sfoactuary

Even though I had been fully intending to write up a thorough trip report while on the honeymoon, I guess I was enjoying myself too much to stop and write down my thoughts during the trip (other than the Wolgan Valley report which I did finish while staying there). Now I'm paying the price, as jet lag hit me like a ton of bricks and I've finally recovered enough brain power to start writing. So here goes

My wife and I just returned from our 3-week RTW honeymoon where we visited Australia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Dubai. This trip was very much a culmination of all the tips and tricks I've picked up through obsessively reading FT the past couple years, and using all the points/miles that have come as a result. I can't even begin to estimate the amount of time spent planning the trip or the number of scenarios I went through, but at the end of the day we settled on the routing below.

Thanks again to all of you that contribute to the FT community, and hopefully there's some useful information in here for others to use in future trips!

Trip Routing


Trip Index:

1. San Francisco to Sydney: United Airlines First Class
2. Eating Our Way Through Sydney + Hilton Sydney
3. Road Trip to the Blue Mountains + Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
4. Diving at the Great Barrier Reef, Day Trip to Port Douglas + Hilton Cairns
5. Stopover in Brisbane to Cuddle Koalas + Hilton Brisbane
6. Brisbane to Male via Singapore: Singapore Airlines Business Class
7. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
8. Extended Layover in Sri Lanka before ex-CMBing + Amangalla
9. Colombo to London via Dubai: Emirates First Class
10. Spending the Day at the Dubai Mall + Emirates First Class Terminal
11. London to San Francisco: British Airways First Class

sfoactuary

The much anticipated day had finally arrived, and we were ready to kick off our honeymoon. Since Australia was the #1 destination we wanted to include in our trip, I had booked it early on (close to T-330) using 80,000 United miles each. I knew that award bookings to Australia are among the toughest to get and didn't want to miss out on having at least something. In the mean time, I began to explore more exotic routings via Asia with the hopes of flying some combination of SQ/CX/TG/KE/NH F, but as soon as my wife realized that I was thinking about purposefully adding connections, she put her foot down and that was the end of that. Note to self: next time leave out the fact that there's a direct flight option, even though I'm not sure I could keep a straight face when telling her that SFO-HKG-BKK-SYD is the fastest way to get to Australia

So in the end, the choices were pretty limited since I was only looking at direct flights, and with the lack of Qantas F space, we stuck to the original plan of flying United. Our flight out of SFO was scheduled for a 10:30pm departure, which was actually perfect since it allowed us to squeeze in an extra day of work before leaving, and the redeye would let us get a full night of sleep before arriving in Sydney at 7am.

We arrived at the airport around 8:30pm and check-in was a breeze. Even though we would be gone for 3 weeks we had managed to squeeze everything into a carry-on each and opted to not check our bags. This actually turned out to be the only flight where we were allowed to carry-on, so looking back we probably should just have brought the big suitcases. Security was still light at this time of day since the flights to Asia weren't departing until later, and within a few minutes we were all settled in at the United Global First Lounge. I had visited the lounge earlier in the year and knew what to expect, but did find the lounge much less crowded this time around. The food offerings looked like they had been sitting around since mid-day so I grazed sparingly, also knowing that we'd have a full meal in just a couple hours.

Around 10pm we headed to our departure gate and boarded the plane and took our seats 1A and 1K. Even though these two seats aren't adjacent, I think that these are the best seats for those traveling with a companion, as the middle seats don't offer much privacy. 1A and 1K feel very private since they're in the front and were definitely close enough together to still be able to carry a conversation.

This was my 2nd flight in United Global First and similar to my NRT-SFO flight earlier this year, the service, food, and overall experience were all very good and exceeded my expectations. Even though the First Class cabin was full, we still received extremely attentive service throughout. The dinner was actually quite good with the entrees being a highlight (my wife's pork chop was honestly the biggest I've ever seen), and of course you can't go wrong with an ice cream sundae. Turn down service was proactively offered (wasn't on my NRT-SFO flight) and aside from a relatively heavy snorer seated behind me, I slept pretty comfortably and with the help of a Benadryl was able to doze off for a good 7-8 hours, leaving me feeling nice and refreshed by the time we landed in Sydney.

