Holiday In Perth - A Magical Experience With Wine Tours, Quokkas & Surfing
Those who love to travel and plan vacations to popular tourist destinations will agree that some trips may seem jinxed from the start while other vacations turn out to be better than your wildest dreams. My recent trip to Perth with my family was, rather happily, one of those vacations where everything comes together without any hassles or problems whatsoever.
When planning my vacation to Perth, I decided not to opt for firms offering Perth tours and decided to explore the city and all its attractions on my own. Now that I know the wide range of tourist attractions in and around the city, I would suggest those planning a short holiday to opt for formal Perth tours to get a glimpse of the attractions and tourist spots in and around the city.
Despite being a popular tourist destination, airport transfers is somewhat limited for a group of 6. You can hire airport transfers shuttles from the airport without advance booking but these shuttles run to just five destinations in the city and those who need to travel to some other locality (like me) in the city you can book private airport transfers,
There are a host of hotels and B&Bs in the city with many reputed and well-maintained options available for budget-conscious travelers like me. Of course, your choice of hotel does not really matter because you probably will be spending most of your time in the glorious outdoors when holidaying at Perth. We ended up staying at the Hyatt Regency who were fabulous and someone I highly recommend.
Since I prefer to get a feel of my destination before checking out popular attractions, We spent most of our first day simply roaming around the city taking in the hustle and bustle of this busy city. The is a lot of construction going on but I love the feel of the place with the mix of city and natural parks, gardens and the river. From what I can tell when the construction is finished its going to liven the city even more.
As evening sets in, We all jumped in a Maxi Taxi and chose to visit Cottlesloe beach to enjoy the view of the sun setting against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean with some fish and chips. Of course, it is impossible to miss the pristine white sand beaches when traveling around Perth (total of 19 well-maintained beaches in the city). The visit also sparked an interest to learn how to surf so the next morning I hit the beach at Scarborough and had a great time in the water learning how to surf. It is not surprising why Australians love the outdoors and the beaches. There is so much to do once you hit the trail.
When planning my vacation to Perth, I decided not to opt for firms offering Perth tours and decided to explore the city and all its attractions on my own. Now that I know the wide range of tourist attractions in and around the city, I would suggest those planning a short holiday to opt for formal Perth tours to get a glimpse of the attractions and tourist spots in and around the city.
Despite being a popular tourist destination, airport transfers is somewhat limited for a group of 6. You can hire airport transfers shuttles from the airport without advance booking but these shuttles run to just five destinations in the city and those who need to travel to some other locality (like me) in the city you can book private airport transfers,
There are a host of hotels and B&Bs in the city with many reputed and well-maintained options available for budget-conscious travelers like me. Of course, your choice of hotel does not really matter because you probably will be spending most of your time in the glorious outdoors when holidaying at Perth. We ended up staying at the Hyatt Regency who were fabulous and someone I highly recommend.
Since I prefer to get a feel of my destination before checking out popular attractions, We spent most of our first day simply roaming around the city taking in the hustle and bustle of this busy city. The is a lot of construction going on but I love the feel of the place with the mix of city and natural parks, gardens and the river. From what I can tell when the construction is finished its going to liven the city even more.
As evening sets in, We all jumped in a Maxi Taxi and chose to visit Cottlesloe beach to enjoy the view of the sun setting against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean with some fish and chips. Of course, it is impossible to miss the pristine white sand beaches when traveling around Perth (total of 19 well-maintained beaches in the city). The visit also sparked an interest to learn how to surf so the next morning I hit the beach at Scarborough and had a great time in the water learning how to surf. It is not surprising why Australians love the outdoors and the beaches. There is so much to do once you hit the trail.
After surfing to my heart's content, we had a heavy breakfast at one of the beachfront cafes in Scarborough and mulled between visiting Kings Park or Rottnest Island. Since the latter is more like a day trip, we chose to spend time enjoying kings park. The fact that a 400 hectare park has been established inside the city seems simply unbelievable for those who are used to overcrowded cities dominated by ugly concrete buildings.The park is a great place for picnics and family outings and we had such a great time exploring. The kids especially liked playing at the playgrounds and the view over the city was amazing. I can see why its such a great escape for those who work in the city .
As evening approached, we explored the night life that the city of Perth offers to all its residents. After having a meal at Jamies Kitchen (which was sensational by the way and highly recommended) we decided to do a mini pub crawl through Perth and Northbridge. Although I found the drinks quite expensive we definitely had a lot of fun.
The next day I wanted to explore the Swan Valley. Wine tours have become very popular in Perth and I wanted to join a Swan Valley wine tour to find out what it was all about. I am glad that we made the decision to explore the Swan Valley as it proved to be the highlight of my entire trip. The Swan Valley is the oldest wine-growing region in the country and those who love trying out different wines and breweries, you would have a very good time on a Swan Valley wine tour. (I have written a more detailed post of our Swan Valley Tour here)
For me, the ambiance and relaxed environment of the vineyards in the valley was the best part of the entire experience. The entire landscape is dotted with idyllic produce farms where you can enjoy numerous wine, cheese and chocolate tasting sessions. Joining a tour helps because you need not bother about the logistics involved in visiting the vineyards.
We traveled to the valley, enjoyed the wine, cheese, chocolate, beers, and returned to Perth enjoying the high that result after more than two dozen wine tasting sessions at nine locations in a single day. Make sure you visit the Swan Valley even if you are not gung ho about wine because you get to taste some of the most delicious chocolates in Australia in the most beautiful environment possible.
We spend the last day of the trip visiting Rottnest Island. I loved the fact that no private vehicles are allowed on this island. We hired bikes on the island and spent the day biking around the island checking out the island's beaches, tunnels, lighthouses, salt lakes, and small marsupials named quokkas.
It is not possible to check out all that Perth has to offer to vacationers in a span of just four days. However, I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed the range of attractions and hot spots we encountered and its definitely a place I'd like to come back and visit one day for a longer holiday.
The next day I wanted to explore the Swan Valley. Wine tours have become very popular in Perth and I wanted to join a Swan Valley wine tour to find out what it was all about. I am glad that we made the decision to explore the Swan Valley as it proved to be the highlight of my entire trip. The Swan Valley is the oldest wine-growing region in the country and those who love trying out different wines and breweries, you would have a very good time on a Swan Valley wine tour. (I have written a more detailed post of our Swan Valley Tour here)
For me, the ambiance and relaxed environment of the vineyards in the valley was the best part of the entire experience. The entire landscape is dotted with idyllic produce farms where you can enjoy numerous wine, cheese and chocolate tasting sessions. Joining a tour helps because you need not bother about the logistics involved in visiting the vineyards.
We traveled to the valley, enjoyed the wine, cheese, chocolate, beers, and returned to Perth enjoying the high that result after more than two dozen wine tasting sessions at nine locations in a single day. Make sure you visit the Swan Valley even if you are not gung ho about wine because you get to taste some of the most delicious chocolates in Australia in the most beautiful environment possible.
We spend the last day of the trip visiting Rottnest Island. I loved the fact that no private vehicles are allowed on this island. We hired bikes on the island and spent the day biking around the island checking out the island's beaches, tunnels, lighthouses, salt lakes, and small marsupials named quokkas.
It is not possible to check out all that Perth has to offer to vacationers in a span of just four days. However, I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed the range of attractions and hot spots we encountered and its definitely a place I'd like to come back and visit one day for a longer holiday.