Tong Family

Well, given these destinations, “Travel & Leisure” has their 500 top hotels as well as “Conde Naste Traveler Gold List”:http://www.cntraveller.com/GoldList/2008/, so what’s in these areas. In “Anzac and the South Pacific”:http://www.travelandleisure.com/tl500/2008/region/australia-newzealand-southpacific, we have some obvious ones:

In Australia,

* “Langham Hotel”:http://www.travelandleisure.com/tl500/2008/hotel/langham-hotel-melbourne in Melbourne. It is normally a high A$500, which is now US$300. Try the Club Corner Deluxes. 81.45

In New Zealand,

“Huka Lodge”:http://www.travelandleisure.com/tl500/2008/hotel/huka-lodge-taupo. Guy’s brother is a guide, but New Zealand sure sounds nice in the summer there. An eye popping NZ$1840 (US$985) per person per night including meals in the high season 15 December to 31 March.and try rooms 16 and 19. But the main attraction is the Rainbox and Brown trout of the Taupo. You can even take a helicopter to places. (Not mentioned is the “Dolphin Island”:http://www.dolphinislandfiji.com/activities.html which is 10 minutes away from Fiji where there is snorkelling, kayaks and Hobies galore, you get there on a 4 hours flight from Sydney and can get to the US in a non-stop 11.5 hour flight back at a whopping NZ$2900/day or $1450 but it is a private island)

“Eagles Nest”:http://www.cntraveller.com/GoldList/2008/Ambience_and_Design/Eagles_Nest/ in the North Island. A rocking NZ$1407 (US$700) but scored an amazing 98.9% for its five villas

* In Sydney there are some great ones, although I don’t really stay in hotels there, but the InterContinental is really great with a terrific view although the Four Seasons and the Observatory (a really high class place at A$330, a real bargain!) are higher class and way more expensive.
* “Conde Nast Traveler”:http://www.cntraveller.com/Guides/Australia/Great_Barrier_Reef/Default.aspx?Page=2 has a nice list of places to stay at the Great Barrier Reef as well like “Lizard Island”:http://www.lizardisland.com.au/ which is expensive as all get out (A$2792 for two days!)