MY CAIRNS ITINERARY - Jean H. (USA) Flight Fri 20 Dec at 8:40am Depart from SYDNEY 10:40am Arrive at CAIRNS Flight No : QF710 Status : Confirmed Class : Economy Class Airline : QANTAS AIRWAYS Transfer AIRPORT CONNECTIONS Payment method : Prepaid (CCCF's Accepted) Transfer Type : COACH No of passengers: 2 Rate : AUD 32.00 per person Accommodation Fri 20 Dec at 2:00pm SILKY OAKS LODGE Status : Confirmed Payment method : Prepaid (CCCF's Accepted) Number of rooms : 1 Number of nights: 3 Room type : TREEHOUSE Room rate : AUD 640.00 Nightly per room Inclusions : DAILY LUNCH AND DINNER Cancellation : NON-REFUNDABLE Changes before dep. : CHANGES PERMITTED WITH FEE Changes after dep. : CHANGES PERMITTED WITH FEE Check in : Fri 20 Dec at 2:00pm Check out : Mon 23 Dec at 10:00am Remarks Located in Tropical North Queensland. Silky Oaks Lodge is the Daintree's Ultimate Resort. An Oasis of elegance and ease amidst the oldest living rainforest on earth. My Comments After 5 full days in Sydney, we flew via Qantas to Cairns for our week interlude - mostly relaxation, sun, snorkeling, swimming, hiking in the rainforests, luxuriating at Silky Oaks. Flight was easy and pleasant. When we arrived at Cairns, we were greeted by a man who worked for "Airport Connections" and who had a sign with our name on it. He took us to Silky Oaks Resort and Spa in the Daintree Rainforest area, not far from Port Douglas. The beautiful ride to Silky Oaks along the dramatic coastline took @ 1 hour. Three days to be pampered at Silky Oaks! It was great! It is a resort, located in the heart of the rainforest, very ecologically correct, each couple has its own tree house, with deck and hammock, with a gourmet breakfast and dinner to look forward to each day. No TVs in the rooms, only an audiotape of nature/babbling water sounds! We took some beautiful hikes on the premises. The first time we hiked to the waterfalls (Fig Tree route), we didn’t have our bathing suits on. So we had to do it a second time with bathing suits. You need bottled water here, since it is definitely warm! One day we were ambitious and we biked from the resort (bikes available there) to Mossman Gorge. The bike trip to the gorge took @2 hours, but it only took an hour and a half on the way back. The trip to the gorge seemed strenuous, as there was some uphill biking involved getting to the gorge, and the sun was blazing! Miles took a backpack, and we really enjoyed the full hike to all areas of the gorge. We saw some trees that we did not see around Silky Oaks rainforest. Even though we snapped some pictures, the uniqueness of the trees and vegetation is hard to describe. As we biked to the gorge, we passed an aboriginal village, and we passed some aborigines living in the area. Their housing complex looked a bit like a slum area. Most of our time at the Oaks was spent relaxing around a gorgeous pool area. We met some British folks who were vacationing, and we found these interactions interesting. The British generally stop at Singapore en route to Australia. I read about the extraordinary facials at the spa, so I indulged, and it was truly memorable! The dinners were very special and romantic, and the service outstanding. Nature talks were advertised, but these never seemed to materialize. Miles and I usually enjoy such talks, but we found lots of other activities to pass our time! We really enjoyed the pace—nothing to worry about—not even where to eat dinner! We both relished some time to read. We left the resort with all clean clothes, since washing machines were provided to guests. Again, right on time, we were picked up by “Airport Connections”, and we proceeded to our third residence in Australia—Port Douglas: Peninsula Boutique Hotel. Transfer AIRPORT CONNECTIONS Payment method : All Charges Transfer Type : COACH No of passengers: 2 Rate : AUD 10.00 per person Accommodation Mon 23 Dec at 2:00pm PORT DOUGLAS PENINSULAR Status : Confirmed Payment method : Prepaid (CCCF's Accepted) Number of rooms : 1 Number of nights: 4 Room type : OCEANVIEW ROOM Room rate : AUD 352.00 Nightly per room Inclusions : DAILY BREAKFAST Cancellation : NON-REFUNDABLE Changes before dep. : CHANGES PERMITTED WITH FEE Changes after dep. : CHANGES PERMITTED