A short stay accommodation provides an ideal base to go exploring in a strange city with a small kid, writes Nurjehan Mohamed
WE didn’t know what to expect when we booked to stay with HomeAway for our holiday in Merlbourne, Australia since this would be our first time utilising a short stay accommodation (or holiday home rental) for a holiday.
Val Kneebone, whose West Melbourne apartment we booked, turns out to be a lovely host who provides all that we needed and answered any queries we had before we even turn up on her doorstep.
Knowing that we would be travelling with a 4-year-old, she not only provides a stroller for our use during our stay but also an array of toys and books to keep the little one occupied throughout our stay at the apartment.
THE APARTMENT ON DUDLEY STREET
Coming in on a sunny Monday afternoon, the space is immediately inviting. Kneebone and her husband had cleaned and re-stocked the apartment’s amenities before our arrival.
A welcome basket consisting of fresh milk in the fridge, some local cheese and hummus, crackers andfruits go along way, especially since we have breakfast at the apartment before going on our daily excursions around Melbourne. There is also an assortment of teas and coffee pods and coffee maker to make quick drinks.
The 60-square-metre apartment feels larger than its compact size, and is packed with everything we need and more. It comes with a washing machine and a dryer (which are very well used during our time there); air-conditioning and heater; our own high speed WiFi connection; a fully-equipped kitchen (with oven and dishwasher); and a spacious outdoor terrace with a great view of central Melbourne.
Being just outside the city centre means that we could step out onto the terrace at night and enjoy the view of the night sky without being surrounded by skyscrapers.
There are also parking facilities for people who drive and a gym within the building for fitness nuts.
Kneebone has also thoughtfully provided some reusable shopping bags and Myki cards — essentialfor getting round on public transport in and around Melbourne — for our use while we were there.
The Myki cards are certainly helpful — there are no one-way tickets available in the Melbourne transportation system so if you’re using public transportation, you would have to purchase a non-refundable Myki card (currently A$6 or about RM17.40) for full fare card and A$3 for a concession card).
Another reason why we chose Kneebone’s place was its strategic location.
It’s adjacent to Flagstaff Gardens, which separate it from the city centre and the free tram zone, and is within walking distance to the famous Queen Victoria Market (which we went to for souvenir shopping) and Errol Street cafes (which we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to check out).
A bonus being next to the park is a playground where our daughter Adila happily runs around while we wait for our check-in time.
SIGHTSEEING WITH THE KID
One thing we quickly learn about travelling with a small kid is that distances are a lot further with a kid in tow, especially since our main mode of transportation is our own two feet — we walk or take the tram or bus for most of our travel.
To give an indication of how much walking is involved — I clock well over 12,000 steps each day (over 15,000 on one of the days). On a usual workday, I would be lucky to hit 3,000!
We are definitely thankful for the stroller Kneebone loaned us— it ends up being a fourth family member we couldn’t leave home without! This is something we would certainly include in our luggage for travels while she’s still young enough to sit in her stroller.
Another essential we relied heavily upon to get around was data connection — so I would highly recommend getting a local SIM card with a data plan.
This made going around easy as we could easily refer to Google maps to get around — a feature we hadn’t realised before the trip was the timetable of the public transportation system, which helped us schedule our trips around the times we had to take the trams.
In the few days, we manage to check out a few main attractions: Queen Victoria Market, the Melbourne Zoo, St Kilda and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). In between we briefly visit Federation Square, the Ian Potter Centre, theNationalGalleryofVictoria(NGV),Melbourne Central and AC/DC Lane.
The Queen Victoria Market is a must visit for any visitor — with its wide array of stalls selling everything from clothing, accessories and household items to art, food and, of course, souvenirs.
This was our first stop — to survey souvenir options and check out a famous local attraction. As we are there during a weekday, not all the sections were open.
Still, we manage to get some nifty souvenirs and goodies. On Wednesdays they also have a themed night market, as well as music performances and an array of dining options.
The Melbourne Zoo is a great place for kids. A 20-minute tram ride from the stop next to Flagstaff Gardens, this is a must visit for us, especially as our daughter loves animals.
I had initially planned on taking Adila on the weekend when we first arrived (a sentry for kids on weekends and holidays are free) but a fever derailed that plan.
