 8 year old turned a lovely shade of green and proceeded to throw up and POO (one of those bugs that it comes out both ends) all over the lounge room for the rest of the evening.

Mummy drank wine.  Lots of wine.

And eventually passed out.

Daddy eventually came home from his dinner, saw the devastation and realised it was 'his turn'.

Let's just say Good Friday did indeed turn into Good Friday when Whoa Mumma was treated to the movies (Revenge of the Titans...crap, don't go), A NAP, lunch & dinner.  Delish.

Sunshine Plaza (across the road from our hotel) rocks.

I heart Maroochydore.

So yeah, eventually mummy got to relax and honestly, it was good to get away...all my complaining put aside.

Sorry for trashing the room Horton apartments.  The smell will come out of the carpet...eventually.

So what did I learn on this adventure?

When you get home you want to kiss the tiles and Thank God that you're home.

(Unless, you're halfway home on Saturday and pewk into a McDonalds cup and proceed to spend the afternoon making out with the toilet bowl.)

Being a mum is awesome.

Got a horror holiday story you need to share?  Maybe just to vent?  Drop us a line and spare someone else the nightmare (or give us a giggle!)

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Stories from the Suitcase...Bali

It's Friday, ladies and gentlemen and it's time for you guys to share your travel stories.  We want to know the good, the bad, the ugly.  Let others know if you found your dream destination or if your holiday turned into a nightmare.  Just drop us an email to share your stories from the suitcase!

This week Hayden revisits his first trip to Bali.

1. Destination?

Bali.  We flew Jetstar from Darwin to Denpasar.  It was a short flight.  The airport in Denpasar is a bit overwhelming.  Make sure you have some US dollars to pay for your visa (about $20).  Our host at our Villa organised for us to skip the queues and got us past customs in about 2 minutes. 

2.  Where did you stay?

We stayed at a Luxury Private Villa called Villa Hening.  It's in Jimbaran Bay and overlooks Benoa Harbour.  It had a great pool, jacuzzies, a spa (which the wife took full advantage of), private theatre and fitness centre.  It'd be a great place to take a bunch of friends there (which we plan to do).

We had a great time having drunken parties with some Japanese guests, surfing in the pool.

Our room was right next to that Bali hut and that's where we ate breakfast everyday, right next to an awesome infinity edge pool overlooking the whole valley.

Our room had its own outdoor tub and luxury shower.

No pokey hotel room here!

It was a bit strange to have staff at your beck and call 24 hours a day at first, but we got used to it pretty quickly.  The villa was only 15 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes to Jimbaran Beach and Nusa Dua shopping complex.  The good thing was the staff organised all our transport, recommended the best places to eat.

3. What time of year did you travel?

We went to Bali in February.  The weather was pretty hot and occasionally there was a light shower (which was actually refreshing).  Most days were spent in the pool.

4. Who did you travel with?

My wife.  It was our wedding anniversary.

5. How did you get around?

We had a driver from the Villa drop us off if we wanted to get anywhere then made our way back in Taxis.  Apparently you should only go in the blue taxis with birds on them because all the others are dodgy.

All the balinese get around on scooters.  It's really freaky seeing 3 people piled onto a scooter.  They're a bit mad with the road rules, but it all seems to work.

We decided to be rebels though and took a walk through the suburbs.

That's a cow in the bushes.

These poor dogs are everywhere.

6. Food?

We took full advantage of the restaurant at the Villa.  I seriously nearly ate every single item on the menu.

We also tried a few restaurants on the beach in Bali.  Our favourite was this outdoor restaurant with red furniture, weird food and a pool.  

In between cocktails we'd have a swim.  It was a bit expensive though.  There were cheaper Asian style places to eat that had great food and cold beer.

Jimbaran Bay seafood restaurant was awesome as well.  Really fresh fish.

It was weird to see rice on offer in their KFC and McDonalds.

7. Trip Highlights?

We visited the monkey forest and that was pretty cool.

Sitting in the private theatre and watching about 20 dodgy DVDs while getting room service was definitely a highlight.

We had fun shopping in the markets and bought a bunch of cheap knock offs like Billabong shirts and shorts, sunglasses and the wife bought a few hand bags.

The furniture and historical places are visually spectacular, too.

8. Trip low point?

The poverty.  Outside of the rich area where we stayed you can see that people are really struggling.  The open sewers in the streets were also gross.  We saw an old lady just squat and pee into the gutter right in the tourist strip in Kuta.

Seeing all of the neglected dogs roaming the streets was pretty bad too.  The wife just wanted to feed them all.  

Getting hassled by every single local trying to sell you something got irritating after a while too.  You try to be polite but they don't take no for a answer.

9. What would you like others to know about your destination?

We only explored a really small part of Bali.  I know there are beautiful destinations all over the island but we just wanted a relaxing trip away. 

It also really threw us how poor and dirty the country is.

If you want a really relaxing holiday rent a private villa.  It's luxury accommodation but it's not expensive and the service is impeccable.

Next time we plan to stay there, explore other areas of the island and go surfing.

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Stories from the Suitcase...The Mercury Cider Fans

Once again folks, we have a Story from the Suitcase.  Drop us a line if you'd like to feature in this column.  We want to know the good, the bad and the ugly.

This week we have Nicola (one of the lovely gals at Luxury Oz Stays) revisiting her trip to Hobart.

1. Destination?

Hobart, in Tasmania.  Tasmania is that little apple shaped island at the bottom of Australia.

It started out as a penal colony but what was hell for English convicts is now a heavenly place to visit.  

