LHR-SIN-SYD-CNS - QF in PE for a wedding - loads of photos of Cairns and Sydney
Jul 18, 2012, 4:49 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
[Photo Report] LHR-SIN-SYD-CNS; QF in PE [Cairns and Sydney trips]
Previous Trip Reports
BA in J - Holiday to China and Japan (where I got engaged) - http://tinyurl.com/2ufebag
BA in J - Work trip to Orlando (wrote TR as it was ex-LGW) - http://tinyurl.com/37qtjex
BA in F - Honeymoon to Canada (lots of locations) - http://tinyurl.com/5vkmcsb
Preamble
I'm getting slightly addicted to writing trip reports - there's a danger you'll get a blow-by-blow account of my next outing to the corner shop to get milk. This summer saw us invited to a wedding in Australia; I was to be best-man for the guy who was best-man at my wedding last year. We'd been intending on getting out to Australia to see him since he's been there, however in anticipation of him getting married we held off to avoid going there twice in as many years.
The plan was to head to Cairns, QLD for the wedding, travel a little around there, then head to Sydney, NSW for the second leg of the trip.
I'm a BAEC member and have used my FF points to enjoy a number of recent enjoyable holidays in premium cabins. However, the LHR-SYD route is one of the hardest to find availability - it's possible with enough notice and planning, however I didn't have that luxury during the planning.
Y sounds too painful a jump down after recent F flights with BA, however J is coming out at the £4k mark each with the carriers I'd prefer to use. It appears Y+ is the solution, and the compromise of cost versus comfort when it's your own money.
I could book Y+ seats with BA and hope that upgrade availability would open up, or book Y+ with QF (a perceived better product), knowing that I'd be unable to upgrade with my BA Avois. I'd learned from the FT knowledge base that I could book with QF, and select the 38J/K exit row seats at time of booking on their A380 QF1/QF2 flights. A ticket price of £1.4k each was available so I snapped them up - I feel getting those seats, and both of us out to SYD at under £3k was pretty good value for money.
I subsequently bought cheap domestic returns SYD-CNS, again on QF to get us to where we needed to be. Our BA FF numbers were associated to every flight, earning us both a decent stash of Avois and Tier Points in the process.
Outbound Flight (part 1) - Tuesday 29th May, 2012, QF2 on A380, LHR-SIN-SYD, Premium Economy, 38J&K
[T3 photo]
I had a meeting in west London, so I actually travelled down very early morning to within a few miles of LHR. Mrs Malkie finished work and caught the train down and we met at T3 in plenty of time. We walked into the G check-in area (premium area for BA and QF), but with only one QF desk open to deal with J and Y+ customers this was anything but quick. No big issue, then we head to security - took about 15mins to get through, but the airport was reasonably busy.
A lack of status for us infrequent travellers on Y+ tickets means no lounge access. We have a light bite in one of the places to eat, and I treat us to a glass of champagne in one of the bars to compensate.
[champagne photo]
Time flies reasonably quickly and we make our way to the gate to climb aboard our A380. I'll admit I love commerical aircraft, and I'm somewhat excited about my first A380 flight. Three air-bridges are used F / J & Y+ / Y so we board upstairs with the J passengers very rapidly and find out exit-row seats right at the back of the cabin.
There's plenty of space for us - the seats are as wide as J seats on many carriers, and unlimited legroom. We've got two overhead bins, a window bin and space behind and under the seats. The exit row door slide doesn't impact on our space, and there's enough floor space infront of me that even at 6foot4 there's no way I can reach the cabin crew jump seat infront of me. Big pillows, a very thick blanket, basic amenity kit and noise-cancelling headphones are on the seat upon arrival.
I took a terrible photo of the seats, so found this one on google
Legroom shot, showing the space for my long legs
[amenity kit photo]
You could be forgiven for thinking you are on a 767 in the upper deck of an A380 - I practically forgot there was a larger, lower deck on this aircraft. We received pre-flight "champange", which was extremely nice, but highlighted that Qantas (and indeed everyone we met in Australia) refers to sparkling wine as champange. I even found myself doing it by our return flight. It's a minor point, but potentially offensive to the inhabitants of Champange.
[preflight drinks]
Push back and off we go. Take-off was less of an event than I thought it would be - it was smooth and far less of a "lurch" than most wide-bodied aircraft - this is perhaps because we are on the upper deck???? In fact, most of the time on A380 was smooth, and turning almost unnoticeable.
We get handed out menus, and the cabin crew introduce themselves properly. I must say, the crew on every flight were outstanding; they referred to you by name at all times, made you feel like an individual, and genuinely wanted to make sure everything was ok on your flight. They were better than their BA counterparts (and this is coming from BA apologist). The CSM also walked through the cabin and introduced himself while shaking hands.
[Photo of menus]
We enjoyed dinner after take off - they served from the front of the cabin backwards from trolleys, and to be honest it took some time to get everyone fed. This is largely as they were taking care with each passenger and offering wine tasting and advice over the menu. Fantastic service, but if you want to get fed and then get some sleep this might be a little frustrating.
For dinner I had the chicken pie and mash, while Mrs Malkie tried the sausages. Both extremely tasty, and just the right amount of food for this time of night. It's served in proper crockery, with proper cutlery and on a table cloth. Again, comparable with the service you receive in other carriers J cabins.
Sausages for Mrs Malkie
I tried the chicken pie
I put the IFE on, but manage to get a good 6 or 7 hours sleep on a remarkedly smooth flight down to SIN. Prior to landing we get served breakfast - a excellent offering of bacon and eggs, along with a fresh fruit salad and pastries. This was better than many J breakfasts I've had with BA, however this was after a 12hour flight, and my majority of J over night experiences with BA are east-coast US to LHR which are often less than 6 hours.
