I am considering going in Febrauary. What do people think about this place? How many nights should I consider booking while travelling with my wife?

I'd suggest you post this over in the QF forum, you'll get lots of takers. We were there last October, and it remains one of my stand out vacations in Australia.

Happy snaps here:

http://ozcanuck.smugmug.com/gallery/260813

if you're interested.

I found six days just about right - could have added another couple on to relax some more though. Really depends on your situation, if you're down here for a short time only, I'd pare it back to 3-4 days.

I've always thought that Lord Howe represents about the best use of QF points if you can manage to snag award flights there, given how much the paid tickets cost!

Great photos, Scoop, you always seem to have been to all the South Pacific destinations I want to go to! Where did you stay and would you recommend it? And how did you find the weather in October?

thanks

You are correct there - it is far and away the best value for QF points, especially since May.

We stayed at Lorhiti, but they have increased their prices this year, and I don't think it's good value anymore. If we were to go back, we'd stay here . While more expensive, it is brand new, has a great location, and is the kind of self contained accommodation which we like (as was Lorhiti).

As for the weather in October, well... one day was fantastic, the rest was cloudy and cold (12-15 degrees). Having said that, the locals were all commenting on how unseasonal the weather was being. It did make for great hiking weather, but far too cold to hop in the ocean.

mad_atta thanks for your comments - sadly our four years in the antipodes is running out - only three weeks to go before we return to the cold barren wasteland of YYZ. We had to make the most of it while we were here....

Went on a family holiday, beautiful place and genuinely friendly people. Make sure you feed the fish at Ned's beach, they come so close to shore and dance around your legs. Magical!

Thanks for the accommodation recommendation, Scoop. Sorry to hear that your Antipodean idyll is coming to an end.

Taking this off topic, but knowing that you are a fan of both French Polynesia and self-contained accommodation, do you have any recommendations of that type for Moorea, Bora Bora or any of the other 'inner' islands in FP? We're heading there for 10 days at easter on an AC award, but the accomm costs are threatening to turn it into a very expensive holiday nonetheless!

Well I think we've completely hijacked this thread, but the OP seems to have disappeared so...

In fact, in ppt, moz, huh, and bob, we stayed at top of the line places. I guess that's one of the attractions of French Polynesia in general.

The best reference for accommodation is Jan Prince's "travel" guide for the area. I put that in quotes because it doesn't hold a candle to lonely planet for maps, sights, etc. etc., but it does have a very comprehensive listing of all types of accommodation, self contained through ultra luxury.

My copy is three years old, but you're welcome to borrow it for a time if you like - just with the reasonable expectation it will find its way back to YYZ at some point..

(With apologies to the OP for my continued hijacking of the thread...)

That's good to know about the Jan Prince guide - I only have the South Pacific LP which is of course lacking in detail, so it would be useful to have another guide. Thanks for your kind offer but I think I'll just buy a copy, since it would no doubt be useful to have a newer edition.

We know resume our regular programming on the subject of Lord Howe Island...

No worries. I had to order mine from the US, let me know if you have problems getting a copy.