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Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse, Seal Rocks, NSW

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Amazing views at your doorstep

It's a magnificent place to stay for whale watching with panoramic views at your doorstep. We stayed at the North Cottage, which is a 2 bedroom, self contained cottage at Sugarloaf Point. The lighthouse is close-by up a very steep incline so keep this in mind as it will not be suitable for infants, infirmed or elderly to walk up this slope. We saw numerous whales and a few dolphins during our 2 night stay. Some whales were close to shore but the majority were in the distance. Lighthouse beach was a short 3-5 min walk away. We experienced a glorious sunset whilst we were there.

The cottage was comfortable and spacious. There were oil heaters but no "real" working fireplace. The oil heaters were fine and provided enough warmth during our stay. My husband unfortunately suffered from allergies during the entire stay. He suspected that dust may have been an issue. It didn't affect me or the kids in any way. The place looked clean enough. The kitchen was well equipped and was the room with the best view in the house. There was no view from the lounge area unfortunately but all you needed to do was to grab a picnic blanket and sit outside at the grassy lookout.

Phone reception was virtually non existent for me but my husband managed to get intermittent signals.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay and will probably come back again in the future. Whale watching is addictive!

http://sealrockslighthouseaccommodation.com.au

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Lake Crackenback Resort, Snowy Mountains, Australia

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Beautiful resort - picture perfect

We stayed in a two bedroom mountain chalet 18A. It was well furnished and decorated. It was lovely and quiet but the tiled floors were rather chilly. I saw in the laundry a notice to say that underfloor heating is only turned on between May and Oct. It certainly would have been more comfortable if it could have been extended to April during our stay. The gas fireplace was a nice touch in the living room. The beds were comfortable. BBQ worked well.

One thing to note is that Accor points are not rewarded for chalet stays. They are only awarded for lakeside apartments stays. There is no free wifi internet apart from at the restaurants.

The Cusine restaurant had a beautiful view over the lake but the food was only average for the dinner we had there. It was nice to have the breakfast buffet included in our rate so I felt that was good value.

Our kids used the indoor pool which was a tad dated and felt colder than the 28 deg it was supposed to be heated to. Nevertheless they has a good time. Similarly, they had fun on the canoes, archery and trampolining which did not incur additional charges. The highlight of our stay was the Kosciusko summit walk which we did from the top of the Thredbo chairlifts.

Yes, we will be back one day....

https://www.lakecrackenback.com.au

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Macq01 Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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Fabulous, modern hotel with large rooms

We recently stayed for 3 nights in a superior Hunter room. The room was tastefully furnished and very large. It had a small balcony that faced Hunter St. We did get occasional traffic noise but it was not too bad. Breakfast was included in our Qantas package. We were allowed to order hot breakfast which was very good. The only problem was that the restaurant staff had no idea breakfast was included in our package and we had to remind them every day. Communication from reception to the restaurant staff could have been better.

I used the hotel gym which was very small but well equipped. I also went on a free tour of the surrounding idea to Salamanca markets with the hotel (75mins). It was really good and a great way to kill time whilst my husband went to his work conference.

The free valet parking was excellent. We got good tips about stops on the way to Port Arthur by our valet. Thank you! The wifi was also fast and free.

I would love to come back. It would be great if the hotel could consider some family suites to accommodate 4.

http://www.macq01.com.au

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Zenith Apartments, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia

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Can’t beat the location for NYE fireworks!

We had a truly awesome stay at Zenith in a 2 bedroom standard apartment. It was a large apartment with spectacular, uninterrupted ocean views from the balcony and living areas. We enjoyed our NYE from the apartment with fireworks directly in front - could not beat the view!

We enjoyed spending time at the beach, eating at nearby restaurants and cooking as required. The kitchen had everything I needed for my stay and groceries could be bought from Woolworths within walking distance.

We had older style unrenovated bathrooms in our standard apartment. This did not matter one bit to us. The beds were comfortable. The washing machine and dryer was most helpful during our stay. The air con was put to good use in our living area and master bedroom. There was no air con in the 2nd bedroom but the ceiling fans worked well to circulate the air.

We didn’t try the pool at Zenith. The staff were excellent. Maintenance was great and fixed things up immediately once they were alerted to a problem. Wonderful service. Each unit is provided with one parking spot which is wonderful considering we are in the middle of Surfers Paradise where parking can be an issue. Just be aware the car park spaces can be rather tight so large cars may have difficulty negotiating some of the spaces.

