Wanted to give a quick review of our amazing time in Oz (Nov 11-29)!!! <BR>Was able to use miles to fly Business Class on Qantas and it was well worth it! The service and crew could not have been better!<BR>When we landed in Sydney we had a 4 hour layover and we so so grateful to be able to shower in the Qantas lounge! <BR>As soon as we landed on Hamilton Island we were welcomed by the staff from Hayman and from the first moment we stepped on the yacht that took us to the resort we were made to feel so special!! I know that some people may say that for how much it cost they should make you feel that way but my husband and I thought everyone that we encountered went out of their way to make the start of our honeymoon fabulous! We dove the GBR, did sunset dropoffs to private beaches, helicoptor rides to Whitehaven Beach and participated in the chef's dinner (which is an absolute must)!<BR>After an amazing week we headed to the Barossa Valley! I have to give special thanks to a Aussie Assist (Suzanne) for all of the help she gave us! We wanted to rent an SUV since we were driving into the outback after wine country and were not able to through any of the car rental agencys at the airport. Suzanne arranged the rental at an off site location, picked up the vehicle, picked us up at the airport and drove us to her home to fill out all of the forms (while serving us snacks)! She definately went above and beyond!! <BR>In the Barossa Valley we stayed at The Lodge which was wonderful!! After 3 days (and after purchasing 29 bottles of wine) we drove through the Clare Valley on to the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna (population 5). We were made to feel like total locals and watched amazing sunsets with everyone who works there each night before dining on the Feral Feast! <BR>We then headed back to Adelaide for the flight to Sydney (a little tip... if buying wine it is a fortune to ship back to the States. We went to a freight packer located right by the domestic terminal and had the wine sent to Sydney, we then checked the cases as luggage for the flight home. We were planning on paying 90 cents per bottle at customs but they only asked us if we had any kangaroos in our bags)!<BR>In Syndey we stayed at the 4 Seasons which was the perfect choice located right by the Rocks and with phenominal views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge! We had dinner at Aria, Tetsuya and Rockpool all of which we would highly recommend (this coming from a very critical NY diner)!! We did the Bridge Climb which we would recommend even if you are afraid of heights (as my husband is)! We only had 2 1/2 days in Sydney and that proved to be our only disappointment on the trip, we wish we had at least 3 more days!<BR>I booked all of the reservations for the honeymoon (my husband is not the traveller in the family) and used this site quite a bit for opinions and recommendations all of which made the planning that much easier!<BR>Thank you very much!!!!

Congrats on your marriage. So glad to hear that you so enjoyed Oz. It is a wonderful country, isn't it? Too bad it is so far away from NYC or we wouldreturn every year. Nothing can compare with the Great Barrier Reef. The perfect honeymoon place.

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I'm heading to Sydney next week. This will be my third trip and I can hardly wait. I did the bridge climb last time and will be going skydiving this time. I have learned so much from this forum. Thank you for sharing your travel experiences.

Hi Lauren,<BR>Nice to hear about your trip. We're off on honeymoon at the end of March, and will cover some of your itinerary (Sydney/Barossa/GBR). Interesting to hear that you recommend the bridge climb even to those who have a fear of heights. I really want to do it, but feel a little queasy. Was your husband really okay, and glad he did the climb?<BR><BR>Thanks for the tip on shipping wine home, we were hoping to buy some but would be shipping to UK, let's see how that works out.<BR><BR>Hope you're enjoying newly-married life back home. All the best,<BR><BR>Anna

Anna,<BR><BR>If you really want to do it, then I say go for it. It's an awesome climb and I'm really glad I did it. For more opinions, type &quot;Sydney Bridge Climb&quot; in the text search box above.

Can you tell me a little more about the Four Seasons? My fiance is claiming we don't need to spend that much, but I think it's worth it <BR><BR>Thanks!