Need help re honeymoon in Australia
 

We are currently planning our honeymoon in October. We will have 15 days/nights (after losing 2 days en route from Los Angeles). We arrive on Wed. morning, October 10, and depart 15 days later, on October 25. Here are our thoughts re our itinerary (and questions for each):

Days 1 and 2 - Sydney (recover and explore). Would like a luxurious hotel to kick off the honeymoon. What do you suggest? Park Hyatt seems insanely expensive compared to other Syndey hotels-is it worth it? Other comparable options?

Following 7 days - We want to go to the GBR - Lizard and Hayman are being considered- maybe 4 nights at 1 and 3 at the other, or perhaps all 7 at one of them. There are really mixed reviews of these places on certain websites ranging from 1 star to 5 stars (from traveler reviews). Can you let me know what your experiences have been? We are really into food so that is an important consideration. If there is another island resort we should consider (really looking for luxury - we view this as one time we should definitely treat ourselves!), please let me know.

Days 10-11 - Fly back to Syndey and head either to Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley. Which one is easier to get to from the Sydney airport? Re places to stay, we liked a place in Katoomba and in Pokolbin for either of the trips - names are not coming to mind - but does anyone have specific (hotel) recs in either place?

Days 12-13 - Go to either BM or HV depending on what we do for days 10-11

Days 14-15 Back to Sydney (we depart on day 16) - we can stay where we did he 1st 2 days or somewhere different if there 2 equally compelling places.

We had thought about 5 nights on an island and 2 nights at Silky Oaks, but have recently started to think about the 7 nights in the GBR thing. We also wanted to check out Port Douglas, as well as some other areas, but we think we really don't have time and want to have ample time to relax.

Desperately seeking input - thanks in advance.

**btw, we already booked our flights with frequent flyer miles.

In regard to Sydney hotels, you might want to check out Four Seasons or Intercontinental. You could get a nice harbour view from either but I don't know how the prices compare to Park Hyatt.Good luck!

If you can spring for the Club Floor of the Intercontinental I think you would be happy.
The view from the Harbour View rooms is wonderful and even more so from the Executive Lounge which is just stunning. A wonderful place to enjoy evening drinks as well as breakfast.
The hotel is situated right at Circular Quay with easy access to all the main tourist sites, public transport etc.

LOOK AT HERON ISLAND

Hi Megan - I got back from my honeymoon a couple of months back. Went to Sydney, Lizard and Palm Cove.

At Sydney, we stayed in a 17th floor Grand Harbor View King room at the Shangri-La. The views were stunning (Harbor, Bridge & Opera house all in one view). The hotel service was excellent. I got a good rate from their website. I visited the Park Hyatt and even though it is in heart of Rocks with a great Opera house view, I and would go for the Shangri-La in a heart beat.

Lizard Island is terrific. I did a 1 day trip with Greg from Daintree Air, but would have loved to spend more time. You can snorkel off the beach especially on a low tide. If you love snorkelling, plan to spend 2-3 days atleast but any more might be too much - and you would have more options on the land. It is expensive getting there and staying while, but probably worth it. During my research, Lizard Island lodge and Hayman both were luxurious, but Lizard seemed to have a reputation as a terrific snorkelling island. So I chose it. I would love going back to Lizard anytime.

Also search for my Trip Report.

Hope this helps
-Buddy123

Would anyone mind giving me some feedback regarding the proposed itinerary?

Info re the best resorts in the GBR, as well as any info re Hunter Valley or the Blue Mountains would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

some questions:

Blue mts/HV - will you be relying on public transport or planning to hire a car?

What sort of budget for accommodation? Do you want hotels, self contained apartments or guest houses?

When I was researching both Lizard Island lodge and Hayman were considered among the best. Lizard probably had an edge because it supposedly right on the reef. However I wouldn't spend 7 nights on it unless like I am a *serious* snorkeler , scuba diver or big fishing fan. There are lot more options (like Daintree, Habitat, Shopping, Night life etc.) on the coast.

Do also give Palm Cove a thought, it is lovely little town - perfect for relaxation with classy beach resorts. I was considering accomodation between Outrigger, Angsana, Sea Temple and Sebel Reef House, and chose Outrigger.

To answer the questions posed, I am not sure about transportation - I am thinking we would rent a car and drive to Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains.

We are willing to splurge given it is our honeymoon so we are looking for luxury hotels/resorts.

Finally, I wanted to mention we were leaning toward 7 days combined in Hayman/Lizard or somewhere else in combo rather than one of those places for 7 days--neither of us is a big diver.

Thanks!

with a car to go to blue mts and/or hunter it will be very easy.

as for places to stay, there are so many nice places in both blue mts and hunter you are spoiled for choice.

I stayed here http://www.thevineyardsestate.com.au in the hunter (with the previous owners) and it was lovely. it is a guesthouse in the vines, has good sized rooms, has a restaurant on site as well, so you can have a lovely meal and then just go back to your room.

other options in the hunter - I've always like the look of the Peppers convent - it really did used to be a convent in country nsw and they moved the whole thing 600km to the hunter valley. It's next to peppertree wines which is also nice. http://www.peppers.com.au/

Pokolbin is the main hunter 'town' and there is a plethora of accom and vineyards. I have done an organised tour before in the hunter (both as a couple then organising my own group) and this is a good way to go if you're not familiar with the area or the wineries.

re blue mountains, lillianfels might be a good option for you, but you could also look at this site - http://www.bluemts.com.au/categories.asp?id=129 and look under romantic/honeymoon retreats for ideas. lucky you!

