Nepean Country Club, Rosebud, Victoria, Australia

We have a timeshare property we bought a long, long time ago, and it is located at Rosebud, in Victoria, Australia.

At the time we bought it, we thought it would be a good idea to have somewhere to go, to visit and stay for one week of the year.  And for the first few years, we did.

Until we moved to Queensland, and when we did that, we discovered the other convenience of owning a timeshare, we could get reciprocal weeks anywhere in the world.

Mostly in New Zealand, north and south island, but also on the French Riviera.  That was some experience spending a week there.

When we first bought it, it was very small, with only a few apartments, and facilities.  Perhaps the biggest drawcard was the 18 hole golf course, but we didn't play golf.  It had a swimming pool, a restaurant, a cafe, tennis courts, and a bowling green.

Only recently when we returned, to actually stay for a week, we discovered the place to be much larger, a new reception centre, a lot more apartments, and better facilities.

The reception centre was imposing

From any side.  It also had apartments and walkways going off in all directions.  On this side, it led to the restaurant and cafe.

Not far away is the aquatic centre and the cafe.  It has both a hot pool and a cold pool, both undercover.  The weather in Victoria can be quite wet and cold, even in summer.

There are BBQ facilities everywhere.

We did not get to use the swimming pool, but we did get coffee every morning at the cafe.

Tennis courts are both undercover and out in the open.

We did not get the opportunity to use the BBQ.  Instead, we opted for dining at several of the nearby hotels.

And the idea of rowing on the lake did not have any appeal.  I'm sure, on a hot day, the experience would be quite different.

Away for the holidays - Lake Louise, Canada, ice, snow, and cold

The Fairmont at Lake Louise, in Canada, is noted for its ice castle in winter.  This has been created by the ice sculptor, Lee Ross since 2007, using about 150 blocks of ice, each weighing roughly 300 pounds.

When I first saw it, from a distance, looked like it was made out of plastic  It’s not.  Venturing out into the very, very cold, a close inspection showed it was made of ice.

And, it’s not likely to melt in a hurry given the temperature when I went down to look at it was hovering around minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

And that was the warmest part of the day.

Arezzo

There's nothing like being a few days early or a few days late for a major festival.

We have the dubious honor of being able to both without thinking. I guess this is why you should try to plan your holiday around events, if possible.

We love Italy.

We've been a number of times, but the last visit was the best. Of course, it was not without a lot of hiccups just getting there, but in the end, later than we expected, actually about five minutes before they closed Florence airport, we made it.

So, little did we know there was such a thing as Calcio Fiorentino an early form of football and rugby that originated in 16th-century Italy and thought to have started in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. But we were in Florence, at the right time, and even got to see the procession through the streets of Florence.

You can read more about the game and rules at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcio_Fiorentino

We were not so lucky in Siena where we were about a week early for the Palio di Siena which was to take place on 2nd July.

Nor were we in Arezzo at the right time for the Saracen Joust which was held on the penultimate Saturday in June. It is held at the Piazza Grande in the heart of Arezzo and is one of the most beautiful piazzas in Tuscany.

The Piazza Della Liberta and the Town Hall tower



The Piazza Grande, also known as Piazza Vasari, is said to be situated on the site of the ancient Roman Forum.  Here, it is being set up for the coming Joust.

A different view of Arezzo Cathedral | Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Donato 

The apartments at Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

When we first planned to stay in Tuscany for a few days, we wanted to be in a central area.  We had thought of staying in Florence and making daily treks, but the tour operator we selected told us it would be better if we stayed closer to Arezzo.

We picked Greve in Chianti, and a place called Antico Pastificio, we booked a standard apartment with two bedrooms, and it was about as authentic Italian you could get.  The building we stayed in was the yellow pasta factory, and the apartment named ‘Iris’.

It was only steps away from the main square, shops, restaurants, and at the opposite end, the quaint ringing of church bells at various times during the day.

Gaining access was through a very narrow arch which required some deft driving and then up the road.  There were villas and two large apartment blocks.

You can just see the archway at the end of the road. 

This was the entrance to our room,

 along a passage and up the stairs, turning left at the top.

 Going straight ahead through the gate to the car park, 

and access to the grounds behind the buildings.

