Ken from London - Down Under in 2005 Well, we made it home after a long flight from Darwin through Singapore on Saturday, made the more bearable and even pleasant by Qantas Club class and the excellent new lounge at Changi airport. So how did we do? Sydney was excellent. I had picked some very adverse comments about the attitude of Australian immigration officers but in the event, the whole process was quick and the one we had could not have been more pleasant. So the arrival went well. The Shangri-La was all that you could expect from an international top hotel. It had of course been selected for Prince Fred and Princess Mary who were up on the top floors when we were there. We had a super room with a view of the Opera House and the position close to the Rocks area was just what we wanted. So we were very comfortable and well positioned. And yet - we ended up feeling (just a little) that, in the hotel at least, we could have been anywhere. It had been cleansed of any distinctive character and was an air-conditioned sealed international bubble in the centre of Sydney. Furthermore, they let themselves, and me, down badly when an old friend of mine in Sydney sent me a fax to the hotel inviting us to dinner - and the hotel did not give me the fax! The consequence was that I was embarrassed, we missed a dinner, and the hotel looked stupid. The apologised profusely and tried to make amends with a free dinner for us (very nice too), but it could not quite make up for the slip. Overall though, a good time was had in Sydney . Then we went to Heron Island. We were pleased that we did the transfer by helicopter, not only because it was so easy from Gladstone airport and we got to the island quickly, but also because the views on the way were stunning. What do you say about Heron Island ? Wonderful! We were delighted with everything and were pleased with the room selection (beachside?). We could easily have stayed longer, but then it was off to catch the train Gladstone railway station is not the most fun place in the world on a Sunday afternoon when the train is an hour late. Once on the train however, it all changed. We thought that the Sunlander experience was well worth the additional cost. The crew did a really good job, the train was very comfortable, the food was excellent, and we even had a singer to entertain in the lounge. What was particularly good was to see the countryside go by. There were also several stops where one could get off the train and stroll about. The crew said that they are under great pressure from the low cost airlines and I would be sorry for it not to succeed. We would recommend it. The limo pick-up from Cairns railway station worked well, The drive up the coast to Port Douglas was very scenic and we really enjoyed it - as we did Port Douglas which we thought charming. It is in danger of getting swallowed by the tourism beast (lots of new developments) but we had a good time. The Hibiscus Spa hotel was fine (comfortable and well-positioned) and we were pleased to stay there rather than Silky Oaks, which we saw when we did the Daintree Forest trip. Silky Oaks is just too far from anywhere and we would have felt captives. The Forest trip was good and there was an excellent barbecue lunch with a delightful swim in a water hole. Incidentally the opportunity for a swim could have been usefully included in your trip material so that people would know to take swimming costumes - we knew because I had looked at the trip on the website. The river cruise too was good. At Ayers Rock, our two nights were fine and enough. The sunrise trip was OK but the winner was the Sounds of Silence dinner - a fabulous experience. We were very pleased with the Sails in the Desert Hotel. The staff were charming and very helpful and we had a super room with a balcony overlooking the rock. The overland coach trip to Alice Springs was just right. We got a really good feel for the outback - much better than flying and the six hours were long enough for it all to be interesting and short enough to avoid coach fatigue. Not much to Alice Springs is there? We are pleased to have been there since we both remember well the film 'A town like Alice ' and it has an iconic significance. We enjoyed looking around and the hotel was good. We could have spent another day there but that would have been more than enough. And so to Darwin - a good way to finish our Aus experience. We liked Darwin - we found some good places to eat, particularly on the old wharf with the fish beneath. We also though the museum was good (we would highly recommend the restaurant there - the Cornucopia) and the fish feeding at Doctor's Gully was a delight. The Kakadu coach trip was a long day and had its ups and downs. The driver did his best but there was very little variety to see (limited wildlife and the next egret looks very much like the others). The flight was good but spoiled a little by a recorded commentary (often out of sync) - the pilot should have done it himself. He had the time, he spent a lot of the flight chatting to a mate in the other front seat. The river cruise was interesting and a good change from the coach. The 'buffet lunch' was dreadful - poor quality cheap food served in a hot crowded works canteen environment (they had brought several coach parties together for this). On the other hand the glass of wine at the Window on the Wetlands at the end of the day was good. The star was the Jumping crocs cruise. Fabulous! Well recommended. I would not like to get caught by one of those beasts. So overall, we were very pleased. I am quite sure that we managed to organise a better trip working with you than using a local UK agent. Thank you for all the work that you put in. We had a super time in Oz. I would recommend you to anyone else from the UK going down under. Cheers! Ken