I would recommend the Stamford Plaza in Double Bay. Double Bay is a quiet and upscale neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Sydney. You can take the water taxi to town, which makes for a pleasant trip. (It takes only about 15-20 minutes.)
If you want to stay in the heart of things, I'd recommend the Sebel Pier One, which is located in the Rocks.
I have stayed at both of these hotels, and find them both exceptional.
Have fun.

We're planning ours for September! For GBR resorts, we're staying at Heron. If the budget were unlimited, would probably have done Lizard, Bedarra, or Orpheus (my brother stayed there and thought it was fantastic). We were scared off of Hayman by too many very negative reviews.

Just a note that if you did stay in Double Bay there is a regular ferry service to the city so you do not have to rely on water taxis. There are also good bus and train services (although there is a steep uphill walk to the train!)

We went to Sydney, Port Douglas, and Lizard Island in November 05. You can check out my trip report, but in a nutshell, I loved Lizard Island. We stayed there 3 nights, and I could have stayed there another 3 nights no problem, and probably could have stayed there for a week. It's pretty expensive to travel to the islands themselves (to get to Lizard, you have to go to Cairns, then take a small plane to Lizard Island, costing approximately $800 US/person just for the travel). We didn't dive, but we did snorkle. There is a some hiking and tennis on LIzard Island, but a lot of snorkle and beach going so if you're not into that, 7 days is a long time to spend there. You can go on GBR excursions from LIzard Island which were amazing. The food there was pretty good. Nothing amazing (better than a cruise ship, not as good as 5 star fancy restaurants, and the service is really slow), the amazing part is the beauty and laid back atmosphere of the island itself. WE liked it so much we would definintely go back

We only had a week in Australia, but if I had more time and was in the honeymoon splurging mood, I would have planned a private rainforest tour and seen the platypus and other animals in the Cairns Tableland area, and also spent a few nights on Kangeroo Island.

We found Kangaroo Island rather ho-hum. Maybe if we'd done an expensive B&B/wildlife tour thing we'd have felt better about it, but I can't help thinking that what lures a lot of overseas visitors is the name. There are plenty of places to see native wildlife, after all. It's an awfully long way to travel and doesn't justify the time and expense IMO. Splitting your visit between Nth Qld and the Sydney region sounds sensible to me.

Re your itinerary, I think you are doing too much (I'm Sydneysider). Distances are FAR here.
You should stay an extra day in Sydney at least. There is much to do (climb the Harbour Bridge at sunset, it's amazing and not difficult; take ferry ride on the harbour; tour Opera House)
Sheraton on Park, Four Seasons, Observatory, Inter-Con Hotels all nice. Park Hyatt one of best.
Lizard smaller than Hayman and more intimate. Same for Bedarra. Don't know about Heron but don't think it's as upmarket. You are travelling in NSW school hols (they go back 16 Oct) so take that into account re Hayman. There could be kids there from down south as it's perfect time of year to be in GBR. I think both Lizard and Bedarra are kid-free zones. More gourmet than Hayman too.
Blue Mts and Hunter both 2 hours from Sydney by car. Do you want mountains or wineries? In Pokolbin the best is Tower. Have dinner at Roberts. In Blue Mts, Lilianfels is lovely or Echos guest house, depending on what size place you want. Lilianfels has spa massage etc. Dinner at Silks or Le Goblet or the fine dining at Lilianfels. I'm not sure you should do both places. Two nights in either would be best - you are meant to be RELAXING too!
good luck

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions.

We have been rethinking a bit -- we now have this in mind:

Nights 1-3 - We think we will just want to relax so we are planning on Palm Cove (thinking Sea Temple - thoughts?) -- we don't want to start in Sydney b/c we will be so exhausted from the wedding.

Nights 4-8 Lizard Island (though still pondering Hayman)

Nights 9-10 Hunter Valley (leaning toward Tower Lodge)

Nights 11-12 Blue Mountains (stay at Lilianfels)

Nights 13-15 Sydney (thinking Intercontinental or Four Seasons)

Day 16 - fly back to L.A.

Any and all feedback welcome.

I would question the 2 nights in the Hunter Valley.

For me the scenery is just ok. I used to go there to play golf.

I'm assuming your interested in wine, therefore you really need a car to get there and to visit the vineyards unless you go on an organised trip, as everything is spread out.

I've found visiting some of the vineyards a bit off-putting as your often the only person there and feel a bit awkward sampling the wine and then not buying it.

My preference would be to stay the extra time in Sydney and to take an organised trip to the Hunter Valley

Geordie

Not to confuse you further but have you considered Bedarra Island? It is another Voyages property & looks fabulous to me, but even more expensive than Lizard.

How long you spend in Sydney and Palm Cove area will depend on what you want to do. Sydney is cosmopolitan so you could spend a long time there, if you want to go to the zoo, Opera/show (get tickets early b/c they sell out quickly), aquarium, museums, restaurants, etc etc. If you just want to see the city itself, you could do a quick tour in the amount of time you have. We spent 3 nights there, with 2 full days, definintely could have spent more time there if we had it, but we did get to see most of what we really wanted to see.

By the way, they also have excursions to Blue Mountains from Sydney, if you want to make Sydney your base and travel to Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains on day trips, rather than change so many hotels.