Holiday Inspiration on the Beaches

Once seen as little more than the location for the main Whitsunday Islands' airport, Hamilton Island is enjoying a new lease of life thanks to the efforts of Australian tycoon Bob Oatley. Since buying the island in 2003, the billionaire - and avid sailor - has built a swish, up-market resort called Qualia, a stunning new yacht club (with 35 luxury villas) and an 18-hole golf course on neighbouring Dent Island. Oatley's sense of razzmatazz is well illustrated by the curved copper roof of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, dubbed 'the Opera House of far north Queensland', representing a new era of glamour for both Hamilton Island and the entire Whitsunday archipelago.

The Oatley effect is already being felt: apart from the long-running Hamilton Island Race week (held every August), the island is now hosting fashion events, ballet shows and cooking masterclasses by international chefs such as Tetsuya Wakuda. But Hamilton's resurgence really began with the opening of Qualia in 2007. Although the island has always attracted a fair share of celebrities (George Harrison owned a house here for many years), its reputation nosedived in the 1980s thanks to a rash of ill-advised tourist developments.

Surrounded by 30 acres of manicured grounds, Qualia is everything the old Hamilton Island was not: sophisticated, contemporary and elegant. Set on the northern tip of the island, well away from the marina and busy shopping strip, the resort has just 60 one-bedroom pavilions and a magnificent private Beach House. The air of calm is further enhanced by the absence of children: guests must be aged 16 or over.

Each pavilion has a generous living area, large deck and galley kitchen; Windward Pavilions also have private plunge pools, a bigger bathroom and a separate bedroom area, as well as elevated views of the neighbouring islands. All guest rooms are provided with electric golf buggies (very handy on a property this size).

The resort's facilities include a lavish spa, fitness centre, two swimming pools and the Long Pavilion, which houses the reception, restaurant, bar and wine cellar. There is a small water-sports centre stocked with sea kayaks, snorkelling equipment and 17ft catamarans for excursions to the Great Barrier Reef. Private yacht charters are available from the island's marina.

For those who want to be closer to the bustle of Hamilton Island - or are travelling with children - the impressive Yacht Club Villas (each with four bedrooms, kitchen, entertainment area and outdoor terrace) are a worthy alternative. Guests have access to the yacht club facilities (gym, lap pool and sauna), as well as the marina and the new, 18-hole golf course on Dent Island. Despite its formidable-looking fairways, club officials say the course is suitable for everyone.

Things to do: Sailing, golf, scuba diving, snorkelling, luxuriating in the spa.

Don't miss: Lunch at the clubhouse for just A$65 a head (about £40), including transfers. You don't even have to pick up a golf club, just enjoy the views.

Holiday bole tho- GOA for college students...

Every college guy comes to me and says, Bhai we are planning for a trip to GOA. Arrange for a great trip at good budget more loads of fun is expected. So for all those I have decided to bring the best package understanding each aspect of their travel plan. For those who want real experience of Goa call @ 9986248454

Goa, an idyllic sun-and-sand getaway, is a wonderful holiday destination especially in the winter months of December and January. As you get into the holiday mood, it is necessary to be mindful of a few unwanted elements that are an inexplicable part of Goa’s beach atmosphere. The sight of foreign tourists makes most hawkers move in for the kill. The prices they quote are mostly exorbitant and they keep pestering until you purchase something from them. Don’t let them come close to your bag, as something might invariably find its way into their bag when they leave. A firm ‘no’ is enough to discourage them, considering you do not engage in any conversation with them. 

While strolling the beach, in all probability you will meet this curious character who claims to be a professional ear doctor. He stops you, produces a card, and promises you a great ear treatment. If you believe him and ask him to work on your ears, he might simply clean your ear with a cotton bud and produce some stones saying he pulled them out of your ear! It is hilarious as much as obnoxious. Do not waste any money in getting such a treatment. If buying anything from a hawker, make sure you negotiate the rate as there is a tendency to over charge. You could be rudely interrupted by beggars or touts while relaxing on the beach and enjoying the sun. Always take care of your belongings, and abstain from carrying around too much cash. 

More often than not you will spot little kids offering to polish your shoes, even if you are wearing white flip flops! The worst of the lot are the masseurs offering a therapy on the beach for an earth-shattering rate, especially to foreigners. Such massages can sometimes be more harmful than relaxing, and you can’t ever be sure if the guy is qualified. If you want to get a massage done, visit a proper Ayurveda massage centre scattered all around Goa. While traveling in train beware of pick-pockets. Women should avoid strolling by the beach alone at night, and if you must, make sure you have a companion. 

Steer clear of small time jewelry stores that sometimes trap tourists by first quoting a higher price, and if the shopper negotiates and doesn't buy the product, he is harassed into buying something at least. If you wish to shop for jewelry, go to reputed big stores that have courteous staff. Also be warned of the 'timeshare crew', who ride up their motorbikes to you and inform that you have just won a lottery. Such people get paid rather well for enticing holidaymakers to their venue. In order to avoid this, a polite “no thank you” is enough to send them on their way

Dream Thailand now @ just Rs. 6000/-+ Airfare

Thailand is often referred to as a golden land, not because there is precious metal buried underground but because the country gives off a certain lustre, be it the fertile rice fields of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of its citizenry.

Thailand's cool season runs from November until the end of February. With its low humidity, relatively low temperatures and clear skies, the cool season is the best time to visit, though regular days of high 20s and low 30s might leave you wondering just who came up with the term ‘cool’. It is also the peak tourist season, so expect lots of new friends at the more popular spots like the islands and major towns.

First introductions are made in Bangkok, a modern behemoth of screaming traffic, gleaming shopping centres and international sensibilities interwoven with devout Buddhism. Chiang Mai, the country's bohemian centre, is where the unique and precise elements of Thai culture become a classroom, for cooking courses and language lessons; while climbing into the mountain ranges around Mae Hong Sonyou'll find stupa-studded peaks and villages of post-Stone Age cultures. Sliding down the coastal tail are the evergreen limestone islands of Ko Tao and Kho Phi Phi Don, filled with tall palms angling over pearlescent sand. Thailand's beaches are stunning, hedonistic and mythic among residents of northern latitudes.

People come here as miners: first perhaps for the uniquely Western concept of R&R. And while they toast themselves to a bronze hue on the sandy beaches, they find in the daily rhythm of Thailand a tranquillity that isn't confined to vacation time. The northeast is a region better suited for homestays and teaching gigs than quick souvenir snapshots: here, you can dive deep into the Thai psyche, emerging with a tolerance for searingly spicy food and a mastery of this strange tonal language. Welcome to a life-altering experience disguised as a holiday.