WITH FEE Check in : Mon 23 Dec at 2:00pm Check out : Fri 27 Dec at 10:00am Remarks The Peninsula, a small boutique hotel with just thirty- four suites, is perfectly positioned on a quiet boulevard right on palm fringed Four Mile Beach. Port Douglas Village with its tree lined streets and fine restaurants and cafes is just a short stroll away. The Peninsula represents a unique concept in holiday accommodation - the comforts and facilities of a hotel with the friendliness and personal service that only a small property can provide. The majority of the executive sized and luxuriously appointed suites have views over the Coral Sea, and your own private balcony on which to relax with a tropical cocktail as you wait for the sun to set. The Peninsula guest can enjoy the comfort of a luxury small hotel. Large balconies and bathroom areas set a standard above the norm. There is a small kitchen area, subtly disguised, with fridge, dishwasher, hotplates and all the things needed should the guest decide to stay inhouse with a romantic alfresco dinner in their suite. Complimentary guest laundries are provided, as well as daily professional laundry service available. The Peninsula's popular restaurant, with stunning views over the Coral Sea, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Buffet breakfast is served poolside. The little things like fresh flowers daily and individual, personal service sets The Peninsula apart from the rest. My Comments We really enjoyed this hotel. We had a little suite - living room area, deck overlooking the beach and ocean, table with chairs, even a little kitchen, as well as a big Jacuzzi bathtub (that we did not use). They were most accommodating. For example, the day we were picked up at 7:00 for our tour, they brought up food for breakfast to our room the evening before! Again, washing machines on premises, beach steps away, and a lovely swimming pool as well. Although the Radisson (TreeTops) looked nice from the outside, some of the guests at our place were originally scheduled to stay there. They said that it was not nice, rather dirty! In addition, it takes only 5-10 minutes to walk to the city from our small hotel; and Port Douglas is a fun city to explore with shops, restaurant, etc. In Sydney, we bought only a belt made of kangaroo leather for Miles, and a tee shirt. Here there was a gallery, neat crafts shop with items made of wood (we purchased some gifts here). The four-mile beach in Port Douglas is beautiful, with the mountains as a backdrop in the distance. We took daily walks along the beach, near the hotel was a park where you could take a short climb and view the beach from a height above. The water was very warm, just as I like it! However, there were jellyfish this time of year, and you can only be safe swimming in a designated, netted area near our hotel. Miles enjoyed running on the beach. But this had to be done early morning, since it was quite hot. Restaurants: Highly recommend: Salsa and On the Outlet - We highly recommend both of these. At Salsa, the food was great, and this was definitely a fun and busy place. We arrived at the restaurant On the Outlet for happy hour @5:30, as was recommended to us since drinks (as well as oysters and shrimp) were a bargain. This is also the time that they feed the fish, and this is fun to watch because big fish jump the get the food. The view of the sunset was spectacular from our seats right by the water. By 7:30, there was not a seat to be had!! So if you go later, reservations are a must! We, of course, ate too much! We enjoyed a memorable meal of barramundi (fish). In the future, we decided to not to order everything up front. Instead, for us, we ordered as we finished each course: first appetizers, then after finishing, order the main dish. We probably would have ordered at least one order less! Loved it though! Other Restaurants: (1) Mango Jam - very casual, fun food, on the main drag, probably needs reservations (We made them, since it was Christmas day and a lot of other restaurants weren't open) (2) Nautilus - We didn't eat here, but we heard it was a wonderful place if you wanted an elegant splurge. We had all of our fancy meals at Silky Oaks, so we didn't feel motivated