The Bon Vivant

‘I’d like a relaxing beach holiday’ was a frequent request over my years as a travel agent.

‘What about Western Australia?’ I often replied.

‘No, I’d like to go overseas’. So Bali or Fiji it was.

Not to detract from these destinations, there is definitely a time and a place for reasonably priced cocktails and a fantastic kids club but, if you are after a pristine white sand beach with spectacular sunsets that melt into the water, you really can’t beat my lovely home town of Perth. Sunshine is pretty much guaranteed from November to March and you don’t even have to pay for parking (I hear audible gasps from the Sydneysiders).

These pictures were taken on my daily dips and I’m sure you would agree Denarau and Kuta don’t even come close.

Sure, Great White Sharks are also fond of Perth beaches, but pick a spot where there are at least another 4 people and you should be fine!

It was my nephew’s 7th birthday and he was allowed to watch Star Wars for the first time. My sister put my hair in Princess Leia buns and I got creative in the kitchen (ok, I bought biscuits and drew Chewbacca faces on them). Check out my ‘Wookie Cookies’ below – except for the top left one, just ignore that one.

The last time I spent a significant amount of time here (more than the usual 4 days) was in 2008 when the mining boom was on. Everything seemed so expensive for average quality but this time I’ve had many fabulous meals and coffees and the prices are roughly the same as Sydney, so when I’m back at work I’ll be flying the flag for W.A. Tourism.

Go West

Life is peaceful there

Go West.. in the open air

Go West..where the skies are blue

Go West..this is what we’re gonna do

Did the Village People write this song about Perth?

After Perth we flew to Singapore for a night to break up the trip. We stayed at the Park Royal on Pickering, which I can highly recommend (apart from the $8 coffees – I had flash backs of Perth 2008). It is refreshing to see a hotel embracing environmental principles more than just changing the sheets every other day. Normally Singapore is just a few days of work craziness and I never get to see anything touristy, but this time I made it through half of the Gardens on the Bay which were lovely.

Next stop London on British Airways, Toodle-oo!