The Yasawa Island Resort in Fiji will be closed for a few months to repair damage caused by fire. A fire on December 24th, 2009 damaged the resort’s main complex which housed a restaurant, bar, kitchen, stores, boutique, offices and library. No one was injured during the fire. The resort did not specify the cause. The Yasawa Island Resort hopes to reopen by October 1st, 2010.

The Yasawa Island Resort was chosen for the Tripadvisor Top 10 Exotic Beach Destinations in 2008, was the Leading Spa Resort of the 2007 World Travel Awards, and was voted Conde Nast magazine’s Most Romantic Hideaway, South Pacific, Caribbean, Altantic 2006.

The Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa in Queensland, Australia has won two categories in the Word Travel Awards, including Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel and World’s Leading Eco Lodge. The Daintree Lodge and Spa is a small family owned and operated property. Set in Daintree National Park, the world’s oldest living rainforest, the lodge has but 15 private villas, offering visitors the ultimate in privacy and seclusion. The resort is only 40 minutes from the Great Barrier Reef as well.

To celebrate this prestigious award, we invite you to explore our Australia Nature and Dive Expedition vacation package that features the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa. You can view our Australia nature vacation package here. It spans 15 days and 12 nights, and includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Sydney, 6 days of diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and 3 secluded days at the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa with breakfast daily.

Please connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/seeanz. We invite you to share your thoughts on what you like most about South Pacific travel, your own personal photos, or what you’d like to see in a South Pacific vacation package. We’ve also got quite a few photos up of our March 2009 vacation to Tahiti. Thanks!

You’re all packed and ready for the vacation of a lifetime. But there is one thing you may have overlooked that can protect you and your wallet before, during and after your trip, namely a travel insurance plan.

On some level, the type of travel insurance policy you need depends on your existing insurance coverage. Your personal health, homeowner’s and auto coverage offers some protection. Also, credit card companies provide travel benefits for lost bags, car rental mishaps and missed connections. U.S. airlines also will pay up to about $1,500 (U.S.), depending on currency fluctuations, for bags that are lost, stolen or damaged on international flights.

But none of these policies and benefits compare with travel insurance in covering your real costs in time, expense and inconvenience when the unexpected happens.

So there is good reason to consider a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will protect your travel investment against a wide range of potential problems like lost luggage, rental car accidents, delayed or missed connections or trip cancellation due to sickness, injury or death.

Because all travel insurance companies are not alike, SeeANZ has partnered with CSA Travel Protection, a company that insured more than 1.7 million travelers in 2007. In our experience, we believe CSA delivers the best overall value in terms of customer service and claims handling for:

• Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
• Supplier Bankruptcy and Default
• Emergency Medical Transportation
• Coverage Before, During and After Your Trip
• Trip Interruption at 150% of the Trip Cost
• Collision Damage Waiver

To buy travel insurance online, click here to visit CSA directly.

Honeymoons and High Wedding Fashion On Display at Navy Pier

Sunday, October 18th, 2009,
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

We’ll have our finest honeymoon vacations on display at the 2009 Bridal and Fashion Show and Expo sponsored by Chicago Bride Magazine. Join us at the Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier for a bridal show that showcases some of Chicago’s top wedding vendors.

This wedding fair will feature expert bridal advice, product samples, discounts, and prizes.

Email us for more bridal show information.

View Larger Map

See Australia, New Zealand Offering the Best Vacations

Travel + Leisure Magazine recently issued their 2009 World’s Best awards. Hotels from the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific region were split into 2 categories: Resorts and City Hotels. The properties were determined by Travel + Leisure readers via questionnaire. Out of the 35 properties named, See Australia, New Zealand offers packages to 13 of them. So, based on the survey, here are our…

13 Best Vacations to Australia,
New Zealand,Tahiti and Fiji

• Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa (Australia):
  Luxury City and Country Escapes
• Hayman Island (Australia):
  Sydney and Hayman Island Package
• Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Bora Bora, Tahiti)
• Voyages Lizard Island (Australia):
  Outback, Reef, Rainforest and Sydney
• Huka Lodge (New Zealand):
  Deluxe Self-Drive New Zealand
• Kewarra Beach Resort (Australia):
  Outback, Reef, Rainforest and Sydney
• Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa (Fiji):
  Westin Resort and Spa and Likuliku Lagoon Resort
• Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa (Tahiti):
  Tahiti and Moorea
• InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa (Tahiti):
  Tahiti and Moorea Honeymoon Package
• Observatory Hotel (Sydney, Australia):
  Ultimate Australia
• Park Hyatt (Sydney, Australia):
  Cosmopolitan City and Outback Adventure
• The George (Christchurch, New Zealand):
  Deluxe New Zealand
• Hilton (Auckland, New Zealand):
  Deluxe New Zealand

We apologize, but the honeymoon and wedding planning open house on Tuesday, September 15th has been cancelled due to scheduling constraints. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please direct any questions via email to . Thank you.

From our friends at Victoria Tourism:

We have some exciting news to share…

Melbourne is going to be featured on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations”. Our Melbourne episode is scheduled to air July 20th at 10:00pm EST:

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Season 5)
Australia
July 20, 2009 at 10:00pm EST
Melbourne, known as Australia’s cultural capital, is a melting pot of cultures, and Tony is off to discover what makes it so special. Luckily, Tony has many friends here, all of whom take him to sample the many different cuisines of Melbourne.

Also, Victoria will be included in a special episode entitled “Obsessed” in early 2010. The episode is a round up of chefs and foodies from all over the world who are incredibly driven, experts on a particular ingredient, or just downright obsessed with food!

Matangi Private Island Resort, Fiij, was recently listed in Islands Magazine April/May 2009 issue as one of the Best Private Islands in the World.

As if the half-square-mile horseshoe-shaped island of Matangi isn’t hidden enough, Fiji’s only treehouse accommodations put the privacy literally over the top. Nestled in the foliage, these three split-level bures transport guests into the jungle. They and the other 10 bures all have beach views, of course. For an even more private beach experience, take a picnic lunch and snorkel gear over to Horseshoe Bay. If you do crave more human interaction, take a scenic boat ride west to join the excited divers in the incredible Somosomo Strait at the famous Great White Wall dive site. You’ll have to climb down from your treehouse, though.

Take a look at SeeANZ’ offering of this beautiful resort at our Fiji island vacation.

New Zealand Tourism has a fantastic video up on YouTube promoting travel to New Zealand.  It features some of New Zealand’s breathtaking scenery, and the endless possiblities for adventure travel.  Take a look: