sunset in waikiki

This morning, I woke reminiscing the excellent moments we had during our last family vacation to Hawaii. Six months had passed and every time we ran through the videos with our preschooler, I would be reminded of the golden sunsets at Waikiki and the superb ocean views from our room. This must be one of our best vacations! Though my other half still complain and nag every now and then about my shopping indulgence and splurge, I know he had a lovely time himself too. He went for surfing lessons for the first time while I spent some quality time with my boy in DFS Galleria Waikiki and the Ala Moana mall - that was nice! Read the rest of this entry »

Before coming to Queenstown, I asked friends who had holidayed in New Zealand on which was their favourite city. All of them surprised me with a common answer…… Queenstown! With that in mind, we planned a longer stay here. With so many people echoing the same sentiment, it can’t be wrong.

The first thing that impresses me as I set foot in this well-talked about town are the mountain ranges of the Remarkables and the calm waters of Lake Wakatipu.

We spent alot of time at the Queenstown jetty during our days here. It is a simple and enjoyable way to have a true holiday and for us, a great way to spend quality time with little Clayton. He loves the hungry birds and New Zealand ducks at the waters. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you always in charge of planning for any family or group vacation? I am. And I enjoy it! Planning for a vacation can be real exciting and fun. And one of things I love most is to check out and decide on accommodation!

Since I completed our first family holiday site few months ago, I have also been an active forum contributor to some travel sites.

Contributing to the forum allows me to help others as well as offer my unbiased comments and feedback. Over the months, I also observed that most tourists/travelers tend to ask some common questions at the forum. Questions such as: Read the rest of this entry »

For us, our North Island holiday began in Auckland. This would be a good base if you are planning to tour only the North Island. Other than being known as a big city, Auckland, New Zealand does have a lot to offer – from first class accommodations, a busy night scene and a host of popular attractions and leisure activities.</p> <p align=” />It is easy to move around without a rental car in New Zealand when in Auckland. Though I prefer the shopping scene in Wellington city to Auckland, the specialty shops on Ponsonby are my personal favourite.

The main shopping area (the starting point for visitors) is Queen Street which is lined with all sorts of stores. I like Ponsonby. There are a few nice shops and lots of cool restaurants. This is one suburb you must not miss when visiting the North Island!The shop that attracted me most is this big, colourful shop called ‘The Garden Party’.

The shop has a large mural outside and it’s hard to miss it when you are walking along Ponsonby Road.

It stocks lots of cute and unusual finds. This will be a wonderful place to find a New Zealand gift to take home. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are familiar with online hotel bookings, check the new look at lastminute.com.au. I use this site alot when I need to make hotel reservations in Australia or New Zealand. But I must say that the new look on the website is alot better than the previous one. It’s attractive with nice pictorial icons, modern, contemporary, inviting and appealing to anyone surfing.

Anyways, lastminute.com.au launched the secret hotels feature a year ago and this week, it is celebrating its first birthday. To kick off this birthday bash, you can to grab a top class hotel for only $1! The hotels will be available in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast and Palm Cove. Just check the website on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and you can a chance to win this fabulous deal! Mystery times will be between 2 - 6pm so be sure to check during these times!

This blog unveils my passion as an avid traveller. Before becoming a mum, travelling was easy, it was just packed for myself and off I went. But since entering motherhood in Oct 2004 to an active boy, travelling presented a new and refreshing experience. Some parents think it is a waste of money to bring little ones along for vacations as they may not remember those fond memories when they grow up.

But you know, it’s not about remembering, but the journey and experience that is magical and meaningful. My first flight experience was at 21 and though it was a business trip, it was the birth of this passion. Travelling expands my horizon, refreshes my mind and rejuvenates my entire being, whether for business or travel.

So this blog will focus on my favourites, sentiments and feedback on accommodations, restaurants, adventures and encounters. It is all based on my personal experience plus many more things we observe along the way. I would also post on tips, resources, reviews and opinions on travel-related matters and these may not be my very own. But one thing for sure, it continues to unveil life and its passions, experiences and more… Enjoy!