Fly from Brisbane to Cairns and there in time for breakfast! Of course, it did mean getting up at 3am to make a 6am flight, and two and a half hours sitting silently between two men, one built like a mining truck and the other hiding behind his hoodie (I started to suspect that he had smothered beneath his own hood, until his hand went up beneath the hood to deliver a fruit mint. I knew it was a fruit mint because I could smell the flavour, orange), but the breakfast and pot of tea at the hotel took the edge off of any remaining pain!
Breakfasting in Cairns!
First impressions of Cairns?
A large country town nestled between the mountains and the sea.
Tropical colonial architecture.
Adelaide is the capital city of the state of South Australia; a long way from Cairns in Queensland – the era of the steamship!
The nicest smelling hotel I have ever stayed in!
Free plug ….hint, Mr Pullman.
My television had a personal welcome message for me.
The best stocked mini bar I have ever seen (and prices to match)
yes, top left is a pack of condoms…NO!
The most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in!
Huge pillows, and a pillow menu!
All the staff appear to be foreign and I spent my time misunderstanding most of what they said and nodding my head as if I understood (I have no ear for accents, my deficit not theirs!)
All the food is over cooked and dominated by MEAT! Everyone must be on a protein diet!
The city looks depressed with vacant store front after store front. Where have all the tourists gone?
tropical flora
Spa bath with a view of the television, right next to my bed!
Impressed! Fit for a goddess.
Sad to hear Cairns is running down.
Taxi driver, who we know are very knowledgeable, said that overseas tourists are going elsewhere due to the high Aus dollar and Australians are going overseas due to the high Aus dollar. I agree, so it must be right.
Wow what a nice hotel. Your post should boost up some tourism.
Yes, but they didn’t give me a discount at all, in fact they tried to charge me for daily valet parking when I didn’t have a car!
Wow, pretty city. Thanks so much for the tour. It looks fit for a Flamingo Dancer! I do so hope you enjoy your stay!
I didn’t get out to the Great Barrier Reef, but will return with Mr FD sometime in the future.
I wanna go! Looks so lovely, and deserted is better than crowded.
It is beautiful and of course the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforests are there to enjoy as well.
I love the patio where you had breakfast. What a serene-looking place to have a cup of tea.
When I have the opportunity to stay in a nice hotel, I want to try all of the amenities—the bath, the pool, room service. But never the mini bar: my kids once helped themselves to the snacks in the bar, without telling me, of course. When we checked out, I was hit with a $45 tab for candy and nuts they could have gotten at a vending machine or convenience store for a fraction of the price. I verbally blistered their ears about that. These days they’re on their own, but I won’t even leave fingerprints on those tiny bottles and packages in my room.
I had 3 bottles of water – at $4 each. I think I cam claim it as a tax deduction, or I hope I can!
I LOVE that they included condoms in the mini bar!!
The Hotel Diva (San Fran) included a sample of KY lube in the freebie guest bag. I loved that too.
Mr FD, who has had many business trips, says he has never seen condoms offered before (or at least that is the story he is sticking too)!
did you, by chance, notice the price? i’m guessing you’d have to be pretty desperate to buy mini bar condoms. but i still love that they have them – better safe than sorry!
No I didn’t, but I think it was just a two pack – for a one night stand so to speak! To be honest I didn’t want to touch the pack – who knows what fantasies it may have held previously!
Excellent assortment of photographs….at least one building I’ve not seen.
It’s sad that the centre of town has died…apart from the lagoon which is a superb development.
Suburban shopping centres killed the city shopping precinct. The new council of developing a plan to rejuvenate it….interesting times ahead.
The same thing happened in Toowoomba when a big shopping centre was built. It took a few years but it did turn around. Taxi driver said it is slow due to the high dollar, which makes sense. I hope to go back for a real visit in the future.