It’s not too big so walking around to see the animals in the different exhibit areas is easy enough — and we manage to complete our visit in a couple of hours.
We are fortunate enough to catch the Seals’ Keeper Talk session, which proved to be an entertaining activity for kids. This is good option if you’re short on time, don’t have your own car and want to see as many animals as possible. We heard that Healesville Sanctuary is more focused on Australian fauna, but it’s an hour’s drive out of the city.
St Kilda is another hit with our not-solittle ‘nibblette’. This beachside suburb is home to many of Melbourne’s attractions for locals and foreigners alike, such as Luna Park, Acland Street and its many cafes and restaurants offering a wide range of cuisine as well as the St Kilda penguins (the last of which was the main reason this place was on our list).
We had initially planned to visit the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden on our way to St Kilda, but as luck would have it, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
It’s late afternoon when we arrive in St Kilda so a bite at Monarch Cakes on Acland Street, a historical landmark, is the first item on the agenda. Luna Park is unfortunately closed as well, so the most we see of this landmark is its iconic entrance.
The breakwater end of St Kilda Pier is home to a colony of little penguins dubbed the St Kilda penguins, which can be viewed every night — the best viewing time is 30 minutes after sunset.
We quickly realise how much the temperature can drop from daytime to dusk — and find ourselves very underdressed for the evening penguin viewing. Thankfully our visit isn’t in vain.
As we are about to abandon our goal of seeing a penguin, a volunteer from Earthcare St Kilda — a not-for-profit dedicated to protecting the penguins — points out to us one that hasn’t gone out with the rest of the colony; Adila is pleased as punch as she gets to see a penguin in the open.
Federation Square, located at the edge of the Melbourne CBD, is a hub for the city’s arts and cultural attractions such as Ian Potter Centre and ACMI.
The former is an art gallery that houses the Australian part of the NGV’s art collection — fascinating for adults, not so much for 4-year-olds — while the latter is the national museum of film, videogames, digital culture and art. ACMI is a surprisingly fun, albeit short, attraction — there are a load of interactive exhibits to entertain kids and the kid in you.
Though we don’t get to see everything we had initially planned to see, it is still an enjoyable and unforgettable family trip — Adila still talks about going on a plane to go back to Melbourne.
For my husband and myself, we learnt that while early planning goes a long way in undertaking a family holiday with a small kid, flexibility and patience are just as important
COMFORTS OF HOME
THERE is no denying the growing popularity of short-term rentals — Euromonitor International, in an article on Trends in Global Travel and Lodging 2018, stated that of all lodging formats, short-term rentals would see the fastest sales growth from 2017 to 2022 (https://blog.euromonitor.com/trendsglobal-travel-lodging-2018/).
For Melburnian Val Kneebone and her husband, there was no question about what they wanted to do with their city apartment after they retired to the countryside.
“We have used vacation rentals when travelling ourselves and thought that this could provide some income in our retirement. Also, when it is not rented we use the apartment to enjoy Melbourne and for friends,” says Kneebone, whose apartment is listed on HomeAway, a short-term rental platform that is part of the Expedia Group.
She adds that she enjoys the whole experience of vacation renting, as well as chatting with her guests before they arrive, to get to know them and help them get the most out of their stay at her place.
She has noticed the growing trend in people putting apartments on holiday home rental sites but isn’t concerned by the competition as she believes it only provides guests with greater choices at a varying price range.
In Melbourne, where more hotel chains are coming into the market and smaller boutique hotels are disappearing as their land is developed for high-rises, there is a widening gap between holiday home rentals and the hotel market.
She believes that the demand for holiday home rentals will only rise as people increasingly seek out real experiences with real people in their travels - something that the holiday home rental market can facilitate through interactions between local hosts and their international guests.
While there are several short-term rental platforms, the appeal of HomeAway was their level of professionalism and the ethos of the company, which is more in line with her objectives of meeting people and ensuring they have a good stay in Melbourne, in a place that feels like a home away from home.
HomeAway makes it easy for owners and property managers to list their home and manage their bookings - its main criterion is that hosts list whole properties on the site, and not shared spaces or rooms.
Expedia Group announced on May 2 that it has changed the name of its global alternative accommodations division from HomeAway to VrboÆ, and will be introducing the brand to the world in a phased roll-out over the coming year.
For more information on HomeAway, visit www.homeaway.com