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Alaska

Alaska is a paradise for nature lovers, a place to experience beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife.

Have a look at our slide show of Alaska.

With just a short time to experience Alaska, we rented a car for 5 days from Anchorage and travelled to Homer, Seward, Girdwood and finally Denali – a highlight. To visit the Inside Passage we took a 7-day cruise on the Star Princess – sailing from Whittier (near Anchorage) to Vancouver.

To avoid the crowds, we like to travel out of high season when possible, so this trip we took in mid-May and spent about 12 days in Alaska.

While we chose to do a self-drive trip, if you prefer not to drive, Alaska has excellent rail tours – www.alaskarailroad.com

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By admin|2019-01-16T16:24:36+11:00May 30th, 2018|Categories: Alaska, USA|0 Comments

Alaska Cruise – 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers – Star Princess – 19-26 May 2018

The 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers by Princess Cruises is a spectacular trip between Whittier (Alaska) and Vancouver (Canada). It is an excellent way to experience the highlights of the natural wonders and charming towns along the coast of Alaska and the Inside Passage – many of which can only accessed by sea.

Take a look at our photos of the 7-Day Voyage of the Glaciers

Summary of Itinerary (Southbound):
Whittier (Anchorage) – Yakutat Bay (Hubbard Glacier)
Yakutat Bay – Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay – Skagway
Skagway – Juneau
Juneau – Ketchikan
Ketchikan – Vancouver

There are also cruises that offer this itinerary northbound.

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By Admin|2024-01-10T15:16:55+11:00May 30th, 2018|Categories: Alaska, Destination Reviews, USA|0 Comments

Denali National Park, Alaska

At 20,310 feet, Mount Denali is North America’s highest peak and the national park is a spectacular wilderness area of just over 6 million acres.

A visit to Denali is a highlight of a trip to Alaska – don’t miss it!

Take a look at our Denali National Park photos.

We drove to Denali from Anchorage with a lunch stop at Talkeetna – a quaint town with some interesting shops and good places to eat.

Another stop not to miss on the way to Denali National Park is the McKinley South Lookout – wonderful views of the Alaska Range. Not far beyond the Lookout, the George Parks Highway traverses Broad Pass around Mile 195 and the scenery is spectacular.

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By admin|2019-06-03T13:47:38+10:00May 18th, 2018|Categories: Alaska|0 Comments

USA – New England Fall & Boston to NYC Road Trip – October 2016

The following is a summary of a trip to see the Fall colours between New York City and Stowe, then returning to New York City via Boston, Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport (Rhode Island) and the Hamptons. We recommend a much slower pace to take in all there is to see – and perhaps leave out Bridport and Montreal to concentrate on New England.

Our overnight stops were NYC at the beginning of the trip then Hancock, Stowe, Bridport, Montreal, North Conway, Boston, Edgartown, Newport, Montauk and NYC at the end of the trip.

Photos of New England Fall – October 2016

Photos of Boston to New York City – October/November 2016

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By Admin|2019-06-03T14:11:50+10:00November 10th, 2016|Categories: New England Fall Foliage Trip, USA, USA|0 Comments

Boston to NYC Road Trip

The following is a summary of a trip to see the Fall colours between New York City and Stowe, then returning to New York City via Boston, Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport (Rhode Island) and the Hamptons. We recommend a much slower pace to take in all there is to see – and perhaps leave out Bridport and Montreal to concentrate on New England.

Our overnight stops were NYC at the beginning of the trip then Hancock, Stowe, Bridport, Montreal, North Conway, Boston, Edgartown, Newport, Montauk and NYC at the end of the trip.

Photos of New England Fall – October 2016

Photos of Boston to New York City – October/November 2016

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By Admin|2019-06-14T13:08:03+10:00November 10th, 2016|Categories: USA, Boston to NYC Road Trip|0 Comments

New York City in Winter

New York City

Winter is a good time to visit New York City. It is the quietest season when it is less crowded, there are no queues, hotel prices are reduced and the city looks beautiful when it snows.

We spent a week in New York City in January 2010. If travelling at that time of year, if possible we recommend arriving before 10 January so that you can see the Christmas lights throughout the city (on this trip we missed them but had loved seeing them on a previous visit).

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By Admin|2018-08-27T15:41:07+10:00January 12th, 2010|Categories: New York City, USA|0 Comments

San Francisco for One Day

The Painted Ladies

It was not ideal but we found ourselves with only one day and one night in San Francisco.

We were on our way from Los Angeles to Vancouver with friends who hadn’t been to San Francisco before but who wanted a glimpse of the city.

It was a January afternoon and we had driven from Carmel. There wasn’t much light left but we were hoping to visit the Muir Woods, about 20 kms north of San Francisco, before checking into our hotel in the city.

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By Admin|2019-06-03T14:52:15+10:00January 5th, 2010|Categories: San Francisco, USA|3 Comments

Carmel: Highway One – Los Angeles to San Francisco

Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle

Given the choice of flying between Los Angeles and San Francisco, or driving the famous Highway One, the decision was easy. Highway One is one of the most scenic coastal drives in the US.

While it is preferable to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles (you will be on the right side of the road to stop and enjoy the views), our itinerary was such that we drove north – it was still spectacular – and we got to stay in beautiful Carmel.

This drive really warrants a couple of days to see the sights, however we had one day to drive from Los Angeles to Carmel for an overnight stop.

To give you an idea of timing, it is about 550 kms between LA and Carmel, or nearly seven hours driving time.

Starting the drive in Santa Monica the road follows the coast. It was frustrating to whizz through Malibu and by-pass Santa Barbara but we were heading for Hearst Castle, a four-and-a-half hour drive away. (more…)

By Admin|2019-06-03T15:46:13+10:00January 4th, 2010|Categories: Carmel - Highway One, USA|0 Comments

Los Angeles – LA for Three Days

Sunset at Venice Beach, Los Angeles

On an extended trip to the US, we spent four nights and three days in Los Angeles. There wasn’t too much idle time, however it was the beginning of our trip and we thought we were fresh enough to see a lot in a short time.

After much research we chose to stay at the Elan Hotel in West Hollywood based on price and location. While our room was small (there were four of us sharing a room), the staff were friendly, continental breakfast was good and each afternoon there was complimentary wine and cheese.

We had a car and planned to visit Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Venice Beach/Santa Monica and Disneyland. With the exception of Disneyland, our accommodation was very close to all we wanted to see. The only downside was that we found the valet parking expensive and a little inconvenient so we chose to park on the street. If you do park on the street, take note of the parking restrictions. (more…)

By Admin|2019-06-03T15:39:15+10:00December 31st, 2009|Categories: Los Angeles, USA|0 Comments

Sedona, Arizona

A visit to Sedona was an unexpected bonus after a road trip to the Grand Canyon in Winter.

As part of a three week trip to the US, we drove from Las Vegas to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a couple of nights (about a six hour drive). Rather than going back the same way, we decided to drive on to Phoenix via Sedona, to catch our flights from Phoenix airport.

Sedona is a small town in Arizona surrounded by spectacular rock formations where you can experience beautiful landscapes, Native American history and New Age spiritualism.

The drive from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix via Sedona takes around 4 hours 30 minutes, with Sedona at about the half-way point, however give yourself plenty of time. We found this drive a much more scenic route than between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. The highlight of the drive was the section between Flagstaff and Sedona – through Oak Creek Canyon. (more…)

By Admin|2019-06-03T15:24:04+10:00December 30th, 2009|Categories: Sedona, USA|0 Comments