Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Palm Cove, QLD<\/a>\u00a0in February.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t booked it yet, but it\u2019ll be somewhere right on the beach so we can mosey from the resort to the beach and between restaurants without too much energy.<\/p>\n It will be hot up there in February, but after the school holidays the accommodation rates should be cheaper, so we\u2019ll be able to afford a little more luxury. We have a four-year-old who loves the beach and swimming, so we\u2019ll probably spend most days relaxing in the resort pool. Palm Cove has lots of sensational resorts with excellent spas and restaurants, and if we do venture out, Kuranda village<\/a>, the Skyrail rainforest cable car<\/a> and Tjapukai Cultural Park<\/a> are all just a short drive away. And, of course, we\u2019ll do a daytrip to the Great Barrier Reef.<\/p>\n Hawaii<\/a> (I leave Friday!)<\/p>\n Queen Kapiolani Hotel<\/a> in Waikiki, Turtle Bay Resort<\/a> in North Shore Oahu, and Royal Kona Resort<\/a> on the Big Island.<\/p>\n A few reasons: (Editor note: We\u2019re waiting with bated breath, Tori. Don\u2019t let us down!)<\/em><\/p>\n Noosa, QLD<\/a><\/p>\n Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort<\/a><\/p>\n After the craziness of Christmas and New Year\u2019s, a few days of beach trips, long lunches and bushwalks make for the perfect wind-down before work starts again. Noosa isn\u2019t necessarily cheap in January, but the weather is amazing, Hastings Street is buzzing and there\u2019s as much (or as little) to do as you think you can handle. Bushwalking through Noosa National Park and laying on the beach are free, but make sure you book ahead for your accommodation and your long lunches at Bistro C!<\/p>\n Vietnam \u2013 specifically Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang and Hanoi<\/p>\n Sherwood Suites<\/a> in Ho Chi Minh, Amiana Resort and Villas<\/a> in Nha Trang and The Chi Boutique Hotel<\/a> in Hanoi.<\/p>\n As a celebration for my wife\u2019s 30th birthday \u2013 we were tossing up between Hawaii and Vietnam and decided Vietnam was better for us. Vietnam is great value for money, pretty simple to get to and has great poolside weather\u2026 bring on the cocktails! We haven\u2019t been to Vietnam before, but we loved Cambodia and Thailand, so we\u2019re excited to check it out.<\/p>\n We\u2019re taking the kids on a good old Aussie road trip. Our ultimate destination is Guyra<\/a> \u2013 the highest town in the Northern Tablelands (home to Australia\u2019s highest bowling and recreation club; Google the Guyra Ghost as well for a bit of history), but we\u2019re also going to spend a few days in Hallidays Point<\/a> on the way there and back.<\/p>\n We\u2019re staying with family in Guyra, but in Halliday we\u2019re staying at Happy Halliday\u2019s Holiday Park<\/a>. It\u2019s a good one for the kids, with two swimming pools (one indoors in case it\u2019s cooler), a huge bouncy pillow and minigolf. The cabins have self-contained bathrooms and are clean and comfy for a few days\u2019 break. The Halliday\u2019s Point Tavern down the road does excellent pub meals (try the garlic prawns!) and Old Bar, about a 20-minute drive away, has some decent surfing to keep hubby entertained as well.<\/p>\n Hallidays Point is so close to Forster<\/a> (which is beautiful in summer) but without the crowds and it\u2019s a great halfway point to break up the drive for the kids. Port Macquarie<\/a> is also nearby and has some nice wineries for lunch with Mum and Dad, plus we can boat, fish and surf. And if you take an early morning walk along Black Head Beach, you\u2019re almost guaranteed to see dolphins. Peru<\/a> and Bolivia<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re keeping it simple for most of the time. While we\u2019re doing tours and day excursions, we\u2019ll stay in nice small hotels and B&Bs. After the tours though, we\u2019ll hit some luxury 5-star hotels for a couple days of rest.<\/p>\n They were always two of my top ten destinations to see and it\u2019s finally happening! Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and Bolivia\u2019s Uyuni Salt Flats should be on the list of anyone who enjoys some good old ruins and the wonders of nature. I\u2019m starting my preparation by doing the Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk in my new hiking boots \ud83d\ude03<\/p>\n Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast, QLD<\/a><\/p>\n Grandeur on Bay Three<\/a><\/p>\n Family, family and family take priority over the holiday period, and that’s why Sanctuary Cove is calling us. The Gold Coast has fantastic and consistent weather during December, January, February and March, and at Sanctuary Cove, swimming, beach walks, fishing, boating, theme parks and dining are all at your fingertips. It’s a mini coastal and waterfront village with so much to offer, but most of all it guarantees relaxation with a touch of luxury. It\u2019s a little more expensive at this time of year, but how better to reward the family (and yourself) for another great year completed? And the good news is it’s not too late to find your rewarding break on Wotif!<\/p>\n<\/i> PLAN YOUR SUMMER GETAWAY <\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summer\u2019s the perfect time of year to get away, but where should you go? To help you figure out your own plans (and because I\u2019m an incorrigible stickybeak), I asked some of Wotif\u2019s awesome Aussie travel experts where they\u2019re going this summer. Check it out! Donna Rodios, Director of eCommerce Where are you going? Palm …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[765],"tags":[329,328,326,327],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6755"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6803,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions\/6803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why Palm Cove?<\/h4>\n
![](\"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/travel-assets-manager\/8fc86616-bc1c-4a0b-bdd4-a4d1fd30862b\/anz-17735-600px-1.jpg\")
Tori Atman, Area Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why Hawaii?<\/h4>\n
\n1. Hawaii is a favourite of several of my fellow Wotifers (thanks, Lyv) and they have sung its praises for a long time.
\n2. It was a bit of a last-minute decision, but we wanted to go somewhere we\u2019d never been that wasn\u2019t too long a flight (we can only bear to be away from our dog for a short time). Also, we\u2019ve always wanted to experience the famous aloha spirit. We\u2019d planned to go once before but our visit was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, so we grabbed the opportunity to finally go.
\n3. For us, Hawaii\u2019s major appeal is getting outdoors and into nature \u2013 the beaches, the hikes, the Volcano National Park, snorkelling with all the sea life (including manta rays) and all the quiet places for meditation. Plus there were lots of flight options from Oz and NZ just after the Thanksgiving rush and before Christmas.
\n4. I plan to come back as Australia\u2019s next best ukulele player, so watch this space!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/travel-assets-manager\/8fc86616-bc1c-4a0b-bdd4-a4d1fd30862b\/anz-17735-600px-2.jpg\")
Chris Milligan, Senior eCommerce Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why Noosa?<\/h4>\n
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Zack Frohloff, Senior eCommerce Specialist<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why Vietnam?<\/h4>\n
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Bec Hurley, Senior Brand Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why this road trip?<\/h4>\n
\nFor us, Guyra is a family visit, but it\u2019s also a great place to stop and break up any long trips along the New England Highway. While we\u2019re in Guyra, we\u2019re going to check out Ebor Falls and wear the kids out with some bushwalking. We\u2019re also going to visit the local trout farm to practice our fishing and take a daytrip to Copeton Dam for some waterskiing.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/travel-assets-manager\/8fc86616-bc1c-4a0b-bdd4-a4d1fd30862b\/anz-17735-600px-5.jpg\")
Adam Bochenek, Mobile Marketing Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why Peru and Bolivia?<\/h4>\n
![](\"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/travel-assets-manager\/afdbfad5-bacf-4807-8a2c-e53cedcee990\/anz-17735-600px-6.jpg\")
Daniel Finch, Wotif Managing Director<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where are you going?<\/h4>\n
Where are you staying?<\/h4>\n
Why the Gold Coast?<\/h4>\n