This was the view from the lounge/living room.  The days were hot, and on several evenings it rained, breaking the heat and making the evenings sitting by the window cool and refreshing.

 And the last view is looking towards the town piazza and the church

Whakapapa ski field, Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand

Whakapapa ski field is on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu, one of two on the mountain, which is also an active volcano.

It is accessed by a 6 km road from Whakapapa village, where Chateau Tongariro is located and is a hotel that can accommodate skiers in winter, and trampers in summer.

On the day we decided to visit, the carpark at the top of the mountain was full, and the only way to get from Whakapapa village to the ski field was by bus, and was, on that day, very expensive.

From the bus, which we decided to catch at a place called National Park, this being the least expensive method of getting to the ski fields, you could see the slopes come into view, and just pick out the ski lift pylons.

My level of skiing being a novice at best, I would have to join the many others in Happy Valley, a large area set aside for beginners.

The objective of the visit was so that two of our granddaughters could see snow for the first time, build a snowman, which considering the numbers that were there that day, a remarkable feat in itself, and have lunch in the cafe.

To be honest, the food wasn't all that bad.

Hotels - the number of stars doesn't necessarily classify it

Hotels can also be one of the major let downs of a holiday.

If you are going to use a travel agent to pick a hotel for you, make sure you check as much as you can because no matter how it is described, seeing it, in reality, is always completely different than the pictures in a brochure and sometimes on the Internet.

It requires research and a good look at TripAdvisor.  Or word of mouth by someone you know and trust who have stayed there.

Take, for instance, staying in a five-star hotel the usual stomping ground of the rich and famous, it is always interesting to see how the less privileged fare.  Where hotel staff is supposed to treat each guess equally it is not always the case.  Certainly, if you're flashing money around, the staff will be happy to take it though you may not necessarily get what you're expecting.

We are lucky to be in the highest loyalty level and this gives us a number of privileges; this time working in our favor but it is not always the case.  Privilege can sometimes count for nothing.  It often depends on the humor of the front desk clerk and woe betide you if you get the receptionist from hell.

Been there, done that, more than once.

Then there is the room.  There is such a wide variety of rooms available even if the hotel site or brochure had representative pictures the odds are you can still get a room that is nothing like you're expecting or were promised.

Believe me, there are rooms with a view, overlooking pigeon coops or air-conditioning vents.

And if you’re lucky, at Niagara Falls, it might be that six inches of window space that allows a very limited view of the falls.  Still, why should I complain, you can see the Falls can you not?

A bone of contention often can be the location of the hotel and sometimes parking facilities, not the least of which is the cost Valet parking; forget it.

We are reasonably near transport, yes, if we could walk the distance (which feels like the length of a marathon) to the nearest bus or tram stop.  The problem is we both have trouble with knees and ankles and walking distances are difficult at the best of times, and for us, it is a long, long way when you can't walk and that's when the hotel starts to feel like a prison.  Taxis may be cheap but when you have to use them three or four times a day it all adds up.

Also, be wary when a hotel says it is close to public transport.

While that may be true in London, anywhere else and especially in Europe, you could find yourself in the middle of nowhere. It’s when you discover your travel agent didn't exactly lie but it is why that weekly rate was so cheap.  In the end, the sum of the taxi fares and the accommodation turns out to be dearer that if you stayed at the Savoy.

So airline, hire car and hotel aside those front-line experiences are fodder for the travel blogger, these people who are also known as road warriors.

I wondered why until we started traveling and discovered the incredible highs and lows, of flying, yes there are good and bad airlines and the bad are not confined to the low cost, of rental cars and of hotels.

There is a very large gulf between five stars and three and sometimes three can be very generous.

And of course, l now have a list of hotels l would never stay in again, the names of which might surprise you.

We all deserve a break, but just how are you going to take it?

Leave, Vacation, or Holiday - don't you deserve a break?

Some people we know have come up for a holiday in what could be described as a very touristy location.

But is it for a 'holiday'?

They have come from one state and are staying in what could be called an apartment, not a hotel.

They are here for a week.

So, they have a kitchen of sorts and can cook their own meals, unlike staying in a hotel room and having to eat out or in the hotel restaurant, and the apartment has a mini laundry.

