Wonderful news, Pat! I've just come home from the post-Christmas Sydney sales, and Target have shower curtains at 40% off. Can you nip down to Brisbane in the next few days, or should I buy half a dozen and post them up to you?

I LOVE it!!!

The Boris Smuckler Honeymoon Suite!!

especially with the new shower curtains Alan's sending to Pat.

I think this would be a grand idea to open an new B&B for the inauguration here in DC on or around the 20th of Jan and we'll call it the "Boris Smuckler Suite".

Have a great new year everyone!!

LizF - thanks for the offer, I don't mind a beer or two. If you did take the P--S out of me, I guess I deserved it, especially running down the Gold Coast. I now realise that each & every place in Australia, has its bad points and lots of good points, and as I don't live on the GC, I'm not an expert in that area, as I only visited on various occasions, and the same goes for Cairns, been there a long time ago, but not recently, and therefore, Pat would have to be best expert in that region.
I respect the information you two (and others) give on this board, its always honest, open information. I can tell by the way you give the information, how honest & sincere the information is, keep up the good work, and don't any notice of a few rednecks on this board, they have to live with themselves.

I'm very surprised to read your posting about the Lilybank B&B outside of Cairns. Ours was exactly the opposite. We went to Australia twice last year, for over 10 weeks, and stayed at the Lilybank both times. In fact our experience at the Lilybank was one of the prime drivers to return to Oz. It was so wonderful to meet these Australians who made you feel at home, and were open and honest and fun. When we stayed at the Lilybank the first time we were lucky enough to reserve the cottage, the same place you stayed for your honeymoon. As soon as we walked in I was enchanted. In fact, I was enchanted before we got to the cottage! The grounds are beautifully landscaped and they have a fabulous salt water swimming pool and two separate goldfish "ponds" in huge pots with see-through space. The cottage itself is spacious with a slate floor, and some basic things for making tea/coffee or having wine. Plus a sitting area outside overlooking some of the grounds. I just loved it there and yes, it is hot and humid in that area - it's the tropics after all! And energy is not as cheap or plentiful as in the US so it was not unexpected to be asked to help conserve energy where possible. Which we always try to do anyway. The bathroom is small and yes, the shower is different! Several of our experiences in New Zealand and Oz offered similar bathrooms so it was not a big surprise for us. Leaving the bathroom window open always dried everything very quickly so we did not have a problem with wetness. When we had reservations about some of the excursions and asked their input they were very honest and helpful, which helped us to make choices that made us happy. The B&B is not right in Cairns but there is a bus that is easy and cheap for getting back and forth. As for restaurants - there are within a 10 minute walk. They feature French, Continental, a kind of Thai/Indian mixture, and Australian food. We ate at all but the Continental and they were all exceptional. Within a 15 minute walk there is a village area (I think that's Stratford) which includes several fast food type places and a deli that also is quite good. So I don't understand at all your comments about restaurants. The owners bend over backwards to be helpful. We witnessed them going to extraordinary lengths to help people, whether it concerned flights, transportation, excursions, or diet. And I cannot close without mentioning the breakast they offer. When you arrive for breakfast in their beautiful tropical setting with a goldfish pond and palms and other luscious plants, you are greeted with hot coffee, tea, juice, fresh hot croissants, and the kind of fresh fruit tray you usually see in magazines about the South Pacific! After you're seated and start with this repast, you order from a breakfast menu that includes the usual fare plus lox, lamb chops, and eggs Benedict. And this is all included! How many B&Bs do you know who offer this kind of service? I'm ready to go back right now!

Hello all!
Well, I just got back from a weekend in NYC (despite our classification by some as rednecks, they still let us into manhattan!) and I am, admittedly, amused by this ongoing controversy! I really hope no one is losing any sleep over this and as we can all see, even Pat and Mike are handling it with a sense of humor! I had enough respect for them to expect that they, as business people, would be able to handle a bit of criticism, and look! They are even naming the cottage after me! I was thinking of taking a poll: how many think I should have a life-sized photo of myself taken and have it screen-printed onto a shower curtain for them? Now that would truly complete the look. I am really happy that so many people have had good experiences with this B&B and as I've said repeatedly, I did not mean any harm but I stand by my comments and my right to express them. I hope that people will continue to enjoy this B&B and also that we'll all be able to continue to rely on this forum for not just warm-fuzzy compliments, but all sides of the story (per your request, Liz) when we are planning our travels!
Good luck!