YOU can swim and snorkel in their waters, sail around them and stay on them: we explore the "pineapple isles".

GOURMET meals prepared by your own chef and sunset cocktails – lap up the River Murray in style on a floating hotel.

IT'S time to indulge in a little outback opulence and discover lavishly tempting tents with stunning views of Uluru.

CATHERINE Best straddles a sweaty mare and races along the Magnetic Island waves, but will beast and bikini become one?

FRESH fruit platters, chilled bubbly and soaking away the stress in a steamy natural spa – does it get any better than this?

YOU'LL be seduced by plunge pools and world-class luxury rooms as this Hamilton Island six-star resort casts a spell over you.

AT Lake Tahoe you can ski on pristine pistes or gamble your heart away, writes Fran Metcalf.

WHERE else but Greece's famous blue island would party-hardy tourists abandon the pubs and pools to watch the sunset?

FRESH fruit platters, chilled bubbly and soaking away the stress in a steamy natural spa – does it get any better than this?

FEMALE trekking guides are now carrying the weight of expectations on a trek through the Himalayas, writes Maria Rae.

EVERYONE'S feeling the pinch in these credit-crunched times including pickpockets and the bartender. They all want your holiday money.

BRIAN Johnston considers using the F-word after an "amazing" meal at chef Gordon Ramsay's new Asian venture in Tokyo's Ginza district.

FEMALE trekking guides are now carrying the weight of expectations on a trek through the Himalayas, writes Maria Rae.

EVERYONE'S feeling the pinch in these credit-crunched times including pickpockets and the bartender. They all want your holiday money.

YOU can swim and snorkel in their waters, sail around them and stay on them: we explore the "pineapple isles".

SINGLES have good reasons to pack up and hit the road as more tour companies cater for the solo/single travel market, reports Jessica Hurt.