Arikson77

Hello,
This is late, but after saying to each other that we really needed to do this for months we are finally getting to it! Married life is busy I guess. We recently did post a short explanation of one part of our trip that was disappointing to us, which some of you probably read. I will get to that later, but here is the overall story in a nutshell...
First, Sydney. We got there at night which was great for jetlag to start with a good night's sleep. We stayed at the Sheraton Hyde Park which has to be the best hotel we have been to. It was perfect - the room was great, and the service was even better. I had ordered roses for my wife when we arrived and they died after about one day so I mentioned it to the concierge who had placed the order and they gave us an extra bottle of champagne as well as a free breakfast at their wonderful buffet. I didn't ask for any of this, I only mentioned the flowers so he would know in the future about the quality of flowers from that particular store. We can't say enough good things about this hotel. We paid only $100/night for it on Priceline too! Due to a Priceline error we made, however, we ended up having to move to a different hotel for one night which was the Marriot also close to Hyde park. We were satisfied with this hotel, and in particular they had a great concierge guy whose name escapes us now (that's what we get for waiting so long!). It was pleasant there, but we were thrilled to return to the Sheraton. Our first day, we went to Manly and did the entire Manly Scenic Walkway which was awesome. It was a pretty tough walk considering our jetlag and how drained we were after the wedding, but we loved it. It is 10K total, and parts of it are very challenging. But the views are worth every breath. That night we walked to Darling Harbor for dinner but by then we were both absolute zombies so we didn't enjoy our night as much as we should have. By 10 we lost our battle with jetlag and went to sleep. The next day we went to breakfast at a Turkish cafe not far from our hotel which had the best coffee ever (go figure, they know their coffee). Most of this day, we just walked around the city, Circular Quay and the opera house, Darling harbor again. We had sushi at Darling Harbor which was surprisingly not very good! The highlights of the rest of our time in Sydney are as follows: The tour of the opera house was really fun, very informative. We were shocked by the interior of this building. It was neat, but just not what we expected from a world famous opera house! It is very simple and the emphasis is on the construction which is definitely amazing. It is not the plush elaborate style of most European opera houses we've seen in the past. The Royal Botanical Gardens were also wonderful. We went to a grocery store and took a picnic there. It was not a huge money-saver (even groceries are very expensive), but it was a nice way to spend some time together. The birds expected us to share our meal but we only gave them bread. While in Sydney we also went to the Sydney Observatory which was really neat. My wife loves space stuff so she was even more into it than I was. If you are from the Northern Hemisphere, you will see different sites than you can at any observatory nearby. It was worth an evening for sure. One of our favorite meals was at a place called Billy Kwong in Surry Hills. It is a variation on Chinese food that was really something. We got duck in orange sauce that was really great. Definitely recommend this place. We visited Bondi beach which was very pretty with great waves. It happened to be extremely cool and windy the day we were there so we didn't go near the water but many other people did! We also walked across the harbour bridge which was really cool too. We didn’t have the nerve (nor did we want to spend the money) to climb it, but walking across you get great views as well. There isn’t a whole lot goin on on the other side, but it was still a great experience. We also took a ferry one night from Circular Quay to Darling Harbor which goes under the bridge. It was cheap, romantic, and fun.
The second half of our trip was spent in and around Cairns. We flew there on Quantas as part of our airfare package (we paid with frequent flyer miles). We stayed at Lilybank B&B in Cairns and we were very disappointed in our experience there. Search posts for subject "Lodging in Cairns, Lilybank B&B" if you want the nitty gritty details as well as some emotionally-charged exchanges with other posters . After leaving this B&B early, we stayed at the Radisson right on the water in downtown Cairns and we were very happy with this place - it is nothing compared to the Sheraton in Sydney, but compared to the B&B it was an improvement. But aside from our accommodation issues, we had a blast in and around Cairns! We rented a car on two different days, which is very expensive. We paid about $70 the first time for basically a golf cart, and the second time we took a “normal” car which was also the size of a golf cart for about $60 without the convertible option. The first time, we drove to two wildlife parks: The Rainforest Habitat and Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. They were both really fun and interesting. At the Rainforest Habitat, there is this amazing area where you just walk around and feed wallabies and kangaroos. There are birds singing, there is a pond and lots of beautiful trees. It was really wonderful. Hartley’s was a bit more hokey and cheesy but also really fun. We took a little boat ride during which they fed a couple crocs and that was really something to see, them jumping out of the water for that food. The driving itself was quite an experience...we decided at the last min to rent a car so there were only stick shifts left and I am man enough to admit that I don't know how to drive them, so my wife was our driver for the day. She had more difficulty getting used to being on the left side of the road than she did getting used to sitting on the right side of the car and shifting with her left hand. The road up toward Port Douglas where these animal parks are is very curvy so it probably wasn't the best place for our first experience with this new way to drive, but we managed. We had dinner in Port Douglas and walked around. We ate at a place called Salsa Bar where we tried kangaroo meat. It was nothing