How much different is this to being at home?

Perhaps we need to have a definition of the word 'holiday' and its variations.  A lot of people's use the term 'vacation'.  Others use the term 'leave'.  Leave's a difficult term because it can cover a number of types such as annual, sick, and maternity.

But whatever we want to call it, is it when you're taking some time away from work.

Is it when you go 'away', that is to say anywhere but home?

You say, 'I'm going on vacation."

We say, "Oh, where are you going?"

Some say camping.  Is that any different than staying in an apartment, or even a holiday house?  Still all the same chores, cooking, cleaning, washing.

Is this why so many people are now going on cruises and hotels are so full these days.

There will always those who will go camping and stay is self-serve places like apartments, but for me, a holiday is staying in a five-star hotel where the only worry is where the nearest dry cleaner is.

Oreti Village, where we prefer to stay

This is not the name of a village but of a timeshare resort located new Pukawa Bay, about 12 kms from Taurangi.

We have an original timeshare in Rosebud, Victoria, Australia, and space bank our week so we can go elsewhere in the world, though it seems it is mostly to New Zealand.

Oreti Village is about as remote from a city as you can get, and we love it.  Quiet, picturesque, and very relaxing we come to do what we call veg, just wind down and do nothing.  The place we stay is a self-contained three bedroom unit with full kitchen laundry and ample room for six people not to fall over each other.

It costs us 199 dollars for the week.

An equivalent anywhere else would cost between $1,200 and $2,500.  I know, I've tried.

The best part about this place is the walks, all of which are manageable for people like us, no longer able to run a marathon or hike from dawn to dusk, and along the way at be entertained by ducks geese swans and the off rabbit.  Well, this year there were a lot more rabbits.  Even in the rain, early morning or late afternoon, there's always something different to admire.  We tend to feed the ducks and swans.

I'm sure there is more to the facilities of the village, like a tennis court and a heated pool, and more but we never had the inclination to find out.  Maybe in the future, we might.  There's no doubt we will be going back.  One day.

At the resort there is a 5-star restaurant where over the years we have stayed has provided us with some of the most memorable dinners and an interesting selection of wines, mostly local.

What more could you possibly want?

Taurangi, it's an interesting town

Located at the bottom of Lake Taupo, staying here would make more sense if you were here for the fishing, and, well, the skiing or the hiking, or just a relaxing half hour in the thermal pools.

I saw a sign somewhere that said that Taurangi was New Zealand's premier fishing spot.  I might have got the wrong, but it seems to me they're right.  On the other side of town, heading towards Taupo, there's a lodge that puts up fly fishermen, and where you can see a number of them in an adjacent river trying their luck.

It's what I would be doing if I had the patience.

But Taurangi is a rather central place to stay, located at the southernmost point of the lake.  From there it is not far from the snowfields of Whakapapa and Turoa.  Equally, at different times of the year, those ski fields become walking or hiking tracks, and the opportunity to look into a dormant volcano, Ruapehu.

It is basically surrounded by hills and mountains on three sides and a lake on the other.  Most mornings, and certainly everyone is different, there is a remarkable sunrise, particularly from where we were staying on the lake, where it could be cloudy, clear, or just cold and refreshing, with a kaleidoscope of colors from the rising sun.

I don't think I've been there to see two days the same.

However, Taurangi, on most days we've visited, is even more desolate than Taupo, both on the main street and the central mall.  The same couldn't be said for the precinct where New World, the local supermarket, a Z petrol station can be found.  There it is somewhat more lively.  The fact there's a few more shops and a restaurant might help traffic flow.

There is also a mini golf course, and in the middle of winter, it is a bleak place to be, especially in the threatening rain, and the wind.  It had also seen better days and in parts, in need of a spruce up, but it's winter, and there are no crowds, so I guess it will wait till the Spring.

In the mall, there's the expected bank, newsagent, gift shop and post office combined, and a number of other gift shops/galleries.  But the best place is the cafe which I've never seen empty and has an extended range of pies pastries and cakes, along with the fast food staples of chips and chicken.
Oh, and you can also get a decent cup of coffee there.

