Vacation & Travel

February 19, 2010

New Zealand Wine Tours From Auckland to Marlborough by Bike and Coach

Filed under: New Zealand — admin @ 12:31 pm

Wine tours are a wonderful way to get out and see New Zealand’s stunning wineries. They allow you to have fun tasting the beautiful whites and reds while your guide gets you where you need to be safely and without stress.

But after piling on yet another coach full of old folks and boozy young girls, the average New Zealand wine tours start to get a little tired. If you’re after a wine tour with a difference, the following gourmet experiences are just the ticket.

Fine Wine Tours

On your average wine tour, your guide will know enough about wine to get by but he’ll leave the hard stuff to the professionals. In fact, in most cases he’ll drop you at the cellar door and let you fend for yourself. But Fine Wine Tours isn’t your average wine tour.

This Auckland-based company offers tours hosted by wine writer Phil Parker. This guy knows his stuff, and he wants to share it with you. He’ll take a maximum of ten wine enthusiasts on each tour, ensuring personal service. The chosen ones travel to Auckland’s gold medal wineries, including Kumea River, Cooper’s Creek, Matua, Matakana Estates, Soljans and many more. You’ll enjoy complimentary cheese boards to accompany your wine, and tasting notes so you’ll understand them better.

It’s these little touches that separate Fine Wine Tours from the rest, and make them so popular with wine enthusiasts. Tours start from $139 per person.

Pacific Cycle Tours

Pacific Cycle Tours allows you to experience the world famous Marlborough wine region, and get some exercise at the same time. The relaxed pace of the bike ride allows you to see more of the countryside than you would from a bus, and it’s a lot more eco-friendly.

You’ll cycle a leisurely 20-30 kilometers each day, so you don’t have to be a fitness freak to keep up. Your luggage will also be transported to your accommodation each day, so you never have to worry about your bags, or the wine you buy, weighing you down.

At $1,850 the experience is a little pricier than your average wine tour. But remember that this includes accommodation for four nights, all breakfasts, and bike and helmet hire.

Grape Escape

The Hawke’s Bay touring company Grape Escape looks to break away from the mundane and offer wine tourists a New Zealand experience they won’t forget. They offer tours for the casual drinker and the serious wine lover, from one day excursions to 12-day wine safaris.

One of the more unusual is the Heli Wine and Dine tour, a package which screams indulgence. You’ll set out on a 30-minute helicopter ride which offers a bird’s eye view of the stunning Hawke’s Bay region below. You’ll see the famous Te Mata Peak and the breathtaking Hawke’s Bay coastline before heading to the Gimblett Gravels wine district. Your journey will end at the acclaimed Sileni Estate, where you’ll indulge in a two course lunch with matching wines.

With your belly full you’ll explore the Gimblett Gravel district, enjoying the region’s stunning reds and whites as you go. The area is famous for classic European reds like syrah, merlot, and malbec, as well as the whites like the chardonnay, pinot gris, and viognier. Your stay will take in four wineries whose wines will be paired with local cheeses.

At the end of the tour you’ll be taken back to your accommodation, making the entire experience stress free and super indulgent. Grape Escape tours start from $60. The Heli Wine and Dine tour starts from $395.

Coach tours are an efficient way of getting around the New Zealand wineries, but when the journey is just as important the destination it’s worth considering these tours which dare to be different.

Honestly, it doesn’t much matter your mode of transportation for New Zealand wine tours because you’ll enjoy the experience regardless. Learn about Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Auckland, Canterbury, and Nelson including each region’s top wineries and what to see and do during your wine tour. Jim Hunter writes about wine vacations around the world for WorldwideWineTours, a free website with information on a growing number of wine rich countries: Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and more.

A Popular Choice is a New Zealand Motoring Holiday

Filed under: New Zealand — admin @ 12:29 pm

Are you planning a New Zealand self drive holiday to beautiful New Zealand. Land of the Long White Cloud, steeped in wonder and mystery?

Self Drive New Zealand

You could get away with a car rental New Zealand at a handy pick up location in Auckland, then either head off straight away to drive New Zealand at your own pace or stay at one of the many wonderful Auckland accommodation places listed in many of the travel brochures available at information centres through out New Zealand.

New Zealand Self Drives

You can choose from a large range of quality, reliable, fuel efficient, cheap New Zealand car hire deals. The vehicles are all well maintained and serviced after each rental to ensure reliability and satisfaction. Your New Zealand car rental is made easy with on line bookings or make just one quick phone call and a New Zealand car hire is at your finger tips. It will be easy for you and your family to plan those special New Zealand vacations where you will find New Zealand driving directions easy to follow and New Zealand travel deals hard to beat.