Breakfast into SIN
We land in SIN, and have a very quick 1hr turn around - just enough time to stretch our legs and freshen-up. I doubt there would have been enough time to leg it to the lounge for a shower if that had been an option.
[A380 in SIN photo]
Back on again for the second leg - another preflight drink, new menus and fresh pillows, blankets and amenities.
We're served dinner again after take off. I probably don't need more food right now, but I opted for the beef and mash, while Mrs Malkie tries the fish and noodles. Again both are excellent, and the crew are again brilliant.
My beef and mash
Mrs Malkies fish and noddles
This is the shorter 8 hour ish flight and again I sleep through a few films prior to landing in SYD. The tail-cam is a fun addition - however being sat in Y+ means I can't watch the take off and landing as the TV unit is in the arm rest - Y and F passengers can, which is grossly unfair
We get a light breakfast again before landing into SYD. Simple stuff, and probably just about right as I try to adjust to SYD time. We left Tuesday at 9pm, and now it's Thursday at 6am. However, given the length of the flight I managed to get a decent amount of sleep, and I'm genuinely not too jet lagged upon arrival - I'm just a little bit grotty after such a long flight and in need of a shower.
No lines at immigration, and no issues with the quaratine people, despite the horrors you see on "Border Control" on TV. We get boarding passes from the QF transfer desk in International Terminal, then take a short bus ride across to the domestic terminal to await our flight to CNS.
Outbound Flight (part 2) - Thursday 30th May, QF(um, forgotton) on 767, SYD-CNS, Economy, 15A&B
This was pretty impressive for a domestic service. A 3hour flight where we received a fully breakfast service, and a snack before landing, with a movie played on the bigscreen at the front of the cabin. This knocks the socks off short-haul european flights on most carriers where you'll get a drink and birdseed, or possibly a small sandwich and no IFE.
Breakfast was reasonable, and the snack before landing was a drink and a breakfast bar. Excellent for 9am in the morning, and included in the price along with checked baggage.
[breakfast service]
[cabin towards movie screen]
We collect our car (full size; ended up geting a VW Passat) and headed straight to the first location on our tour, and the base that we'd use for the wedding weekend.
BA in J - Holiday to China and Japan (where I got engaged) - http://tinyurl.com/2ufebag
BA in J - Work trip to Orlando (wrote TR as it was ex-LGW) - http://tinyurl.com/37qtjex
BA in F - Honeymoon to Canada (lots of locations) - http://tinyurl.com/5vkmcsb
Preamble
I'm getting slightly addicted to writing trip reports - there's a danger you'll get a blow-by-blow account of my next outing to the corner shop to get milk. This summer saw us invited to a wedding in Australia; I was to be best-man for the guy who was best-man at my wedding last year. We'd been intending on getting out to Australia to see him since he's been there, however in anticipation of him getting married we held off to avoid going there twice in as many years.
The plan was to head to Cairns, QLD for the wedding, travel a little around there, then head to Sydney, NSW for the second leg of the trip.
I'm a BAEC member and have used my FF points to enjoy a number of recent enjoyable holidays in premium cabins. However, the LHR-SYD route is one of the hardest to find availability - it's possible with enough notice and planning, however I didn't have that luxury during the planning.
Y sounds too painful a jump down after recent F flights with BA, however J is coming out at the £4k mark each with the carriers I'd prefer to use. It appears Y+ is the solution, and the compromise of cost versus comfort when it's your own money.
I could book Y+ seats with BA and hope that upgrade availability would open up, or book Y+ with QF (a perceived better product), knowing that I'd be unable to upgrade with my BA Avois. I'd learned from the FT knowledge base that I could book with QF, and select the 38J/K exit row seats at time of booking on their A380 QF1/QF2 flights. A ticket price of £1.4k each was available so I snapped them up - I feel getting those seats, and both of us out to SYD at under £3k was pretty good value for money.
I subsequently bought cheap domestic returns SYD-CNS, again on QF to get us to where we needed to be. Our BA FF numbers were associated to every flight, earning us both a decent stash of Avois and Tier Points in the process.
Outbound Flight (part 1) - Tuesday 29th May, 2012, QF2 on A380, LHR-SIN-SYD, Premium Economy, 38J&K
[T3 photo]
I had a meeting in west London, so I actually travelled down very early morning to within a few miles of LHR. Mrs Malkie finished work and caught the train down and we met at T3 in plenty of time. We walked into the G check-in area (premium area for BA and QF), but with only one QF desk open to deal with J and Y+ customers this was anything but quick. No big issue, then we head to security - took about 15mins to get through, but the airport was reasonably busy.
A lack of status for us infrequent travellers on Y+ tickets means no lounge access. We have a light bite in one of the places to eat, and I treat us to a glass of champagne in one of the bars to compensate.
[champagne photo]
Time flies reasonably quickly and we make our way to the gate to climb aboard our A380. I'll admit I love commerical aircraft, and I'm somewhat excited about my first A380 flight. Three air-bridges are used F / J & Y+ / Y so we board upstairs with the J passengers very rapidly and find out exit-row seats right at the back of the cabin.
There's plenty of space for us - the seats are as wide as J seats on many carriers, and unlimited legroom. We've got two overhead bins, a window bin and space behind and under the seats. The exit row door slide doesn't impact on our space, and there's enough floor space infront of me that even at 6foot4 there's no way I can reach the cabin crew jump seat infront of me. Big pillows, a very thick blanket, basic amenity kit and noise-cancelling headphones are on the seat upon arrival.