special to us, but now we can say we've tried it! It is a beautiful town. The other day we rented a car was also a blast. We drove in the opposite direction from Port Douglas to a bunch of waterfalls. It was really romantic and laid back just to drive together on our own schedule and see those beautiful waterfalls. In many cases, we were the only ones there. We also go to see a lot of the country, many farms and small communities. Not a bad area to live in! While in Cairns we also went on two relatively local reef cruises. The first was to Michaelmas Cay on the Ocean Spirit Cruise. This was a really fun trip but later when we did a couple others, we realized it was lacking a little for our taste...we don't like to sit around much and we felt the long boat ride out was a little bit of a waste of time considering the quality of the reef they took us to. It was also the weather, though; the water was cloudier than usual we were told so maybe that was part of it. But it was a loooong boat ride for some decent snorkeling. The staff was fun and knowledgeable though and they did have a semi-submersible boat that was pretty cool. The other reef cruise was called Down Under Cruise and Dive and it was awesome. We SCUBA dived/dove (?) as well as snorkeling and it was great. My wife was fighting a cold and her ears were a little messed up so the first time she didn't dive but she was so disappointed, one of the instructors took her down and really paid special attention that she was ok. It was really amazing. There is a huge fish (I mean, HUGE) that you can actually pet and my wife was kissed by a sea turtle. I wasn't too jealous. They also have a professional underwater photographer onboard and you cannot help buying these photos, which they offer on cdrom. A great day. Two other days’ activities: We took a bus tour through the Daintree rainforest to Cape Tribulation. My wife and I differed about this trip. I thought it was overpriced (around $100 each if memory serves)and I am comparing it to the rainforest I visited in Costa Rica and I felt like we didn't have quite enough time actually hiking through it. My wife enjoyed it; she feels it was a good taste of the rainforest although she would have liked more hiking too. Cape Tribulation was very nice too. Our guide was a bit lacking as well, we both agree. He included his personal feelings about "yuppies" and people from Sydney and other large cities in his descriptions. He did seem very knowledgeable about animals in the area however and we got to see a Cassowary, a very rare sighting in real life (It’s a huge, mean bird but beautiful). That night, we ate at a bar in Cairns because I wanted a good old fashioned burger and you know what I discovered? They put a fried egg on their burgers! The guy said it’s the Australian way to eat a burger, was he kidding? I can't say it was bad, if you like eggs, but I haven't been ordering them that way back home. I have left our worst day and our best day for last. First, our worst. We took the Skyrail to Kuranda village and went to Tjapukai, the supposedly authentic aboriginal village outside of Cairns. First, Kuranda. The skyrail itself was nice but (again comparing to my rainforest experiences in Costa Rica, I can't help it!) it was well above the canopy so the view was limited. I don't know how they got that thing so low in Costa Rica, but they did. This was just your basic ski lift above the trees. Anyway, we were absolutely disappointed in Kuranda. It is advertised as a village with local markets. It is nothing more than a huge tacky tourist trap. Very few of the crafts seemed authentic and we found made in china stamped on many. We heard good things about the butterfly sanctuary but didn't make it there unfortunately. We are not shoppers so if you enjoy walking around and just looking at what's for sale you might enjoy it, but we did not. We took the train back down and it did have some nice views. The commentary was interesting to listen to as well. Now about Tjapukai...this is supposed to be an aboriginal village. I found it to be entertaining, especially the boomerang and spear throwing lessons. My wife however, was totally offended by the whole thing. She felt that the aboriginal people were depicted as zoo animals. They did pose for pictures following a traditional dance performance which didn't help this feeling she had. Overall, it was a disappointing day - a lot of overpriced stuff that we did not feel lived up to the advertisements at all. Finally, our last and best day. I surprised my wife with a day trip to Lizard Island. We used Daintree Air which was absolutely the highlight of our trip. It was us and one other couple on their honeymoon, and the pilot/guide. It included lunch and was extremely expensive but worth the experience and the look on my wife's face! We flew to the island and along the way, the pilot told us about the islands we were seeing and the reef which really must be viewed from the air for a whole new appreciation. We landed on a tiny airstrip and hiked to a secluded beach where we snorkeled. The reef here is so shallow, at times you have to struggle not to touch it but we saw more reef life this day than all other trips combined, and then some. We even saw a Spanish dancer which I'm told is very rare. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the reef, aboriginal culture, and Australia in general. He really liked to hear himself talk, but for the most part we enjoyed it too. We snorkeled for 2 hours which felt like 30 min. Then we ate lunch and walked around the island including the blue lagoon beach which was really quite a site. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about this day was the weather on the flight back – it was terribly turbulent and our pilot told us this happens a lot, its unpredictable so just be aware. This island is beautiful on the surface as well as below the water. It was really quite an experience to be on such a secluded and amazing place, and a great way to end our honeymoon. That night we ate room service pizza and watched a movie in our room, we were so tired and needed to pack. We left early for the airport and back to real life!
So, there you have it. It was great and memorable with just a few glitches which are to be expected on such an adventure. Please let us know if you have any questions, and happy traveling!

