Crusing with Blue Lagoon - Updates from Fiji

Blogging from Fiji - November 19, 2013

Michelle Barth, Adventure Consultant – Outdoor Travel Adventures

Another fine day in Fiji! Taking a moment for a picture with two of the wonderful crew on board Blue Lagoon Cruises. Today we snorkeled at a beautiful coral reef near Turtle Island. Being on a small ship cruise really allows for access to some incredible areas.  Last night we had a lovo feast ( a traditional Fiji oven in the ground type BBQ) followed by the local village entertainment. Singing, dancing, warrior style. Extremely fun! Lots of dancing. A young couple on board got engaged in the Blue Lagoon,what a location.

The famous caves of the Blue Lagoon are pictured below. Yes movie night tonight - Feature Film - The Blue Lagoon!

Exploring Fiji

Blogging from Fiji - November 18, 2013

Michelle Barth, Adventure Consultant – Outdoor TravelAdventures

Yesterday was a busy day. I departed for Malolo Island and was able to spend sometime at Malolo Island resort before heading over the stay at Likuliku, Fiji's only over the water bures.

The renovations at Malolo are complete and the island looks wonderful. Malolo is great for families and couples, and has a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

LikuLiku is really a one of a kind resort. Ideal for honeymooners and couples wanting to really get away from it all.

After my island resort visits, it was an early start to get back to Port Denarau to board the Blue Lagoon Cruise, which is my  home for the next 3 days!

  

On the first day we visited the Sacred Islands which are exclusive to Blue Lagoon and Captain Cook cruises. Apparently is was the first visited island in Fiji. This was where a survivor show was filmed.

Coconut demonstration happening now on the ship. Docking at noon for the remainder of the day.

More to follow.

Moce from Fiji!

Michelle

 

Live from Fiji

Blogging from Fiji - November 16, 2013

Michelle Barth, Adventure Consultant – Outdoor TravelAdventures

I made it to Fiji this weekend and I am having the most amazing time! The trip started off in a celebratory way as it was the last flight in history on the Air Pacific 747 livery. It is now Fiji Airways and they are flying new airbus equipment and retiring the 747’s. Our group of passengers and crew celebrated this historic flight with champagne for all and some very lively music.

Once in Fiji I was met by our ground company Rosie holidays and welcomed into their arrival office with a flower lei and some cold Fiji Water. Then it was off to Port Denarau to board South Sea Cruises out to Castaway Island. 

Castaway Island is amazing. I immediately felt at home as I met the operations manager as well as the famous manager Lingo, who everyone seems to know and love.  I was treated to a boat ride over to Tavarua to see the world famous surf breaks. I knew Castaway was a great location for families and that surfing was easy to access, but seeing it first hand was great. At the end of the day I  enjoyed quite a feast prepared by the island’s executive Chef Lance Seeto, who is also an award-winning international food & travel writer and TV personality.

This morning I am going to jump in the water for some snorkeling right off the beach, before heading over to neighboring island Malolo where I will visit both Malolo Island Resort and Likuliku.

Watch for my next blog! Signing off from Fiji!

Michelle

Top 5 Places to hold a Koala Bear in Australia

Andrea from Outdoor Travel Adventures - Sept 2013, Australia

 

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive when planning trips to Australia is: “Where can I hold a Koala? (I have to admit on my first trip to Australia this was on the top of my list too!) The only state currently offering the opportunity to cuddle a Koala, is Queensland. For travelers that means you need to plan this when you are either in Cairns or Brisbane.  A visit to any one of these 5 wildlife sanctuaries will put on the path to a koala cuddle sure to please you animal lovers!

From the Cairns area:

The Kuranda Koala Garden has a variety of wildlife for visitors to see including freshwater crocodiles, snakes, wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, and more. Kuranda Koala Gardens is located 40 minutes northwest of Cairns. Most travelers plan a day trip to Kuranda and include a stop at the Koala Gardens.