2.  What time of year did you travel?

We visited Hobart in May.  It was starting to get a little chilly, so it was lucky that we brought jackets!

Icy winds coming off the Southern Ocean quickly remind you that southward, the next stop is Antarctica!  

Lucky for us though, we had several beautifully sunny and clear days to explore the city aswell.  We had an awesome time strolling through the Salamanca Markets.  These markets are brilliant and sell nearly everything.  Lots of yummy food too!

3.  Who did you travel with?

My boyfriend Chris and my friend Leesa.

4.  How did you get around?

Hobart has plenty to do within walking distance.  We also used the bus and hired a car for longer trips.

5.  Food?

My favourite was a place called Axum Ethiopian Restaurant at 112 Liverpool St, Hobart.  One of the cheapest and most delicious meals I've ever eaten.

6.  Trip Highlights?

Leesa and I are MAD Mercury Cider fans and over a few 100 ciders one night, decided to visit the place that makes this wonderful beverage!  The brewery is set on a large property with immaculate gardens and restaurant.  The tour itself was headed by a young guy with a great sense of humour making the tour really enjoyable.

We also hired a car for the day and drove down to Port Arthur.  We stopped along the way and saw some beautiful beaches and really quaint towns.  

The actual Port Arthur Historical Site and Visitors Centre was interesting but not worth the expensive entrance fee.

We drove up Mt Wellington which was a hair raising experience for us.  The road is narrow and winding, making it scary when you have a large coach passing you from the other direction.  Once we got to the top, the cloud cover was so dense we couldn't see 10 metres in front of us!  We laughed about it afterwards.

7.  Trip low point?

There weren't many...but I'd have to say the public transport in Hobart isn't the best.

8.  What would you like others to know about your destination?

At first we struggled to get used to the slower pace of Hobart, however after a while we noticed that we too had succumbed to the slower pace that is beautiful Hobart.  I would advise other travellers to spend at least 4 - 5 days there.  This place will capture you, and slow you right down without even realising it.

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Stories from the Suitcase...Aloha

We're introducing a new idea for Fridays here at Girl With A Suitcase.  Most people have great travel stories that they'd like to share.  We want to know the good, the bad and the ugly!  Inspire other people to see different parts of the world or share what's special in your neck of the woods.

This week we have Alex sharing her Hawaiian adventure.

1. Destination?

Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

2. What time of year did you travel?

We flew from Sydney, Australia to Hawaii.  Jetstar had some great air fare specials and it was really cheap for us to fly over.

We flew to Hawaii in February.  I expected it to be balmy and tropical but it was actually a little bit chilly.  Luckily, we'd all packed a few jumpers to keep us warm.

It was quite windy on the North Shore but Honolulu was warm and we spent most of our time at the beach in Waikiki.

3.  Who did you travel with?

It was our first international family holiday, so it was the husband, myself and two kids.  I was also pregnant with baby no. 3.  Flying for 9 hours on a plane when you are pregnant is not very comfortable. Make sure you pack a pillow or cushion.

4.  How did you get around?

We arrived in Honolulu early in the morning (morning sickness is a great way to get acquainted with the local toilets!) and hired a Hummer.

This is the valley where they film Lost.

We hadn't booked any accommodation because I hate booking from brochures and discovering that you are stuck with views of brick walls or cockroaches.  Don't worry, we're not completely loopy, we had a week of time share for week 2 of our stay.  But week 1 we wanted to explore.

Waikiki is a mass of high rises.  We decided to give that a miss.

Hawaii isn't as big as I expected so we decided to drive around the island until we saw something that we liked.

That being said, we were exhausted.  So we pretty much all passed out as soon as we got in the car.

The husband drove around the island and luckily for us, we discovered the Turtle Bay Resort.

If you haven't heard of it (we hadn't it) it has an amazing golf course and they filmed Forgetting Sarah Marshall there.

Beautiful resort.  Kids loved saying Aloha to everyone, we snorkelled in the lagoon, the restaurants were fabulous and the husband played golf.

Rainbows every morning.  This was the view from our room.

5.  Food?

I have to admit I find US inspired food...disgusting.  Over processed and generally unhealthy.  We were served soft drinks as big as my son's head (medium) and hash browns are a plate of potato slop.

On the other hand we we visited the Polynesian Cultural Centre for the day and stayed for the Luau.

So for pregnant me, this was divine.  Yum.

6.  Trip Highlights?

The husband taking the kids for the day while I went shopping in Waikiki.  I have a GUESS addiction and it was bliss.  Can you tell?

Taking a submarine cruise with the kids.  I get sea sick but I survived and the kids loved the adventure.

We visited Pearl Harbour.  Once we were there, it was one of the saddest placest I have ever been.  The area is so beautiful but you can feel the spirits of all the people who died there.

Visiting the Polynesian Cultural Centre for the day was amazing.  You get to experience so many cultures in one day.  There was so much to do, in a lot of ways it was better than a theme park.  The kids LOVED it.

7.  Trip low point?

Waikiki.  I know for a lot of people it is an amazing destination.  There are boats for you to jump on, straight off the beach and lots of cocktail bars to play in (Duke's on the Beach).  For an Australian girl like me it was just too crowded and the beaches were too small.

We also didn't see any big waves.  Sunset and Waimea Bay were flat.  Pretty, but flat.

8.  What would you like others to know about your destination?

Oahu is a small island.  For a true Hawaiian experience, spend a little more and head to the North Shore. It's a good base to explore the area and the resort is beautiful.

Waikiki is great for shopping and partying.  With kids?  Not so much.

We didn't explore the other islands (pregnancy and volcano fumes don't really mix) but it's something we hope to do in the future.

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