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Staff and Traveler's Blog.........add a comment |
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August 21, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Palm Cove > Sea Temple Resort & Spa. |
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Moved along the beach to the Sea Temple.
Separated from the beach by small stream and mangroves and the
resort is lushly landscaped. The Sea Temple is relatively new
and has a very cool, calm and minimal decor and feel to it. The
rooms are spacious and modern with full kitchen facilities and a
cool shaded outdoor seating area or balcony. I really liked the
location compared with the Sea Temple in Port Douglas which is
considerably further out from the main street/dining. Of course
with the resort's dining choices etc you may not want to venture
out. Again very impressive and would highly recommend. |
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August 19, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Self drive Port Douglas to Palm Cove |
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They don't call the drive from Port Douglas to Palm Cove "World
Heritage" for no reasons. It's a beautiful scenic ocean
drive hugging the coastline and undulating as the rainforest
drops into the coral sea. quite a few scenic stop points and
numerous deserted beaches. The drive is approx 40 mins but you
could take all day stopping enroute. Definitely an added bonus
of going up to Port D. |
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August 19, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Palm Cove > Angsana Resort & Spa. |
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Palm Cove is considerably small than Port Douglas and most of the accommodation is directly on the sea front. The Angsana is the only resort to have direct beach access (i.e. no road or mangroves/dunes to walk over/through). The Angsana rooms are impressively large and the whole resort is relaxed 5 star. Very easy to unwind - kick back in a hammock under the palms and listen to the waves. The location is superb and varied eating choices within 5 min walk along the sea front. Thoroughly enjoyed my stay. |
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August 18, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Port Douglas > Mandalay Luxury Beachfront Apartments |
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Arrived in Port Douglas to the best surprise of trip so far. The
Mandalay Luxury Beachfront Apartments are great. They are the
closest I have stayed to the beach in Port Douglas, 20 yards and
you walk through the dunes and onto 4 mile beach. 4 mile beach
is the perfect N Queensland beach, endless sand, great surf and
plenty of winter sun. Compared with some of the larger resorts
which are set quite a way back from the beach, quite a bonus.
The ground floor beach front apartment we have is spacious,
modern, fully equipped kitchen, day bed and outside dining
patio. Tough to ask for more. Macrossan Street is less than a 5
min walk and endless dining options, boutiques and of course a
bakery for the best meat pies. |
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August 17, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Palm Cove > Kuranda Rainforest Day Tour |
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Took
the scenic railway to Kuranda which was really pleasant.
Had a wander round the arts and crafts shops and market then
headed to the Skyrail and took the gondola back down, this was
just spectacular for me. So green and suspended in mid air like
that with the carriage to myself was just special. At the bottom
went to Tjapukai, the Aborginal culture centre. I threw a
boomerang (which came back both times!) and launched a spear
which didn't fare so well. |
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August 15, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Cairns > The Lakes Resort |
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Just
spent 3 nights at the Lakes Resort in Cairns. Great size
apartments, blocks of apartments based around landscaped
gardens, pool area and BBQ. Location is ideal for day tour pick
ups. This is the thing about Cairns accommodation, you spent
nearly all of the day out on activities, whether reef,
rainforest, town, etc, so you want the accommodation to be
easily accessible and reasonably priced. The Lakes offers both.
If you want to explore downtown, the walk is approx 20 mins, the
bus is simple or a cab takes less than 5 minutes. Would
recommend dinner along the esplanade with a lot of options. The
Lakes does have a dining bistro on site or of course you can buy
in and cater for yourself with the full kitchen and dine outside
on the apartment terrace. |
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August 12, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Hamilton Island > Virgin Blue flights |
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Just
a quick note to say how easy it is to fly Virgin Blue within
Australia. Flying domestically within the US is a joyless
experience, the Virgin Blue flights I have taken in the last few
days have been on time (or actually left early as everyone was
checked in), friendly and easy from check in to baggage claim.
Sure there are no frills, but if you want live TV and a drink,
both can be purchased for an extra on board cost. |
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August 11, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Hayman Island |
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Hayman is just a fantastically located island, the natural
beauty of this part of the Whitsundays is hard to beat. The
resort has been considered the premier spot for many years, true
it may have lost some of its prestige, but it is still a great
place. I had a lagoon view room and the birdlife and fauna of
the lagoon is quite a contract to the pool view rooms and the
large wrap around pool. The beach at Hayman is great and the
sand bars at low tide provide endless walks. The dining options
I experience were first class and the breakfast tables
overlooking the water is a great way to start the day. |
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August 10, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Hamilton Island > qualia |
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Qualia meet and exceeded all my expectations. The reality for
once matched the buzz. It's setting at the far end of Hamilton
Island ensures privacy and once you enter the gates, peace and
tranquility is all around. Great landscaping and nature gum
trees abound. The Leeward and Windward pavilions are both
impressive in their right, however I would strongly recommend
anyone considering qualia to go with the Windward pavilion. Not
only do you get the personal plunge pool, the pavilion design
just feels superior. With a new pricing plan for accommodation
and breakfast only imminent, it will make the Windward pavilions
pricing more attractive. The dining is exception, the lunch I
experienced was a pleasure, food, service and a great view over
pebble beach. Impressive. |
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August 9, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Hamilton Island > Fantasea Whitehaven Beach cruise |
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Took
the Fantasea half day cruise to Whitehaven Beach from Hamilton.
The lunch and cruise transfer good for price, but Whitehaven
beach is the star of the show. This is just a great beach, pure
and simple. No matter that you arrive in a larger group rather
than a private seaplane or helicopter, the beach is the same. We
had approx 2.5 hours to spread out along the beach and use all
the beach equipment that Fantasea could provide. |
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August 8, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Hamilton Island > Reef View Hotel |
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Great
to be back on Hamilton Island, been a while and good to see the
new developments. Have the most spectacular room and ocean view,
the sun has just risen - doesn't get much better. Reef View
hotel has aged well and the scenic elevator ride alone is a
unique experience. Service is always good on Hamilton, the
arrival at the airport and transfer is always a wonder to see
with people heading off in dozens of different directions. |
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August 6, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Sunshine Coast > Australia Zoo |
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The
legacy of Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) is on full show at
Australia Zoo. I would highly recommend this zoo for a day
visit. I know zoos aren't for everyone, but the wildlife
attractions at Australia zoo are varied enough to keep all ages
happy. Koalas and kangaroos abound and many other indigenous
animals can be viewed. The star attractions are the crocodiles
and the crocoseum where the main show is staged. Recent addition
of elephants and tigers add a different appeal and a cheetah run
is under construction. A great day out and easily accessible for
Brisbane and the sunshine coast either by self drive or
Australia zoo coach transfer. |
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August 5, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Sunshine Coast > Maroochydore > Sebel Suites |
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Have a 2 bed suite which is spacious with a wide ocean views.
Location is just across from pack and beach and plenty of dining
options. The property offers everything you'd expect of a Sebel
property and stands out from the numerous beachfront
accommodation options. |
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August 5, 2009 |
Posted by Phil (Staff) |
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Australia >
Sunshine Coast > Maroochydore |
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Straight 1 hour drive north from Brisbane airport is the
beautiful Sunshine coast. Maroochydore is the perfect getaway or
jetlag recovery spot. Despite being winter daytime temp today
was 25c and sunny today, not bad compared with the cool wet NE
US summer of 2009... Endless sandy beach, perfect for body
boarding and surfing, beginners or experts. |
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