Glad you did not suffer the MH curse of A330s turning back due to technical faults!

Did know they've had issue with A330. I knew they have been struggling financially, thus cancelled a lot of flights.

Nice report. I'm curious why you chose MH? Was it based on price or award availability?

I wouldn't get too down about missing the stamp. You still wouldn't have gotten one going through normal passport control.

thank you. They had a reasonable price, are OW partner and I wanted to experience flying with them.

I enjoy staying at Voco hotels because each has its unique charm. The Uber driver dropped me off on Lonsdale Street, which initially confused me because it wasn't the hotel address. However, I soon spotted the Voco sign and followed it to the hotel.



The reception is located on the 6th floor. The lifts have special instructions. Firstly, I had to select from a menu where I wanted to go before entering the lift. An internal algorithm then allocated one of three lifts (A-C). Once inside, I had to swipe my card to confirm the selection, and only then did the lift start moving. I noticed that many people would just enter the lift without swiping their cards and get stuck in it without going to their floor.


The reception was spacious, with two large seating areas. Check-in was fast since I was the only one there. Once I got the key, I returned to the lifts and my room.



My room was on an upper level and divided into three sections - a bedroom, a bathroom, and a separate toilet. Each area featured large windows, allowing plenty of natural light.




In the middle of the room was a very comfy bed.


Safe and iron

The room had nice views of Melbourne.

Night view


Sunrise in Melbourne

The hotel had implemented a sustainability program by not providing small water bottles in the rooms. Instead, they had a special section behind the reception area where they placed large bottles of still and sparkling water in the fridge. Guests were encouraged to take as many bottles as needed and refill them whenever necessary. I found it quite enjoyable to refill the bottles, almost as if I were at a pub pretending to pour cider into a wine bottle. It was a creative, eco-friendly approach that added a fun touch to the stay.


The restaurant is closed Mondays, so I went to the bar to have som snacks - squid and a glass of Pinot Grigio




I spotted a small outdoor pool while having breakfast on my final morning.


Breakfast:




Fruit

Salmon, cheese, salad


Hot food

I'm not one for detailed itineraries; I usually have a rough idea of what I want to see or do and then go with the flow for the rest of the day.
I spent most of my time exploring Melbourne's Central Business District, known as the CBD. After a long day of walking, I was utterly drained and couldn't bear the thought of walking any further. To my dismay, I discovered that credit/debit cards were still not accepted for tram rides.
As a result, I had to walk to Flinders Street Station and purchase a Myki card, the local equivalent of an Oyster card. However, as soon as I boarded the tram, I noticed a "Free tram zone," rendering the myki card unnecessary since all tram journeys within this zone are free.
However, places like Fitzroy Gardey and The Royal Botanic Garden are outside this zone.

Here are some photos from my walk:


Cherry blossom near Old Melbourne Gaol


Royal Exhibition Building

Tulips in the Parliament Garden

Parliament House is a grand Victorian-era building that has witnessed the shaping of Australia's democracy.

The Block Arcade: Victorian-era shopping arcade. The Block Arcade offers a unique shopping experience with high-end boutiques and local artisans. Its grand interior, complete with mosaic floors and ornate ceilings.

The Block Arcade

The Royal Arcade is another Victorian-era shopping arcade filled with boutique shops, cafes, and art galleries. Its beautiful stained-glass ceiling and historic architecture create a charming atmosphere.

The Royal Arcade


St. Paul's Cathedral



Flinders Street Station - A bustling transportation hub and an iconic symbol of Melbourne


Hosier Lane - a narrow alleyway adorned with colourful murals and graffiti

Federation Square is known for its distinctive architecture and diverse attractions, such as art galleries, cafes, and event spaces, making it a popular destination for locals and tourists. In the summer, many chairs and bean bags are placed here, allowing tired tourists like myself to rest and recharge.

Federation Square

Koorie Heritage Trust - shows the history and culture of Australia's Indigenous people.


Emu egg


Federation bells: a collection of 37 cast bells and a tribute to Australia's Federation.

Fitzroy Garden and Conservatory. I was a bit disappointed by the Conservatory, but I still enjoyed the walk, especially because spring had just started and flowers like daffodils and tulips were blooming. It was confusing to experience spring in September.

Conservatory

Eureka Skydeck - The highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere, offering panoramic city views.





Shrine of Remembrance - shrine commemorating Australian wartime

Shrine of Remembrance



Royal Botanic Garden - A serene oasis with diverse plant species, offering a peaceful escape from the city.




Docklands


Marvel Stadium



Melbourne Cricket Ground: One of the world's most famous sporting venues, hosting cricket matches and other events. Next to it was Australian Open tournament site.



I had the pleasure of having lunch with WickedStepMother , a fellow FTer. We decided to eat at The Tea Rooms 1892, which had caught my eye the previous day as a long queue of eager tourists awaited their turn to enter this charming establishment. Apparently, it's a hotspot for capturing picturesque moments to share on social media.





There was constant protest throughout the week I was there, especially on Wednesday and Friday. I noticed several helicopters as I was walking to my meeting.

After successfully passing through the security screening, I proceeded toward the 1-10 Gates, following the clearly marked signs leading to the Virgin Australia Lounge. As I walked for a few minutes, I saw a striking red wall adorned with the words "Virgin Australia Lounge."


After the lounge dragon checked my BP and allowed me to enter, I stepped into a spacious room designed to provide a comfortable and calming environment for business class passengers and Virgin Australia priority members.



The lounge was very busy. However, I could hardly see the cleaning staff. I searched for quite some time, but the only food available was peri chicken rolls, salad, and bread rolls. It was pretty disappointing to find such a limited food selection. I wonder if they offer more options at other times of the day.


All drinks were stored in the refrigerator behind the staffed bar.


Numerous spots were available to be filled with more food, yet they all remained empty.


Coffee machine

The view of the apron was nice, with plenty of Virgin Australia planes arriving and departing. I even saw a Rex Saab 340 aircraft.


Rex Saab 340

Many people on this forum complain about British Airways lounges. If they visited the Virgin Australia Lounge, I am sure they'd change their minds.

Priority Pass does not offer lounge access in MEL. Instead, it offers AUD 36 in two places: Biggie Smalls and Stomping Ground Brewer. I forgot to check their menus.

I purchased my flight ticket using my BA Avios points on the Qatar Airways website. I was able to find almost any Virgin Australia flight there. However, finding Qantas flights on the British Airways website was incredibly difficult.

Melbourne Airport has four terminals. Terminal 1 is for the Qantas group (Qantas, Qantaslink), Terminal 2 is for international flights, Terminal 3 is for Virgin Australia and Rex, and Terminal 4 is for Jetstar and other airlines. Uber dropped me off right in front of Terminal 3.

Terminal 3

I remembered everything was self-service, so I went to the kiosk, found my booking, printed my boarding pass and luggage tag, attached the tag, and took my luggage to the belt. It was easy. I only noticed a few counters with real people (not just machines) for business passengers when I went to domestic security.



While waiting in the lounge and watching planes on FR24, I realised that I hadn't booked a Qantaslink flight. I looked up their flights from Sydney and chose to go to Canberra. Even though I could have done B2B in Canberra, I decided against it and booked a different return flight with a different aircraft.

T3

Departure hall

Lego store

The scheduled departure time for my VA1297 flight was 16:20 (4:20 pm). I received a notification from Tripit that my flight would be delayed by 30 minutes. Since I wasn't familiar with the boarding procedure for VA, I left the lounge 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time at the time indicated on my boarding pass for boarding.


The first boarding announcement for the pre-boards was at 16:15 (4:15 pm). To my surprise, nobody stood up and went to the gate. Five minutes later, all business class and frequent fliers were invited to board.


Compared to European airlines, VA has proper business class seats on domestic flights. This Boeing 737-800 had two rows of business class seats with two seats on each side. However, there was no divider between the business and economy cabins. I sat in my seat 2A and waited for all the passengers to board.




Shortly after, the cabin crew brought the pre-departure beverages - sparkling wine and water. The captain introduced the flight crew and explained the reason for the delay. We were missing one crew member who was on a delayed flight to MEL, but they were expected to join us soon.