to go. (3 )Sardis - We enjoyed our meal, upscale Italian, walked there from our hotel (a bit of a walk), it was so hot both inside and outside, that we found this to be a detracting factor from our meal. Tour Wed 25 Dec Operator : QUICKSILVER CONNECTIONS Name : OUTER REEF CRUISE Start location : Finish location : No of passengers: 2 Rate : AUD 162.30 per person Remarks Morning and afternoon tea Presentation by Marine Biologists Hot/cold tropical smorgasboard lunch All snorkelling equipment Underwater observatory coral viewing Coral viewing cruises in semi-submersible Quicksilver’s friendly crew will take you to a reef at the very edge of Australia’s Continental Shelf, to an underwater world that is a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour and life. The reef lagoon at Agincourt offers excellent swimming and snorkeling areas. For the more adventurous, scuba diving on Agincourt is amongst the best in the world, or you can choose to stay dry and explore the stunning reef world from the comfort of a Quicksilver Sub, just one metre underwater. Watch the fish feeding from Quicksilver’s unique viewing platform and underwater observatory. My Comments We really enjoyed the day snorkeling. Everyone seems to take the Quicksilver tour. Be forewarned that there are a lot of people on this very large catamaran - children as well. But it is very well organized. At first we were disappointed by the fish we saw, until we realized that you had to swim quite far out where the water became much more clear. The lunch provided was quite a feast, with lots of choices including shrimp and fruit. We snorkeled an hour, ate, and then took the submarine ride which was excellent (don't miss it), and then finished our excursion with another snorkeling period of @1 hour. You return home @ 5:00 p.m., and for us, this was a memorable way to spend Christmas day! Tour Thu 26 Dec Operator : DOWN UNDER TOURS Name : KURANDA/SKYRAIL/TJAPUKAI TOUR Start location : Finish location : Status : Confirmed No of passengers: 2 Rate : AUD 133.30 per person Remarks Depart Port Douglas and transfer to Freshwater Station where you will board the famous Kuranda Scenic Rail for a breathtaking journey on one of the world’s most scenic rail journeys. Upon arrival at Kuranda there is free time to explore the “Village in the Rainforest”, before boarding the Skyrail. Glide silently over the rainforest canopy before continuing to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park to discover all the attractions, history theatres, stage shows and demonstrations. Return to Cairns or Port Douglas by coach, arriving at approximately 5.15 p.m. My Comments This is a full day that begins early. The bus driver provided an interesting commentary. There were housing developments along the way. He explained that the Japanese often purchase these homes, and come for an extended weekend. They often come to play golf because it is cheaper in Australia to buy a home and enjoy the golf facilities. We enjoyed the skyrail trip from the city of Kiyunga more than the railroad trip to it—mostly because of the heat. The city of Kuranda is more of a tourist trap, and we walked around for an hour or so, rather than the suggested two hours. We met a couple from Brisbane, and we had lunch with them. We took the sky rail trip down, stopping at the various stops, and we enjoyed a short nature tour and talk. The aboriginal Cultural Park was interesting. I found the aboriginal art exhibited in the Melbourne Art Museum much more exciting. Several of the shows were fun, and you certainly left with an appreciation for the plight of the aborigines. In many ways, their history is similar to that of the abused blacks in the US. After a wonderful, relaxing week in the Great Barrier Reef area, we were ready to indulge in another cosmopolitan city. Again, our 3-hour Qantas flight (to Melbourne this time) was pleasant, on time, and easy. We had the Airport Connections all set up to take us to the airport in Cairns. Once we arrived in Melbourne, we took the taxi service. Since we arrived @8:00 pm in the evening, the AIRBUS service did not hook up directly to our hotel.

testimonials & travel tips - Overview - Sydney - Cairns - Melbourne