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Thankyou Kylie, Its nice to be back but I'm constantly comparing what I'm doing here to what I'd be doing back at
Club Med Lindeman!! Our trip was fantastic, the crew there was friendly an we felt just so relaxed, it was the honeymoon/holiday we needed. Everything ran smoothly and I'm thinking about the next Club Med, Faru looks good!!
I really can't thank you enough for the help you've given, all the annoying little things we've thrown at you haven't seemed too much trouble and I've passed your details on to other prospective honeymooners here at work. Enjoy your Christmas period and if you know how I can leave work here and join Club Med, LET ME KNOW." Chris and Mikaal, Canberra (17 Dec 03)
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Hi, Gayle! We had an absolute gorgeous trip! It went without a glitch! All arrangements were orchestrated to a tee!! ....
Brampton Island is utterly fabulous - breathtaking. We loved
Sydney Harbour!! And took a ferry to Manly; what a great little village! We intend to pass your name on to our friends; you did an excellent job. Many thanks again." Tom& Annie, USA (15 Dec 03)
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Dear Zoe, Thank you so much for helping me plan this most wonderful trip. Everything about it was great. We really enjoyed our stay at surfers with our son (and many of his friends) the condo was lovely. The
Palazzo Versace was a real treat,the food was great and the pool was fabulous.. However
Lizard Island was perfect, we got upgraded to an incredible room, we met a great couple from England and just had a real blast. I even loved the snorkelling. The whole trip was easy and relaxing. I really appreciate your input and attention, (this is someting I never find with my travel agents at home) Have a great Christmas and New Year. I will send some pictures as soon as I can. Sincerely," Arlene M., Los Angeles, USA (12 Dec 03)
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Dear Kylie ; All the things you set up were 100% perfect. No delay, no mis-communication, no inconvenience. Thanks so much for your excellent arragements. My family and myself really enjoyed at
Club Med Lindeman. I am sure I will ask you to arrange trip whenever we go to Australia in the future. I will send you some photos if they are ready. Thanks again and looking forward to getting in touch with you. Best Regards," Takako K., Japan (10 Dec 03)
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Hi Rene We had a fantastic time, thanks very much. All the arrangements went perfectly... Sally and I continued on
Lindeman Island, dividing our time between various sports and the delicious food. It all went just as we hoped and I'd love to go again some time, maybe in April or May when it might be a fraction less humid. I must thank you again for the care you took over our arrangements, particularly when I had to change things and all that. You'll hear from me again, next time we're ready to head off. Thanks again," Monica H., Sydney, Australia (2 Dec 03)
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Gayle, Thanks. Here's us on
Hamilton Island.....All went well on the GBR....off to Perth later today. Cheers," David & Serena W., USA (2 Dec 03)
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Hi Jo, Thank you! We had an absolutely wonderful trip.
Heron Island was beautiful!! The resort is extremely well run and given the opportunity we would love to go back.
Your organisation was great, definitely no complaints to be made. We will definitely be keeping you in mind when (and I hope it is soon!) we go back to Queensland. GlobeNet Travel deserves the award they received. Not only were you cheaper than most other Travel agents I tried but by far the friendliest and quickest to get back to me. Thank you again for all your help! Till next time," Pam J., Sydney, Australia (2 Dec 03)
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Dear Jean, Just a short note to thank you for the superb service that you provided in booking my trip to
Hayman Island. I really appreciated your efforts and particularly your responsiveness in making all the arrangements so efficiently and at such short notice. And to top it all - Hayman was absolutely mind-blowing. Best regards," Allister W., London, UK (1 Dec 03)
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Hi Kylie : The trip was fantastic.
The Reef Endeavour cruise was awesome, we snorkelled with sharks and manta rays. The accommodations at the
White House Port Douglas were great, the people were very friendly down under and we have made some new friends. Thankyou so much for recommending the Reef Endeavour cruise we certainly put it up there with the high lights of our trip, I'm busy now but I will send you a photo in the future of our trip. Thanks again I'll definitely recommend you and your agency in the future. All went well best regards," Joan G., Vancouver, Canada (24 Nov 03)
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Dear Zoe - Thank you so much for your assistance with our honeymoon. The arrangements were everything we could hope for. Heron Island is a most wonderful destination and all transfers and services throughout our trip were exceptional." Peter & Suellen J., Brisbane, Australia (17 Nov 03)
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Hello Zoe, Given it was my first time booking a long haul trip using the internet/E Mail instead of using my travel agent in the UK I obviously had some initial anxiety that there may be some difficulties. But having now returned I can say that everything went very well and all the arrangements you made were excellent.....I would definitely use GlobeNet Travel again.
