Which Island in the South Pacific to Visit from SYD?
 

I will be in Sydney from 4 Aug - 13 Aug, and am looking to swing up to somewhere in the South Pacific for a brief (36-48 hour) trip. I don't really know anything about any of the islands, so I'm hoping for some input from people who have been to some of the islands.

I am a 24 year old male from the US, traveling on my own, mainly looking to enjoy nice beaches, scenic adventures, and hopefully with a decent town as well. Cairns comes to mind as a place that is similar to what I'm possibly looking for --> a laid-back beach town, but still has some bars/nightlife. I'm not necessarily a big backpacker/hiker, but open to some physical adventures.

I have 2 options for booking the side-trip:
Primarily, I'm looking for advice about the islands and what might be the best options for me, but any input on flight options (other low-cost carriers that I don't know about) would be greatly appreciated. ^

Just go to north Queensland

+1.

The nearest non-Australian neighbour from SYD is New Caleodonia which doesn't have what you are looking for. Then its New Zealand and then you are talking Fiji, Vanuatu and are soon more than 5 flight hours away already.

So Queensland looks like the place for you. Cairns, Gold Cost or anything in between.

As others have hinted ... sounds like CNS is good match for your situation (except its not a Pacific Island) and CNS is probably more realistic based on your limited time and additional expense required.

If you're getting to SYD from NA with UA miles and haven't ticketed, then don't forget about the free stopover for UA awards to Aus/NZ ... you just pay the additional taxes, for example:
LAX-SYD-RAR-LAX
LAX-SYD-AKL-HNL/RAR/NAN/TBU/APW(TBU)-LAX

I've got WAS to CNS with a stopover in RAR on the way back ticketed with UA miles ... in C BTW ;). The stopover is a great benefit many folks forget about.

Great suggestion to remember - this trip I'm planning is actually from the Tware that UA had last week, and I got a great deal on a paid fare, so unfortunately no stopover.


Thanks for the input so far. Sorry I should have clarified a little more - I've already been to Cairns, the Gold Coast, and Auckland, and am looking to see somewhere new. I have actually found flights through AA on Air Pacific nonstop SYD-NAN and I have just enough miles for that. I don't mind the 4-5 hour flight, and really would like to explore one of the islands. The two best possibilities for I've found thus far are award flights to NAN and RAR, but is RAR what I'm looking for at all? Or is there a better island for what I'm looking for? Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions!

Not really what you are asking for, but if your budget is tight and can't meet your time requirements, get on a plane to Melbourne instead. It is a great place to see for a day and a half - well within your budget and very different from Sydney. It has a great bar/cafe/food scene.

I personally like Rarotonga and will return for my third time in Sept, and probably to Aitutaki also, if my job allows. The Cook Islands interest me because they're uncrowded and inexpensive and really a great place to unwind, but the Cooks are not really like CNS.

On RAR, there's a wide range of accommodations from bunks to high end (very overpriced IMO). There's a bus that circles the island, so a car isn't needed, but a scooter / car is $20 / $45 NZ / day. There's a small grocery store in the "big city" of Avarua and small food shops around the island ... or you can eat at one of a dozen or so restaurants / take aways. There's some swimming, snorkeling, and a few dive operations. With a few exceptions, a crowded beach is 4-5 people. RAR also has a few hiking treks. Haven't done the bar thing there, but RAR does have minimal nightlife in Avarua and there's always a decent number of backpackers in Avarua and near Muri.

For the basics on the South Pacific, check out David Stanley's website. His books and website are excellent.

This is great! Thanks! ^

If anyone has any other input, I'd be happy to hear it as well.

Fiji is nice if you head for the outer islands. However, the really spectacular South Pacific can be found more on the Cook Islands (Aitutaki) than on Fiji. Fiji is the package tourist destination for Australians, the Cook Island are more Pacific Paradise.

The "idyllic" south pacific islands can be tricky; some are slums and industrial sweat shops (Guam is full of imported chinese workers making "made in USA" products) and American Samoa is also quite depressing. There is probably a reason that so many Islanders are living in Auckland, Sydney and even Los Angeles. Yet there are beautiful and even truly idyllic islands in the Pacific, but none of them are viable for a 36-48 hour trips (it takes that long just to get to them, one-way). Some of these islands look more like a superfund (pollution cleanup) candidate site (sadly).

Or you can just hang around Fiji Beachcomber ... Just a party island ....

http://www.beachcomberfiji.com/

Best Island in the Whole World
 

Hi
Its not tropical, but if you want to go to an island and you are in Sydney, check out Lord Howe Island, about a two hour flight from SYD. We've been several times: it is really the most beautiful place we've ever been to. There is a very good web site for starters...plenty of places to stay, not touristy and beautiful beaches.

ditto

LDH is not an easy place to visit! For one, you cannot buy an airline ticket to go there unless you have accomodation -- the number of visitors per day is strictly controlled with only 400 tourist beds allowed on the island. Flights are quite expensive too. So there is a price for paradise. I've tried several times to arrange trips on short notice and it was simply impossible. Also 14kg checked baggage limit (and 4kg carryon, often strictly enforced as it is an aircraft performance issue for takeoff from LDH).

It actually works a bit different in reality. You get the standard allowance however anything above 14kg is not guaranteed and will be standby only. So when going you need to make sure that you have everything you need in the guaranteed part of your luggage.