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Readers’ Choice Awards 2016

International Traveller

We asked and you definitely answered! In fact, thousands of you, our well-travelled readers, shared what you’re loving right now when it comes to travel: your favourite destinations, the accommodation you prefer and the adventures you are dreaming of taking all around this wonderful world.

Reading through the myriad answers we received filled us with renewed wanderlust. We hope it does the same for you, too. 

Best country in the world to travel in…

1. Italy

2. USA
3. France
4. New Zealand
5. Canada
6. Vietnam
7. Japan
8. Thailand
9. England
10. Turkey

HONOURABLE MENTIONS TO:
Spain, Greece, Cambodia, India, Switzerland, Ireland and Peru

Fancy a romantic getaway in the Tuscan countryside?
Stay in an exquisite villa like the one pictured with the help of an ATAS accredited travel agent.
Find your local agent at ATAS.com.au

Best place for an expedition

1. Antarctica

2. African safari
3. Vietnam (Mekong)
4. China
5. New Zealand

HONOURABLE MENTION TO:
Nepal (Everest Base Camp)

Find your ultimate expedition with advice from an ATAS-accredited travel agent. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best beachy island holiday

1. Fiji

2. Hawai‘i
3. Bali / Thailand
5. Tahiti
6. Vanuatu
7. Cook Islands
8. Greek Islands
9. Mauritius
10. Philippines

YOU ALSO LOVE:
Isle of Pines, Samoa, Langkawi, Penang, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Croatia

Chase the sun and surf in Fiji. Your local ATAS-accredited travel agent can help you plan the perfect fly-and-flop holiday.
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best place to get close to wildlife

1. South Africa

2. Kenya
3. Canada
4. Botswana
5. Tanzania
6. Alaska
7. Galápagos
8. Borneo
9. Costa Rica

It’s hard to know which safari will suit you best, but an ATAS-accredited travel agent can give you advice.
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best place for a family getaway

1. Fiji

2. Disneyland
3. Bali
4. Hawai‘i
5. New Zealand

THE KIDS ALSO LOVE:
USA, Thailand, cruising, Singapore

Packing up the kids and jet-setting across the world can be daunting. That’s where an ATAS-accredited travel agent comes in very handy. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best place to get your ski on

1. New Zealand

2. Japan
3. Canada
4. USA
5. Switzerland

HONOURABLE MENTION TO:
Dubai, with one vote

A skiing holiday can be expensive, but an ATAS-accredited travel agent can find you the best deal on a package that includes accommodation, ski passes, ski hire and more.
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best place for a short break

1. Singapore

2. Paris
3. New York
4. London
5. Bangkok
6. Bali
7. Auckland
8. Hawai‘i
9. Queenstown
10. Dubai

HONOURABLE MENTIONS TO:
Barcelona, Rome, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, Japan, Venice

For your short holiday, an ATAS-accredited travel agent at ATAS.com.au will know the most central hotels so you don’t waste your time.

Best road trip…

1. Route 66, USA

2. West Coast USA, with a hefty contribution from the Pacific Coast Highway drive between Los Angeles and San Francisco
3. USA
4. New Zealand, especially the South Island
5. Canada

WE’RE INTRIGUED BY:
The drive from Tehran to northern Iran that someone mentioned

Don’t hire a lemon for your dream drive. Instead, hire an ATAS-accredited travel agent who can organise it all for you.
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best place for food and wine

1. France

2. Italy
3. Spain
4. New Zealand
5. Singapore
6. Thailand
7. Greece

Champagne, chocolate and cheese; the perfect ingredients for a fabulous holiday. Let an ATAS-accredited travel agent show you the best food trails. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best train journey you love

1. Canadian Rockies
(The Rocky Mountaineer)

2. The Trans-Siberian Railway
3. The Orient Express
4. Switzerland, any journey, any time
5. The Blue Train, South Africa (Cape Town to Pretoria)

YOU ALSO LOVE:
The Shinkansen in Japan, but we like the sound of the Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan, India

Find the most exciting way to get from A to B with your ATAS-accredited travel agent. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best destination for adventure