There are two other coffee shops but we found this one the first time we came, we were given a warm welcome and assistance, and have never thought to go anywhere else, despite two known change of owners.

But despite all these reasons why someone might want to stay there, we don't.

We have a timeshare, and there's a timeshare in Pukaki called Oreti Villiage.  That's where we stay.

Taupo, it has the lake, but...

If you are not skiing, not hiking, not horseriding, and have come for the fishing, this is the place to be.

Except...

There is something about a summer resort town in the middle of winter.

Or maybe it's like this all the time.  After all, I have been here in Spring and Autumn and it was just as deserted on the main street.

And not just deserted it is almost like a ghost town, and I suspect the few people that are here are the few hapless tourists wandering about wondering where everyone else is.

It's about 2 pm and we are heading for the local Coffee club for lunch and coffee.  It might be past lunch but I don't think that's the reason why there are so few customers

There is just no one here.

Perhaps it's probably a different story on weekends when the city people come down for the snow and are passing through.

But, essentially, Taupo is a holiday town, and if you take a closer look, all you will see is cafe's, dining establishments and motels.  A quick tour of the shopping center shows more shops are closed or vacant than there are open.

It's not surprising that a lot of businesses cannot survive, because to stay in business, you need a steady stream of customers all year round, not just in Summer.

Unlike their winter counterparts, the ski resorts who seem to have a different working model, take as much as you can while you can, they only have to operate a few months of the year, use non-permanent seasonal workers, and can adjust if there's no snow.

An indication of just how much custom there is in Taupo in winter is trying to organize horse riding.  Admittedly it is rather cold for both humans and horses, but not every day is a loss.  We sought out the local Taupo horse riding establishment and found it closed for Winter.  Understandable perhaps, but the more telling point was the fact it had a big sign up "Business for Sale"

To me, after visiting the town for the fourth time, there's no reason to go back again.  I don't fish, there is precious little to do there in winter, and I prefer to stay closer to the snowfields in winter, or even summer when there is more than just skiing.

This is why we stay near Taurangi.

Oreti Village: No two sunrises are the same

Oreti village

Pukawa Bay

North Island, New Zeland

On the southern tip of Lake Taupo

Three days after we arrive.  Cold.  Red Sky.

A warning that the weather is going to change.  Will it be rain or snow?



It is as cold and peaceful as the first, but the sun is not yet shining.  All we have is this ethereal pinkish tinge to the sky



Before the first clouds appear.  The surface of the lake is like a mirror, reflecting the sky, and clouds.



How soon will it be before the boats begin to appear?

Chateau Tongariro, New Zealand

This chateau was built in 1929 and was originally intended as a hostel for hikers.

It is now near the  Whakapapa skifield on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu and within  the boundary of the Tongariro National Park



We had afternoon tea in the lounge several times, and it is very pleasant in winter with the log fires burning.



The interior is still as ornate as it had been in the 1930's.  The chairs are very comfortable, and the atmosphere pleasant.

Mount Ngauruhoe can be seen through the window of the lounge.  This was used in filming Lord of the Rings.

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, and resorts Wyndham style

We have stayed in two different types of accommodation in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, as a timeshare owner who can trade their week for a week anywhere in the world.

Both are resorts, but different sorts of resorts.  The first was a typical RCI resort, where everything is laid back and relaxing, with all the amenities one can expect from a resort.

The other, this one, the Wyndham in Coffs Harbour, is very different, and you notice it when you walk in the front door.  You are virtually assaulted by hard-nosed timeshare sales staff who really don't take no for an answer, and then when you finally escape, ring you every day to make an appointment.

I left the phone off the hook.

Aside from that, the place is excellent, the accommodation very good, and the situation one of the best with what could be called a private beach.  There are also a number of bushwalks that cater to old people like me.

As you can see, lakes and greenery, and even a putting green.



And in places, they try very hard to hide the ugly multi-story buildings in amongst the trees



It is only a short walk to the 'private beach' and it is sufficiently long enough for a morning walk before breakfast.  You could even try to catch some fish for breakfast, though I'm not sure if anyone actually caught anything



Or you can just stare out to sea



And, back in the room, this is the view we had from our verandah