I took a terrible photo of the seats, so found this one on google
Legroom shot, showing the space for my long legs
[amenity kit photo]
You could be forgiven for thinking you are on a 767 in the upper deck of an A380 - I practically forgot there was a larger, lower deck on this aircraft. We received pre-flight "champange", which was extremely nice, but highlighted that Qantas (and indeed everyone we met in Australia) refers to sparkling wine as champange. I even found myself doing it by our return flight. It's a minor point, but potentially offensive to the inhabitants of Champange.
[preflight drinks]
Push back and off we go. Take-off was less of an event than I thought it would be - it was smooth and far less of a "lurch" than most wide-bodied aircraft - this is perhaps because we are on the upper deck???? In fact, most of the time on A380 was smooth, and turning almost unnoticeable.
We get handed out menus, and the cabin crew introduce themselves properly. I must say, the crew on every flight were outstanding; they referred to you by name at all times, made you feel like an individual, and genuinely wanted to make sure everything was ok on your flight. They were better than their BA counterparts (and this is coming from BA apologist). The CSM also walked through the cabin and introduced himself while shaking hands.
[Photo of menus]
We enjoyed dinner after take off - they served from the front of the cabin backwards from trolleys, and to be honest it took some time to get everyone fed. This is largely as they were taking care with each passenger and offering wine tasting and advice over the menu. Fantastic service, but if you want to get fed and then get some sleep this might be a little frustrating.
For dinner I had the chicken pie and mash, while Mrs Malkie tried the sausages. Both extremely tasty, and just the right amount of food for this time of night. It's served in proper crockery, with proper cutlery and on a table cloth. Again, comparable with the service you receive in other carriers J cabins.
Sausages for Mrs Malkie
I tried the chicken pie
I put the IFE on, but manage to get a good 6 or 7 hours sleep on a remarkedly smooth flight down to SIN. Prior to landing we get served breakfast - a excellent offering of bacon and eggs, along with a fresh fruit salad and pastries. This was better than many J breakfasts I've had with BA, however this was after a 12hour flight, and my majority of J over night experiences with BA are east-coast US to LHR which are often less than 6 hours.
Breakfast into SIN
We land in SIN, and have a very quick 1hr turn around - just enough time to stretch our legs and freshen-up. I doubt there would have been enough time to leg it to the lounge for a shower if that had been an option.
[A380 in SIN photo]
Back on again for the second leg - another preflight drink, new menus and fresh pillows, blankets and amenities.
We're served dinner again after take off. I probably don't need more food right now, but I opted for the beef and mash, while Mrs Malkie tries the fish and noodles. Again both are excellent, and the crew are again brilliant.
My beef and mash
Mrs Malkies fish and noddles
This is the shorter 8 hour ish flight and again I sleep through a few films prior to landing in SYD. The tail-cam is a fun addition - however being sat in Y+ means I can't watch the take off and landing as the TV unit is in the arm rest - Y and F passengers can, which is grossly unfair
We get a light breakfast again before landing into SYD. Simple stuff, and probably just about right as I try to adjust to SYD time. We left Tuesday at 9pm, and now it's Thursday at 6am. However, given the length of the flight I managed to get a decent amount of sleep, and I'm genuinely not too jet lagged upon arrival - I'm just a little bit grotty after such a long flight and in need of a shower.
No lines at immigration, and no issues with the quaratine people, despite the horrors you see on "Border Control" on TV. We get boarding passes from the QF transfer desk in International Terminal, then take a short bus ride across to the domestic terminal to await our flight to CNS.
Outbound Flight (part 2) - Thursday 30th May, QF(um, forgotton) on 767, SYD-CNS, Economy, 15A&B
This was pretty impressive for a domestic service. A 3hour flight where we received a fully breakfast service, and a snack before landing, with a movie played on the bigscreen at the front of the cabin. This knocks the socks off short-haul european flights on most carriers where you'll get a drink and birdseed, or possibly a small sandwich and no IFE.
Breakfast was reasonable, and the snack before landing was a drink and a breakfast bar. Excellent for 9am in the morning, and included in the price along with checked baggage.
[breakfast service]
[cabin towards movie screen]
We collect our car (full size; ended up geting a VW Passat) and headed straight to the first location on our tour, and the base that we'd use for the wedding weekend.
Last edited by malkie; Jul 18, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Jul 18, 2012, 4:50 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
First Stop - Kewarra Beach Resort and Spa - http://www.kewarra.com/
Absolutely stunning resort for our first stop. Staff were fantastic, and food top notch. The resort has individual cabins around a couple of man-made water features - each different, and extremely private and secluded.
[Photo of the rain forest]
We stayed here for our first couple of nights, and across when the wedding was on-going. To be honest we didn't take huge advantage of the facilities as we spent most of our time with the bridal party and their families.
[Reception photo]
[Sitting area photo]
[Dining area photo]
It was truely in a forest, but with easy access to the beach. All of the social areas were relaxing and extremely comfortable. Despite being "winter" it was high 20s most days, and while there was some rain it wasn't too bad.
[beach photo]
First night saw us split up in Cairns as I went off with the groom for a stag-night, while Mrs Malkie socialised with the girls on a Hen-night. Content of the two events were unsurprisingly completely different.
Finally get home just after midnight Thursday, and first proper sleep since Monday night.
The wedding on the weekend was amazing - Australian folks were extremely friendly and truely made us feel welcome and part of the family. The entire wedding was held on a sugar cane farm near Cairns, beautiful location with every detail perfect. Open bar, and no closing time resulted in things getting a little messy with us enjoying live music well into the early hours.