I would also particularly recommend
Kangaroo Island - the scenery and wild life was spectacular and flying to the island and hiring the car was definitely the best way to see the island in a very short space of time.
Some additional feedback that you may find useful for others.......
Hayman Island is a lovely resort - the room was great (
deluxe pool view was the right choice vs lagoon in case anyone ever asks you for advice). The only downside was the fact that at the week-end it is very busy so if you arrive then you will find booking a restaurant for a reasonable time (ie before 9.30PM) difficult even if you book as soon as you arrive. My advice would be to make restaurant bookings before you get there if it is a week-end so that you do not end up with a late night dinner or room service.
I must admit I enjoyed it so much that I had even thought about going back for the New Year (Dec 28-Jan 4) to Noosa and Melbourne (just me this time given my partner's work commitments) however I have today checked flight costs from Brussels via the UK to Australia and they are just too expensive for that period of time so my next trip will have to wait!!!! Thanks again for all your help.....will definitely be in touch again for my next trip to Australia." June H., Belgium (17 Nov03)
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Hi Kylie, Just wanted to let you know we had a great holiday at
Heron Island. Thank you very much for your help. The birds were no problem, we saw turtles (all whales gone) and did do the trip over to
Wilson Island. We also caught the helicopter over on standby which was fantastic.
My only gripe would be the dive school not informing where you are diving until you are on the boat. Consequently they took us to the same dive site on the same morning (at 9 and at 11) due to the snorkeller's on board and not wanting to waste fuel on another boat. A real rip off and was not worth the high prices they charge. It would be nice to know where they are going so you can plan when you would like to dive.
Aside from that it was all great. Thanks again," K.M., Melbourne, Australia (11 Nov 03)
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Hi Rene - Thanks for your welcome home (we wish our holiday could have been longer!!). All flights and connections were made. We hope that Qantas will soon fly from Newcastle to Brisbane or Mackay or Cairns direct as we would like to get up that way again. The only trip we didn't enjoy was the boat coming back from
Brampton Island to Mackay - rather rocky and Joanne was a bit woosey, considering she had a banana cocktail before we left! If we go again we might take a helicopter or small plane. Oh well you live and learn. I don't mind sailing though.
We really loved Brampton and the staff at the resort were fabulous. We found there to be a lot of activities in which we could join in and be sociable, but also if we didn't want to we could be alone and romantic - we exchanged rings while we were there! It is a beautiful part of the reef. Snorkelling was good.
The food and service was really good, our favourite was the
seafood smorgasboard on Saturday night - it's so fresh!! We got dropped off at a secluded beach one morning where it was out of the wind and calm - we saw a lot of turtles out there and that was just beautiful as I have an afinity towards turtles. The natural scenery and bushwalks were easy. We had a lot of fun enjoying the dreamlike surrounds. Best wishes and thanks for your help." Barbara M., Sydney, Australia (5 Nov 03)
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Hello Rene, We had the most beautiful holiday. We will definitely be heading back to
Wilson Island. Heron is beautiful but Wilson is heaven on earth. Just 6 couples and your 2 hosts on the island makes your stay too good to describe. The food, accommodation, views from your tent, the islands fauna and the crystal clear waters that are the most gorgeous of blues filled with abundant sea life and coral." Don B., Sydney, Australia (2 Nov 03)
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Hello Zoe : We had a wonderful time and were super satisfied with the
Four Points Sheraton in Sydney. We were disappointed in that the Bounty Harbour tour was not available since we were told the Bounty was being refurbished. But the harbour tour we were on was swell.
We were not too thrilled with the
Blue Mountain tour but since we had lived so many years in Colorado, the"mountains ?" of Australia couldn't measure up to our experiences---but, glad we did the tour. Our flights to and from
Cairns were fine and we all enjoyed the
Great Barrier Reef.
Thanks for your fine work in our bookings and I have already responded to the Asia Hotels surveys concerning the Sydney Hotel and we stayed at the
Crown Plaza in Auckland ---a very fine accommodation. Thanks again - Regards," Don R., Arkansas, USA (27 Oct 03)
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Hello Zoe, As you can guess, we had a great time in
Orpheus Island. I appricate your help very much and I'd like to ask for your arrangements when we visit Australia again as we visit there once a year as vacation. Best regards," Misa K., Japan (27 Oct 03)
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Hi Gayle - The trip went well and I can definitely recommend the
2 bedroom apartment at Hamilton Island that we stayed in (Lagoon 004). It was modern and in great condition, furniture, fittings etc. Hamilton Island caters for families - no doubts about it from the childcare centre to some of the resort restaurants, with the kids eat free a definite bonus. There is a lot to see and do if you want to, but it is also a wonderful place to unwind and just sit by the pool or beach. For families with small children I would recommend timing flights with check-in and check-out times just to make it easier. Cheers," Anita S., Sydney, Australia (23 Oct 03)
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Hi Zoe, Just wanted to say what a fabulous time we had - loved the
Quality Resort Twin Towns at Coolangatta. Perfectly located, beautifully appointed. Everything went smoothly. Thank you for your help with the booking. Cheers," Wendy M., Melbourne, Australia (22 Oct 03)
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Hi Gayle, Thanks for your welcome home -- you are ahead of me; I'm still playing catch up. The trip was better than I expected, and all your arrangements worked out just right, thank you. Australia is like one big park, and the city parks are astonishing, esp
Perth and Adelaide. Spectacularly good museums, food, and of course wines.
