Long Read

The engine hummed beneath me as I gripped the jet ski handlebars slightly harder before easing up on the throttle. Our instructor, Andrew – a former ship captain, now three days into his new island gig – gave me an all-knowing grin before taking off ahead of me and shooting a stream of water up into the air behind him. It was my first time on one of these nifty water vehicles and thankfully the waters were calm, and with Andrew by my side, I’m excited to get closer to the shallow coastline, where I spot a few sharks and one of the region’s ray species.

'We loved every minute of our drive'

Travel Counsellor Alex Maxwell-Clarke

I won a prize of five nights’ rental at a Tourism Australia event, and we travelled in March this year. I planned the route very carefully as I treated this trip more like a self-fam than a holiday. My partner is also an amateur photographer, so he was especially keen to capture the diverse Australian landscapes and wildlife.

From the moment I walked through the sliding doors at Iberostar’s Selection Es Trenc hotel I found it easy to relax. Rather than hunching over a cramped check-in desk with my luggage in tow, I was gently whisked to a sumptuous seating area in the lobby and invited to complete check-in via an iPad with one of the friendly hotel team, with a refreshing fruity mocktail in my hand.