Safety card

Once the missing crew member arrived, the door was closed, and we were ready for takeoff. As predicted by Tripit, we were airborne just 30 minutes after our scheduled departure time. Interestingly, the seatbelt sign was turned off less than 2 minutes after takeoff.

It turned out that the delayed cabin crew member was actually the in-flight leader (IFL). He welcomed everyone, apologised for the delay, and took our food and drink (one red and one white wine) orders. We were offered two options: creamy chicken or pasta with cheese. I couldn't recall if I forgot to select a special meal or if there was no option for a non-lactose meal (NLML). I chose the pasta, hoping it was a cheese I could eat.


Luckily, it was something I could eat. And as a bonus, I got cheddar cheese as a starter. I was glad that the dessert wasn't a cheesecake.

The crew provided exceptional service, displaying attentiveness, friendliness, and approachability throughout the flight. The lack of a curtain between cabins led to economy passengers forming long queues for the restroom.

Access to free WiFi was granted to business class passengers and Platinum members, while others could purchase it for a starting price of 9.75 AUD. Although no seat monitors were available, passengers could enjoy complimentary entertainment by connecting to the WiFi.




Arriving at CNS at 20:00 (8 pm), we disembarked and made our way to the domestic terminal, which, surprisingly, was accompanied by an international terminal. A brief stroll led us to the luggage belt, and I immediately noticed the stark contrast in weather compared to Melbourne. The humidity was quite overwhelming for my liking.


Info about taxi snd bus price

After retrieving my luggage, I called an Uber. I followed the Uber signs to the designated area for Uber drivers that was right in front of the terminal building.

Virgin Australia looks a decent option, I have a couple of flights booked next year, also using Avios through Qatar. What were the drink options in the lounge like, it appears eating may not be up to much!

As an Aussie who doesn't live downunder anymore (but who is in Australia every month) the problem we have is that the Oz market is a 2 horse race. Both airlines need a heavy investment in the lounge network. About the only lounges worth visiting are the QF First pubs in MEL and SYD. I visited the Virgin lounge in MEL the other day and its underwhelming to say the least.

The QF Business lounge (International) is average at best because its in the basement and has zero windows, the Amex Centurion lounge is small, SQ's is better and Plaza Premium ok (catering for all 3 lounges is done by the same people). The Air NZ lounge at MEL International terminal is decent as it has views to the apron. I havent been to EK's lounge at MEL international for a while but it used to have great views of the airport, plus the best food and wine options.

I checked my notes and it says two red wine and two white (I assume one was Chardonnay). Some beer in the fridge. As @eightblack wrote VA lounge in MEL is pretty underwhelming. I did not visit other VA lounges.


I don�t think you can access international lounges when flying domestically, as it�s different terminal. Or can you?

You are correct - you can only visit the international lounges when flying internationally. Was more of an observational comment on the state of lounges in general at MEL airport. Sorry to derail the thread. I will self report myself to the Mod

I only asked as I thought I missed some hack, haha. Feel free to add your comments as they may help other people travelling to the land of Oz 😀.

I had a flights this week which covered visiting Virgin lounge one day and QF another in MEL and flew business on each carrier. I don't think there is a significant difference between the two lounge products. Virgin lounge this week was offering the said wraps, plus salads which were not too bad and a thai chicken soup with bread rolls which was tasty. The QF lounge had a bit of a wider selection but found the food overall to be lacking. They offered the korean pork and kimchi freshly served by the chef but thought it was not that good. The noodles they offered for my taste were too greasy. Between the two lounges I preferred the Virgin offerings. As to cleaning staff, I was at the Virgin lounge at a busy time of the day and the staff were on it with the cleaning as were QF but at that time the lounge was quiet. As to the drink offerings, QF did have barista service which I consider a bonus, alcohol wise I have nothing to offer as do not drink. On board, I find the Virgin business class seat to be roomier than QF, it just felt more spacious. I was indifferent to food offerings on both services. I do find the Virgin staff to be a bit warmer and friendlier, maybe more genuine, but that's not to say the QF staff were terrible.