Some one-bedroom apartments have sofa beds in the lounge, so they can sleep four. Some two-bedroom apartments can sleep six to seven people. For two adults and two children in the one apartment you can expect to pay $145 to $200 a night. You should get a discount for a stay of seven nights or more, so ask around and see what deal you can come up with.
We can recommend the family friendly Trickett Gardens Holiday Inn, which has cheaper rates than some others but is well-equipped and central.
The Chateau Beachside has terrific views and a kids' playroom, as well as great breakfasts. International Beach Resort is just across the road from the beach, and Raffles Royale is bright, cheerful and popular with families.
As for getting around, if you're centrally located you won't need a car to get to the beach or the shops or restaurants.
If you are further afield, Surfside Buslines operates a frequent service along the Gold Coast Highway, with stops at various points of interest, such as Dreamworld and Sanctuary Cove. You can buy a day pass ($11) for unlimited travel or a weekly pass for $48.
You will probably want to rent cars (or a minibus) for a day or two to explore nearby Burleigh Heads National Park, Springbrook Plateau, Tamborine Mountain and the wonderful wildlife sanctuaries near Burleigh Heads.
Then there are the theme parks - no child should miss a visit to one or all of these places when in Queensland. Take your pick from Dreamworld, Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World or Wet'n'Wild.
You will find plenty of car rental outfits close to your accommodation, but good deals can be had at All Age Car Rentals (ph 1800-671 361), Red Back Rentals (ph 5592 1655) and Red Rocket Rent-A-Car (ph 1800-673 682).
Cutting costs
My husband and I are going to a conference in San Francisco at the beginning of September and have decided to add on an extra two-week holiday in Canada while we are there. Now that we have booked our fares and worked out a rough itinerary, we are amazed at the high cost of accommodation. Even budget level starts at $175 a night. If we only want to spend $120 to $140 should we consider hostels and should we book now? Can you suggest anything (with bathrooms) in the Banff/Lake Louise area, and Vancouver and Victoria.
- Linda Brown
Accommodation is one of the more expensive aspects of holidaying in Canada, especially in the larger cities and in summer. The main summer season is from mid-June to mid-September, so you'll be visiting at the tail-end of the high season.
You should be able to find budget accommodation other than hostels if you book now.
A site called You Pick the Price has an interesting concept: type in your budget and they'll come up with options. The results are quite interesting, especially when it comes to the big chains.
Some reasonably priced options in central Vancouver include the European-style family-run Victorian Hotel; doubles with bathroom ($160) which has a boutique atmosphere and good facilities.
By the waterfront in the West End, the ivy-covered heritage-listed Sylvia Hotel quotes $169 for plain but serviceable double rooms. Next door, the similarly older-style Buchan quotes $123 a double in the high season. For B&B accommodation with a difference, Shaunessy Village is an amenity-filled high-rise that offers daily rates from $94 to $138.
In Victoria, at the southern end of Vancouver Island, you'll find famed gardens, some classic architecture and a British atmosphere. You'll also find some reasonably priced B&Bs, including the Lord Nelson(doubles from $150).
Also try the James Bay Inn (doubles $160) and the Helms Inn (guestrooms $169).
Heading to Banff National Park in Alberta, you'll find spectacular beauty, outdoor activities, thermal springs - and expensive accommodation.
It could be cheaper to stay outside the park and make day trips. Give the Red Carpet Inn (doubles $175) and secluded Cedar Springs B&B (doubles up to $180) a go in the rustic, Alpine-style village of Banff.
For more ideas, have a look at the suggestions listed at discoverbanff.com
Missing the train
I am planning to travel overland from Tijuana in Mexico to Panama City, preferably by train, otherwise by bus. Can you suggest a route? Also, which are good websites for travel in Central America?
- Name supplied
Very little train travel is available in Central America. One journey is from Panama City to Colon on Panama's Caribbean coast.
It's a luxury, one-hour trip that follows the canal and runs through thick jungle. It's a nice outing for tourists but it doesn't really help you to get around.
A passenger train runs between Puerto Cortes and Tela in northern Honduras, but this is also just a small route. That leaves buses, although some boat trips are available from time to time.
Bus services are plentiful, if not always supremely comfortable. Avoid night buses (with the possible exception of Mexico), as these have been popular targets for highway robbers.
First-class and some second-class buses depart at scheduled times from "terminal de auto buses".
Others leave from parking lot bus terminals once they are full and often stop to collect people along the way.
In some places travel agents run shuttle services to popular destinations - to ruins and so forth - so check at travel agencies in towns where you stay.
Watch your luggage at all times and remember that pickpockets abound at bus terminals and on crowded buses.
Details for buses are too extensive to give here, so it is best to consult a comprehensive guidebook for schedules, prices and routes. The information and detail for buses around the region is extensive.
There are a variety of routes you could take and planning such a trip will be half the fun. We suggest you get one or two good guidebooks, such as Lonely Planet's Central America and Mexico, and get busy.
Lonely Planet's travellers' forum, the Thorn Tree, is a great source of information about the region, and many useful internet links are provided. The Central America guide lists websites for tourist organisations and travel agencies.
It would pay to look at the travel advisories provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade at safetravel.govt.nz and smartraveller.gov.au.
Wheeling away
We are travelling with our 10-year-old to Sweden, where we will spend about a week each in Stockholm and Gothenburg. How should we go about arranging a cycling tour? And can you suggest some reasonably priced accommodation? Mee Wun Lee Sweden is an ideal destination for a cycling holiday, particularly in the Skane region in the south. The cycling season is from May to September in the south, but is limited to July and August in the north.
Sweden's cycling organisation is Svenska Cykelsallskapet . You could buy a self-guided biking holiday, where you follow an itinerary and stay at pre-booked hotels. Svea Adventures details tours of three, four and five days, ($437, $633, $824), starting and finishing in Simrishamn, near Sweden's southernmost tip in Skane.
Trains run from Stockholm to Malmo (6 1/2 hours), then 1 1/2 hours from Malmo to Simrishamn.
Another option is to cycle along the Gota Canal towpath, linking Lakes Vattern and Vanern in central Sweden.
Svea has a four-day cycling package from $858 each, beginning and ending at Sjotorp on Lake Vanern.
A similar package is offered by Karlsborgs Turism in Sjotorp, with the combination of boat and cycling transport another option.
In case you're interested, you can catch a boat from Stockholm to Gothenburg four-day cruise from $224). The tourist offices in this region, Ostergotland, have details of shorter boat trips and cycling itineraries, as does the canal website
The west Sweden regional website is another good source of information on cycling trips. Trains travel from Stockholm to nearby Toreboda (3 hours).
You could end this section of your trip by exploring the Bohuslan coast north of Gothenburg. It is one of Sweden's most scenic regions, dotted with sedate seaside resorts, picturesque fishing villages, lakes and islands.
Highlights include the artists' island of Tjorn, low-key seaside Lysekil, Ingrid Bergman's summer holiday spot at Fjallbacka and the region's capital of Stromstad.
Seven trains run daily from Gothenburg north along the coast to Stromstad ($28).
Accommodation in Sweden is generally of a good standard, although prices can be on the hefty side, particularly in summer. Most hotels are members of big-name chains such as Ibis, Formule 1, Best Western, Radisson SAS and Scandic.
You'll find the cheapest rooms at Formule 1 and Ibis hotels (rooms from $230). There are Formule 1 hotels in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo.
In Stromstad, try the family-owned Hotell Krabban (doubles from $202).
