Oceania Archives - Page 131 of 214

Oceania

Travel through Oceania by country:

Australia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Travel through Oceania by popular city:

Auckland, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Wellington

Travel through Oceania by popular things to do:

Cook Islands, Sydney Opera House

Travel through Oceania with our writers:

In the Corner of the World, Work and Play in Queensland

Gadlinks for Wednesday 8.26.09

by Brenda Yun on Aug 26, 2009

Welcome to Gadlinks, your source for the latest comings-and-goings in the travel blogosphere. You’ll find these selections a bit indicative of where my brain is at the moment: on surfing, warm weather, and road trips — which is probably because I’ll be embarking on a surfing road trip of my own today. Happy virtual traveling, everyone!

Let’s start our tour in Indonesia and the world famous surf break, Padang Padang, where earlier this month the annual Rip Curl Cup Invitational was held. Check out these amazing rides. [via Surfing Magazine]
My buddy David Miller gives us the surfing skinny on what went down in Florida post-Hurricane Bill. [via Wend]
Talk about a tropical paradise, these photos of Bora Bora make me foam at the mouth. [via OpenTravel]
It’s not too late to take a summer road trip! Here are seven great American road trips that are worth your while. [via BootsNAll]
It looks like some of the finest travel writers like Paul Theroux still get thrills from taking road trips. Here’s Theroux’s travelogue on the journey he took from Los Angeles to Cape Cod. [via Smithsonian]

Want more Gadlinks? Go here.

Australian eco spa resorts going green in the wilderness

by Scott Carmichael on Aug 26, 2009

A recent poll shows that Australia is, once again, the top destination for American tourists (outside the US, when cost is no consideration). The country has some of the most amazing scenery in the world, and some beautiful spa resorts taking full advantage of that scenery.

Here are three of the most impressive, and eco-friendly resorts in Australia.

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa

The first of these three resorts won’t be open till October, but when it does, it’ll provide 40 free-standing suites nestled between two national parks. built within a world heritage area. The hotel is located in Wolgan Valley, about three hours from Sydney.

Suites offer private decks and pools. Activities in the area include Aboriginal interpretive tours, nature walks, AWD wildlife safaris and horse riding.

Some of the green credentials of the Wolgan Valley resort & spa include rainwater collection, full domestic water recycling, heat exchangers, solar heated water, over 100 solar panels for electricity and wind powered water pumps.

The resort is part of the Emirates hotel and resorts group (yes – that Emirates). Reservations are being accepted for stays starting on October 1st, and rooms start at AUD1490 (about $1250). For rates, reservations or to learn more about the new Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, click here.

Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat

The Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat is located one hour south of Broome, on the western Australian coast.

The resort consists of 25 “eco villas” and 30 safari style “eco tents”. The resort offers a safari, whale watching tours, cave exploring, fishing and of course, an on-site spa.

The Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat reduces its impact on the planet through solar power, low-flow faucets and toilets, waste water recycling and a full assortment of natural products in all bathroom and spa products.

Off season rates start at just AUD130 ($110). For rates, reservations or to learn more about the Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, click here.

Pinctada Cable Ceach

The Pinctada Cable Beach Resort & Spa opened just 3 months ago. Like the previous resort, it too is located on the western coast of Australia.

The 72 room intimate resort features a massive “asymmetrical pool with spa nooks and waterfalls”. Its spa offers Vichy shower treatment rooms (a 5 head massaging shower table), a juice bar, sauna and hair salon.

Its restaurant serves dishes created by award winning Melbourne chef Greg Malouf, where you can dine on spiced sautéed pearl meat, a nod to the long standing pearling tradition in the area.

The green initiatives at this resort include a full-resort grey water management system, solar heating as the primary source of hot water and a carefully planned natural light layout.

Rooms start at AUD420 ($350). For rates, reservations or to learn more about Pinctada Cable Beach, click here.

Gadlinks for Monday 8.17.09

by Brenda Yun on Aug 17, 2009

Another week of summer has come and gone, and we’re just hanging on to those last few certain days of warmth before fall kicks in! Last week we had some great travel reads, and this week will likely be no different. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to catch our normal Gadlinks, for today’s links are in keeping with the “scenic” theme we have going here on Gadling today. Check these out for some scenic inspiration:

There are plenty of predictably scenic summer destinations. These unexpected summer spots wouldn’t likely top that list, but maybe they should. [via PeterGreenberg]
Some of the coolest people I’ve met are from Tasmania. After seeing these photos from a scenic trip through Tasmania, I’m starting to think that maybe they’re so cool because of where they’re from. [via Been-Seen]
Or if mainland Australia is more up your alley, consider taking this scenic road trip along the Sapphire Coast. [via MatadorTrips]
According to our resident Alaskan, Catherine Bodry, the “Land of the Midnight Sun” is quickly nearing the end of summer, which means nights will grow longer and days far shorter, among other things. This green travel article details the scenic White Pass train and scenic biking and cruise excursions. [via GoGreenTravelGreen]

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks HERE.

“Best job in the world” winner looking for assistants

by Katie Hammel on Aug 14, 2009

Ben Southall, the guy getting paid A$150,000 to gallivant around the Great Barrier Reef Region (and write about it) has come under fire for not blogging all that often. Tourism Queensland, who sponsored the “best job in the world” contest, blamed the lack of blog posts on poor Internet access and the fact that well, Ben’s just too busy “working”. Somehow, I don’t think those of us who spend our days in a windowless office have much sympathy for poor Ben.

To help Ben with some of his workload, he and Tourism Queensland are planning on launching another contest – this time to find four assistants. At this point there are no additional details on the positions or what the application process will entail, but Ben promises he’ll give us the scoop soon. Hopefully, he can find the time.

Hotel guests in New Zealand wake up with drunk Aussie in their bed

by Katie Hammel on Aug 10, 2009

In more naked news, a couple vacationing in a New Zealand resort town woke up to find an uninvited guest in their room. A 29-year old Australian had wandered in, climbed into their bed, and fallen asleep.

The Aussie had been out drinking with a woman and gone back with her to her hotel room. At some point in the night, he got out of bed – naked – and began wandering the halls until he found an unlocked room. When the couple woke up and discovered the unintentional threesome, the woman ran to the bathroom to hide while her husband called the hotel concierge.

By the time the police got involved, the hotel had given the man a robe and escorted him to the lobby. Since he couldn’t remember which room he’d originally been in and didn’t know the name of the woman he’d been with, the police kindly offered him a ride home. The couple who’d been disturbed opted not to press charges, and no doubt learned a valuable lesson about always locking their hotel room door.

[via Herald Sun]