australia itinerary feedback please
#1
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australia itinerary feedback please
hi, it's my very first time posting...i hope this is not a stupid question .
anyway, i am an outrigger employee (from hawaii) and have HUGE hotel discounts. having said that, i am planning a honeymoon to australia and would like to stay within the outrigger chain if possible. the problem is, i would love to see sydney but the hotel nearest sydney is in ettalong, and i'm having a hard time finding anything on ettalong so i'm guessing there isn't much there.
do you think if i stayed in sydney for two nights (at a non-outrigger hotel) and then went to hunter valley for a vineyard tour, that i could then spend the night (or two) in ettalong? is that practical, or more trouble than it's worth? is there transportation from sydney to hunter valley, and then from hunter valley to ettalong, and then ettalong back to sydney? i read about a ferry, but have no idea how much something like would run, or how much time it would take.
i will be spending most of my time in queensland, at port douglas and palm cove or possibly cairns, but i cannot fathom going all the way to australia without visiting sydney! please help!
another question, i found airfare on www.bestflights.com.au from sydney to cairns for $89au each way--is that reasonable? is this website credible? can foreigners buy tickets from this site? should i snatch it up now, or wait? i will most likely be taking this trip in mid october.
any help would be greatly appreciated. mahalo!
anyway, i am an outrigger employee (from hawaii) and have HUGE hotel discounts. having said that, i am planning a honeymoon to australia and would like to stay within the outrigger chain if possible. the problem is, i would love to see sydney but the hotel nearest sydney is in ettalong, and i'm having a hard time finding anything on ettalong so i'm guessing there isn't much there.
do you think if i stayed in sydney for two nights (at a non-outrigger hotel) and then went to hunter valley for a vineyard tour, that i could then spend the night (or two) in ettalong? is that practical, or more trouble than it's worth? is there transportation from sydney to hunter valley, and then from hunter valley to ettalong, and then ettalong back to sydney? i read about a ferry, but have no idea how much something like would run, or how much time it would take.
i will be spending most of my time in queensland, at port douglas and palm cove or possibly cairns, but i cannot fathom going all the way to australia without visiting sydney! please help!
another question, i found airfare on www.bestflights.com.au from sydney to cairns for $89au each way--is that reasonable? is this website credible? can foreigners buy tickets from this site? should i snatch it up now, or wait? i will most likely be taking this trip in mid october.
any help would be greatly appreciated. mahalo!
#2
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Hi savvychick,
Welcome and congratulations.
I think that you should decide on where in Sydney you want to stay and just book it.
Also my advice would be to try to plan the honeymoon around what you and your other half want, and not just upon what discounts you can get.
If you had a hotel in Sydney then that would be great, but you don't, so just accept it.
You will be saving money in Palm Cove (good choice by the way)so that's a bonus for you.
You must visit sydney.
Enjoy
Muck
Welcome and congratulations.
I think that you should decide on where in Sydney you want to stay and just book it.
Also my advice would be to try to plan the honeymoon around what you and your other half want, and not just upon what discounts you can get.
If you had a hotel in Sydney then that would be great, but you don't, so just accept it.
You will be saving money in Palm Cove (good choice by the way)so that's a bonus for you.
You must visit sydney.
Enjoy
Muck
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Ettalong is a nice enough place for a family beachside break, but no, there isn't much there. Although I always appreciate a saving, I definitely wouldn't compromise my honeymoon by marooning myself there for that reason.
Far better to check www.wotif.com for a good deal in Sydney, where you can book up to two weeks in advance. Search previous threads on this forum on Sydney accommodation to narrow down your choice, plus wotif.com provides good info on each property.
In summary, with little time in Sydney I'd say the answer to the question "is that ... more trouble than it's worth" is "yes".
If you read the fine print your $89 fare may not include taxes and charges, but even so it's a good deal for a 3-hour haul. I assume that bestflights.com would just be reflecting a generally available discount offer by one of the major domestic airlines, so you'd be better off booking direct with the carriers (Qantas, Virgin Blue, Jetstar) via their websites. Seat sales appear and disappear with great regularity, so the idea is to keep an eye on those sites and book as soon as you see a good deal before they sell out.
And have a great time.
Far better to check www.wotif.com for a good deal in Sydney, where you can book up to two weeks in advance. Search previous threads on this forum on Sydney accommodation to narrow down your choice, plus wotif.com provides good info on each property.
In summary, with little time in Sydney I'd say the answer to the question "is that ... more trouble than it's worth" is "yes".
If you read the fine print your $89 fare may not include taxes and charges, but even so it's a good deal for a 3-hour haul. I assume that bestflights.com would just be reflecting a generally available discount offer by one of the major domestic airlines, so you'd be better off booking direct with the carriers (Qantas, Virgin Blue, Jetstar) via their websites. Seat sales appear and disappear with great regularity, so the idea is to keep an eye on those sites and book as soon as you see a good deal before they sell out.
And have a great time.
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you guys are great! thank you so much for the honest and helpful responses. you've convinced me that this is not a good idea. i might still want to make it to hunter valley for a day trip though since we have nothing like it here. and neil_oz, thanks for the heads up on bestflights.com. i will definitely check out the airlines' websites directly.
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Is the outrigger at ettalong open yet?
You can get there by train and cab from sydney.However if you are prepared to hire a car you could use the ettalong place for say two nights and combine that with a hunter valley visit and perhaps a loop thru the blue mountains.Get a cheap car from bayswater car rental.
spend your day at ettalong by taking the ferry to palm beach...the best beach in sydney.then proceed on to the hunter for an overnight and back to sydney via the blue mts the next day.
You can get there by train and cab from sydney.However if you are prepared to hire a car you could use the ettalong place for say two nights and combine that with a hunter valley visit and perhaps a loop thru the blue mountains.Get a cheap car from bayswater car rental.
spend your day at ettalong by taking the ferry to palm beach...the best beach in sydney.then proceed on to the hunter for an overnight and back to sydney via the blue mts the next day.
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