We spent the best part of a week in Queensland - while in Cairns we took a boat out to a island located in the Great Barrier Reef. I took a lot of photos, but none of them do the area any justice - it's something you truely have to see for yourself.
[Great Barrier Reef]
The other major excursion was a train journey up a mountain, followed by a cable car journey back down again.
[Train up]
The talk you through the construction of the railway as you travel up for about 2hours, and it was clearly some feat! At the top are a few tourist like attractions, and all of the farming that justified the building of such a crazy rail line.
The truely spectular event was the cable-ride ride back down again (which took about 20 minutes in 3 stages). Amazing views of the coast and beyond.
[Cable Car photo]
After the days in Cairns we drove with some of the wedding party to Cape Tribulation for a few very relaxing days. We stayed in a very large cabin in a rain forest, big enough to sleep 5 couples. Scenery was amazing, but the noises outside in the middle of the night were extremely interesting.
Managed to take a boat-ride to do some crocodile spotting, and weren't disappointed. Huge monsters, almost within touching distance - Mrs Malkie didn't really love that opportunity.
[Warning croc!]
[A croc - there is no zoom on this photo!!]
we spent a couple of days relaxing around the bay and enoughing some decent weather. Can't imagine how hot and humid it must get in the 'winter'
[Bay photo]
[Me in trees - I always make one appearance in my TRs]
Sadly our time in Queensland came to an end, and we departed from the bride and groom to head to Sydney. Really sad to say goodbye, but I know it's only a matter of time until we are hanging out again!
We drove back to CNS, and I grossly underestimated the time required, and also didn't plan enough time to refill the car, or the time to walk between terminals. Oops. Frantic dumping of the car, speedy dash between terminals, then a short wait at check-in to drop our bags. Another sprint to security, but we were through in minutes. We were in the departure terminal for about 10minutes before our flight was called. Really cut that one fine!
Inbound Flight (part 1) - Thursday June 7th, QF(no idea!) on 767, CNS-SYD, Economy, 15A&B
Another really excellent service on a domestic route. A few hours in the sky, with a movie and lunch. To be fair, the food wasn't that great on this sector, but I still ate it, so it clearly wasn't that bad - alcohol was for sale I think - I wasn't really interested. I had beef-slop, and Mrs Malkie had chicken-slop. Another soft drink and icecream was served prior to landing.
[beef-slop]
[chicken-slop]
Absolutely stunning resort for our first stop. Staff were fantastic, and food top notch. The resort has individual cabins around a couple of man-made water features - each different, and extremely private and secluded.
[Photo of the rain forest]
We stayed here for our first couple of nights, and across when the wedding was on-going. To be honest we didn't take huge advantage of the facilities as we spent most of our time with the bridal party and their families.
[Reception photo]
[Sitting area photo]
[Dining area photo]
It was truely in a forest, but with easy access to the beach. All of the social areas were relaxing and extremely comfortable. Despite being "winter" it was high 20s most days, and while there was some rain it wasn't too bad.
[beach photo]
First night saw us split up in Cairns as I went off with the groom for a stag-night, while Mrs Malkie socialised with the girls on a Hen-night. Content of the two events were unsurprisingly completely different.
Finally get home just after midnight Thursday, and first proper sleep since Monday night.
The wedding on the weekend was amazing - Australian folks were extremely friendly and truely made us feel welcome and part of the family. The entire wedding was held on a sugar cane farm near Cairns, beautiful location with every detail perfect. Open bar, and no closing time resulted in things getting a little messy with us enjoying live music well into the early hours.
We spent the best part of a week in Queensland - while in Cairns we took a boat out to a island located in the Great Barrier Reef. I took a lot of photos, but none of them do the area any justice - it's something you truely have to see for yourself.
[Great Barrier Reef]
The other major excursion was a train journey up a mountain, followed by a cable car journey back down again.
[Train up]
The talk you through the construction of the railway as you travel up for about 2hours, and it was clearly some feat! At the top are a few tourist like attractions, and all of the farming that justified the building of such a crazy rail line.
The truely spectular event was the cable-ride ride back down again (which took about 20 minutes in 3 stages). Amazing views of the coast and beyond.
[Cable Car photo]
After the days in Cairns we drove with some of the wedding party to Cape Tribulation for a few very relaxing days. We stayed in a very large cabin in a rain forest, big enough to sleep 5 couples. Scenery was amazing, but the noises outside in the middle of the night were extremely interesting.
Managed to take a boat-ride to do some crocodile spotting, and weren't disappointed. Huge monsters, almost within touching distance - Mrs Malkie didn't really love that opportunity.
[Warning croc!]
[A croc - there is no zoom on this photo!!]
we spent a couple of days relaxing around the bay and enoughing some decent weather. Can't imagine how hot and humid it must get in the 'winter'
[Bay photo]
[Me in trees - I always make one appearance in my TRs]
Sadly our time in Queensland came to an end, and we departed from the bride and groom to head to Sydney. Really sad to say goodbye, but I know it's only a matter of time until we are hanging out again!
We drove back to CNS, and I grossly underestimated the time required, and also didn't plan enough time to refill the car, or the time to walk between terminals. Oops. Frantic dumping of the car, speedy dash between terminals, then a short wait at check-in to drop our bags. Another sprint to security, but we were through in minutes. We were in the departure terminal for about 10minutes before our flight was called. Really cut that one fine!
Inbound Flight (part 1) - Thursday June 7th, QF(no idea!) on 767, CNS-SYD, Economy, 15A&B
Another really excellent service on a domestic route. A few hours in the sky, with a movie and lunch. To be fair, the food wasn't that great on this sector, but I still ate it, so it clearly wasn't that bad - alcohol was for sale I think - I wasn't really interested. I had beef-slop, and Mrs Malkie had chicken-slop. Another soft drink and icecream was served prior to landing.
