The conceirge: To Turkey or Japan with Chen Han Wei, The great sunshine way, Discover Saudi Arabia and No-frills travel sale.
By Cheryl Tan and Tan Yi Hui
TO TURKEY OR JAPAN WITH CHEN HAN WEI
Care to go on a nine-day trip to Turkey with MediaCorp artist Chen Han Wei? It costs $2,248 per person, and includes a cruise between Asia and Europe, as well as shopping galore at the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar. Departure date is Oct 6.
If you prefer, you can choose to go on a seven-day Scenic Hokkaido & Tokyo tour with him instead, for $2,338 upwards per person.
Rejuvenate in an onsen or hot spring bath and savour shabu shabu, sushi, sashimi, snow crabs and more. Go up Mount Hakodate to catch a breathtaking night view, and visit the Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura, a history theme park highlighting city life in the Edo period. Departure date is Nov 6.
UOB credit card members can save up to $200 per couple, plus free insurance coverage and an option to travel now and pay later with a 0 per cent interest instalment plan.
If lazing in front of a fireplace in a cosy cottage or staying at an award-winning resort on an island is your idea of a good vacation, check out The Great Sunshine Way packages by Tourism Queensland.
This new tour in southern Queensland in Australia takes visitors to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast. You can opt for the coach tour (from $988), which includes Etihad Airways return airfare to Brisbane, three nights' stay in Gold Coast and return airport transfers.
Pay $88 more for two full-day tours where you get to explore Brisbane city, the lush Gold Coast hinterland, quaint mountain villages and chic resort towns in Sunshine Coast.
The more adventurous can sign up for the self-drive package, also available from $988. It includes return airfares on Etihad Airways to Brisbane, three days' car rental and two nights' accommodation in Sunshine Coast.
An additional one-night stay at a luxurious country retreat, Peppers Hidden Vale, will set you back by another $88. But you get to spend a night in a cottage fitted with a fireplace and surrounded by rolling hills and farmland.
Not ready to go home yet? Then extend your holiday with a three-day, two-night stay on Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island, for an additional $548. Enjoy a full-day four-wheel-drive eco tour and marvel at towering sand dunes, or take a dip in a freshwater lake. The price includes catamaran boat rides to and from the island.
Alternatively, you can opt for an extra night at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat with a mountain view room at the Lamington national park for another $248. Here, you can get close to wallabies, possums and flying foxes. There is also a Tree Top Walk, where you can view the forest canopy.
See the ancient city of Madain Saleh in Al Ula on a seven-day tour of Saudi Arabia.
Embark on a seven-day journey to Saudi Arabia to explore one of the most oil-rich kingdoms in the Middle East.
The tour by Shahidah Travel and Tours includes an exciting four-wheel-drive desert excursion at Harrah Al Raggasat as well as visits to historical and archaeological sites such as the Al Hamra palace, the ancient city of Madain Saleh and the Taima wall in Al Ula. Visit a camel market in Riyadh city and sample Middle Eastern cuisine.
An English-speaking guide will be on hand to explain the historical, geographical and scientific background of the sites. And if you are interested, religious aspects can be explained too. Women are advised to dress modestly during their visit.
Starting from $3,695, the package excludes travel insurance, visa fees and taxes. Tours leave on Dec 22, Jan 21, Feb 14, Feb 28 and March 14.
Contact Shahidah Travel and Tours on 6299-2345 or visit www.shahidahtravel.com for more information.
NO-FRILLS TRAVEL SALE
Planning a trip to Hainan province in China, Hanoi in Vietnam or Taiwan? Asia Global Vacation, the budget division of Chan Brothers Travel, is offering no-frills packages designed to keep your travel spending to a minimum.
Go to #02-75A People's Park Centre, 101 Upper Cross Street, between 10am and 8pm on Friday, and between noon and 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Deals include a five-day Winter Hainan package that will cost $418 per person and a five-day Hanoi and Halong Bay getaway that costs $498 per person.
Foodies can sign up for the six-day Taiwan Food Hunt tour and eat their way through the cities of Taipei, Taichung, Nantou and Kaohsiung for $768.