The award winning Cairns Tropical Zoo is located within beautiful tropical landscaped gardens and has the largest wildlife collection in Tropical North Queensland. Cairns Tropical Zoo is located 20 minutes north of Cairns. If you really like the idea of a close up encounter with a variety of species, try the Zootastic experience. Only 4 visitors at a time are allowed in a private enclosure.

The CairnsWildlife Dome  is a spectacular all-weather wildlife immersion exhibit with an interactive environment for humans and animals to mingle in a spacious natural setting. The area is enclosed by a 60-feet high glass dome on top of the iconic Reef Hotel Casino. If you are short on time and want to cuddle a koala right in Cairns, this is the place. The Dome also has a Zip Line and is well worth a visit!

From the Brisbane area:

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary located 8 miles south of Brisbane. One of the world's first and largest koala sanctuary with over 130 koalas. Cuddle a koala anytime, hand feed kangaroos and encounter a large variety of Aussie wildlife, all in beautiful, natural settings.

The Australia Zoo  is a wildlife adventure delivering conservation through education. It is located 60 miles north of Brisbane and is operated by Steve Irwin’s family.

These programs raise awareness and educate visitors about the vulnerability of this iconic Australian animal and its diminishing habitat. Koalas are very sensitive animals and each venue follows very strict handling codes for koalas. Koalas are not allowed to “work” more than 30 minutes each day or more than three days a week at most venues. The rest of the day is spent sleeping (koalas sleep an average of 16-20 hours a day) and eating.

When planning an Australia Vacation, be sure to use an Aussie Specialist so they can assist you in incorporated the best location for the activities on your wish list.

Article By: Roseann Iovine, Premier Aussie Travel Specialist, Outdoor Travel Adventures

Arsenal vs. West Ham

Last night we made our way to Arsenal, just a short tube ride from our hotel. We had every bit of our cold weather gear on, yet it was absolutely freezing. There had been some snow showers throughout the day. Note the snow in the picture. The Arsenal Stadium is extremely impressive as it sits right in the center of what feels like a traditional English neighborhood.

Our seats were perfectly situation right at mid fields so we had a great view. Surprisingly lots of people getting up and down and coming in late. They were are serious fans non the less, and although Arsenal had a slow start with West Ham scoring the first goal, they quickly showed their talent with 5 goals and a final score of 5-1 Arsenal. We learned the basic chant " Come on Arsenal".

More sights in London

Do you recognize this street? This is Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films. The street is actually called Cecil Court and it is right near Charing Cross.

A quick look at Buckingham Palace. Tomorrow we will try for the changing of the guard.

London

Wow! London in January. Pros - no crowds, special attention and lots of love (customer service) almost everywhere you go. Cons - cold.......It actually snowed here the day before we arrived, a rare occurrence in London.

Travel from Heathrow - even easier than I remembered years ago. From Terminal 5 you can grab the Heathrow express and be in central London  (Paddington Station) in under 20 minutes. Our hotel was closer to Victoria and we happened to be arriving at rush hour so we opted for the tube to Victoria and a 2 minute walk to the hotel. We will take the Heathrow Express on the way back to the airport.

Hotel - we are staying at the The Rubens Buckingham Palace. Awesome 4 star hotel in a great location. Best points of the hotel: 1) Excellent staff - these people just know what service is. In a time when we all wonder what happen to great service and nice people. I found them! This hotel is part of the Red Carnation hotel group. If you ever have a chance to stay at Red Carnation property. Do it! Final note, few places really care about families and kids. The Rubens really knows how to treat kids. My 9 year old son (Lucas) received his own check-in, a kids size bathrobe and a few little gifts waiting on his bed in the room.

Sights - Despite the cold we hit the highlights that Lucas had on his list. Big Ben, Tower of London, Tower bridge and a river Cruise up the Thames and the London Eye. Tomorrow we will walk down the street to see Buckingham palace and in the evening attend a great soccer match between Arsenal and West Ham, two London club.