[beef-slop]
[chicken-slop]
Last edited by malkie; Jul 24, 2012 at 5:15 am
Jul 18, 2012, 4:51 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
Radisson Blu - Syndey, Thursday June 7th to Thursday June 14th
Clearly we had a lot of options for hotels, and there are some excellent ones available. After pulling a short list of the usual suspects together we chose the Radisson, mostly because it had a recent revamp, and because it's location put everything in central Syndey within simple walking distance.
Exceptional hotel - fantastic staff, who gave everything a personal touch and you genuinely felt interested in your well being. We'd paid for a room upgrade when we booked which got us a larger room with a desk and couch, and a bigger bathroom with a tub and walk-in shower.
First couple of photos aren't great - sorry
[Hotel from the outside in the evening]
[Lounge area - there are far better photos on their website]
[Bedroom]
[office area - free wifi!]
[Bathroom]
As you might imagine we spent some time checking out the obvious local landmarks!
[Opera House taken from the Harbour Bridge]
[Bridge and Opera House taken from the Botanical Gardens]
The Rocks was a great area to hang out in. Some excellent bars and places to eat, great atmosphere, and some excellent street food on certain days.
[Opera House taken from The Rocks]
There were a multitude of places to eat, so we tried out best to sample as much as possible. We ate Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Regular-Australian, and even went to a German. I agree it's slightly odd to travel so far to try European food, but my opinion is that when abroad you get the local version which is often very different to the authentic version. Chinese food is a perfect example - it's never the same in two countries, and is nothing like the true authentic Chinese food in China.
[Some Japanese food we had one night]
We took the opportunity to meet up with people we met at the wedding the weekend before who live in Sydney. It was really good to catch up with them and exchange stories about the wedding.
In addition to the landmarks and a bit of relaxation time we did a few other activities too. Highlight was possibly a train ride up in to the Blue Mountains. Took about 2hours to travel up into the mountains, but it was worth every second. Trains were very clean, and had an interesting double-decker design offering loads of space.
[train carriage]
we got off at one stop, then walked backwards through the mountains to the previous train stop (about 3hours) and caught the train back to Syndey. It was a real hectic walk, but thoroughly worth the effort!
[view of The Three Sisters]
We caught a ferry across to the Zoo and spent a day there. We both love wild-life and enjoy visiting zoos when abroad. Also took in the Aquarium and two of the main art galleries and museums.
No trip to Sydney would be complete without a visit to Bondi beach. Of course, being the middle of 'summer', it was somewhat cold, very wet and windy. As a result the place was totally empty, but I can imagine it would be really busy during the 'winter'
[photo of Bondi beach]
We did relax at the bars on the run-up to the Opera House - very easy to sit here and watch the world past by
[Bars near Opera House]
Shopping was pretty good in Sydney, but not my sort of thing.
[Photo of shopping mall]
All good things come to an end, and sadly we had to pack up and head back to SYD for our return flight to LHR. A fantastic two weeks in Australia, and I'd head back there in a heart-beat!
Clearly we had a lot of options for hotels, and there are some excellent ones available. After pulling a short list of the usual suspects together we chose the Radisson, mostly because it had a recent revamp, and because it's location put everything in central Syndey within simple walking distance.
Exceptional hotel - fantastic staff, who gave everything a personal touch and you genuinely felt interested in your well being. We'd paid for a room upgrade when we booked which got us a larger room with a desk and couch, and a bigger bathroom with a tub and walk-in shower.
First couple of photos aren't great - sorry
[Hotel from the outside in the evening]
[Lounge area - there are far better photos on their website]
[Bedroom]
[office area - free wifi!]
[Bathroom]
As you might imagine we spent some time checking out the obvious local landmarks!
[Opera House taken from the Harbour Bridge]
[Bridge and Opera House taken from the Botanical Gardens]
The Rocks was a great area to hang out in. Some excellent bars and places to eat, great atmosphere, and some excellent street food on certain days.
[Opera House taken from The Rocks]
There were a multitude of places to eat, so we tried out best to sample as much as possible. We ate Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Regular-Australian, and even went to a German. I agree it's slightly odd to travel so far to try European food, but my opinion is that when abroad you get the local version which is often very different to the authentic version. Chinese food is a perfect example - it's never the same in two countries, and is nothing like the true authentic Chinese food in China.
[Some Japanese food we had one night]
We took the opportunity to meet up with people we met at the wedding the weekend before who live in Sydney. It was really good to catch up with them and exchange stories about the wedding.
In addition to the landmarks and a bit of relaxation time we did a few other activities too. Highlight was possibly a train ride up in to the Blue Mountains. Took about 2hours to travel up into the mountains, but it was worth every second. Trains were very clean, and had an interesting double-decker design offering loads of space.
[train carriage]
we got off at one stop, then walked backwards through the mountains to the previous train stop (about 3hours) and caught the train back to Syndey. It was a real hectic walk, but thoroughly worth the effort!
[view of The Three Sisters]
We caught a ferry across to the Zoo and spent a day there. We both love wild-life and enjoy visiting zoos when abroad. Also took in the Aquarium and two of the main art galleries and museums.
No trip to Sydney would be complete without a visit to Bondi beach. Of course, being the middle of 'summer', it was somewhat cold, very wet and windy. As a result the place was totally empty, but I can imagine it would be really busy during the 'winter'
[photo of Bondi beach]
We did relax at the bars on the run-up to the Opera House - very easy to sit here and watch the world past by
[Bars near Opera House]
Shopping was pretty good in Sydney, but not my sort of thing.
