This year for the Christmas holidays we decided to revisit our honeymoon destination after 18 years with two kids in tow.
We started with Cairns. The hubby had booked a lovely apartment overlooking Trinity beach (about 25 mins from Cairns) with an awesome large balcony and well stocked kitchen. I was happy to just laze around the apartment after our hectic work schedule in Singapore reading a book or watching a movie. The first day was just settling into the appartment, catching up on lost sleep (night flights are always stressful) , checking out the beach and Swimming pool, and stocking up the pantry. We had a VB lunch to start the holiday, reminiscent of our honeymoon days.
The second day we went to Hartley Crocodile farm. It was amazing to see the keepers feed the aggressive crocodiles. We got to hug koalas and pet wallabies. And see a kangaroo family jump around. We even saw a kangaroo Mum with the Joey in its pouch. The snake show was interesting and the boat ride was also good, with us being closer to the crocodiles. We got back to the appartment in time for a late afternoon snooze, followed by the beach opposite and the kids lazing around in the pool and jacuzzi.
The next morning was a very early rise for us. We had to leave the appartment at 4:30 am to go hot air ballooning. It was amazing to rise up in the sky and look out over the fields below. It was a half hour ride and we were done and in Cairns city by 8:30 am. We went to the Esplanade which has the most amazing playground for kids and had a lovely breakfast at Muddys cafe by the Esplanade overlooking the beach and watching some pelicans. Avacado on toast with flat white coffee - yummy!
We walked down the Esplanade to the lagoon, stopping for the kids to exercise on the machines on the way. Sadly we didn’t have swimsuits for the lagoon and by 11 am we were exhausted and happy to head back to the appartment. We spent the rest of the day sleeping, beaching and Swimming. Hurrah for ITC pindi chole - no worries for the girls dinner for once.
The next morning was again an early rise, we had to be at the Ferry terminal by 7:15 am for the day cruise and snorkeling trip to the Great Barrier Reef. After one hour cruising we stopped at the first reef from 10-12:30. It was amazing snorkeling on TOP of the reef. We had lunch on the boat - there were vegetarian patties for the 3 of us and some nice salads. We then went to the second reef. This time S snorkeled for longer with me and we were able to get some great pictures in the water. The hubby and A snorkeled for a bit then went out in the glass sided submarine with the marine biologist with another look at the reef creatures. We were done with snorkeling around 2:15 and got back to the Cairns terminal around 4:30. Then it was back to the appartment for some rest and then Christmas dinner ( I had the best lasagne!) at the nearby restaurant Lunico.
The next day we decided to just relax around the appartment. We hired cycles for the day and in the morning the girls and i cycled to the skateboard park. In the evening we cycled along with the hubby to the wallaby watch our point and then to the next beach. Possibly 10km in all. Most of the restaurants were shut so it was quiet lunch and dinner for us at home
The next day we were leaving for the Gold Coast. Since checkout was 10 am and our flight was only at 2:30 we decided to take a walk by the beach. We got stuck in quite the thunderstorm and rushed to a nearby cafe for some cake and coffee. The flight to Gold Coast was longer than expected and out hotel ( Sea World Resort) was some distance away so by the time we got to our room it was close to 7. Just enough energy for pizza and pasta in the cafe in the hotel. Part 2 coming up next.
We started with Cairns. The hubby had booked a lovely apartment overlooking Trinity beach (about 25 mins from Cairns) with an awesome large balcony and well stocked kitchen. I was happy to just laze around the apartment after our hectic work schedule in Singapore reading a book or watching a movie. The first day was just settling into the appartment, catching up on lost sleep (night flights are always stressful) , checking out the beach and Swimming pool, and stocking up the pantry. We had a VB lunch to start the holiday, reminiscent of our honeymoon days.
The second day we went to Hartley Crocodile farm. It was amazing to see the keepers feed the aggressive crocodiles. We got to hug koalas and pet wallabies. And see a kangaroo family jump around. We even saw a kangaroo Mum with the Joey in its pouch. The snake show was interesting and the boat ride was also good, with us being closer to the crocodiles. We got back to the appartment in time for a late afternoon snooze, followed by the beach opposite and the kids lazing around in the pool and jacuzzi.
The next morning was a very early rise for us. We had to leave the appartment at 4:30 am to go hot air ballooning. It was amazing to rise up in the sky and look out over the fields below. It was a half hour ride and we were done and in Cairns city by 8:30 am. We went to the Esplanade which has the most amazing playground for kids and had a lovely breakfast at Muddys cafe by the Esplanade overlooking the beach and watching some pelicans. Avacado on toast with flat white coffee - yummy!
We walked down the Esplanade to the lagoon, stopping for the kids to exercise on the machines on the way. Sadly we didn’t have swimsuits for the lagoon and by 11 am we were exhausted and happy to head back to the appartment. We spent the rest of the day sleeping, beaching and Swimming. Hurrah for ITC pindi chole - no worries for the girls dinner for once.
The next morning was again an early rise, we had to be at the Ferry terminal by 7:15 am for the day cruise and snorkeling trip to the Great Barrier Reef. After one hour cruising we stopped at the first reef from 10-12:30. It was amazing snorkeling on TOP of the reef. We had lunch on the boat - there were vegetarian patties for the 3 of us and some nice salads. We then went to the second reef. This time S snorkeled for longer with me and we were able to get some great pictures in the water. The hubby and A snorkeled for a bit then went out in the glass sided submarine with the marine biologist with another look at the reef creatures. We were done with snorkeling around 2:15 and got back to the Cairns terminal around 4:30. Then it was back to the appartment for some rest and then Christmas dinner ( I had the best lasagne!) at the nearby restaurant Lunico.
The next day we decided to just relax around the appartment. We hired cycles for the day and in the morning the girls and i cycled to the skateboard park. In the evening we cycled along with the hubby to the wallaby watch our point and then to the next beach. Possibly 10km in all. Most of the restaurants were shut so it was quiet lunch and dinner for us at home
The next day we were leaving for the Gold Coast. Since checkout was 10 am and our flight was only at 2:30 we decided to take a walk by the beach. We got stuck in quite the thunderstorm and rushed to a nearby cafe for some cake and coffee. The flight to Gold Coast was longer than expected and out hotel ( Sea World Resort) was some distance away so by the time we got to our room it was close to 7. Just enough energy for pizza and pasta in the cafe in the hotel. Part 2 coming up next.
No comments:
Post a Comment