El Questro is our first stop on a trip along the Gibb River Road and it certainly sets the standard for our Kimberley adventure.
The views along this first section of the Gibb are beautiful. We are still on bitumen out to the El Questro turnoff, then it’s 16kms of unsealed road to El Questro Station where we have booked a Garden View Room for two nights.
It is a beautiful drive of about 4 hours between Katherine and the tiny settlement of Timber Creek. It is a good place to break our trip on the way to Lake Argyle.
Wirib Tourism Park is a little oasis. We check in at the IGA with the friendly fellow at the front of the store, drive into the park and see lovely green, grassy campsites. We have a powered site.
The Ibis Styles is 3-star older-style motel accommodation (part of the Accor Group) located a short distance from the centre of Katherine.
We stayed one night here after camping in Kakadu National Park. We found the staff very friendly and were able to get a good rate that included a continental breakfast.
The Quality Advance Apartments (Metro Advance Apartments & Hotel) at 55 Cavenagh Street, Darwin City provide very comfortable, good value for money accommodation in Darwin.
On checking into our two-bedroom apartment #3047, we find the staff very friendly.
Our apartment has an open plan kitchen/dining/lounge area with a sliding glass door opening onto a small balcony that faces west. We look down over to our right to the pool area which is partly shaded by a shade-cloth and has BBQs available for guests. The living area is well furnished with a couple of sofas, desk, dining table and an air conditioner.
We are running late and the office at the Cooktown Holiday Park has closed when we arrive, so we ring the telephone number given on the office door. There is a quick response and we are given a warm welcome by Tammy. Tammy gives us an information pack on Cooktown and is able to recommend places of interest in the area. She seems genuinely proud of her town.
We set up camp on a grassy patch near the creek, with plenty of shade. The lawns and gardens are beautifully maintained. There are lots of trees throughout the campsite and hedges around the pool. (more…)
The Mantra Esplanade is a very comfortable hotel, well located on the Esplanade. We booked into Room 52 on the 5th floor overlooking Cairns Waterfront Park and the Pier.
Our room had a Queen-sized bed, sofa bed, coffee table, console with bar-size fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, couple of wine glasses and couple of tumblers, TV, air conditioning, a wardrobe containing iron and ironing board and a safe.
There was a good sized bathroom with bath, shower over the bath, basin and toilet.
Our room had sliding glass doors onto a small balcony (with a small outdoor table and two chairs) overlooking The Esplanade.
Parking was available however our high 4WD vehicle did not fit. We were able to park our vehicle at the front of the building overnight (free parking between 5pm and 8am).
We stayed just one night at the Mantra as Cairns was the starting point of a 4-week camping trip to Broome. Woolworths was just one street away so it was convenient for us to do a big shop before the trip.
A short walk away, we enjoyed dinner at Ba Mien Vietnamese restaurant on Aplin Street. We shared a number of delicious authentic Vietnamese dishes. This casual eatery had tables outside on the footpath and was BYO. It was great value for money and very pleasant on a balmy evening.
We can highly recommend a stay at the Mantra Esplanade, Cairns.
Cairns Mantra Esplanade Hotel – Photos
AccommodationGuru.com
20 May 2016
Auckland – Hobbiton – Rotorua – Ohope – East Cape – Gisborne – Napier – Hastings – Hawkes Bay – Greytown – Wellington – Tongariro National Park – Taupo – Whangarei & Tutukaka Coast – Russell – Paihia – Kerikeri – Cape Reinga – Opononi – Waipoua Forest – Auckland
Having enjoyed a road trip through the South Island of New Zealand in Dec-Jan 2014-5, we decided to go back and see the North Island in Dec-Jan 2015-16.
While not having quite the ‘wow’ factor of the South Island, the North Island has a different feel and plenty of spectacular places to visit – we loved it. Highlights include the thermal activity around Rotorua, Northland & Bay of Islands, the Hawkes Bay region, the iconic Pacific Coast Drive (State Highway 35), Wellington and Auckland.
Apihara Holiday Park is located in Northland at the top of New Zealand’s North Island and we stayed here the night before we did a day drive to Cape Reinga. Ninety Mile Beach is a short walk away.
This is an attractive holiday park. It has a relatively small camping area with the unpowered sites toward the back of the park under tall pine trees, and the powered sites closer to the amenities.
Russell is a very pretty place and so is the Top 10 Holiday Park. Set on a terraced hill a couple of blocks from the town centre and waterfront, this holiday park is one of the most attractive we have stayed in.
Plateau Lodge provides rooms, apartments, dorm beds and has a new area for camping – powered and non powered sites. It is a small camping area but each campervan site has a picnic table next to it and there is a separate spot for tents.
