Don’t delay: these 9 summer holiday destinations are already 50% booked
Credit: Two Palms / Harry Pope
Summer beach houses are the closest thing Australia has to a national tradition, and this year more than half of Stayz’s are already spoken for across nine of the country’s favourite coastal markets.
The nine are:
A hotel has hundreds of near-identical rooms. A holiday home is one property, and once someone books it, nobody else can.
“Holiday homes are a little different to hotels. Once a property is booked, it’s no longer available to other travellers, so booking ahead can mean more choice," says Stayz Travel Expert Sarah King.
If you can hold out, the last week of January is the sweet spot for savings and availability. Stayz data puts holiday homes on average up to 45 per cent cheaper than Christmas week (22–27 December), and describes the week as 90 per cent less busy. Think a quieter beach, a free spot on the deck and fewer queues for the barbecue.
The catch is that it only works if you can travel then. School return dates differ by state, and some homes have minimum stays.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
For travellers who’d rather keep their dates earlier in the break, three inland regions still have strong availability, and each makes a good summer case.
Lookout walks, village-hopping and exploring pubs, bookshops and antique stores. It’s under two hours from Sydney, so a long weekend works, and the evenings are usually cooler than the coast, which makes a shady garden and a cold drink feel like the point of the trip.
Cellar doors, long lunches and a Saturday-morning wander through the farmers market in Angaston. It’s about an hour’s drive from Adelaide, so a weekend is easy, and a house with a big verandah earns its keep at the end of the day, when a glass of shiraz and a designated driver are all the plan you need.
Gin tastings, cellar doors and a sunrise hot-air balloon over the vines. It’s about an hour from Melbourne, which suits a short break, and a slow afternoon in summer makes the case for staying put.
There are early-booking savings too. Many Stayz properties offer discounts for bookings made at least 60 days ahead.
Christmas week is a group sport, and the houses that suit a big crew are the first to go. If that’s your plan, book now. If you have any flexibility, the last week of January is the better bet.
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Ticking off Australia’s icons? These hotels can help.
(Credit: DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs)
Ellery Creek Big Hole, the Busselton Jetty and Lamington National Park; they’re just a handful of some of Australia’s most incredible attractions. With a car and a conveniently located home base, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t start ticking them off your must-see list.
And where there are iconic sights, there’s a Hilton ready to welcome you.
Considered Australia’s portal to Asia, Darwin’s proximity to Indonesia and Timor-Leste has resulted in a highly multicultural population. There’s a strong Southeast Asian influence that coexists with the ancient customs and cultural traditions of the land’s traditional custodians, the Larrakia people. One of the finest examples is Darwin’s most acclaimed dish. It’s not damper or a meat pie, but spicy laksa. You’ll find it everywhere in the city, even at the weekly sunset markets.
Just a day trip away lie the region’s other major drawcards, the oases of Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park.
How best to explore it all? Check into Hilton Darwin, or sister properties DoubleTree by Hilton Esplanade Darwin and Hilton Garden Inn Darwin. Spend the day exploring, then return to delicious meals at these hotel restaurants, and cool down in their refreshing pools.
What do New York and the Gold Coast have in common? Their iconic skylines. High-rise after high-rise line the city’s 70km stretch of swimmable, surfable, and walkable beach, the majority clustered around the coast’s beating heart, Surfers Paradise.
It’s the region’s most lively and energetic suburb, known for the nightclubs, shops, and restaurants that sit along Cavill Ave. Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & Residences is right there in the middle of the action, close enough to walk to dinner and drinks, but far enough away to retreat to when you need some R&R.
For further respite, explore the nearby hinterland. Head towards Lamington National Park in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests for winding hiking trails surrounded by dense tropical foliage and waterfalls.
Surrounded by ancient desert and dramatic natural landscapes, there’s plenty to see and do around the ‘gateway to the Red Centre’, Alice Springs. Base yourself at the DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs in the town centre, soaking up views of the iconic Macdonnell Ranges and enjoying native Australian flavours from on-site restaurant, Saltbush.
Starting just 10-minutes from your accommodation, seasoned hikers can find the famous Larapinta Trail runs through West Macdonnell National Park, from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station through to Mount Sonder.
Wander the galleries and museums in the Araluen Cultural Precinct to learn more about the Arrernte people – the traditional custodians of Mparntwe. Join an Indigenous-led tour within the region to delve deeper.
World-class wines, sunsets over the ocean, and long stretches of calm beach; Busselton is known for it all. But the heritage-listed, timber-piled Busselton Jetty is the coastal city’s most famous icon.
At intervals along it, locals dangle squid jigs and baited hooks over the edge, and teens and tweens take flying leaps into the water below. Visitors can also join, but walking the length of the 1.84km jetty is the most popular pastime. It takes approximately 20-30 minutes to reach the underwater observatory at the end, where you can see squid, sea stars, and the occasional Western Blue Groper in the corals and sea sponges. Walk or catch the train back to shore, where cold beer and pizza beckon at the jetty-front Shelter Brewing Co.
From there, it’s just a hop, skip, and jump to the Hilton Garden Inn Busselton, where upper-level rooms afford you some of the finest views of Busselton’s biggest star.
There’s no other place on earth like Cairns. It’s the city where two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites sit side-by-side: the lush vegetation of the 130-million-year-old Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest meeting the iridescent blue waters and white-sand beaches of the Great Barrier Reef.
Settle in to either Hilton Cairns or DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns in the heart of the city, to walk the esplanade or catch a ferry out to this iconic reef. It’s also only a two-hour drive to the Wet Tropics’ most famed region, the Daintree Rainforest. Make it to Cape Tribulation within the Daintree, and you’ve reached the point where the rainforest literally meets the beach and the reef.
For tens of thousands of soldiers in the first convoy, headed for the battlefields of WWI, the panoramic views of King George Sound were the last glimpses they had of Australian soil. The significance of this moment set the foundations for Albany’s deep-rooted ANZAC history.
At the National ANZAC Centre, a five-minute drive from Hilton Garden Inn Albany, the personal stories of some of these soldiers unfold through interactive multimedia displays, from their experiences with recruitment and training to their time on the front lines in Gallipoli.
Head back to your hotel to recharge while soaking in the stunning views of Princess Royal Harbour. Then try a natural change of pace at Torndirrup National Park. It’s prime wildflower-spotting country from September to November.
