Iceland, Sydney and more…

By John Rozentals.

Pay homage to the art, music and culture of the Scottish cities, highlands, lochs, moors and isles with 35 festivals across Australia signing on to participate in the Year of Scotland in Australia 2020 (YOSA 2020).

YOSA 2020 begins at Woodford Folk Festival on 27 December this year, going on to incorporate events in every Australian state and territory until January 1, 2021.

Activities include these two traditional Hogmanay celebrations, expansions to the National Celtic Festival’s annual ceilidh trail, Scottish artists touring regional and remote areas via the Festival of Small Halls Australia, food and drink events, as well as a renewed focus on world-renowned Scottish cultural celebrations such as Burns Night, St Andrew’s Day, Highland Games and Clan Gatherings.

As 2020 marks the year of Coasts and Waters in Scotland — a celebration of the country’s 10,000-kilometre coastline and spectacular lochs, seas, streams and rivers — YOSA 2020 will incorporate a program of music, art and activities referencing the Celtic lifeblood.

Visit www.yearofscotlandaustralia2020.com.

Wondering where actors, singers, and models hang out during their Sydney holidays?

The staff of Parkroyal Darling Harbour have their own list of where to be seen.

They suggest you should party at The Ivy, in the city’s George St, especially if you fancy running into the likes of reality star Kim Kardashian or English comedian Russell Brand.

The Ivy is where you need to be. This urban playground features intimate lounges, as well as dance floors and plenty of food and drinking options.

The Ivy tends to attract those who want to be seen, so go ahead and make the extra effort.

Visit www.panpacific.com.

Save up to $196 on a Kangaroo Island holiday, with SeaLink offering free return passenger ferry transfers for two people who book their car and caravan or camper trailer on a Kangaroo Island SeaLink ferry.

Outlooks vary from spectacular coastal scenery, to stunning landscapes, pristine beaches and fascinating wildlife.

Couples and retirees can explore a variety of cliff-top wineries and take in the picturesque views, sample gin at Kangaroo Island Spirits, experience amazing wildlife encounters with sea lions at Seal Bay and see kangaroos, koalas and other native animals at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park.

Families can go sandboarding at Little Sahara Sand Dunes, experience the fantastic birds-of-prey shows at Raptor Domains, swim with the dolphins, try a delicious serve of honey ice cream from Clifford’s Honey Farm or Island Beehive and even discover a hidden, sandy beach via a secret path at Stokes Bay.

Kangaroo Island has four privately owned, powered caravan parks.

SeaLink’s caravan and camper trailer deal is on sale until September 14 and valid for travel until September 15.

Visit www.sealink.com.au.

Kings Canyon Resort, in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre, has launched new glamping tents, offering guests luxurious hotel comforts combined with a first-hand encounter of the Outback.

The six new homestead-style glamping tents are gathered in a central ‘wiltja’ (meaning ‘shelter’ in Indigenous Anangu) area in the resort, and are designed to blend with the Northern Territory landscape.

Three tents are designed for couples, while three family tents feature a king bed plus two king single beds.

Rates in the new glamping tents start at $390 per night and include breakfast. Children 12 years and under stay free.

Visit www.kingscanyonresort.com.au.

Capsule-style accommodation in Tasmania has landed, with Pod Inn in Launceston offering short-term accommodation in inner-city Wellington Street.

Capsule beds are equipped with a pillow, quilt, mattress and linens. Pods are fitted with swipe-card sliding doors, dimmable ambient lighting, backlit mirrors, a safe to lock up your valuables and air-conditioning.

A locker is also provided to all guests.

A single capsule is priced from $39 while a four-bed capsule is $129 a night.

Phone 0475 555 549.

Coral Expeditions, a pioneering Australian cruise line, is expanding its solo traveller program with a variety of new options and offers.

The company sees a growing presence of solo travellers on its cruises and more so on expeditions offering themes and special interest content where like-minded travellers are gathering together.

For those who desire to have their own space, no-single-supplement offers are available on all Great Barrier Reef departures year-round and on a growing range of selected itineraries in regions such as Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomons and South Pacific.

Limited solo spots are available, for instance, on the 35-night ‘New Guinea Circle’ cruise departing Darwin in October next year, and the 22-night ‘Customs & Craftsmen of New Guinea’ cruise departing this October.

Half-segments available on each.

Visit www.coralexpeditions.com.

Whether it be a wedding at sea, in a remote Fijian Village or on a magical private island, Captain Cook Cruises Fiji can make it happen with the release of its Reef Endeavour and Tivua Island wedding packages.

Cruise, for instance, the beautiful islands of Fiji on Captain Cook Cruises and be married with sun setting in the background on board small ship MV Reef Endeavour, or on any deserted white sandy beach or in any authentic Fijian village or magnificent location visited throughout the cruise.

The package includes a dedicated wedding planner to finalise the wedding license and ensure the wedding is perfect, a marriage ceremony performed by a celebrant during a three-, four-, seven- or 11-night cruise, a Fijian singer and guitarist is included, etc.

The package is priced from is priced at $999 per couple and a Reef Endeavour cruise from $1276 per person.

Visit www.captaincookcruisesfiji.com.

Marvel at the starkly beautiful Icelandic coastline, the swirly, smokey Northern Lights and the beauty of the Eastern Fjords.

Exodus Travels’ 10-day ‘Iceland Explorer’ departs August 25 and is pieced from $5549 per person twin-share, a saving of $596.

Starting and ending in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, guests will experience 10 days of breathtaking natural wonders.

Highlights include an excursion to Europe’s largest ice cap, Vatnajökull, viewing world-famous geysers and a 30-metre eruption of water and steam, and exploring dramatic waterfalls located in a 70-metre-deep canyon of the White River.

Phone 1300 131 564 or visit www.exodustravels.com/au.

White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa on Vanuatu’s Tanna Island has added three new family villas, with the two-bedroom plantation-style units including a kitchenette, dining area, lounge and large veranda.

Designed for a family of up to four, the new villas feature furniture crafted from local hardwood, designer soft furnishings, ceiling fans, ceramic tile floors, laundry facilities, and wi-fi.

Local dive spots are renowned for their coral and lava formations, abundant marine life (including turtles, whales and dugong) and claim exceptional water quality.

White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa has direct access to reef edge and inner-reef pool snorkelling.

Accommodation (including tropical breakfast) in the new family villas starts from about $400 per night.

Visit: www.whitegrasstanna.com.

For wild Africa at its best, Zambia comes close to top of the list.

Home to spectacular big game, abundant birdlife and countless crocodiles and hippo in its waterways, and yet largely devoid of tourists, it is one of Africa’s best-kept secrets and the near-perfect destination for the savvy traveller looking for an authentic safari experience.

The shining star is the spectacular Victoria Falls and for those seeking to experience the Falls in all their glory or feel the adrenalin while white-water rafting down the mighty Zambezi River, Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma lodge makes an ideal base.

Set on a dramatic bend of the Zambezi River in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park just 12 kilometres from Victoria Falls, the lodge is named after Dr David Livingstone’s faithful friends Sussi and Chuma.

The lodge’s twelve luxurious Sussi treehouses, linked by elevated wooden walkways, offer a sophisticated take on modern safari life.

Prices at Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma start from US$620 per person per night twin-share, including all meals and drinks (excluding premium brands) and transfers to and from Livingstone Airport plus a choice of two daily shared game-viewing activities and tours of Victoria Falls.

Visit www.sanctuaryretreats.com.