Heron Island, a great family escape

Voyages Heron Island provides the perfect destination on the Great Barrier Reef for a great family escape holiday, Heron Island is definitely a natural wonderland to be explored by families. Voyages Heron Island provides a true reef experience with a host of activities for families to enjoy together. However, when Mum and Dad want a little peace and quiet together, the Kids Club Junior Rangers Program will keep the children entertained with plenty of fun activities.

Heron Island offers accommodation to suit the whole family. Turtle Rooms and Reef Suites are available in family room configurations and sleep up to 4 persons using existing bedding.

At Heron Island children 12 years and under stay free, using existing bedding plus children 12 years and under eat free when dining with a paying adult and eating from buffet or children’s menu.

Activities for the kids

Junior Rangers Program

If it’s school holidays, or by special arrangement at any other time, you can sign the children up for the Heron Junior Rangers (7-12yrs), where they’ll get up close and personal with a wonderful variety of marine creatures, and explore the forest and woodlands and the fascinating coral cay of the reef. During turtle season (October - March), they can join the Queensland Turtle Research program’s research and monitoring activities.

Kids Club Junior Ranger activities contribute to the earning of a variety of colourful embroidered badges, from the “Three-Kilometer Badge” through to the highly prized “Junior Ranger Badge”.

Diving and snorkling as a family

A fun activity for the whole family; grab your snorkel, flippers and wetsuit, and swin straight off the beach and over coral gardens teeming with marine life. If a couple of members of your family are a little more serious and would like to get into the diving then no problem! There are combined snorkelling and diving trips to suit everyone. Head out to the famous Heron Bommie and see a kaleidoscope of colour literally teeming with exotic marine life.

Other Actitivities

• Guided reef walks (operate daily subject to tides)
• Island ecology walks
• Guided birdlife walks
• Stargazing
• Wildlife presentations
• Nightly movie and marine documentary
• Snorkelling lessons in swimming pool
• Tennis (night & day) & table tennis
• Natural history slide show
• Trivia night
• Movies under the stars (subject to weather)

For Bookings and Details visit the Heron Island website or Qantas Holidays for super specials rates.

Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport offers convenience and comfort for smart travelling families.

Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport is well positioned next to the terminals at Melbourne Airport. After a great nights sleep wake up relaxed to wholesome buffet breakfast before taking a transfer or leisurely stroll to the airport to starting your families holiday or personal travel.

All 198 rooms inclusive of 8 suites are refurbished in soft earthy tones. Enjoy in house movies and access to high speed internet, plus get restful nights sleep with a slumber pillow menu and very comfortable “Sealy” (its a sealy) beds with clean and crisp linen. All the rooms at Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport are non smoking rooms which is great to know when it comes to getting a good night sleep.

Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn offers the families who are heading on holidays the perfect way to start or finish a family holiday.

Find out more or view other package options at Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport

Family Luxury Waterfront Accommodation

Port Stephens an easy 3 hours drive north of Sydney is the perfect destinantion for family holidays.

Located in the Pristine blue waters of Port Stephens family holidays in Australia can have touch of luxury. Peppers Anchorage is a luxury Retreat offering waterfront accommodation overlooking the Anchorage Marina & Corlette Beach. With a total of 80 accommodation rooms, Peppers Anchorage is the ideal venue to escape the hectic city lifestyle & loose yourself along the sandy beaches, explore hidden coves & relax with a glass of wine & a platter of oysters.

It is the personal touches Peppers Anchorage offers that ensure guests return again & again – each room is lined with photographs of the local area, all taken by an aspiring staff member dabbling in photography. Or there is our waitstaff, always looking to have a yarn about the local fishing tournaments or the newest addition to our ever changing menu or perhaps you prefer to drop into our Marina Office to discuss the newest adrenalin activity – perhaps a jetboat ride.

Peppers Anchorage is more than just a Retreat – it is an escape.

This hotel is perfect for families with special activities and services offered for kids – these don’t necessarily have to be onsite eg. The chance to see turtles laying eggs on the beach, the opportunity to feed baby animals etc – Providing the kids with experiential and educational activities are what we are really looking for)

• Peppers Anchorage Marina Office will hire run about boats ideal for exploring the area by water – no boat licence required.
• Toboggan Hill Park – Hours of fun for the kids!
• Oakvale Farm & Fauna World – features bottle feeding & nursing of the baby animals daily. A wonderful experience for children with a large range of native fauna & farm animals.
• Bike Riding - Over 20Km’s of bike riding tracks around the bays, beaches & headlands.
• Port Stephens Beaches & Bays are a draw card for visitors & residents alike. Collect the beach ball & swimmers & head for a favourite!

