Hawaii/Australia
Jun 26th, 2002, 02:06 PM
#1
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Hawaii/Australia
Planning to get married in Lanai, Hawaii (Manele Bay Hotel/Resort) in May. We are planning on staying about 3-4 days there. We would like to honeymoon in Australia. Have never been and have no idea what areas to stay, what to do first and we wonder if 17 days TOTAL will be enough (this includes the 3-4 days to Hawaii). Any thoughts?
Jun 26th, 2002, 02:26 PM
#2
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I'm no authority on Hawaii, but 13-14 days in Australia is not a very long time, as the continent is nearly the same size as the lower 48 states and the terrain is exceptionally varied. Also keep in mind that the temperature will be cooling off, aside from Queensland in the north, as the seasons are different in the southern hemisphere. Maybe the best idea would be to split time between the cities in the southeast and the Great Barrier Reef islands off of the Queensland coast.
Jun 26th, 2002, 02:33 PM
#3
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It all depends on what you want to see. There are lots of vacation options for two weeks down under. In the Whitsunday Islands the Beach Club is popular for honeymooners. This is on Hamillton Island, specifically. In Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef region there are lots of water activities and further north you can experience the rainforest via skyrail gondola. International gateways into Australia include Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. If you flew into Sydney there are the beautiful Blue Mountains west of Sydney. In Sydney there is the famous Opera House, sailing and the historic Rocks area. In Australia flying between destinations is the best because of the great distances. There seasons are opposite ours so May is fall there. Average temperatures in Sydney in May 52-66 degrees.
http://www.gosmartravel.com
http://www.gosmartravel.com
Jun 26th, 2002, 06:36 PM
#4
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Hi, Jennifer!
If you don't try to see ALL of Australia in the two weeks, I think you could do very nicely, especially in May, when the weather is becoming cool but is usually sunny.. early May, in fact, is about the loveliest time in Sydney. If I were you I would fly into Sydney first and spend at least three days doing harbour trips (public ferry, not expensive cruises with commentaries you don't need) and walks ... four days if you take the excellent suggestion from Jane about seeing the Blue Mountains (you can do a day trip to Katoomba by government train). In Sydney stay at the Russell Hotel, which is perfectly placed for sightseeing and great for honeymooners... tiny and romantic, and about 100 years old.
I wouldn't go too far south of Sydney if I were you, as the weather will be cooling rapidly. North to Queensland and the Barrier Reef, or inland to Uluru (warm days, cold nights), might be the way to go. Both of these trips can be done by train with a sleeper: the Ghan (expensive! but, then again, it's your honeymoon) is the train to take to go into the centre from Sydney, and if you do this trip you would probably be best to go one way by train and the return by plane, so as not to use up too much of your two weeks en route (the desert really isn't very scenic after the first half-day). Going north, there is an overnight train from Sydney to Brisbane, which is a pleasant, sunny, fairly small city and a laid-back contrast to Sydney. From there you could either see the Gold Coast, if tacky motels, theme parks, and a Las-Vegas-style atmosphere appeal to you, or (better) hop a plane north and see the Barrier Reef: Cairns is the usual starting point there. If your ticket allows, maybe you could then head back home from Brisbane without returning all the way to Sydney. You will have a great time, and by doing Sydney first and the Reef last, you will take advantage of the warm weather when you need it... it is always warm in Cairns!
I wish you well, whatever you decide!
If you don't try to see ALL of Australia in the two weeks, I think you could do very nicely, especially in May, when the weather is becoming cool but is usually sunny.. early May, in fact, is about the loveliest time in Sydney. If I were you I would fly into Sydney first and spend at least three days doing harbour trips (public ferry, not expensive cruises with commentaries you don't need) and walks ... four days if you take the excellent suggestion from Jane about seeing the Blue Mountains (you can do a day trip to Katoomba by government train). In Sydney stay at the Russell Hotel, which is perfectly placed for sightseeing and great for honeymooners... tiny and romantic, and about 100 years old.
I wouldn't go too far south of Sydney if I were you, as the weather will be cooling rapidly. North to Queensland and the Barrier Reef, or inland to Uluru (warm days, cold nights), might be the way to go. Both of these trips can be done by train with a sleeper: the Ghan (expensive! but, then again, it's your honeymoon) is the train to take to go into the centre from Sydney, and if you do this trip you would probably be best to go one way by train and the return by plane, so as not to use up too much of your two weeks en route (the desert really isn't very scenic after the first half-day). Going north, there is an overnight train from Sydney to Brisbane, which is a pleasant, sunny, fairly small city and a laid-back contrast to Sydney. From there you could either see the Gold Coast, if tacky motels, theme parks, and a Las-Vegas-style atmosphere appeal to you, or (better) hop a plane north and see the Barrier Reef: Cairns is the usual starting point there. If your ticket allows, maybe you could then head back home from Brisbane without returning all the way to Sydney. You will have a great time, and by doing Sydney first and the Reef last, you will take advantage of the warm weather when you need it... it is always warm in Cairns!
I wish you well, whatever you decide!
Jun 26th, 2002, 07:01 PM
#6
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I love to peruse www.luxurylink.com for my virtual travel dreams. They currently have some awesome auctions you can bid on for luxury stays in Australia. One is at $457 (for two) for a 6 night stay at the Great Barrier Reef Spa Retreat. There are also auctions on a "Orient Express" type train trip, and I have seen auctions in the past for an private aircruise of Australia that is my particular fantasy.
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