P67742

Hello All,

We finally put some frequent flyer tickets on hold for end of March, first week of April. We are a family of 4 (2 teens) and are well-traveled. We just want to see the highlights and relax as well. We have a total of 10 days in Australia (I am not counting the 2 travel days from NY). I am leaning towards just splitting it 5/5 between Sydney and Cairns. I looked into Uluru.Ayers Rock and don't think I should take the 2-3 days to take the side trip. I would like to concentrate on doing some nice side trips. Do you think this is a good plan. I had started an earlier thread but it was for a Dec trip. We just moved it to April which I think will be perfect weather. One last Q-should we stay at sam ehotel in the both cities (Sydney and PD?) or move around.

Thanks.

longhorn55

You have planned this perfectly--split your time evenly between Cairns/PD and Sydney and skip Uluru as you don't have time for it with only 10 days on the ground.

There's no need to move hotels in either Sydney or Port Douglas. Everything you'd want to see or do will be in those locations or nearby. If you plan to stay in Port Douglas rather than Cairns, it would make sense for your family of 4 to rent a car and drive to PD. You won't need a car to get around PD, but you might want to use it for day trips to Daintree NP or Kuranda. The car rental for 5 days will likely be less than paying for the 4 of you to take a shuttle bus to/from Port Douglas--plus you'll have a lot more flexibility.

With 5 days in Sydney, I'd recommend a day trip to the Blue Mountains which can easily be done via the train to Katoomba.

P67742

thanks. Exactly what I was thinking. Do you have any recommended hotels (moderate range) in both these areas. I am waiting for the Swissotel in the harbor to get back to me, but in PD?

longhorn55

On our last two visits to PD, we have stayed at At the Mango Tree self-contained apartments. We've rented both a two-bedroom apartment and a townhouse. The townhouses are nice because they are located at the rear of the property and the patio backs onto a tropical garden. There is an extra toilet (but not full bath) which can come in handy with 2 teens. However, the 2-bedroom was perfectly fine too and as all the apartments are located far off the road, they are nice and quiet. This complex is about a 15 minute walk to the center of Port Douglas and it's about a 2 block walk to the beach.

Peteralan

I agree entirely with longhorn's advice. As for where to stay in Sydney, what is your budget per night and I presume you want 2 bedrooms?

P67742

I got a good rate at Queenslander in PD so I booked th at for now, but having a hard time findiing something in Syndney harbor that is not too overpriced. We will probably need 2 rooms as the kids are 13 and 15. If a place has 2 Queens, we can probably get one room. Any other options for Sydney, please let me know.

Thanks.

P67742

I was able to book the holiday inn old sydney right near the harbour. I will keep checking but at least i have a reservation. Another question, my plan is to do 4 nights in Sydney, 4 nights in PD, and then 1 night in Syd. Want to be back in Syd for the international flight that does not leave till around 3 pm. Which area should we stay for this one night, near the airport? or somewhere else?

longhorn55

I don't know what your budget is, but you might want to look at the Bed and Breakfast Sydney Harbour. They have a family room, the Lachlan Room, which has a queen bed and two single beds. We stayed here with our two teens and the room is quite spacious. Also the location in The Rocks can't be beat. You will notice that the bathroom is outside of the bedroom (just around the corner), but it is exclusively for your family and you will have the only key. It was a nice, large bathroom and we did not find it inconvenient at all to walk a few steps--and we never saw anyone in the hall anyway. And, of course, the rate includes a delicious full breakfast.

P67742

This place looks very nice too. The holiday inn is coming up a little cheaper and they have the pool vs. the breakfast.....hmmmmm.

P67742

Does this sound good? Land in sydney from nyc. Stay in harbour area. Flight to cairns. Stay in PD for 4 nights. Fly back to syd and stay in Bondi beach area for one night. Still have to check domestic flight times. Or should I do blue mtns and Bondi beach day trip earlier.