Alan

Hi, Arikson77!

Thanks for this entertaining report, which (I suspect) will not provoke the drama of your last one (in spite of Neil's comment that anyone who criticises Australia on this forum does so at his/her own peril), because it comes across as exactly what it is.... a helpful report (the other one sounded just a wee bit like a tirade, which is why it stirred up the controversy; really, we're quite happy to hear a bit of criticism, and I couldn't agree with you more about the interior of the Opera House, which, in my opinion, just looks unfinished. The part that the audience sees is, really, no more "swank" than the behind-the-stage areas that only the employees see! The "saga" behind its construction makes for fascinating reading, and may help to explain why the inside is a bit of a rag-bag affair.... did they tell you, for instance, that the Concert Hall was originally planned to be the Opera House and the Opera House was the original Concert Hall? As with so many great ideas, after the inspiration and the genius came an army of accountants to tell everyone why it couldn't be done. The architect went home (to Denmark) in disgust, and, I believe, has never seen the finished product).

It just occurred to me that I, of all people, had the nerve to label someone else's post a "tirade"! That will earn me a few well-deserved rebukes, as I have, on the odd occasion, been known to indulge in a few tirade posts myself, usually against rip-off multinationals who don't care what damage they do to our city's image so long as their own bottom line stays well into the black.

I am so glad that you did the Spit Bridge-Manly walk, even if you did start at the "wrong" end... after a 10km walk, you deserved the cool harbour breeze and the seaspray from the ferry, not the smell of diesel fumes from a bus!