I was very well satisfied with the trains and, in fact, with the excellent public transportation everywere (SO far ahead of the USA). My only (mild) disappointment was the
Brisbane-Sydney : first class wasn't quite up to the standards of all the other trains, especialy after the Tilt Train.
I hadn't expected the feeling of a booming economy everywhere, the extensive building, esp Sydney and Brisbane. One gets the impression that one should be grateful to see some of the old before the new takes over completely, tho I think there is enough respect for the old classics that they won't be torn down.
The driver for the
Barossa Valley wine tour really knew the area, excellent. Climbed the hill in
Townsville and the bridge in
Sydney, had dinner the last night at the Australian Club in Sydney, so you can see it was a perfect trip.
I was delighted with your services, everything worked just as it should, flawlessly. If I could think of any complaint, it would be that one month isn't long enough. You can be sure I will tell all my friends to go to OZ, but only if they call you. Thanks, thanks, thanks," LeRoy M., California, USA (22 Oct 03)
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Hi Gayle, I just wanted to drop you an email to thank you for the arrangements you made for my recent holiday. All the arrangements went of with out a hitch,
the Safari was excellent , I really enjoyed it. The location of the
Macrossan house in Port Douglas was perfect. The only shame is that I had to come back to England at all! Thanks again for arranging it for meTara D., London, UK (22 Oct 03)
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Dear Gayle, We're back now and eventually over the jet lag so I thought I'd let you know what we thought. Overall there is no doubt that
Hayman Island is an excellent resort but some parts aren't all they are cracked up to be. I'd go for the Lagoon Wing every time with the Pool Wing as a second choice. I'd avoid the central part for a room. The rooms in the Lagoon Wing are looking a bit tired but I understand that they are upgrading them starting with the Penthouses on the fourth floor (great views from these and probably a cost effective alternative for a family that would otherwise need two rooms)
I'd give the vouchers a miss next time. Firstly they encourage you to over eat as you've paid for it, secondly the hotel 'forgets' to deduct them from the bill so check the final account. As for the restaurants
la Fontaine is over rated, I had to send my main course back as it had obviously spent too much time under the heat lamp! You should have seen the astonishment on the waiters face, send it back?!?! They are trying for French formal but this doesn't really work with Australians, not arrogant enough, as a result it lacks atmosphere and the food isn't that special, same goes for the chef's table.
The Oriental was great, get a table hidden in the garden, not just outside.
Azure and Trattoria are also good. Wine is extortionate at all of them! The staff are all brilliant, by the end of the week we had figured out that the best thing to do was let them (or the chef) recommend the dishes and wine, they seemed to appreciate the responsibility! All the restaurants food prices are similar, La Fontaine only serves really expensive wine Au$100+ but the one we had was really good.
As for connections they are obviously set up for
Qantas flights from
Hamilton Island, so we had to wait a long time at Proserpine on the way back, as the boat left early to make the Qantas connection. The boat is OK, nothing special. The seaplane is really noisy, as Saskia said"no like it", so for fast connections, I'd recommend a helicopter. The
Whitehaven beach helicopter excursion is a must, unbelievable!
Finally to enjoy it you have to forget the value of money, if it was Au$10 to each £ it would have been reasonable, but life's too short not to enjoy it and in Europe the top hotels really rip you, Hayman wasn't that pricey! Do not go there on a spending budget of less than Au$750 per day if you are wanting to let rip.
Would we do it again, you betcha! Thanks again for all your help. All the best.
P.S. The kids club and baby sitting (you get the same person each night) are both really good and very reasonable price wise, well worth it to let Mum and Dad have some quality time together." Andrew C., London, UK (16 Oct 03)
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Thanks Sonia, we had a fantastic time, esp at
Kings Canyon, Ayers Rock and, of course, at
Bedarra Island - Heaven itself. Thanks for the efficient organization and I apologies for the panic call when I thought we had slipped a day. All in all a great success." Peter and Frances C., Los Angeles, USA (15 Oct 03)
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Hey, thanks for sorting out all that madness. When we arrived in
Hamilton Island, our tickets were in some other terminal but they reissued them with no hassle. I was so glad to have you as a contact person in Oz! I will recommend you to all my traveling friends… thanks again." Gialisa G., USA (15 Oct 03)
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Dear Rene, Just a quick note to let you know that we are back from Heron safe and sound. The trip ran like clockwork, small airport delay on way home, but overall everything was perfect.
