With all that being said, here is my specific feedback about our each of our
major stops. I am sure Rachel will have her own opinions to add
Flight over -- no problem -- I think Rachel slept 10 hours because she was
so tired.
Sydney -- Staying at the Four Seasons worked out great! They had our room
ready when we arrived (at 7:00 AM) and our view was fantastic -- could see
both the bridge and the Opera house from the 30th floor. It could not have
been better. The service was top notch and the conceirge took good care of
us. We made use of the executive lounge bfast that was included every
morning.
The Harbor Bridge tour was absolutely worth it (and glad we signed up in
advance)
The aquarium was also really well done.
Overall, we never left the Rocks for dinner and food was good. Four nights
was definitely the right amount.
Flight to Cairns -- no problem -- driver was great getting us to airport,
driver was late picking us up but a colleague covered.
Hotel International exceeded our expectations -- 13th floor room with view
of the esplanade. Fabulous!
Esplanade was touristy (as you described) but the view and the food was very
good.
Tour to Kuranda via scenic train and skyrail down over the top of the
rainforest was outstanding. The Butterfly museum at Kuranda was one of my
top highlights for the trip -- really special.
Tjabuki -- aboriginal cultural exhibit was disappointing -- listed as "must
see" by tourist books but I thought it was a bit tacky. I could have used
one more night at Cairns so not feel rushed, but it was the right call
overall for this trip.
Flight to Bush -- fantastic -- absolutey worth the money -- I can't imagine
sitting in 4WD for 8 hours (and this is serious 4WD -- really rough) The
Bush camp was quite rustic but understandable considering the terrain. Bed
was really uncomfortable, but better than sleeping on the floor. Aboriginal
art was really interesting and our guide ended up being a private guide for
the two of us. We did join the other group for one day, but it was nice to
have our own guide. On the last day, we even discovered some art that our
guide -- Greg -- had not been able to find before. Both guides Dave and Greg
were worldclass -- they really impressed me with their knowledge. Two
nights was the right amount.
Thala Beach Lodge was somewhat disappointing -- accomodation was below
expectations -- not a great view at all. Thank goodness we did not get the
beach condo -- that would have been even further down the hill. While the
pool was good, I thought the service was very limited . . . No room service,
limited TV, nobody delivering drinks to the pool even though it was right
next to the bar and the wait staff was constantly shuffled and things got
lost during the transition. Restaurant food was pretty good once it
arrived. However, I would not recommend to anybody to go back.
The great
barrier reef was terrific and we really enjoyed our tour with Calypso (a
smaller operator vs. the 400 + person Quicksilver group.
Flight home -- no problem.
Drivers picked us up and all were exceptionally friendly and except for the
one exception listed above were on time.
So, while Thala was disappointing relative to high expectations, overall the
rest of the trip was fantastic and exceeded expectations. I would be
delighted to serve as a reference for you. Thanks so much for your hard
work. You really made the trip easy and fun. It was a wonderful honeymoon
and we are very grateful for your thoughtful planning.
Shawn Becker
Oct 2002
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