Travel news

SCOTLAND may be thawing out but winter sports lovers can still catch some late snow in the pretty Austrian resort town of Mayrhofen. In the heart of the Zillertal ski area, there are 150km of pistes on the doorstep. And snowboarders haven't been forgotten either, as the resort has one of Europe's largest boarding parks.

Anyone not nursing boot-blisters at the end of the day can look forward to experiencing the town's lively nightlife.

From Saturday, Direct Ski is offering return flights and a week at the three-star Moigg Apartments for 319. See www.directski.com.

Quay to the beach

THIS month Australia's latest luxury holiday destination opens for business. The Quay West Resort & Spa Noosa is surrounded by the scenic National Park Conservation Sanctuary and its spot right on the beach allows guests to indulge in Australia's two greatest activities: surfing and sunbathing. Noisy and nosy neighbours are banished by the hotel's self-contained apartments and villas, and if you want to explore further, Queensland's capital city Brisbane is a two-hour drive away.

A deluxe studio apartment at Quay West costs from 109 a night. Log on to www.mirvachotels.com/quay-west-resort-noosa for more details.

Touchdown in NZ

NOT much comes between a rugby fan and his favourite game. And now the first travel packages for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand have gone on sale, as many as 25,000 supporters from Britain and Ireland are expected to defy the economic downturn and snap up available tickets.

The tournament – which begins on 9 September when the All Blacks face their Pacific Island neighbours Tonga – is being held across 13 different towns, so it is the perfect opportunity to explore New Zealand at the same time.

Gullivers Sports Travel (01684 293175, www.gulliverstravel.co.uk) and Thomas Cook Sport (0870 752 0924, www.thomascooksport.com) will be providing official packages to the tournaments over the coming months. For further information about New Zealand and the Rugby World Cup see www.newzealand.com/travel.

This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 14, 2010