Heron Island is fabulous. Could not have wished for anything better. I would recommend it to anyone, not cheap but the value was there. Food was great, staff polite, friendly and helpful, accomodation excellent. Can't say enough. Once again, thanks for your excellent arrangments and help. Regards Cheryl J., Sydney, Australia (15 Oct 03)
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Hi Gayle, I was very happy with the way you took care of me on my honeymoon. I would definitely contact you again and reccomend you highly!!!. I think you did a great job! I will tell you positives and negatives. I was happy with all the places that we stayed, the view from the
Four Seasons, the Angsana on the beach were very cool, and we had an excellent time.
I had a few problems, none that were your fault. missing the Wild Life Park in
Sydney really upset me at the time because I didn't enjoy the Blue Mountains tour, it was very cold, the bus made a few stops to look at the mountains and then we left. I like to get close and walk around. I had a chance to choose the wild life or the mountains that day and I chose the mountains, I was upset feeling that I made the wrong decision. Until I saw the wildlife in
Cairns and held the koala bears, then we felt better.
The Bridge Climb was definitly our highlight! AWESOME!!!
In
Ayers Rock we added the winds walk through
The Olga's,.we were really glad we added it. Another highlight we loved that 3hr walk!.
The Sounds of Silence was great! I was upset that they didnt let me climb Ayers Rock, but it was too windy.
In
Cairns, the train ride through the rainforest was too long 2hrs but we really enjoyed that day. The other rainforest tour with the boat ride through the
Daintree. we could have missed that tour- boring, I think I would have enjoyed riding one of those four wheel motorcycles through the rainforest, that would have woke us up! we added a night dinner at the zoo, that was fun. and on my final day, we spent the day on the beach, then went to the markets and shopped at night, that was fun. all in all our honeymoon was AWESOME!!, and I liked doing business with you, A+ thanks for everything." Elliot O., USA (10 Oct 03)
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Hello David, We recently returned from a fabulous trip to
Queensland Australia, taking in
Cairns, Port Douglas, north to
Daintree and last but not least beautiful
Lizard Island. Thank you David for your help in booking the trip to Lizard Island for us.
Lizard Island is spectacular and the accommodations wonderful. It is a snorkelers delight with pristine beaches and spectacular sea life. It was everything I imagined and more. The entire trip to Australia was fantastic. Our stay on Lizard Island incredible. Thanks for the memories. We hope to return again someday." Katie L. & Marlene B., Forestville, USA (7 Oct 03)
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Hi Kylie, I hope you are doing great. You have a beautiful country. I fell in love with it and I hope I get another opportunity to go back again. I want to thankyou again for all the arrangements, everything was great and if I know anybody that would want to go to
Australia I am going to highly recommend them to get in touch with you. Thankyou for your welcome back e-mail, take care of yourself and hopefully I will talk to you soon so you could book another trip for me to your beautiful country." Kamy N., Canada (2 Oct 03)
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Hi Gayle! Jepp - everything worked Great - even all our stand by trips went very well. We arrived to Gladstone - Monday the 15th and stayed over night at City Plaza. The Bus picked us up and took us to the boat and after 2hrs we arrived to Paradise!
The stay at
Heron Island was a success - we enjoyed it VERY Much - especially the snorkelling and ALL the things you can find in the waters - such as: - rays, sharks, turtles etc ...... I will send some pictures with this Mail, so that you can see yourself!
The Resort was nice as well, good food, nice staff and a very relaxed atmosphere! We missed the 1 day visit to
Wilson island - which had been very nice - overbooked and a lot of people on stand by - even after an extra tour! If I have the opportunity to go back - I would like to take the combined package with Heron and Wilson Island - that would have been something.
Congratulations for the award and Best of luck in the future. I will pass the word around about your company! Thanks and Brgds," Christer on behalf of my selves and Gunilla, Hans and Ulla, Sweden (30 Sep 03)
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Kylie, Thank you very much for helping us put together a lovely vacation.
The W Hotel in Sydney was fabulous, very unique and the close proximity to restaurants was great. I loved walking each day through the botanical garden to get to the Quay and other parts of the city. We had such good weather! I only hope that someone coming to the US could hope for the same experience of gracious hospitality!
I loved Australia and hope that we have the opportunity to come again. Does your company provide accommodations in Europe as well? Thanks again..." Lisa L., USA (17 Sep 03)
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