We arrived late at the mansion, hot and sticky and clutching at shopping bags as we tumbled out of the van. Some of us were even dripping wet and covered in sand. You could have forgiven the staff of the Carcosa Seri Negara for taking one look at our shambolic group and sending us packing....

The flight down to Wellington set the tone for our weekend; I wondered if it was Richard Branson's new fruity marketing strategy as the saucy flight attendant called us 'hun' and 'darl', likened each member of the crew to a type of dog and informed us she was dimming the lights 'to make the person next to you more attractive'....

After shopping up a storm around the city we were tired and ready for more sumptuous spa treatments. Next on the menu was a group 'sensory experience' treatment at Spa Village, followed by an hour-long Malay massage....

Cosmopolitan and flashy, Kuala Lumpur is the place to be if you've got a serious retail habit. No matter your budget, there's somewhere to spend it....

The Pavilion shopping centre in KL is a high-end mall. Think Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Prada, Juicy Couture and Louis Vuitton. But we were bypassing the luxury goods and heading up to the fourth floor, so that fish could eat our feet....

We arrived hot and sticky at the Ritz-Carlton KL, straight from the Batu Caves and not quite feeling worthy of the five-star hotel's fancy lobby....

We had one detour left before we reached Malaysia's capital. Just outside KL sits the geographical and religious spectacle that is the Batu Caves. As we tumbled out of the cool of the air-conditioned van the full force of the sun hit us - it was baking hot and unbelievably humid. And we were about to climb a whole lotta stairs....

Here at Yahoo!Xtra we're always keen to hear from our readers. And this Waitangi Weekend we're really keen to see you as well. So we're opening the door - so to speak - for you to send us your best pictures from where ever you might be...

My new husband and I were in Vanuatu for our honeymoon, with plans of having a relaxing, laid back holiday - and it seems we were pretty spot on with our choice of destination....