So here we go, our very first blog entry.
Hi KOH followers, here we go, this is our very first blog entry – our very first holiday (since starting Kids On Holidays blog). We are a small family from a small town in Queensland Australia. Katherine who is the founder and who came up with this idea was only 6 years old when we started building this blog, so all of the writings will be written by me her mum and her dad. She is a very hands on little girl and she loves getting involved with the whole blog, so as you will see, she will be in most of the videos. You might see the whole family from time to time but most of the time dad and I will be just in the background doing most of the work. LOL
So, it all started the week before our holiday. Katherine was already in Prep school during this time, so the very first thing we did was, to let her school and her teachers know that we are planning on going away and that she will not be at school for few days. I also ask the teachers for some homework that she thinks Katherine needs to do while we are away so she will still be able to catch up with her school work. And we also borrowed some home readers or books from school that I can read it to her while we were away. We made sure she has got things to do when her dad and I are also trying to relax ourselves. We packed some colouring books and pencils for her as well, and also some other toys that she can play by herself so that we – the adults, will have our time to enjoy ourselves too.
If you look at the place where we stayed which was a hotel called Coral Sea resort, you will see that it is not really a place where kids go for a holiday. It is not Disney land or Universal studios; it’s not even a place where there is a zoo we can visit. However it’s so naturally beautiful with its turquoise waters, that Katherine and our whole family really had so fun and really loved that place.
We are originally from Perth, which is in the western part of Australia. Our family have been travelling so many times that even when Katherine was still a baby; we have already stayed in so many hotels all over Australia and Asia. Last 2013 Katherine and I decided to go back to the Philippines for 6 months while her dad went to Africa. Then May 2014, we all just decided to go to Thailand for 3 months and ended up staying there for 1 whole year. Yes, it was so beautiful there in Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand. We’ll tell you more about this amazing place in probably the next blog entries.
So, where am I going with this story? Well, I just really want to share with you a little preview of how this blog came about.
When Katherine was 5 years old, we decided to move from our home in Sydney to a small town in Queensland for her dad’s work. We decided to drive from Sydney to our new town. It took us 7 days to get here. For most people it would probably just be a 2-and-a-half-day trip, but we decided to take our time and stop somewhere where we think is a nice place to see. Her dad has travelled quite a lot, more than us and he wanted to show us the beautiful hotels he had stayed before. So this time, we stop in a place called Rockhampton, which was just five and a half hours from our new home town. While I was getting Katherine ready for bed, she said to me.
She aked me a question that surprised me. She asked me what kind of work she can do when she grows up so she can travel and stay in different hotels. I was really impressed, that a five year old already knows what she wanted to do. I laughed and she told me she was serious. So I have to stop my giggling straight away before my little princess gets offended. After we prayed together, I tucked her into bed and said good night.
Then in the morning we talked about it again over breakfast and she still remembered what she said. She even asked her dad to help her with her business, which made us laugh. Her dad is a business strategist and coach and also an author, so he is already in the online space. We explained to Katherine, this idea about starting a blog, where she can travel and film herself visiting places. She got so excited about the idea, that it just filled our whole day coming up with different things we will do and can do with it. So before the day ended, we already found a name for her blog, bought her Url for her(domain name). and since then we have been working on building it one holiday at a time.
So that’s how Kids on holidays came to life. Just because this 5 year old girl realized what she wanted to do.
Enough of that I guess, let us go back to Airlie beach holiday.
Airlie beach has been in our list of places to visit while we are here in Queensland, Australia. It was only 3 hours from where we currently live, so when Katherine’s dad had to go there for his work, we decided to go with him and see the place for the first time. Why not make this the first place we share on Kids on holidays, we all thought.
We have heard so many amazing things about this place from people who had been there. Even the famous Anthony Robbins had a house there, so we were so excited to see it for the very first time.
We left home around 1:30pm and arrived around 5pm. It was such a lovely drive with the sugar cane farm along the way with the beautiful hills in the background, that we have to stop a few times to take some really cool photos that we will share later. And we also stopped for some freshly made jam and custard doughnuts from a little stall just on the side of the road. We actually had a choice, whether to stop at the fruit stall and get some strawberries and mandarins or the doughnut stall. Yes of course, we chose the doughnuts. We were on holidays remember? What would you chose? LOL. Anyways, the drive was so nice that the whole 3 and a half hour trip went so fast.
So few days before we left, we already researched the place. We looked at where the hotel we were staying was. And most importantly, we looked at the things that kids can do to have fun. This place is very close to the Great Barrier Reef, but we decided to visit that place on our next trip. So we looked at other things that kids can do near where we stayed. We found out that there was a huge lagoon, (a huge swimming pool) where it was safe to swim. And there were lifeguards on duty too, so really you can swim anytime. You might be thinking why is there a pool when you are near a beach? I know, I thought so too. The waters in the ocean were truly beautiful like everybody said it was, but the sad thing is, you can’t really swim in them anytime or just play in the shallow parts, for the waters are dangerous in the sense that there could be a deadly jellyfish and other stingers in the waters. There are so many signs along the beach as well, make sure you make time to read them if you really want to be in the water. I think there are months that it’s safe to swim. The best thing is read the signs and watch the locals, they normally have pretty good clues.
So there might be stingers and jellyfishes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your canoe or your paddle boards. Or you can just hire a paddle board for few hours and get taught by an expert who was waiting by the beach every day. Also, you can still play with the sand or do what Katherine and I did, which was just going for a walk by the beach barefoot, trying to not get wet as we try to run away from every wave that comes in. And then had fun picking and finding seashells of different kinds and sizes and taking them home with us. She was so excited when she realized that the seashells that were stuck on the rocks were alive. Oh, I can still remember her excitement. It was like her eyes were open to a new world where she was the first one to discover.
