giong home to uk from oz at xmas

[robinpud]

Do we go via Perth and have xmas there?
Do we got to Fiji?
Do we go via Honolulu and blow the budget?

Would Perth be nice for great beaches and a final chill out beofre going home with a glowing tan?

sunnywong.. any thoughts please?
Mogwai thinks we won't even get seats!!

[robinpud]

bump please

[eidsvold]

i would avoid Fiji - lot of instability in terms of coups etc at the moment.

Perth would be okay - haven't been there but a good stop off - Honolulu would make it a longer trip would it not?!?!

I would be trying to book now - seats go quickly.

[mogwai]

Pah Perth! You are going to leave Sydney early and head for Perth? No way! I'm disowning you!

What about the place we told you about at Murramarang? It's called Eco Point. You can hire a beautiful villa on the beach, it will be heavenly.

What about a David Jones Picnic in the botanical gardens complete with vegemite sangers?

If you are bound out of Aus, I'd personally make for The Canadian Rockies or perhaps New York.

Get your tickets booked!

[mogwai]

(btw I've been to Perth twice so I know)

[mogwai]

Stay on a farm in the Barossa?

Whitsunday Islands?

[robinpud]

It's 1am and I should be in bed but have been researching bloody family hotels in Fiji.

Have explored Vancouver but horribly expensive and cold considering the kids will only have thongs by that stage as am not buying any clothes unless absolutely necessary.. which reminds me ds complained about too tight boxers which isn't surprising as they are 3-4 and he is 6.. poor lad!

don't think the kids will appreciate NY

We got NOT a drop of rain yesterday and have been at the beach all afternoon today.. bliss!!

[CocoLoco]

Ooh, Fiji - we stayed at the Outrigger on the Lagoon and it was very nice, although I think going to one of the islands would be even better

[TheAngelWearsPrada]

go to port douglas swim the reef and fly home form cairns

[sunshinefairy]

or go to alice springs to see ullaru (sp) and fly out of darwin. or to the daintree/cape tribulation and fly out of cairns. I wouldn't go to fiji at the moment as eidsvold said there is unsettlement and the solomons just had a tsunarmi.

[robinpud]

We're doing the reef etc in June. Dh says no swimming on Whitsundays at xmas due to bluebottles?

I take Eidsvold's point re political situation but is it any more dangerous than the London Underground?

mogwai- that eco resort is v v v expensive.. we are teachers fgs!!!! Mogwai- can't face being in this house at xmas to be honest. not unless a pool suddenly appears in the back garden or the beach in the front yard!

[eidsvold]

not blue bottles - up north in the summer it is the box jelly fish - very dangerous!!!

Cairns would be lovely and then up to Cape Tribulation - but hot and humid at that time of year.

Uluru and then Darwin and on to Singapore and then home to the UK sounds fab. Could have a few days in Singapore as well.

[sunnywong]

yes have xmas in Perth

[mogwai]

hmmm

Yes, it was cheap when we stayed at Murramarang ($99 pernight for a beach cabin -wow). I think Ulhuru would be expensive, and so would the flights. You'd want somewhere nice like Sails in the Desert. We stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge years ago. It was much cheaper but the kids probably won't enjoy it as much as you would.

Personally, I would check the exact price of the return tickets before you make a decision. I also can't really face the thought of christmas in this little flat in Sydney, but I'm determined not to spend any extra money and just to enjoy what Sydney has to offer in the great outdoors. There are many back home who consider us very very lucky to have the opportunity to be on a Sydney beach for Christmas, and it's not going to cost anything.

Funny that thing about the weather, wasn't it? We had thunder over here then it cleared up. We were also on the beach yesterday (at Manly) for five child-free hours!!

[Chrissee]

Go to Tasmania and spend Christmas in Hobart, watch the yatchs come in on boxing Day from the Sydney to Hobart, sample the food and wine at the Taste of Tasmania. You don't want to head too far north in Dec/Jan coz it's the rainy season in the tropics then.

[mogwai]

that's a great idea

[robinpud]

Hmm.. we are waiting for a price on fiji at the moment. I want sunshine before I go home!
Tasmania is appealing though but could be chilly.
Mogwai- going home directly is only $1000 cheaper than having stopovers ( without accomodation yet) in fiji or Honolulu.
We have just booked flights to Cairns for July for 2 weeks to do the reef, Cape Tribulation and Daintree etc
Once I get home from holiday I need to book the spring break - we want to fly to Adelaide and then drive up through the Flinders to uluru and then onto Alice Springs to fly home. As long as I can get one way car hire we are ok.
5 child free hours... I remarked to dh that I have not had a singel child free evening out since 2006! wish we hadn't cancelled Wed

do you think kylie or nicole will lend us their pads for xmas ??

[mogwai]

Have you managed to book flights home now? Phew, that's a relief!

The trip to Cairns sounds great. We did exactly the same trip when we were students. We're going back in August but not sure where to stay because we've seen lots of it before. It's stunning.

Re Adelaide, we are also going to Adelaide in the spring, but just after the kids go back to school, so probably just after you. We're planning the Barossa with a farmstay then flying up to Broken Hill to see the flying doctors and school of the air.

Your road trip to The Alice sounds great. I'd love to do that but my little one is a terrible car passenger (easily bored) as she's younger than your two, so we have to fly everywhere. I'm sure you'll get car hire one way.

I'm sure you already know this but virginblue have a sale on their internet site between 12pm - 1pm every day. There's also a good website called wotif.com for accomodation 28 days in advance whch can save you loads of money.

BTW we are still considering NZ in November. Can you post a brief list of where you went and what you thought of it?

[robinpud]

Mogwai

NZ-will do when I raise my head from the post holiday mess.

We need that night out now!

no flights home booked as yet and Adelaide road trip looking horribly difficult in terms of time and distance. Have just driven back from Melbourne.. a bloody long way!

[mogwai]

The roads are rubbish aren't they?

The thing I find most frustrating is that I don't feel confident to travel by road through the night. The roads aren't well lit and there's all sorts of big wildlife about.

It's such a pity because it would be great to do more by road while the kids are sleeping.

[SSShakeTheChi]

I wouldn't go to Honolulu again. I'd imagine Fiji would be more interesting (at least for me). Didn't know about the problems Eidswold mentioned though.