[Photo of shopping mall]
All good things come to an end, and sadly we had to pack up and head back to SYD for our return flight to LHR. A fantastic two weeks in Australia, and I'd head back there in a heart-beat!
Jul 18, 2012, 4:51 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
Outbound Flight (part 2) - Thursday 14th June, 2012, QF1 on A380, SYD-SIN-LHR, Premium Economy, 38J&K
Rolled up to SYD with plenty of time to spare, and checked in at the dedicated PE check-in area. It's located immediately next to the J and F check-in areas. Nothing special, but it means absolutely no waiting. Immediately felt the staff were excellent and interested in knowing if we'd enjoyed our trip.
[check-in area]
Quickly through security and outbound immigration to the international departures hall. As far as departure areas go this place was stunning - I'm not sure how new it is, but it was extremely clean and very spacious. There was plenty of spare comfortable seating in the main area, and free wifi if you needed.
We enjoyed a quick sandwich and again I treated us to a departure glass of 'champagne' to compensate for lack of lounge access.
[Pre flight bubbles]
Noticed a BA 747 on the tarmac while we were in the departure area -this would have been the BA flight we could have been on. Despite my new love for the A380, the 747 remains my favourite aircraft.....
[BA 747, also on its way to LHR]
Our flight was delayed, but we just sat back and enjoyed the comfortables seats. Eventually was called and headed to the gate. Priority boarding again, also via three bridges, so very little waiting time.
Got settled into 38J/K, and enjoyed another glass of 'champange' pre-departure. Again the PE cabin is full, but plenty of space for everyone. Crew walked around and introduced themselves, and as before they were fantastic - genuinely made us feel special.
[Can't remember if this was inflight or not as we've got nibbles]
[Fantastic tail-cam view]
Food was decent, if perhaps not as good as the dinner out of LHR. On this sector we both tried the beef and vegetables. Plenty of alcohol on offer on this flight, but I only had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Surprisingly they also offered desert wine after dinner, and poured decent portions if you were interested. That's something often not available in many carriers J cabins (but not my sort of thing).
[Dinner ex-SYD]
I did my best to stay awake on this flight to try and maximise sleep on the upcoming SIN-LHR sector. Watched a few films - none of which were particularly noteworthy.
Prior to landing we were offered hot snacks. They actually offer hot snacks throughout all PE flights if you ask crew to prepare them for you. Additionally there is a snack-bar located at the back of the PE cabin, which has lots of soft and alcoholic drinks selection, and plenty of nibbles too.
I tried the toasted beef sandwich (was excellent), and Mrs Malkie tried the single person pizza (not so good!).
[Hot snacks]
[The Snack bar]
Flight to SIN didn't feel too long, and we're soon back off the plane stretching our legs. Again, I'm not sure there's enough time to get to a lounge and shower prior to the take off of the next flight (particularly because we are delayed), however they make you feel like you have a few minutes off the plane, only to hold you in the departure area for an age before getting you back on the flight.
I assume seasoned travellers know how much time is actually available and probably return just prior to the doors closing and push back.
I thought this was going to be the most painful flight in my life, but it wasn't too bad at all. The width of the seat, and unlimited legroom probably made the difference. I know many people break the LHR-SYD trip into two, but I'd personally recommend doing it all at once - after getting my brain into plane-mode I didn't mind getting back on the plane after an 8 hour flight immediately into a 12 hour flight.
More pre-flight 'champagne', and interestingly I noticed them hand out pyjamas to a few passengers in PE. I'm not sure if this was normal, or because they had extra from J, or if these were status passengers who asked nicely.
I had dinner after take-off, but Mrs Malkie wasn't hungry. It was a very tasty chicken curry.
[Chicken Curry]
Managed to catch one more film before getting some sleep for about 6 hours or so.
Breakfast was served about an hour before landing. Another decent offering of bacon, egg and mushrooms - fresh fruit salad and very drinkable coffee.
[Breakfast before landing in LHR]
Overall this was another very smooth flight with nothing noteworthy, and a textbook landing into LHR.
Off plane. Passport control. Get bags. Get car. Drive home.
I'd love to say that was the end of the trip, but we had a wedding to attend the day we landed, so it was a quick trip home to drop bags, load up with clean clothes and head up to Birmingham for the weekend. Eventually getting into a bed late in the evening.
Overall Conclusions
The QF PE product is excellent, and a perfect compromise between Y and J on a long trip - particularly because I could get the exit row seats at time of booking.
A380 is an amazing beast, and I can't wait to fly on a BA one in the future.
Australia is a beautiful country with amazingly friendly people
Next up
Probably an east coast US work trip or two, but planning an F trip to the USA for holiday next year with Mrs Malkie (we are thinking LHR-JFK-LAS-LHR - expect a TR)
Rolled up to SYD with plenty of time to spare, and checked in at the dedicated PE check-in area. It's located immediately next to the J and F check-in areas. Nothing special, but it means absolutely no waiting. Immediately felt the staff were excellent and interested in knowing if we'd enjoyed our trip.
[check-in area]
Quickly through security and outbound immigration to the international departures hall. As far as departure areas go this place was stunning - I'm not sure how new it is, but it was extremely clean and very spacious. There was plenty of spare comfortable seating in the main area, and free wifi if you needed.
We enjoyed a quick sandwich and again I treated us to a departure glass of 'champagne' to compensate for lack of lounge access.
[Pre flight bubbles]
Noticed a BA 747 on the tarmac while we were in the departure area -this would have been the BA flight we could have been on. Despite my new love for the A380, the 747 remains my favourite aircraft.....