Overall, a very pleasant flight with United. Ironically, I had been much more excited about our British Airways F flight that we'd be taking on the way home, which I would later discover would be a complete letdown. The United flight was hands down better in all aspects, but more to come on that later

Dinner Menu


Dessert/Breakfast Menu


Table Setting


IFE Screen (highly recommend Monsters U!)


Appetizer


Mushroom Brie Bisque (way more delicious than it looks)


Salad


Osso Bucco Chicken Entree


Pork Chop Entree


Cheese and Dessert

sfoactuary

In total we spent three nights in Sydney (2 then 1) which were broken up by our three night road trip to the Blue Mountains. Overall, we absolutely loved Sydney and it was the first international destination we've traveled to that we really felt we could see ourselves packing up and moving to in the future. A few of the biggest draws for us were the natural beauty of the city (especially the harbor), the diversity, and the food!

After landing in Sydney we hopped in a taxi and arrived at the Hilton Sydney around 9:30am. Our room wasn't ready yet, which is understandable, and we were told to come back around noon. The hotel is located in the middle of the Central Business District (CBD) which as the name suggests is central to everything. In fact, we didn't have to take any form of transportation during the three days we were in the city and were able to walk everywhere.

While we were waiting for our room, we headed down the street to the Westfield shopping center which was a great place to kill a couple hours. We walked around the shops and went to the food court on the top floor which is definitely one of the best food court we've ever seen in our lives. There are international food options from all around the world - Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Australian, you name it. There were so many good options that it was hard to choose, but we finally settled on some hearty, authentic Australian food for our first meal.

Authentic Australian food for our first meal


Delicious


All our favorite restaurants in one place


Kangaroo meat pie


We came back to the hotel around 11:30am and our room was ready and we had been upgraded to an executive room on the 39th floor. We found that the executive lounge on floor 36 was a great place to relax throughout the day as the rooms were on the smaller size, and felt a bit claustrophobic for two people. We ate breakfast at Glass restaurant downstairs where a complimentary breakfast buffet was offered, but had afternoon tea and evening canapes in the lounge. The canapes were quite good, but the lounge definitely got crowded around that time.

There is also a full gym downstairs operated by a 3rd party with great facilities and group class offerings. We walked through did not utilize the gym as we were too busy eating. They do have a full locker room (steam/shower/sauna) and we were offered access prior to our room being ready in case we wanted to freshen up. Lastly, a couple tips for those that are planning to drive - driving through the CBD even at off hours can be quite congested, so plan ahead accordingly. Also, parking at the hotel is $$$ ($50 AUD if I recall correctly for self park, $60 for valet) so be prepared, or scout out alternative options nearby.

Executive room


Bathroom


View from the 39th floor


Executive lounge on 36th floor


Executive lounge


Gym class schedule


Sampling from the breakfast buffet at Glass

sfoactuary

During our three days in Sydney we had a great chance to explore the city, and most importantly to eat everything in sight. It was interesting how many cafes/coffee shops and food courts were around, I don't think we were ever more than 50ft. from being able to find a pastry. As luck would have it, the only downside was the weather which wasn't cooperating at all. It was mostly rainy and cloudy during our visit and we had to bust out the rain jackets and umbrellas while walking around. To add insult to injury, I can't even recall how many times we heard locals mention that "we haven't seen rain like this in months".

We were still determined to make the most of our time, and for the most part the weather wasn't too unbearable to still walk around everywhere. On the first day we walked over to the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House and also visited the Rocks markets. We wanted to do the bridge climb but spending 3.5 hours in the wind and rain scared us off and instead we ended up doing the Skybridge walk at the Sydney Eye which was a must more abbreviated and economical excursion.

