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We arrive in time for lunch and sample another of Australia’s set ups in the region, the Meat Co. Great food and again friendly locals wanting to make sure we sample all of the local delicacies.   After lunch we headed off to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, arguably the most beautiful so far, with all the chandeliers made from Swarovski crystals and the mosque being able to take 40 000 worshippers at any one time. Then, off to the canal area to check into our home away from home, the Ritz Carlton Grand Canal. Let the celebrations begin, box seat position for the fireworks to see in the New Year.   01 January 17 – Happy New Year!! We ...

Our Qatar flight from Doha to Muscat, a little over an hour, was comfortable and the landing into Muscat quite beautiful as it’s one of the few Gulf states with towering mountains. Another visa on arrival, Omani Riel 5 each.   We’ve been to southern Oman before, Salalah, some 1000kms south of the city of Muscat and 10hrs by road and although we cruised in we had an interesting day so we were semi prepared for our northern Omani experience.   The locals love their Sultan, who came to power educated in 1970 and changed the course of this country. It’s a tax free country as it’s wealth is from oil, gas and a growing tourism sector. Tourism from India ...

Christmas Eve and the airport is packed with holidaymakers about to head off somewhere for Christmas and New Year, and our Arabian Adventure begins, a great Qatar flight and an early morning ahead of time arrival at Doba, Qatar.   When asked this year “Where are you off to for Christmas?” our reply was “Middle East” to which the response was then either “Why?’” or “Whatever for!?”   Well it’s easy, we haven’t land toured for ages and Tauck Tours had what looked to be interesting Arabian Adventures featuring Qatar, Oman and UAE. Well done with quality hotels, amazing sightseeing experiences and many other features, plus, we got a better understanding of the Muslim culture and its unique beauty. Our ...

What’s Great About Tauck You May Ask?    – All inclusive –All food and drinks on the ship are included in the initial cost, as well as all day trips/excursions and entry fees. There are no hidden surprises, you know what your holiday is going to cost. Airport transfers are also included. – Guided tours are given by locals who have intimate knowledge of their area. – Meals – you have the choice of a formal or informal setting. – Participate in all ship excursions or none – it’s your holiday and your choice. Choose as little or as much as you like. – If you choose to undertake as many organised tours as possible there is still free time ...

The white marble palace rises like a shimmering mirage from the waters of tranquil Lake Pichola, seeming to colour as the sun moves across the sky. Unsurprisingly, the hotel has a reputation as one of the most romantic in the world.   Built as a palace for the royal family of Udaipur in 1746, it was originally known as Jag Niwas. The natural foundations are spread over an area of 4 acres; about the size of 3 football fields. The building faces east, so that inhabitants could rise at dawn and worship the Hindu sun god Surya.   At the top of the hotel is a domed room that is 6.4 metres (21 feet) in diameter, reflecting the grand architecture ...

  If you have stories to share, then this is the place! Just fill out your travel story in the form below (you can even add pictures if you like) and we’ll add them to our blog. At the end of the month the team at Home Travel will meet to choose our favourite, and that story will win a return ticket to Melbourne or Tasmania. Your Name* Email* Tell Us Your Story* Share Your Photos (.jpg & .png only) Drop files here or Accepted file types: jpg, png. Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.   Stories We’ve Received Our trip of a lifetime… As a new friendship group we decided to go on ...

When Samuel Cunard set sail across the Atlantic in 1840 on Britannia he changed the face of ocean travel forever and a Cunard cruise is still just as much about the experience you have on board as the destinations you visit!  Feel Regal, feel welcome from the very first ‘good afternoon’ – it’s called White Star Service, the same as it was all those years ago, – you’ll hear it from your stateroom steward, greeted by name and remembering the tiniest details about you!   The fleet has grown over the years with now 3 Queens to choose from, Queen Mary 2 which continues the proud tradition of regular Transatlantic Crossings to or from New York, Queen Elizabeth, christened by ...

Well our last experience was Golden, – the new /old Princess ship visiting our waters in this wave season taking guests easily from Melbourne around New Zealand, Tasmania and some of the South West Pacific Isles.   It’s true to say it’s a long while since we cruised with 2598 of our new best friends, and on a ship at some 109000 gross tonnes so it seemed large after some of our latest cruising …….but although large there are plenty of spaces for someone to get lost and at times not see another guest onboard, – our first Princess cruise was on the original Love Boat, Island Princess around New Zealand in 1990 and we have cruised a lot of ...

Our Stateroom Our verandah 7079 was comfortable with generous storage, a work desk and small table, daily amenities and comfortable verandah furniture; room service that is complimentary, gowns, slippers, umbrella and all the little touches. Who’s Who? I suppose our average age on this close to home journey would have been 50yrs (many 40-60 year old travellers) and many travellers had booked back to back voyages, eg Singapore to Cairns, Cairns to Sydney and Sydney to Auckland – and it’s probably true to say that Australians LOVE Azamara with some of these sectors having 216 Aussies v 228 from USA of the total 668. Dining On Board Now I am not a buffet fan, indeed I loath them, but in ...