There are so many things that kids can do and there are places that are really intended for kids to have fun, just like the Big 4 Caravan park. Our friends always go there and the kids have loads of fun. And also if your kids loves the water and loves exploring the waters, there are boat cruises every day and they can take you snorkelling to some really amazing places, like the Whitehaven beach which was ranked ‘The second best beach in the world’ last 2017. There’s also a helicopter ride that can take you to different islands if you’re family are up for those kinds of adventures. There’s so much more to see and what we’ve learned is, when you look for it, you will find it.
Anyways, knowing that Katherine’s dad will be at work all day, I have to plan our days together. The list was full, I was so organized but then Katherine decided that she just want to lie down in the hammock that was hanging in the balcony facing the beautiful turquoise ocean. She didn’t want to leave the room. After few seconds in the hammock she was off exploring the whole room. Oh it’s always very exciting for her. Opening and checking out what’s in the fridge. Then checking what’s in the cabinets. Then before you know it, she was off to the bathroom where she realized that there was a huge window that opens up to the balcony where there was a big Jacuzzi. She then started to laugh with excitement when she realized that you can open the big window while being in the toilet and people in the boat might be able see you while…. (you know). She screamed when she realized that possibility. It was funny actually.
The first day was really just exploring the room and the hotel. Checking out the pool and what’s on the menu at the hotel restaurant and of course the menu from the room service. Coral sea resort was situated right next to the beautiful blue water. And when Katherine found out that there is an ice cream in every kids meal in the restaurant. She was so happy. What made this holiday great too was that, one of Katherine’s best friend and her family decided where there too at the same time we were there.
So, instead of exploring the beach and the shops on our own, Katherine had her best friend with her most of the time. They had so much fun. We went in August and it winter in Australia was just finishing, so it was still a little bit cold to swim, but still the girls had so much fun together.
So, after exploring the room, Katherine and I decided to call it a day. We put our bathers on, order some drinks, fill the Jacuzzi up and sat down and soak in the hot soapy water while enjoying the beautiful view. Without knowing we actually timed it perfectly, coz few minutes later, the sun started to set and it was magnificent. It was a perfect end of our first few hours in Airlie beach. When it was already too dark to see anything outside, we decided to dry up and order room service before Katherine’s bedtime. It was an awesome afternoon.
The next day, we were awake late of course. Katherine’s dad already was at the restaurant for breakfast with his colleagues, and we were just in awe again as we opened the doors to the balcony and being greeted by the most beautifully coloured ocean. It was enough for me just to sit there. We also had our breakfast at the restaurant downstairs and after that, with my backpack packed with our water bottles and some snacks, we were off exploring this beautiful place.
There’s really not much to explore where we stayed. There were some really great restaurants everywhere. We tried this beautiful Italian Restaurant called La Tabella, which was not far from the water. The food was really amazing and the pizza’s for the kids where huge, Katherine tried their ham, cheese and pineapple pizza and she loved it, she couldn’t finish it though because it was big enough to feed us both and also she wants to share it with her dad whom she knew loves pizza. So we brought her left over’s back to our hotel with us. When you happen to try the restaurant, you should also try their vegetarian pizza, it was really good too.
When Katherine’s dad was able to join us finally, we decided to go out for dinner and try this Brazillian restaurant called Mika Live BBQ and Bar, we just thought we would try something we haven’t tried before. So we have no idea what a Brazilian barbecue means so we just ordered some food and a bit of barbecue, so we thought. After few minutes, a lady arrived with a tray full of food.
So we started eating and then later on, a guy came with a piece of barbecued meat on huge skewer and asked us how many cuts we would like, and it just kept coming, all these meats and we were shocked. We realized that the first set of food that the lady had brought to our table were only the side dishes, they didn’t really explain that the barbecued meats will arrive one at a time all through the night until we tell them to stop. We were really not big eaters, so before the third serving of the barbecued meats arrived; we were already so full that we have to ask the guy to stop. Now if you love meats and you love to eat, you should try this place. The barbecue tasted amazing. The meats were so good, that we felt like we’re going to explode if we eat some more, it was too much for us but it was so good. When you go to Airlie beach and you love meats and having a good amount of food, be sure to try this place and, tell us what you think too.
All in all, we had an amazing time in Airlie. I had the time to take Katherine and her friend Elitia for a picnic one afternoon by the beach. And the girls had so much fun watching the seashells move and being chase by the waves as it reaches the shore. You know, sometimes, you don’t have to pay lots of money to have so much fun. Those little things can bring the most joy sometimes. That’s why always make sure you go for walks and explore the place you visit, because you don’t know what’s the next amazing thing you will find.
The day before we have to leave, while sitting in the balcony, the giant turtles decided to come out and give us a really nice afternoon. The dolphins even came one of those mornings we were having breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It’s really full of surprises there in Airlie.
As a family, we thought we would give our Airlie beach holiday 5 smelly stickers. The food was great, there were so many restaurants to choose from. It was so easy to explore. The shops were so close and so accessible. Kids had so much fun in the playground and exploring the natural environments and most of all, we were still able to relax as parents.
If you happen to see visit place, let us know what your experiences are too and the places you’ve seen and the things you did so we can try it too next time. This is it for now I guess, see you on the next holidays.
Lots of love from us,
Koh family
Add Comment