When planning your family’s next holiday, tours of New Zealand can also give you a much earned break from a self drive New Zealand trip, especially when in busy and unfamiliar areas. You can also purchase a New Zealand Travel Pass available at budget prices to get you around the many sights in our busy cities or you could also take one of the many New Zealand travel tours that will give you a guided tour of our spectacular places of interest. You could add Queenstown, New Zealand to your travel plans for that little bit extra and see what difference a rental car will make to your New Zealand tour.

New Zealand Driving

Can take you places you see on television and in brochures like the highly recommended tour along the Pacific Coast Highway. Travel south from Auckland through the Bay of Plenty, around the East Cape to Napier. Or like this one heading north travel the Twin Coast Discovery Highway and drive north out of Auckland up the east coast through Northland and return south via the west coast. This could give you a holiday you will remember for a long time especially if you are taking the New Zealand vacation of your choosing. You can organize and stop where your heart chooses on self drive tours to give you your New Zealand adventure of a lifetime.

Camp ground facilities throughout New Zealand are generally very well maintained and in convenient, and often times, scenic locations. Along with BBQs, kitchen facilities, restrooms and showers, most campgrounds have laundry rooms and playgrounds. It’s always a good idea to reserve space at a campground prior to arrival, especially during the peak season of summer.

New Zealand Drive

Coach tours New Zealand can also be a part of your plan with some great New Zealand package holidays that could be just right for you and your family. New Zealand tours gives you New Zealand holidays that make you want to come back and experience it all again and again.

That little bit extra comes from using people you can trust to make your New Zealand motorhomes holiday that much better than just a break from life as you know it.

Mike O’Brien offers advice and information about New Zealand motorhomes This quality web site is easily navigated with it’s simple uncluttered layout and design and it has an ever growing selection of New Zealand car rental, motor home hire and general New Zealand accommodation and hotel information at your fingertips!

The Best Luxury Holidays in South Africa

Filed under: South Africa — admin @ 12:26 pm

From city breaks to luxury safaris and wine tours, there are a great range of luxury holidays in South Africa. It is a fascinating country – the unique geography ranges from the safari reserves to verdant winelands and subtropical regions, and exploration of the diverse South African countryside is hugely rewarding.

It combines fascinating tracts of untamed wilderness with a refined sense of luxury – the wine here is world famous, there are excellent guided tours to all the major sights and destinations, and there is also an excellent range of luxury hotels in South Africa. You can combine safaris and wildlife tours with great accommodation and plenty of comfort – truly the best of both worlds!

If you are still looking for inspiration, here are some great ideas for a luxury holiday in South Africa…

Visit Cape Town in Style

Cape Town is an essential place to visit on any South Africa holiday. The Victoria and Albert Waterfront is a delightful place to stroll along and take in the sights and from here, you can catch a ferry for Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Cape Town has some superb beaches, and whether you hike or take the cable car, a visit to the top of Table Mountain (which overlooks the city) provides unforgettable views over the city and the Cape of Good Hope.

Take a Luxury Safari

When most people think of holidays in South Africa, they think of safaris. There is an amazingly diverse range of wildlife in this country, from big game animals like rhinos, elephants and lions to many other animals, including giraffes, zebras and hippopotami. A South Africa safari holiday gives a unique opportunity to see these animals up close in their natural environment. Best of all, it is possible to safari in style! The luxury lodges of Kruger Park and the other game reserves are wonderful places to stay out in the wilderness, so you can enjoy every comfort after a day on safari.

Explore the Winelands and Follow the Garden Route

It has long been famous for its outstanding wines, and no luxury holiday to South Africa would be complete without a visit to the wine producing valleys. These are unique in Africa; unusually they have a Mediterranean climate that provides the perfect conditions to produce some of the world’s finest wines. You can take a driving tour of the winelands, sampling the wine and admiring the countryside, and then head out into the lakes, mountain passes and lush forests of the Garden Route along the west coast.

Go Multi Centre

If you want to go further on your luxury holiday than South Africa on its own, you can combine it with a visit to another nearby African country. You could combine a city break in Cape Town with a safari and then go and see the spectacular Victoria Falls in Zambia or follow up a Kruger safari with a beach retreat in Mozambique, or one of a dozen other combinations. Southern Africa is an amazingly diverse region, and a multi centre holiday is a great way to sample the highlights of several different countries.

Sally Rushbrooke is a South Africa expert for key2holidays, an online tour operator specialising in luxury holidays to South Africa, Australia, Cuba, the Caribbean, Europe, the Far East, the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles, Egypt and Dubai. Key2holidays has a dedicated team of experienced travel consultants to share their knowledge and help you to plan and book your ideal holiday.

