Quality Advance Apartments, Darwin
The Quality Advance Apartments (Metro Advance Apartments & Hotel) at 55 Cavenagh Street, Darwin City provide very comfortable, good value for money accommodation in Darwin.
On checking into our two-bedroom apartment #3047, we find the staff very friendly.
Our apartment has an open plan kitchen/dining/lounge area with a sliding glass door opening onto a small balcony that faces west. We look down over to our right to the pool area which is partly shaded by a shade-cloth and has BBQs available for guests. The living area is well furnished with a couple of sofas, desk, dining table and an air conditioner.
Cooktown Big 4 Holiday Park, Cooktown, Queensland
We are running late and the office at the Cooktown Holiday Park has closed when we arrive, so we ring the telephone number given on the office door. There is a quick response and we are given a warm welcome by Tammy. Tammy gives us an information pack on Cooktown and is able to recommend places of interest in the area. She seems genuinely proud of her town.
We set up camp on a grassy patch near the creek, with plenty of shade. The lawns and gardens are beautifully maintained. There are lots of trees throughout the campsite and hedges around the pool. (more…)
Mantra Esplanade, Cairns
The Mantra Esplanade is a very comfortable hotel, well located on the Esplanade. We booked into Room 52 on the 5th floor overlooking Cairns Waterfront Park and the Pier.
Our room had a Queen-sized bed, sofa bed, coffee table, console with bar-size fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, couple of wine glasses and couple of tumblers, TV, air conditioning, a wardrobe containing iron and ironing board and a safe.
There was a good sized bathroom with bath, shower over the bath, basin and toilet.
Our room had sliding glass doors onto a small balcony (with a small outdoor table and two chairs) overlooking The Esplanade.
Parking was available however our high 4WD vehicle did not fit. We were able to park our vehicle at the front of the building overnight (free parking between 5pm and 8am).
We stayed just one night at the Mantra as Cairns was the starting point of a 4-week camping trip to Broome. Woolworths was just one street away so it was convenient for us to do a big shop before the trip.
A short walk away, we enjoyed dinner at Ba Mien Vietnamese restaurant on Aplin Street. We shared a number of delicious authentic Vietnamese dishes. This casual eatery had tables outside on the footpath and was BYO. It was great value for money and very pleasant on a balmy evening.
We can highly recommend a stay at the Mantra Esplanade, Cairns.
AccommodationGuru
20 May 2016
New Zealand North Island
Auckland – Hobbiton – Rotorua – Ohope – East Cape – Gisborne – Napier – Hastings – Hawkes Bay – Greytown – Wellington – Tongariro National Park – Taupo – Whangarei & Tutukaka Coast – Russell – Paihia – Kerikeri – Cape Reinga – Opononi – Waipoua Forest – Auckland
Having enjoyed a road trip through the South Island of New Zealand in Dec-Jan 2014-5, we decided to go back and see the North Island in Dec-Jan 2015-16.
While not having quite the ‘wow’ factor of the South Island, the North Island has a different feel and plenty of spectacular places to visit – we loved it. Highlights include the thermal activity around Rotorua, Northland & Bay of Islands, the Hawkes Bay region, the iconic Pacific Coast Drive (State Highway 35), Wellington and Auckland.
Apihara Kiwi Holiday Park & YHA Hostel
Apihara is located in Northland at the top of New Zealand’s North Island and we stayed here the night before we did a day drive to Cape Reinga. Ninety Mile Beach is a short walk away.
This is an attractive holiday park. It has a relatively small camping area with the unpowered sites toward the back of the park under tall pine trees, and the powered sites closer to the amenities.
There are also standard and self-contained cabins, motel rooms and a youth hostel.
Reception, dining and lounge are in one big open-plan area, with the kitchen in a separate room off to the side. The big lounge area has a rustic feel with concrete floors, a very large timber table and benches, open fireplace, sofas, a computer space off to one side and a table-tennis table in the middle of the room.
At Reception there are some handy food items for sale such as tin food, milk, snacks, etc.
Between the bathroom amenities and the kitchen/dining/lounge room, there is an open-air space with BBQs and a large outdoor timber table and benches.
Bathroom amenities are separate for men and women. There is a communal laundry. The amenities are clean and tidy and appear to be quite new.
Options for food nearby include Bidz Takeways & Supermarket, another small supermarket and the North Drift Café that serves very good food.
You can book tours at Reception for local activities plus tours to Cape Reinga.
Accommodation Guru
8 January 2016
Russell Top 10 Holiday Park, NZ North Island
Russell is a very pretty place and so is the Top 10 Holiday Park. Set on a terraced hill a couple of blocks from the town centre and waterfront, this holiday park is one of the most attractive we have stayed in.
Powered sites are located at the top of the park and that’s where the big campervans are – with lovely views across the bay. The non-powered sites are located on the lower part of the park (together with additional powered sites) on an attractive, level grassed area filled with shady trees. In the centre of the upper and lower areas are the kitchen/dining room and the bathroom amenities. It is a good layout.
The kitchen/dining room is a very attractive building with a deck and big windows to take in the view of the gardens and the park. The kitchen bench tops are stainless steel. There is an upright cooker with oven and cooktop, about six 2-plate ceramic cooktops, plus three fridges and a freezer chest for bait only (fishing is big here!).
There are toasters, electric can opener, kettle, a Zip hot water tap and plenty of bench space.
There are six dining tables, a couple of baby high chairs and a small plastic table and chairs for small children.
The BBQ area is next to the kitchen/dining room and has three BBQs, a washing up basin and picnic tables.
The bathroom has plenty of showers, toilets and basins to cater for the number of people in the park. There are hooks, a hairdryer and separate power plug.
There is a laundry at the far end of the bathroom amenities.
All amenities are clean and tidy, and the gardens are very pretty.
Other accommodation in the park includes Villas, Cabins and Studio Units.
We can highly recommend a stay at the Russell Top 10 Holiday Park.
Accommodation Guru
7 January 2016