May I say that while I am sure you were delighted with the Sheraton for heaping gifts on you ias a consolation for your hurt feelings at the short-dated flowers, my own response is to hate that establishment still more, if such a thing is possible. You see, I am one of those people who'd rather say nothing than complain, and I know that it's people like me who are being ripped off by these establishments because they rely on us to "subsidise" the freebies given to the ones who DO complain. I will add the Sheraaton to my list of hotels I will tell people to avoid at all cost... the most recent addition to the list is the Meriton which tried to charge around four thousand dollars for their New Year's Eve rooms -- that's a lot of bottles of champagne and buffet breakfasts!

Not only do Aussies top their hamburgers with an egg -- sometimes this actually substitutes for the beef, other times it's an addition -- but we even put beetroot on our burgers. Until McDonalds came along and took all the fun out of the whole thing, a hamburger in Australia used to be quite a feast -- and quite a sight, as the diner squelched into it and was rewarded with egg yolk gushing out of one side and red beetroot juice out of the other! After every meal you needed a shower (with or without shower curtain)!

Mucky

Hi Arikson77,
Great report, I agree totally with you about the Sydney Hyde Park Marriott which is a great place to stay, Its a pity you didn't do the bridge climb its well worth the expense.

Kuranda I also agree totally (although my wife would differ) I also found it a little too tacky and touristy for me,however the family thought it was great. I may be wrong, but I suspect the aboriginal people working there get paid fairly well so you probably won't hear them complaining too much.
And your Lizard flight sounds idylic, I wish we had done the same. Perhaps in the future ...who knows....
Cheers
Muck

Tassietwister

Well hope you come back and go to Tasmania. I will be going in March and am over excited so will try to post a report that entices you and your beautiful wife back down under.

Great report !

AndrewDavid

Arkison, Thanks for your report.

Alan, When we were in the Opera House in April, they had just begun a renovation of the interior public spaces. We were told that the son of the original architect , Jorn Utzen (sp?) was in charge of the renovations. They were doing the entrance lobby. I hope they replace the carpeting as well which I recall was an unappealing shade of purple going up the stairs.
We found the theaters themselves quite elegant in a spare late mid century way and hope they don't mess w/ them.

Do you know how the renovation is progressing?

AndrewDavid

Arikson77

Alan,
I just wondered why you hate that Sheraton so much! I didn't mean to suggest that just their responses to our complaints was the reason we loved it...the location was great, the decor was nice but not too over-the-top, the bed was extremely comfortable, the food was wonderful, and the service was top-notch. The only complaint we had was about a florist un-affiliated with the hotel itself and they still managed to make it up to us. I must counter your recommemdation to avoid it at all costs - it would be our first choice if we go back to Sydney!

prue

Just a small request to anyone taking the time to write a Trip Report - please try and break it up into paragraphs - it is so much easier on the eyes that way!!!

Mucky

Yes I agree Prue..lol
I usually cut and paste long posts to word and manage them myself...
It suites me to do that, saves my eyes which do not yet need spectacles and avoids giving me headaches..

Lol

;-)

Alan

I'm sorry, Arikson77, if I didn't explain my reasons for my contempt of the Sheraton and all the hotels like it in my home town. It is simply that their code of conduct is not only what I would call un-Australian.... it is ANTI-Australian. The Australian way is to treat people fairly and honestly with no fawning or grovelling, and to make amends for human frailty by saying "Oops! Sorry, mate!" That, I would imagine, is what Pat and Mike would have said to you if you'd told them that your room was too hot after the air-conditioning was turned off.... and they probably would have asked you what time you planned to return the next day, so that they could have been diligent in turning it back on fifteen minutes prior to that. You see? Everybody wins. They save a bit of money on a/c costs, and you reap the benefits in cheaper rates. And everybody is on friendly, equal terms.