Best Time to Visit Kruger National Park

Filed under: South Africa — admin @ 12:23 pm

Game-viewing in Kruger National Park is best in winter but some visitors prefer the lush vegetation of the summer months. The best time for observing wildlife in Kruger National Park is the dry winter season. During this safari season, the grass is low, the bushes and trees don’t have leaves, and one can have an unobstructed view of the surrounding area.

Winter season in the Kruger Park is quite dry and rain is scarce. During this season, visitors will be able to spot the animals when they come to the waterholes in the mornings and evenings. Summer is the rainy season in Kruger Park and the rains fill the rivers and waterholes, and the bushveld looks lush. Game viewing is difficult in the summer season because the vegetation is dense, making it harder to locate and observe wildlife.

Towards the end of November and early December, Kruger National Park is filled with newborns. Spotting wildlife with their young is a memorable Kruger Park safari experience. Autumn is probably the most difficult time of the year to spot game in Kruger National Park because the grass is dense and high. Birding is usually excellent during autumn in Kruger Park.

Kruger Park Seasons

November through December:

The summer months in Kruger Park are very hot and humid with either continual rains or occasional afternoon thundershowers. Many young animals are born during this time.

January to April:

These are normally drier months with very hot days. Bird watchers can enjoy the array of migratory birds during this period.

April:

This is Kruger Park’s autumn period and the vegetation starts changing from thick lush green bush to a slightly sparser browning bush. The temperatures start cooling down at night but daytime is still warm. Scattered thunder showers can be experienced in the afternoons.

May to June:

Cold temperatures are experienced at night and at dawn during our winter months. The vegetation becomes totally brown and trees start losing leaves. Visibility during game drives is enhanced due to sparser vegetation.

July to September:

This period is very dry in the bush with very cold night temperatures and therefore chilly during the early morning and late afternoon game drives. Game viewing is generally fantastic as the visibility is good and the game is concentrated around any water source.

September to October:

Spring is the height of the dry season with hot dry winds and colourless, sparse vegetation. Because the rivers and dams are low, high concentrations of game can be viewed at these areas and game viewing in general is good. The first rains may start towards the end of October and the signs of spring and a new wet season are evident.

Gerald Crawford: born in South Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and african travel concepts. He taught responsible tourism in South Africa and the United Kingdom. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me on. E-mail Address: gerald@12234455.co.za Website Address: http://www.12234455.co.za

See our youtube movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhVCvEFZRE

The Top Five Reasons Why an Egypt Travel Package is Right For You

Filed under: Egypt — admin @ 12:20 pm

When you think of an Egypt Travel Package your first thoughts are probably of lots of sand and spitting camels. The truth is that there are many great reasons why you should consider visiting Egypt on your next getaway. You may have considered a couple of these reasons. Odds are there are new ones here to consider as well. Listed below are the top five reasons to choose an Egypt vacation.

Number Five

Historical Sights make the list for reasons to choose an Egypt travel package for obvious reasons. From the Great Pyramids to the Sphinx and so much more there is a world of famous destinations to visit while in Egypt. One such place is the Royal Library of Alexandria which is considered to be one of the most famous, and possibly even the largest, of the world’s ancient libraries.

Number Four

What Egypt travel package would be complete without a trip to the market? You can take time to visit any number of hundreds of stalls where all sorts of items may be purchased. From hand woven crafts to various trinkets and jewelry there is almost no limit to the souvenirs you can purchase.

Number Three

Another aspect to an Egypt travel package is the opportunity to vacation during one of Egypt’s many famous carnivals and festivals. While there are many religious based festivals many public ones exist as well. Sham en Nisim is an Egyptian spring festival that has been celebrated for thousands of years. One of the common threads to the different festivals is the presence of many types of music ranging from Rock and Roll to the more traditional sounds of Egyptian folk music.

Number Two

How could you not choose an Egypt travel package once you consider the range of cuisines available for your enjoyment? Imagine sitting down at an outdoor café to a meal of Kushari, a mix of lentils, rice and macaroni that some consider being the national dish. Other dishes include Kabobs and/Koftas (a type of meatball) grilled on skewers over charcoal and made from such meats as chicken, rabbit and lamb.

Number One

Absolutely no Egypt travel package would be complete without a cruise down the Nile River or a visit to the seaside? No matter what sort of aquatic adventure might sound good to you there is bound to be such an opportunity while visiting Egypt. From swimming in the Red Sea to snorkeling, sailing or windsurfing you will definitely never get bored.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose Egypt as your travel destination for one of the reasons above or because you like sand and spitting camels. The important thing is that you choose an Egypt travel package because you want the best vacation ever! Click here and visit our website right now!

Powered by WordPress