There is limited free wi fi for the units. We hit our limit on our third day so survived day 4 with no wifi.

I aim to return to Zenith in as I found it excellent value for prime location in Surfers Paradise.

http://zenithapartments.com.au

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The Mouses House, Springbrook National Park, Gold Coast Hinterland, Australia

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Loved Springbrook and enjoyed our stay

Springbrook National Park is unique in that it is only 35min drive from Nerang, Gold Coast and provides a completely different environment to that of the nearby beaches. The Mouses retreat was recommended to us by our friend and we found it to be very good. The chalets were well kept and had all the necessary items essential for self catering. The beds were comfortable and free wifi was available. It was a 3 min walk to the start of the “must do” Twin Falls walk, 5 mins drive to the Purlingbrook Falls walk and 35 min drive to Natural Bridge. We loved all three walks as well as the lookouts within driving distance of the Mouse’s retreat.

We were also delighted with the wildlife that visited our porch during our stay, including a mummy and baby possum.

Our chalet consisted of a bedroom downstairs and a loft bedroom upstairs via a wooden ladder. Please be aware this ladder is not suitable for young kids, elderly or infirmed. See pic.

Our host Wayne, was friendly and accommodating.

Thank you and see you next time.

http://www.mouseshouse.com.au

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Pinetrees Lodge capture the spirit of Lord Howe Island. Lord Howe Island, Australia. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Pinetrees Lodge capture the spirit of Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island is paradise, all within a 2 hr flight of Sydney. Pinetrees is in keeping with the friendliness, warmth and relaxed atmosphere of Lord Howe Island. The accomodation was neat and well kept, and the food was marvellous. Pinetrees offer the fully catered experience and I was all for it, with baby and husband in-tow.

Pinetrees lent us a stroller, baby cot, baby cath and provided a high chair at all meals. They also provided our baby with mashed food at every meal. In addition to the cooked breakfast and dinner, we had the option of a BBQ lunch (which was delivered to our destination), or a picnic lunch (which we carried with us on hikes). Dinner always consisted of a soup, choice of 2 mains (in which one was always Kingfish) and choice of 3 desserts. We enjoyed every meal and am in awe of the freshness and the quality of the food provided.

We hired bikes and cycled around the island for the majority of the trip. We succumbed to hiring a car for the last few days of the trip because our muscles were aching from cycling and hiking! Every day, Pinetrees updated their noticeboard with daily tours, and we were able to use their phone to ring the tour companies for bookings. We did 3 tours - the Glass Bottom Boat and snorkelling tour, the specialitiy snorkelling tour and the South End tour. We had a great time on all the tours. We also visited Neds Beach on quite a number of occasions to snorkel and feed the fish. The size of the Kingfishes were unbelievable! We also hiked up My Lidgbird to the Goathouse Cave. In retrospect, I would not reccomend doing the hike like we did with a 11kg baby in a backpack, tripod and camera equipment, but we made it and were proud of our efforts. Next time, we will be investing in a babysitter at Pinetrees!

Pinetrees captures the spirit and the unique atmosphere of Lord Howe Island. We look forward to visiting PInetrees again when our baby is a little older and can pedal herself around the island.

https://www.pinetrees.com.au/rates-and-packages/may-sale-1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhMfF7-rv2gIVjYePCh3a9gaqEAAYASAAEgIMivD_BwE

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Discovery Parks Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia

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Standard Cabin - uncomfortable beds

We stayed 3 nights recently in a 2 bedroom standard cabin. The cabin was well equipped and we cooked several basic meals without any problems. The bedrooms are very small so luggage does have to be left in the living area but there is ample cupboard space to unpack clothing into. Unfortunately, the beds were small, stiff, and very uncomfortable. I wished for a better night’s sleep after hours of hiking! Never mind, the beautiful outdoors made up for it. Even better, we saw loads of wallabies right next to our cabin at dawn each night. Kids loved it.

I didn’t have any mobile phone reception but my husband who has a Telstra phone had no issues. Free wifi is only available at the caravan park shops. The shop was well stocked. We bought milk, sausages, meat pies etc at an obviously premium price but it wasn’t too bad.

The price for the cabins was good but I think I would pay more just to get a better mattress and a better sleep!

https://www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/caravan-parks/tasmania/cradle-mountain-cradle-mountain