Places like the Sheraton destroy that kind of relationship. They overcharge like blazes, and hope that they score brownie points for their "nice but not too over the top decor"... and if there is someone who notices that their treatment (that is, CARE... not bowing and scraping and holding the fdoor open)of guests does not match the inflated prices they charge, then they "make things right" by heaping complimentary "extras" on the guest -- extras which, of course, have been allowed for in their tariff. This, I feel, demeans the guest, and it encourages some shocking behaviour in response. One lady at Fodors accepted her whole stay for free because she was dissatisfied with one particular aspect of the accommodation... I forget what, something fairly trivial -- maybe the decor was not so nice and WAS "over the top". Another gentleman on this forum, who was mentioned in one of the response posts to your submission only a day or two ago, was so enticed by this policy that he decided to weigh up just how much extra he should be allowed for a bent mirror, a chipped desk, and dingy tiles... and actually demeaned himself to the point of arguing in front of a dining room full of people over whether a dessert should be included in his complimentary "hurt feelings" meal. Both these posters, by the way, were American... and the hotel chains which indulge in this shameful form of behaviour seem mainly to be American also.I can remember the days before these US chains starting swallowing up the Aussie hotel market, and I truly believe things were better back then.

Lastly, I don't think the location of the Sheraton is all that great, anyway -- although I am glad you weren't disappointed in it. For sure, many of the US chains have chosen far worse locations than that, often in the dingiest areas of Sydney, which they hope you won't learn about until it's too late. Nowadays the backpackers' slum areas have hotels with "Accor" in their logo growing up all around them... but I bet the Accor hotels don't come clean and say, "We're in a dirty, run-down part of Sydney far from anywhere, but don't worry, if you complain loud enough, we'll heap freebies on you". But that, in point of fact, is exactly their policy. I think it lacks ethics and honesty -- all the things which I admire in the one place you stayed at which drew your fierce criticism! Pat and Mike spend their days giving advice to people on this forum, without ever thinking of "plugging" their own establishment as part of their help. Does anyone at the Sheraton know or care whether the visitors to Australia enjoy themselves or not? Just so long as no-one "rocks the boat" within their walls... and if that should happen, theyy have their list of pacifiers at hand.

Well, that's my tirade for the day.

wlzmatilida

Alan,

re: the designer of the Opera House - you said he left without ever seeing it completed, which is true, BUT....it seems to me that he was DEPORTED or prevented from re-entering Australia due to a scandal. Now, I may be wrong, but somewhere in my tiny brain there's something concerning him??

Melodie

johstonfamilyby5

Arikson77 We are booked with daintreeair on the lizard island day tour during march.

The person answering my mail (greg) has said the weather in march can sometimes be very wet with lots of low cloud.

We are ok with some rain but the turbulent condititions might not be that good for the kids.

You mentioned rough conditions, how rough was the flight. Also how long was the flight, we understand around 50 minutes one way and 60 minutes the other.

Was it rough enough that you were concerned about your safety.

Thanks for the help.

dkw

We spent a day (Lizard Island daytrip) with Greg from Daintree Air in September. We went on an extremely windy day. After we landed, I remarked to the Gentleman at Lizard who met our plane about our smooth landing. He responded by letting me know just how difficult a super smooth landing is with the wind conditions we were experiencing that day. With that said, Greg is an excellent, experienced pilot, and would not fly in unsafe weather conditions. It was an exceptional day. One not to be missed!! As I recall, the trip is about an hour each way....fabulous views over the rainforest and reef.

BTW, I don't think Greg talks to "hear himself talk", but to be a great guide. He was not only extremely informative, but genuinely interested in our part of the world, our lives at home, and that of our groupmates. We will most assuredly be booking a trip with Greg again when we return in 2006.

DKW

Arikson77

Hi Johstonfamilyby5,
Sorry to have taken a bit to get back to you, but here I am...As for your day trip to lizard, the plane ride back was definitely choppy. I think your time estimates are correct based on our experience but I'm sure it varies depending on conditions. As far as taking children, I would not be afraid for their safety as I agree that Greg would not fly in very unsafe conditions. However, they may get a little scared. It was very stormy and windy and the little plane bounced around a lot. I would hate for you to cancel your day because of this possibility because it truly is an amazing day, but I understand wanting to make an informed decision too. I agree that Greg is a great pilot and tour guide, and he did his best to navigate around the worst pockets of the storm. Good luck!