[BA 747, also on its way to LHR]
Our flight was delayed, but we just sat back and enjoyed the comfortables seats. Eventually was called and headed to the gate. Priority boarding again, also via three bridges, so very little waiting time.
Got settled into 38J/K, and enjoyed another glass of 'champange' pre-departure. Again the PE cabin is full, but plenty of space for everyone. Crew walked around and introduced themselves, and as before they were fantastic - genuinely made us feel special.
[Can't remember if this was inflight or not as we've got nibbles]
[Fantastic tail-cam view]
Food was decent, if perhaps not as good as the dinner out of LHR. On this sector we both tried the beef and vegetables. Plenty of alcohol on offer on this flight, but I only had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Surprisingly they also offered desert wine after dinner, and poured decent portions if you were interested. That's something often not available in many carriers J cabins (but not my sort of thing).
[Dinner ex-SYD]
I did my best to stay awake on this flight to try and maximise sleep on the upcoming SIN-LHR sector. Watched a few films - none of which were particularly noteworthy.
Prior to landing we were offered hot snacks. They actually offer hot snacks throughout all PE flights if you ask crew to prepare them for you. Additionally there is a snack-bar located at the back of the PE cabin, which has lots of soft and alcoholic drinks selection, and plenty of nibbles too.
I tried the toasted beef sandwich (was excellent), and Mrs Malkie tried the single person pizza (not so good!).
[Hot snacks]
[The Snack bar]
Flight to SIN didn't feel too long, and we're soon back off the plane stretching our legs. Again, I'm not sure there's enough time to get to a lounge and shower prior to the take off of the next flight (particularly because we are delayed), however they make you feel like you have a few minutes off the plane, only to hold you in the departure area for an age before getting you back on the flight.
I assume seasoned travellers know how much time is actually available and probably return just prior to the doors closing and push back.
I thought this was going to be the most painful flight in my life, but it wasn't too bad at all. The width of the seat, and unlimited legroom probably made the difference. I know many people break the LHR-SYD trip into two, but I'd personally recommend doing it all at once - after getting my brain into plane-mode I didn't mind getting back on the plane after an 8 hour flight immediately into a 12 hour flight.
More pre-flight 'champagne', and interestingly I noticed them hand out pyjamas to a few passengers in PE. I'm not sure if this was normal, or because they had extra from J, or if these were status passengers who asked nicely.
I had dinner after take-off, but Mrs Malkie wasn't hungry. It was a very tasty chicken curry.
[Chicken Curry]
Managed to catch one more film before getting some sleep for about 6 hours or so.
Breakfast was served about an hour before landing. Another decent offering of bacon, egg and mushrooms - fresh fruit salad and very drinkable coffee.
[Breakfast before landing in LHR]
Overall this was another very smooth flight with nothing noteworthy, and a textbook landing into LHR.
Off plane. Passport control. Get bags. Get car. Drive home.
I'd love to say that was the end of the trip, but we had a wedding to attend the day we landed, so it was a quick trip home to drop bags, load up with clean clothes and head up to Birmingham for the weekend. Eventually getting into a bed late in the evening.
Overall Conclusions
The QF PE product is excellent, and a perfect compromise between Y and J on a long trip - particularly because I could get the exit row seats at time of booking.
A380 is an amazing beast, and I can't wait to fly on a BA one in the future.
Australia is a beautiful country with amazingly friendly people
Next up
Probably an east coast US work trip or two, but planning an F trip to the USA for holiday next year with Mrs Malkie (we are thinking LHR-JFK-LAS-LHR - expect a TR)
Jul 19, 2012, 2:57 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Auckland
Programs: Skywards, Airpoints
Posts: 37
Awesome TR Malkie, nice balance of words and photos.
I spent a week in Cairns in late June and completely agree with you regarding the hinterland touring. I like how everything is so accessible, compared to other national parks and facilities around the place. The weather wasn't bad either
The USA trip sounds interesting - best of luck with planning.
Cheers,
scanman24
BTW: the flight numbers were QF924/925.
I spent a week in Cairns in late June and completely agree with you regarding the hinterland touring. I like how everything is so accessible, compared to other national parks and facilities around the place. The weather wasn't bad either
The USA trip sounds interesting - best of luck with planning.
Cheers,
scanman24
BTW: the flight numbers were QF924/925.
Jul 19, 2012, 6:48 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Queensland, Australia
Programs: QF WP; HHonours
Posts: 53
Thanks to your tr Malkie I'm less dreading my return trip from dfw-bne in PE. Have flown last rt trips oz-us in business, couldn't manage it this time. Over next trip in j with pts. and pe on return. Keeping my fingers crossed my pe experience will equal yours. It will be in the refitted 747 and I think the seats are suppose to be similar to the 380.
Very good price for your all's trip, if you ever look at the oz. qantas site, you will see our fares are much more expensive, other than unusal special sales.
Great photos of your trips, made me homesick and I live here.
Very good price for your all's trip, if you ever look at the oz. qantas site, you will see our fares are much more expensive, other than unusal special sales.
Great photos of your trips, made me homesick and I live here.
Jul 20, 2012, 3:04 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
The USA trip sounds interesting - best of luck with planning.
Thanks for the flight numbers - I'll edit them in
Very nice trip report! Me and the other half are flying on QF1 in a couple of weeks time and we are very very very excited by the pictures!
Thanks to your tr Malkie I'm less dreading my return trip from dfw-bne in PE
QF PE looks like an amazing product, especially from those seats!
Mrs Malkie thinks I'm crazy for being interested in FF schemes, and the FT board, yet she doesn't really complain when she finds herself flying longhaul in comfort (particularly if in J or F) at no cost to herself. As a consequence she has a fairly large stack of points too, from a combination of base PE flights that I upgraded to J with my own points, service recovery points, and the recent PE to SYD flights.