View of the Hilton from the Sydney Eye


Opera House


Sydney Harbor Bridge


Delicious bakery in the Rocks area


Rasberry mille feuille


The next day we just walked and walked around the city. Across the street from the hotel is the Queen Victoria Building which had some cool shops and things to see. We also went over to Darling Harbor and ventured over to the Sydney fish market for some amazingly fresh oysters and sashimi. It's definitely worth it, but make sure you go early as we snuck in right before closing around 3pm. We also made our way over to Chinatown where we ate at one our favorites (Din Tai Fung), tried one of Harry's meat pies (Tiger style of course!) and also stopped by Mamak for some roti.

Xmas tree at QVB


Clock at QVB


Fresh sashimi and oysters at Sydney fish market


Din Tai Fung never disappoints


Mamak stuffed roti


Mamak fried chicken


Harry's Care de Wheels near Chinatown


Harry's meat pie, tiger style


Fresh delicious (and cheap) cream puffs


On our way back from the Blue Mountains we still had the rental car for another day and decided to stop by Bondi Beach. To be honest, we weren't that impressed with the area and only stayed for 30 minutes or so. Perhaps part of the reason was that I was anxious to leave so that we could head over to Surrey Hills and line up for Porteno which we had been dying to try ever since seeing it on Anthony Bourdain's show, and boy was it worth it. We lined up about 20 minutes before the restaurant opened and were one of the first to get seated without having to wait. After that, the next hour was spent in meat heaven as both the pork and steak dishes we ordered were amazing, and the sides were great as well. This is a must try for all my fellow carnivores out there.

Bondi Beach


Porteno


Learning about all the different cuts of meat


Pork mix bowl


Wagyu steak


Polenta

sfoactuary

Full trip report posted in another forum

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...australia.html

Flyingfox

GREAT pics!

Thanks for the report (thus far)!

roastpuff

Wow, great pictures! Love the food pictures... making me hungry over here.

sfoactuary

After nearly a week in NSW it was time to head up north to Cairns where we were planning to spend the next three nights. We woke up bright and early for a 9am flight and left the hotel around 7am. Since we still had the car from our Blue Mountains road trip, we allotted extra time as I was still mastering the art of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. After a non-eventful 20-30 minute drive we arrived at the Hertz return area and headed over to check-in. We had booked our domestic flights on Virgin Australia and overall the journey was very much like flying domestically in the US.

After a 3 hour flight we arrived at CNS just before noon and jumped in a taxi. Cairns is actually quite small and after a short 15 minute ride we were at the Hilton Cairns. Our room wasn't ready yet, but we were told it would be less than an hour and were offered complimentary drinks at the bar while we waited. The hotel is in a great location along the Esplanade and there were a lot of shops and restaurants within walking distance. The hotel is only 9 stories with the Executive Lounge located on the top floor which is only open for breakfast and evening canapes, and often times we found ourselves the only people in the lounge. This was very refreshing compared to the swells of elites at the Hilton Sydney lounge. Overall, we thought that the hotel was good but the rooms and exterior were definitely starting to show some wear and could use some freshening up in the near future.

Grabbing a Hahn at Mondo's bar while we wait for the room


View from Mondo's bar


Executive room on 9th floor


View from the room


Since we had arrived mid-day it was too late to do any day trips or excursions, so we just walked around and did some shopping. My wife was determined to buy some Uggs since they are quite a bit cheaper in Australia than in the US (~40-50% cheaper) and we probably visited every store along the Esplanade looking for the best deal. We also walked through the night market, and grabbed more ramen for dinner at Ganbaranba Noodle Coliseum. On our last night we ate at Grilled Healthy Burgers which we had seen all around Sydney but finally tried it in Cairns, and it was delicious.

