Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Coffeetalk. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Holidays; for the middle class and lazy
Topic Started: Feb 9 2007, 03:54 AM (156 Views)
Eral
Kopi Luwak
I have just spent 6 days in a resort on Dunk Island. I had thought it was one of the Whitsunday Islands, but it is further away, near Cairns -which is an entirely beautiful place.
It was absolutely great. I loved every minute of it. I sat by the pool and walked in the rainforest every day and enjoyed it hugely.

http://www.ozhorizons.com.au/qld/cairns/dunk/dunk.htm

-Bathroom: so nice. All tiles and stone and bamboo surfaces and beautiful. (Up-graded to Bayview room - second most swanky.)
-Bed: huge and exactly the right softness/firmness.
-Balcony/courtyard space and L-shaped lounge area overlooking beach.
-Airconditioning that you didn't need at night and a quiet fan.
-Food: three course dinner, buffet breakfast. I have discovered that American bacon is different to English bacon. (Now I want to know why.) Chocolate croissants, 4 different types of melon. Minor crisis: coffee machine only began operating at 11:00 am - that's two hours without a latte. :blink:
-Couldn't swim in the beach, because February is stinger season. However, two pools, one rectanglar overlooking the beach, one huge circular and three level surrounded by trees and mountains.
-Really expensive drinks. <_< But good.
-Rainforest within 5 minutes walk.
-Arrangements of flowers under trees, in water features, above lily ponds that were created by one of the staff, just to look pretty. When I complimented the woman she was surprised anyone noticed.
-It was very humid, but it was a great reason to swim.
-Tropical birds, green tree frogs, geckos, and butterflies all over the place. Saw a green snake and cane toads as well - surprised to find they are not as ugly on Dunk as they are in Brisbane. A green honey-eater perched on my breakfast plate one morning. The air was sweet and moist and everything was green, except for the earth which was red. So beautiful.

Right now it is the wet season. You may think, so? It rains for a hour or so during the day, and at night - no big problem. Umm, no. Cyclones. Rains a lot. Entire days. Do not go during December-February unless you are prepared to be wet. We were really lucky, we had only one day where it rained so hard it was unpleasant to be outside: gusty wind, pelting rain, still hot but not as hot. The last day we had to leave early as there was a cyclone warning, and they were concerned we would not be able to make our connections and be a rather large expense to them, so we were sent off to stay in the Rydges Trade-Winds Hotel in Cairns.
http://www.rydges.com/hotel/0/RQTRAD/Rydge...inds-Cairns.htm
(deluxe room:very purty)
Strangely, other people did not enjoy themselves as completely as I did. In fact, there were people who were extremely disgruntled about the weather- which I thought was fair enough- but they appeared to blame the staff for it, which I felt was somewhat unfair. Research people: do it before you leave. Your travel agent is hardly going to tell you, you might not spend your money.

There was only one group of people I came to detest: they were young beatnik-y souls, very very loud and somewhat pretentious and snotty, who were either complaining or engaging in playful banter about pterodactyls ALL THE TIME. Sitting on the verandah, watching the birds and butterflies swoop among the lush cordylines and boxwoods, as the breeze blew across from the Mountains of Prophesy and a gentle drizzle of rain filled the air with warmth, I would hear the young men talking about how hot Mary-Kate and Ashley were, and the young woman telling them they were paedophiles. They were funny, but after hours of being forced to listen, I wanted them to shut up, or speak softly occasionally.

The young woman looked just like Zooey Deschanel. http://images.google.com/images?q=Zooey+De...images&ct=title
Mr. FPS and I are waiting to see if it was her. She was discussing a TV show she will be involved with, even though she didn't want to do it because it's so f--king stupid, where she will sing a song and the (other?) contestants will have to guess what it is. I know she has a pleasant singing voice because she often sang when she wasn't talking. Her beau had not washed his hair since at least December - and he wasn't trying for dreads. They appeared to feel the staff were unpleasant and unfriendly - and let me tell you, the staff were down-to-earth, helpful, chatty, friendly and accomodating people without exception. They may have been referring to the 19 year old receptionist they were blaming for their early departure and the rain, who looked sympathetic and excused herself to get the manager for them. :huh:

I was glad it was cloudy: I forgot to put sunblock on my calves one day: yep, bright red from knee to ankle in two hours. Many people felt more hopeful upon viewing them, because it proved there was a sun, somewhere. I didn't like to say the burning occurred as I sat under a tree, in the shade, as dashing people's hopes is very poor form.

We shall definitely return one day.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Eral
Kopi Luwak
http://www.qldtravel.com.au/queensland-islands-map.html

A few more islands for you to peruse. Some are less touristy. I saw one that doesn't allow children under 15. :huh: That's a bit rude, I think. Don't like kids? Suck it up. :sarcasticeyeroll:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Regullus
Member Avatar
Reliant
All the links look lovely and it sounds as if you had a very nice time. Shocking about the coffee machine. Honestly, a regular coffee is what I have at home but if I was on vac., I'd want the thing running 24/7. :D

Also, I've always wanted to ask an Aussie about the wildlife (the scary ones) but I never wanted to sound too much of a hick, but I figure we know each other well enough by now, did you see any nerve wracking wildlife?
tempus_teapot
 
I'd like to add that at this point I have taken my Spider Jerusalem action figure and tied his wrist to my Cassidy (from Preacher) action figure just so I can work out which positions are feasible with them and which aren't.

Read that and weep, internet. Weep!

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Boeing
Member Avatar
Yellow
Rather off-topic, but:

Is it just me or are resorts with white sand a hell of a lot better than those with your average golden colour?

I want you. I want you so bad. I want you so bad it's driving me mad. She's so heavy!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Eral
Kopi Luwak
If you read Bill Bryson, you begin to think there are dangerous animals lurking beneath every leaf, but you really don't see that many.
I saw one snake, but it was only a littl'un and non-venomous. (I think.) It was black/dark green on the top, and yellow-green on the belly. It was basking on a log near the path, and looked at us quite calmly. We moved on, it stayed. We also saw a dead jellyfish -on the walking track, must have been one hell of a tide- and saw a sign at Cairns that said "Crocodiles have been sighted here, do not swim." Everyone was taking that advice.
This morning, Mr.FPS found a red-back spider in our drain, the second one I have seen in my life.
Once, we saw a brown snake on the track where we walk regularly.
A 4 metre shark was sighted at "our" beach at Phillip Island, but I don't know if this counts, as we weren't there.
I have seen sting rays up close while swimming, and puffer fish, but have never been damaged by one.(You have to be really pushy to annoy a sting ray.)
I have also seen a blue-ringed octopus or two.
Those are all the close encounters with dangerous creatures I have ever had - oh, and the cane toad that hopped across the path. Bees and mosquitoes have been far more of a menace to me.

I have been to beaches with white sands. They definitely are better. The sand is bigger and wipes off really easily. :lol: The sand in those links has been doctored. It's more your usual beige sand colour.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Table 32 · Next Topic »
Add Reply