Apartment Hunting

My power of concentration can be downright scary. The last few days saw me obsessed with one task and only one task - and that is, to find suitable accommodation for our vacation at Gold Coast in December. I trawled the internet for information (tripadvisor is really good), referred to my past notes and read travel forums to get a good grasp of the scene. In the process, I neglected myself, all those around me, my blogs and I did not even read the Straits Times for two days. Really.

My search intensified a few notches when I found that many of the choice apartments and hotels have already been fully booked over the Christmas season. Can you imagine how it feels when one has finally narrowed down all the options and has chosen the best deal, and then find that the unit is unavailable? Ya, it's something like choosing to buy a condo unit (when the property fever was at its height) and then realised that it has already been taken. Or worse, finally choosing a life partner and then realized that he/she is already booked! You may think I exaggerate but believe me, the feeling is the same. It is also the same feeling when you have set your eyes on that particular prom dress and realised that it is out of stock or it does not have your size. *grimace*

We did not expect the travel season to continue to boom, given the looming recession in Australia and the worldwide financial quagmire. Boy, how wrong we were. The Gold Coast remains the playground for the Aussies. Nothing is changed. The first apartments to be fully booked are those from the luxurious categories.

And the plunge in the A$ has made Australia an extremely attractive travel destination for Singaporeans. The travel forum pages are dominated by this species, probably so because Singaporeans are very internet-savvy. I read that the latest I-pod Index (similar to the Big Mac Index) shows that the cheapest i-pod in the whole world can be purchased in Australia. As a cost of living benchmark, this augurs very well for me! I am all ready to spend, spend, spend (or is it save, save, save) by buying all those "cheap" EA cosmetics, sports shoes and swatch watches! The warehouse sales here can throw up very good bargains. Well, you can take the girl out of Singapore, but not the "Singaporean" out of the girl! Do we hear "cheep, cheep. cheep" again? :)

But I digress.

Those of you who are still reading this post, and are astute enough, will realise that since I am updating my blog again, I have completed my all-consuming task this morning. I have booked a 2-bedroom self-contained apartment for a week, opposite to Pacific Fair (some say the largest shopping center in the southern hemisphere) and 500m to the glorious beach. What clinched the deal is that the Mantra Sierra Grand is only completed this year and has been in operation for about 6 months. The downside is that it is not as spacious as the older apartments that line the beachfront and we probably get a less sweeping view of the ocean, if any at all. But considering our family history of sensitivy to all sorts of allergans, it is not a difficult decision to make. We can give up a bit of space and a spectacular view for a newer, cleaner apartment.

Oh, something else, there is no internet access from anywhere in the Mantra Sierra Grand. I reckon the Aussies associate internet access with business/work and they do not see the need here, this being a tourist spot. Most establishments here seem to embrace the same thinking. I wouldn't have minded paying for internet access (like what happens in most hotels here) but the Aussies just don't seem to see the need to have such a facility at all. Amazing, but true.

Well, I am prepared to walk across the road after dinner and plonk myself in an internet cafe - which should have free wi-fi, I hope. It would be a pity If I am unable to update this blog while I am there.... :)