Walking along the Esplanade


More ramen for dinner, but sadly not as good as Ippudo


The next day we headed over to the marina bright and early for our day trip to the GBR. Almost all of the dive trips leaving from Cairns take off from the marina and the hotel was in a perfect location just a 5 minute walk away. We had booked our excursion ahead of time through ProDive Cairns and overall were happy with the trip and would recommend them as they were a well-oiled machine, very organized, and provided a surprisingly good buffet lunch. The only downside of the trip was that it was a huge group excursion, with upwards of 100 people on the boat. We still did our diving in small groups, but it could be a bit hectic at times. We did three dives total, but only the 1st dive set had interesting things to see, with the next two being a relative disappointment. Either way, it was a good way to dip our toe in the GBR, as we knew going in that the best dive trips are the liveaboards that go out for 3-4 nights which we just didn't have time for on this trip.

Video from the dive

Turtles everywhere


Playing with the giant clam


Norman, a regular at the dive site


On our last day in Cairns we rented a car and drove up the coast to Port Douglas. It was about an hour drive and was very scenic with lots of beaches and viewpoints to stop at along the way. However, while we did find Port Douglas charming, there wasn't really much to do and after grabbing lunch and hanging out at 5-mile beach for a while we headed back. Along the way we stopped at Hartley's Crocodile farm and it was well worth the detour. The highlight was the swamp cruise where they actively invite the crocodiles over to the boat for feedings. We actually had meant to stop at the Skyrail instead but had trouble finding it and gave up eventually, so if you're looking to do that make sure you get thorough directions ahead of time!

5-mile beach in Port Douglas


Swamp cruise at Hartley's


Crocodile feeing

smit0847

I went to Hartley's with very low expectations, expecting it to be cheesy as hell but was pleasantly surprised - it was a really enjoyable and entertaining day out.

LDNConsultant

Ippudo and Din Tai Fong is all you really need to be honest with you! But looking forward to your other trip reports especially the BA F back to SFO~~!!

AKCuisine

You've written a great trip report so far, sfoactuary, and I love, love, love your food photos.

Keep up the good work. I've traveled to Australia a couple of times in the past ... and you've got me wanting to return there again.

sfoactuary

Thanks Flyingfox!

Glad that the pictures looked appetizing The food options in Australia were definitely a highlight for us

I was totally skeptical as well since it seemed like a total tourist trap on the exterior. But we're really glad we stopped in and would definitely recommend it.

Totally agree! Best part was that there was no wait at all at Ippudo, the closest one to us is in NYC and we've heard that it can easily be an hour+ wait.

Thanks so much, AKCuisine! We really loved Australia and can't wait to go back as well.

sfoactuary

As I was planning the flights for the honeymoon, I had explored different options to get to the Maldives from Australia. Working backwards, since CX hadn't started their HKG-MLE service at the time, the best option looked to be a connection through SIN. There were a good number of options for getting to SIN from Australia (ADL, SYD, MEL, PER, BNE), but since we had already headed north we didn't want to go back to ADL/SYD/MEL, and getting to PER would require a trans-con flight all the way to the West coast, so BNE looked like the best option. As an added bonus, one of the BNE-SIN flight left at 11:40pm and the redeye would save us a night of hotel.

As an aside, as I was planning the trip I had actually been able to get a round-trip booked on the website using my United miles that was SFO-SYD (open-jaw) MEL-SIN-MLE (stopover) - SIN-NRT-SFO all for 160,000 miles each. But sadly, after making a couple date changes, the ticket went out of synch and the pricing desk came back and said that it was an invalid routing. If I had flown it exactly as is I could have kept it, but with subsequent date changes needed I couldn't make it work and just ended up booking SFO-SYD one-way, and BNE-SIN-MLE one-way at 45,000 miles each in business class.

Leading up to the trip I had just been viewing Brisbane as a required stopover for a night before our trip to the Maldives, but once we arrived we actually really enjoyed it and wished that we had an extra night or two. We stayed at the Hilton Brisbane which is right in the CBD and just a 5 minute walk from the Airtrain station and would definitely recommend taking the train instead of a taxi. We arrived in the late afternoon and spent the rest of the day walking around and doing a bit of shopping. Keeping with the international food theme, we found a lot of options near the hotel and settled on some delicious Korean food at Madtongsan II just down the street from the hotel.