So if you are after a unique Australian holiday destination you can’t go past the Peppers Anchorage for luxury family holidays outside of the city.

For Details visit www.peppers.com.au

Holiday Inn on Flinders Melbourne, fantastic location

Base your family in the heart of Melbourne

Holiday Inn on Flinders Melbourne is so well positioned in the city you would think it was built to be that way! Some of the attractions that are only short walk from the hotel lobby are the Melbourne Aquarium, Docklands, heaps of entertainment at South Bank, Crown Casino, Telstra Dome for watching the footy and of course the famous Melbourne shopping precincts.

Looking for some fun, action and entertainment with the kids in Melbourne. Holiday Inn on Flinders Melbourne is located just around the corner from the nearby Melbourne Aquarium. Kids can explore the wonderful and colourful marine life with a family pass when you book your accommodation on the Melbourne aquarium package.

Special: Holiday Inn on Flinders is participating in the Holiday Inn 3 Day only Sale with rooms from $99 - www.holidayinn.com.au/3daysale and www.holidayinn.co.nz/3daysale

Facts about the hotel

• Holiday Inn on Flinders is a truly friendly and personal boutique-style hotel perfectly located in the financial hub of Melbourne.
• The perfect base for any business traveller close to the Melbourne Convention Center, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, World Trade Centre and Stock Exchange.
• The hotel’s facilities cater also to the needs of leisure travellers, with most of Melbourne’s sightseeing spots, art and cultural centres within easy reach, including Telstra Dome sports stadium and the Docklands precinct.
• Southern Cross Railway Station is just a 2 minute walk away and the International Airport can be reached via direct freeway access in easy 20 minutes.
• Sirocco Restaurant & Bar offer a rich hot & cold buffet breakfast and market fresh specialities during the day and evening. The cocktail lounge is the perfect place to meet, relax and enjoy.
• For leisure the hotel offers a heated outdoor pool, mini gym and sauna. Holiday Inn On Flinders won the prestigious 2007 Australian Hotels Australian (AHA) Awards for Excellence in Best Environmental Initiative of all hotels Australia-wide. The hotel is recognised for its friendly and courteous service and enjoys a great share of regular return customers

Booking and More information Holiday Inn On Flinders Melbourne

Holiday Inn Wellington

Holiday Inn Wellington is a great hotel to stay at if you are travelling with children, as the rooms are very spacious and all rooms come with kitchenettes, making it perfect to self cater for yourself if needed. The Hotel is situated centrally close to all the major tourist attractions in Wellington, plus when the kids just want to go back the hotel to hang out it has great indoor pool keep them occupied.

Our tip for Wellington grab the kids and take them on the Wellington Cable Car to enjoy spectacular views of Wellington and its surroundings. Once at the top enjoy a leisurely stroll back down to Wellington’s City Centre through the Botanical Gardens. For more adventurous families hire some mountain bikes which can be arranged through hotel and head to Makara Peak, which is a mountain bike meca with its well maintained tracks, the rides and views from the top will blow you and your families expectation of Wellington of being boring, far from it! Holiday Inn Wellington, find out more

From the 1st of July Holiday inn Wellington will have rooms from $99 for three days only, when booking your accommodation online look out for the “web package specias”, ” 3day sale”, “winter special offer”. Special Rates and Bookings

OPEN - 3 day only sale, Rooms from $99

HUGE THREE DAY SALE AT CROWNE PLAZA

*Winter rooms available from $99*

Crowne Plaza ’s massive three day sale is about to kick off, with winter rooms available from $99 between Saturday 31 May and midnight Monday 2 June . Read more

Hotel Indigo in Chicago Suburb of Vernon Hills - Opens

Hotel Indigo in Chicago Suburb of Vernon Hills Opens with Modern Boutique Setting and High-Style Affordable Luxury

ATLANTA (May 5, 2008) - As boutique hotels - with their intimate, luxurious environments, and personalized accommodations and services - gain increasing popularity across North America, Hotel Indigo will open its much-anticipated third property in the Chicago area on May 8th. Following a $5 million renovation and conversion from an AmeriSuites hotel, the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills will debut at 450 North Milwaukee Avenue in the scenic suburb of Vernon Hills, with easy access to downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport.