I'm actually keen to pay (cash in a sale or points) to send my mother, and my mother-in-law in J long haul somewhere. Neither have been in a premium cabin (and my mother flys to New Zealand almost every other year), so I'd love to treat them. I might make Mrs Malkie use her miles to do that
Jul 22, 2012, 11:53 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,340
Great trip report malkie ^
I think you speak a lot of sense about the cost of W vs J, although I must admit the lack of a flat bed would worry me on that route.
The QF Premium Economy product looks very good for what it is, akin to their Domestic Business service. Really the only thing that's missing is lounge access if you're not a frequent flyer.
The PE food looks good - certainly a lot better than the horrid stuff they serve in Domestic Economy at any rate.
I agree with you about doing the LHR-SYD two flights back to back without a proper stopover. When we flew the route a couple of years ago (albeit luckily in F!) we didn't stopover, having visited SIN properly the previous summer. The 7-8 hour sector SIN-SYD really does go by rather quickly after the 12-13 hour LHR-SIN sector!
I see you were very lucky with your weather in the Blue Mountains - when we visited, we could hardly see a thing for the low cloud/mist (although could sense the majesty of the mountains if that makes sense!).
I would've liked to have done that train tip when in CNS, but the cablecar ending put me off - is it an option to get the train back as well?
Looking forward to more trip reports from you!
I think you speak a lot of sense about the cost of W vs J, although I must admit the lack of a flat bed would worry me on that route.
The QF Premium Economy product looks very good for what it is, akin to their Domestic Business service. Really the only thing that's missing is lounge access if you're not a frequent flyer.
The PE food looks good - certainly a lot better than the horrid stuff they serve in Domestic Economy at any rate.
I agree with you about doing the LHR-SYD two flights back to back without a proper stopover. When we flew the route a couple of years ago (albeit luckily in F!) we didn't stopover, having visited SIN properly the previous summer. The 7-8 hour sector SIN-SYD really does go by rather quickly after the 12-13 hour LHR-SIN sector!
I see you were very lucky with your weather in the Blue Mountains - when we visited, we could hardly see a thing for the low cloud/mist (although could sense the majesty of the mountains if that makes sense!).
I would've liked to have done that train tip when in CNS, but the cablecar ending put me off - is it an option to get the train back as well?
Looking forward to more trip reports from you!
Jul 22, 2012, 4:50 pm
#11
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
QF domestic Y
I totally agree with you! QF domestic is incredible! SYD-BNE (1h30m) and we were served hot dinner and 2 bottles of wine. And food was good indeed. Good report!
Jul 24, 2012, 5:33 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,403
Thanks for your comments Genius1 - I appreciate you taking the time to reply as I always love reading your TRs.
I had worried, as I've been flying J or F for a good few years now, and become somewhat used to it. However even in J (with BA at least), I can't get fully flat as I'm too tall - unless of course I can bag one of the extra-legroom seats. I managed a good 6-7 hours asleep in PE, and to be genuinely honest I probably wouldn't have got that much more in J.
Ultimately it was a cost decision and £2.8k for two versus £6-7k for two was an easy decision to make. The width of the seat, the IFE, the quality of the food, and the exceptional service brought it almost in line with J on BA (almost), but lacking the bed. [I've had some bad food, broken IFE and terrible crew on BA, but the seat (and their US flight schedule) keeps me coming back.
This was a gap, but we sat in a quiet bar on the way out, and the way back and had a drink at our expense.
Lounge experience for me really comes in when I have 4hours at an airport and a load of work to complete before take-off, then a Shower upon landing and straight to work. Pre-flight dining on a sleeper service really makes a huge difference on an east-coast USA-LHR night flight too.
I believe so - the train has to get back down somehow! We chose the cable car for the views, and really enjoyed it. Train takes about 2hours back down again.
There's not a great deal to do at the top - it's very tourist orientated, but the views were everything. Not cheap though - was AUD100 each for the trip.
I did a little search on options from SYD to CNS, and QFs offering came out on top, and was similarly priced. Food wasn't amazing, but kept us going through to lunchtime, so we didn't need to find somewhere to eat immediately upon arrival in CNS. Movie on the big screen was a welcomed bonus, and did make me nostalgic for TATLs from years ago (almost).
We saw four in total on our tour, and got extremely close to them. Not sure if that one was salt water or not, but it was huge.
I think you speak a lot of sense about the cost of W vs J, although I must admit the lack of a flat bed would worry me on that route.
Ultimately it was a cost decision and £2.8k for two versus £6-7k for two was an easy decision to make. The width of the seat, the IFE, the quality of the food, and the exceptional service brought it almost in line with J on BA (almost), but lacking the bed. [I've had some bad food, broken IFE and terrible crew on BA, but the seat (and their US flight schedule) keeps me coming back.
Really the only thing that's missing is lounge access if you're not a frequent flyer.
Lounge experience for me really comes in when I have 4hours at an airport and a load of work to complete before take-off, then a Shower upon landing and straight to work. Pre-flight dining on a sleeper service really makes a huge difference on an east-coast USA-LHR night flight too.
I would've liked to have done that train tip when in CNS, but the cablecar ending put me off - is it an option to get the train back as well?
There's not a great deal to do at the top - it's very tourist orientated, but the views were everything. Not cheap though - was AUD100 each for the trip.
I totally agree with you! QF domestic is incredible! SYD-BNE (1h30m) and we were served hot dinner and 2 bottles of wine. And food was good indeed. Good report!
cool! is that a salt water croc? it's like there's no safe place on that entire continent. salt water crocs are so scary.