The next day, since we were taking the redeye we checked out of the hotel but left our luggage with the concierge. From there, we spent the day at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which we absolutely loved. This is one of the few places in Australia that will actually let you hold a koala, or as the locals liked to say, give them "cuddles". It's just a short walk from the hotel to the boat dock which takes you to the sanctuary, after which you have approximately 3 hours there. We were worried that we'd be short on time, but the sanctuary is actually quite small, and other than the koalas there is more than enough time to see the dingos, wombats, kangaroos, reptiles, and a few others. There is an extra cost to cuddle the koala ($16 AUD for the cheapest package) but we figured that it was worth it for the experience. Afterwards, the boat will take you back, and each way is about an hour-long cruise which was also a great way to see Brisbane. We returned in the early afternoon and didn't want to head to the airport yet, but were able to hang out at the Executive Lounge back at the hotel until 9pm. We probably could have squeezed in more things to do that afternoon/evening but were happy to just relax and hang out before the long journey to the Maldives.

Korean fried chicken, definitely hit the spot


Boat cruise to Lone Pine


Pretty good life to sleep 20 hours/day


Morning stretch


Big bird in the petting area


Feeding the kangaroos

sfoactuary

We hopped on the Airtrain and headed to the airport around 9pm for our 11:40pm flight. Check-in was easy and our bags were tagged all the way to MLE. We headed through security and into the SQ Krisflyer lounge which was very similar to the one in SFO. The lounge was relatively crowded but we were able to find seats, food options pretty disappointing to be honest with some pretty stale hot food and some finger sandwiches/cookies options. We had been grazing all night at the Executive lounge so we were fine waiting until the flight to eat.

As I had mentioned before we had booked BNE-SIN-MLE using 45,000 United miles each in business class. I knew that we'd be flying SQ's regional offering, but deep down was hoping that we might get to sample the longhaul business class product. Unfortunately we were stuck with the regional angled business class for both flights which we found to be fine. As usual, the SQ service was top-notch and we decided to eat right away before sleeping, but I think that we were in the minority was most of the cabin chose to eat in the morning. The flight was scheduled for 8 hours which meant 7 hours in the air, and it was just enough to get enough sleep to remain functional. However, I didn't find the angled seat to be particularly comfortable and the cabin was also a bit too hot for my liking.

SQ regional business class


IFE screen


Supper menu


Duck leg and rice


Steak sandwich


We had a 4 hour layover at Changi which flew by quickly with all of the things to do there. We freshened up and grabbed breakfast in the lounge, then did some shopping and walking around. I was elated to find my favorite snack in the world as well, Bee Cheng Hiang pork jerky Naively I assumed that I'd have no trouble bringing this into MLE until I read the arrival form that any pork products were considered contraband. My heart sank for a moment and I considered eating all 10+ slices of the jerky on the flight, but I decided to risk it and was successful in smuggling it in. I'm glad I did as this was a great snack to have on the beach and in between meals.

The flight from SIN-MLE was fairly uneventful as well, but I was able to Book the Cook and ordered the lobster thermidor which definitely looked better than the food offerings off the menu. The lunch service was actually quite good, with the highlights being the satay (our first time trying it) and the lobster which we both thought was actually tastier than the one we had last year when flying SFO-HKG in SQ F.

My favorite snack in the world


SIN-MLE lunch menu


Satay


Prawn salad


Garlic bread and cheese bread


Lobster thermidor


Dessert


Coffee and praline


Overall, we were pleased with the flights, but part of me was a little regretful for not splurging on SYD-SIN or MEL-SIN suites using my SQ Krisflyer miles transferred from Amex. If we weren't already flying EK suites on the way home, and if we weren't already in the CNS area, I probably would have pulled the trigger since I was consistently finding saver redemption space for 2 seats on most days, which from what I hear is pretty rare. So if anyone is looking to try SQ suites, would definitely recommend either of those Australian-SIN routes.

calvinoeh

Lol on the Bee Chiang Hiang!

We make sure to always get some in transit in Singapore and have smuggled it in to Male numerous times to enjoy at the Conrad :P