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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Oz with DCs stopover or not?

8 replies

snowydrops · 23/04/2016 11:25

We are travelling to Sydney next March for 4 weeks (travelling around). The flights we can get are either via Doha or via Hong Kong.

Should we stopover to break the journey (we have time) or just touch down / transit and carry on through...?

DCs will be 5yrs and just 2yrs. 5 yr old is good and I think could cope straight through but I am quite concerned about the 2yr old as we are planning this 1yr in advance and she's rather the active child so far.

Any tips? We have budget to stop over but I'm not sure if it would just be a hassle?

OP posts:

Dumbledoresgirl · 23/04/2016 11:33

I've been to Oz twice with kids. First time they were aged 5, 4 and 2 (she had her 2nd birthday on the flight!). Second time, I had had another baby and they were 11, 10, 8 and 5. Continuous flights both times, just a few hours stopover in either Singapore or Hong Kong airport.

Neither time was uneventful (I won't give the details as I don't want to put you off!) but safe to say it was we the parents who suffered more than the children. They actually managed quite well with entertainment and sleeping. So if you plan to stopover, it will probably be more for you than the children.

Kirriemuir · 23/04/2016 12:25

We are about to do this with DS who is 8 for the 6th time. Take night flights out of the U.K. And just get there unless you really want to see somewhere en-route. We have done a mixture. Only once did we stop in Singapore to break up the journey and I wish we'd just got home! The other times we've flown direct or taken a few days in Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia etc.

BiscuitBeast · 23/04/2016 12:44

We've booked flights to Sydney in Sept this year and will be travelling with an almost 3 year old and a 9 month old. We decided to not prolong the jetlag, tiredness and stress so just stopping in Hong Kong for 6 hours ish either way. We've also booked night flights in the hope the kids will sleep.

Original poster

snowydrops · 23/04/2016 20:51

Sorry I should have said, if we stop we think it will be for a minimum of 1-2 days. I have never seen the point of stopping for a few hours to 'stretch the legs' with kids but thought we would be able to rest / go to hotel etc but perhaps it's just easier to get it over with?!

OP posts:

theredjellybean · 09/05/2016 09:58

i travelled extensively back and forth with dd when she was little, and did every route and every possible combination of stopping over or not stopping over.
My best advice is just go straight though, it is not as bad as you think and it is over. Settling kids for 1 or 2 nights in a strange hotel , having to lug luggage and strollers etc about for 2 days when everyone is tired, cranky etc is a waste of time and money.
The only successful stop over i had was with dd aged 3 and we went to lan kaui ( sorry sp ???) for 5 nights..it was like an extra holiday in its own right.

I used to fly through singapore and take dd to the in terminal hotel, book a room for few hours, there was a roof top pool to swim in and i made the poor child play in pool for as along as i could, then we had showers and changed into clean clothes, had drink at bar and then back on flight to oz. if I had kept her awake for flight to singapore from heathrow she would then sleep most of the way to oz which i timed to be a night flight, hence we woke up in australia and this seemed to mitigate jet lag.

not sure if HK has such a hotel at airport but worth looking.

Original poster

snowydrops · 10/05/2016 20:42

Thanks theredjellybean. this is really useful. I actually think we can fly through Singapore so will look into that now. Other option would be Dubai but quite a short flight from UK which is why I though HK may be better as it's roughly half the way.

I think I get confused with how I can make them (ahem) sleep on the flight out from UK to wherever and then stay up for a few hours in airport hotel and then sleep again on next bit and wake up in Oz daytime but I guess now I know what I am aiming for I can try!! Thank you

OP posts:

Ditsy4 · 19/05/2016 19:29

I usually stop over in Singapore. I go to Singapore city and stop one or two nights depending on flights but I have also gone to the pool too. I stay in the Furama recommended by someone from Expedia and a car picks me up. The hotel is fantastic and so are the staff. There is a pool on the fifth floor- outdoor and you can have a massage if you book. We eat in the waterside restaurants.
In Sydney I have stayed at the Mariott near the Opera House and found it excellent. The views are wonderful. Go to Glebe (Sat)market for work by up and coming artists and young designers. Featherdale Park is the best place to see wildlife, Taronga is not as good for marsupials. Doyles restaurant for fish or the ship in Darling Harbour. Blue Mountains are worth a visit. Northern beaches are great. A ride on the ferries is fun and cheap. Don't take too many clothes because you will probably want to buy some so leave room in the bags for the trip home. Have fun.

sashh · 20/05/2016 07:40

Another vote for Singapore. I've not done the trip with kids but after 12 hours from London that pool is bliss. Pack bathing gear in hand luggage and they provide you with towels.

I have not used the hotel but I know it can be booked in short blocks, 2 or 4 hours.

If you get an evening flight from the UK, or afternoon then the airline want you to sleep and will feed you and then dim the lights.

If they are not sleeping then have a walk up and down he plane if you can do this quietly. I have chronic pain so have walked to the galley for water to take pills and have ended up chatting with the flight crew.

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