Fit the Eighth
Hilton Cairns

Can I just say that I am starting to dread this check-in.

OK, Check in was fine, I have a perfectly nice seventh floor room with a balcony overlooking the Marina, the room is large and airy with a lavender aromatherapy pot in there.

Exec floor upgrade, no deal. Free breakfast, already in the room rate. Amenities in room, no extras. One really does start to wonder what the benefits of Hilton Gold are. Anyway, I’m feeling in a good mood (especially after having eyeballed the porter who brought up my luggage), so I decided to let them do some laundry items which would otherwise have to be washed separately. I don’t mind taking the tees, polos and undies to a laundry, but the nicer shirts (especially the linen ones) and the trousers need different attention. No internet access in the rooms, except for modems, which is not good. I am beginning to wonder if Australia is a little primitive in this regard.

So I pop out into Cairns, to find a post office, an internet café, some water and very small bite to eat. One kangaroo pizza later, I return. The Cairns Hilton has done me proud, I have a letter telling me I have clubroom access, I have a bottle of wine and I have a fruit plate the size of a dinner tray with a whole pineapple as the centrepiece. Oh and the laundry comes back in 3 hours with no express charge, I like this.

A few snacky bits in the Clubroom washed down by some apple juice and then a wander around Cairns in the evening looking for potential eating places for Sunday. Back to here fairly early, finish off some more postcards and then off to bed because it’s another early start in the morning to go and see A friend.

I sleep very well, rise early due to parrots outside and get a taxi to the airport.