1. New Zealand
(with the focus on Queenstown)

2. Africa
3. South America
4. USA
5. Canada
6. South Africa
7. Thailand
8. Nepal
9. Peru
10. Antarctica

Find the most adventurous things to do with your ATAS-accredited travel agent. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best destination to get off the beaten track

1. Antarctica

2. Iceland
3. Africa
4. Cambodia / Myanmar
6. New Zealand
7. Vietnam
8. Nepal
9. Borneo
10. Peru

YOU WANT TO GO WHERE?
The islands of Norway, Altyn Arashan Valley in Kyrgyzstan, the Amazon, Albania, Namibia, Honduras

An epic adventure to Antarctica requires the expertise of an ATAS accredited travel agent. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best destination to go cruising

1. Alaska

2. The Mediterranean
3. European rivers
4. The Northwest Passage of Canada and Alaska
5. The Caribbean
6. Antarctica
7. The Pacific
8. Greek islands
9. The Mekong

AND WHEN IT COMES TO CRUISE LINES…
P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean, APT, Carnival, Celebrity, Scenic

With endless cruise lines to choose from, your ATAS-accredited travel agent will know which one’s best for you. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best airline

1. QANTAS

2. Emirates
3. Singapore
4. Virgin
5. Etihad

CATCHING UP FAST:
Qatar Airways

The cheapest days to fly, extra leg room, special meals, the difference in classes… only your ATAS-accredited travel agent is an expert in all things airfares.
Visit ATAS.com.au

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Best airport in the world

1. Singapore Changi

2. Hong Kong International
3. Heathrow
4. Bangkok
5. Kuala Lumpur

Did you know Singapore’s Changi airport has a 12-metre slide which is free when you spend $10 in the airport. For more industry insights ask an ATAS-accredited travel agent. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best stopover destination

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong
3. Dubai
4. Kuala Lumpur
5. London

Heading on a long-haul flight? Your ATAS-accredited travel agent can plan the perfect pit-stop for you en route so you arrive holiday-ready. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best luxury hotel

1. Raffles, Singapore

2. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
3. Burj Al Arab, Dubai
4. The Peninsula, Hong Kong
5. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Canada

THE BRANDS YOU LIKE:
Hilton, Sofitel, Fairmont, Sheraton, Hyatt

Enjoy first-class service from the very beginning. Have an ATAS-accredited travel agent look after all your accommodation needs. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Best family accommodation

1. Disney Resorts

2. Club Med
3. Castaway Island Fiji
4. Hilton Hawaiian Village

Kids can be fussy – but your ATAS-accredited travel agent knows all the best places to stay and things to do so you create amazing family holiday memories. 
Visit ATAS.com.au

Travel agency of the year

WINNER:

New South Wales
Queanbeyan City Travel & Cruise

FINALISTS:

ACT
Weston Cruise & Travel

South Australia
Kingscote Travel

Tasmania
Home Travel Company

Victoria
Meridian Travel

Western Australia
italktravel Hillarys

Queensland
Discover Travel & Cruise

Head to ATAS.com.au to find these ATAS-accredited travel agencies or the nearest one to you and start planning your next holiday.

Your ultimate destination for travel…

Europe

…with a big contribution from Italy and France, of course!

YOU ALSO FANCY:
Antarctica, Canada, Africa, New York, Iceland, Alaska, the Maldives

An ATAS travel agent can handle every aspect of your travel – from tickets to transfers to accommodation to tours and give you need-to-know advice.
For a quality, trusted accredited agent visit ATAS.com.au

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5 things every hotel needs for a more restorative stay

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
    Continue
    Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

    The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

    1. Easy access to good food

    meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20
    Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

    One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

    In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

    In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

    Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

    At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

    While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

    It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

    2. Better sleep options

    Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room
    Sleep deeply with Novotel.

    There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

    For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

    The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

    3. More ways to move

    woman hiking around queenstown new zealand
    Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

    Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

    At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

    Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

    4. Better connections

    Novotel Sharm El Sheikh
    Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

    One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

    Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

    A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

    5. Location is everything

    Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld
    Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

    Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

    All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

    Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

    Readers’ Choice Awards 2016 - International Traveller