The 100% non-smoking, 127-room world-class property is owned by FCLC Vernon Hills LLC and managed by Lane Hospitality of Northbrook, IL, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. With top-notch guest rooms and public areas, full service amenities and cutting edge cuisine, the hotel offers guests an upscale, trendy and relaxed atmosphere, and all at an attractive price.

“The area hasn’t seen anything like this in years, and we are proud to present the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills to our guests and our community,” said John Marko, Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations, Lane Hospitality.

“Chicagoland has embraced Hotel Indigo’s branded boutique concept, and we’re excited to be opening our third hotel in the area,” commented Jim Anhut, Senior Vice President, Franchise Development, the Americas, IHG. “The Interpret Indigo design program allows us to offer a unique experience at each property in Chicago, while still providing the service culture and consistency that our guests expect.”

Hotel Indigo is known as the industry’s first branded boutique hotel, artfully combining the conveniences and consistencies of a brand hotel with the design cache and service personality of a boutique at an attractive price. The soul of the brand’s retail-inspired concept is renewal - thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. The renewal concept provides even the most frequent guest a unique experience with every stay. The hotel features renewable elements such as vivid nature-inspired murals, area rugs, plush duvets and slipcovers that will change periodically. Public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing artwork, music, flora and murals.

Signature features of the six-story Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills include:

* All studio suite accommodations - each with 465 square feet of separate sitting and sleeping areas - with plush bedding, hardwood-style flooring, and spa-inspired showers with Aveda bath amenities.
* In-room amenities such as complimentary WiFi, 32-inch flat panel TV, MP3-player compatible alarm clock and mini-refrigerator.
* 24-hour ‘Phitness’ studio with cardio equipment and free weights.
* 24-hour Business Center.
* Indoor heated pool.
* 1,100 square feet of flexible meeting and event space with three “Inspiration” meeting rooms to accommodate 80 people theater-style, with myriad catering options, the latest audiovisual equipment, and two 24-hour business center kiosks.
* The Priority Club® Rewards frequency program, the industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program.

Delicious, casual gourmet cuisine is offered in the Phi Restaurant & Bar, with a fast, fresh menu with a variety of healthy breakfast and dinner selections that change every three months with seasonal inspirations. There is also “Grab-and-Go” service with healthy and traditional snack items, and a full service Starbucks coffee bar — through the “We Proudly Brew” program. Full evening beverage service features a martini menu and 24-hour bottled beverages. Take-in service is available.

The hotel is within walking distance to shopping and entertainment, and within one mile of some 30 casual and fine-dining restaurants. Nearby attractions include Six Flags Great America & Hurricane Harbor, Cuneo Museum & Gardens, Historic Long Grove, Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall, the Botanic Gardens, Ravinia Festival and Great Lakes Naval Base.

Voted as Best Kids Resort

The Paradise Resort Gold Coast has been voted one of the best resorts for kid’s holidays.

Set on 5 acres of tropical gardens close to beaches, attractions and the heart of Surfers Paradise, Paradise Resort Gold Coast is renowned as a Heaven for Kids and Paradise for Parents. The only resort that truly caters for all children from babies and toddlers right through to 12 year olds, you can relax knowing the kids are having a ball in our million dollar Zone for Kids club with its magical themed play spaces and fully supervised sessions daily. And with our Kids $5 Feed available at Z4K as well as all of our restaurants, the kids will be well fed without you spending a fortune.With 4 pools, day spa, restaurant, café, bar, adventure playground and a host of free daily activities, Paradise Resort is the perfect choice for your next family holiday.

Find out more about Paradise Resort

True Award winning kids program

Kids of all age groups are not left out at the Ritz Carlton Cayman with the AOTE ( Ambassadors of the Environment) program providing children and adults with inroduction to the wonders and cultral traditions of the Cayman Islands. Read more

Holiday Inn Express Bend

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Bend

Date of Stay: August 2007.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Bend, and was very impressed with the facilities and staff. The Hotel is located just on the outside of town of the main highway. Place was clean an comfortable, its only a short 5 min drive into the main street of town.

LittleNomad Rating (5) : 3 Nomads

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