Day 4 9/4/07 - Australia

Melbourne City -> North Balwyn -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City -> Sydney

Highlight

• Woke up nice and early for the buffet breakfast. We were so stuffed afterwards we took a walk around the city, to take advantage of the great location of the Rialto Hotel. We walked to Federation Square as this was not built the last time I was in Melbourne (2002). Whether it's ugly or not? I am leaning towards the not, because it's a great space in the city for the crowds to gather for community based event (i.e. watching sports).
• Traveled to St Bede's Church, North Balwyn, for a simple but touching wedding ceremony. Pink was chosen as the colour. It was a glorious sunny day in Melbourne, so they were very lucky.
• Had a brief wonder around the streets of South Yarra in our suit and heels. There wasn't much to look at as all the shops were closed, except for food stores.
• 9 Darling St was the setting for the reception. It was the best function centre I've been to. It doesn't have views, but it has a nice garden setting, a huge bar and waiting area, plush cushions decor, a decent sized dance floor. The best thing was the exceptional food. I was expecting the usual wedding hoo-ha, but the food was cooked nicely. We were served steak that was actually cooked medium! The dessert platter was to die for. The ceremony was simple - no dancing and no games, but the speeches were very touching.
• We had some time to kill before the flight back so took in the other new development around, Docklands. This reminds me of all the wharf area around Sydney, except better designed. Indeed, there are sculptures all around, the architecture impressed me, and the sense of space was great. Now if only Sydney had an area like that!
• We killed some more time by riding around the CBD on the city circle tram. The ride was spent talking to the conductor, who knew Sydney very well, than actually taking in the sites.
• The airport wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. Hadn't flown Qantas for awhile, but they are kind of boring, at least they have TV for you to watch, so the flight was over before you knew it, and another holiday comes to an end.

Food

• Rialto Hotel on Collins buffet breakfast:
  • selection of fruit
  • fruit bread
  • olive bread
  • hot cross bun
  • custard donut
  • fruit danish
  • cheese and cold cuts
  • coffee and tea
  • bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tomato, hash brown, mushrooms
  • pancakes and poached eggs
  • make your own muesli station with poached fruit
• Wedding lunch at 9 Darling St:
  • oysters and prawns on fountain
  • appetizers - salmon skewers, risotto balls, filo parcels
  • Tasting plate: miniature crab claw with orange and ginger dressing, lime cured salmon and scallop in a half shell with wasabi and green pea puree
  • Char grilled eye fillet on white truffle oil mash served with cognac and peppercorn sauce
  • Baked trevally fillet with a Thai crust and a lime and coconut jam
  • Lemon tart, berries in a chocolate basket and cappuccino ice cream
• Qantas fresh juice - pineapple, orange, mango, passionfruit

Day 3 8/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Tarra Bulga National Park -> Mirboo North ->Trafalgar -> Yarragon -> Trafalgar -> Warragul -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City

Highlight

• Having breakfast on the balcony while watching the sky change colour.
• watching birds and cows in the mist.
• Miners Lookout to observe the powerplant that generates over 90% of VIC's energy. The lookout was sponsored by the powerplant so it was immaculately update with beautiful decorations. You can see the coal mine and powerplant on one side and green farmland on the other.
• Tarra Bulga National Park, part of the Grand Ridge Road nature drive, was quite hard to reach. It involved driving through narrow, winding roads, sometimes unsealed. The park itself contained rainforests, a change from the temperate forests and wetlands we've been seeing. The air was cool, the floor covered with ferns.
• The highlight of the park was the Corrigan Suspension Bridge, part of the Wills Tracks. It wasn't as fun as the Bridge in Victoria Canada though.
• This was where our bunch of bad luck started. We decided to check out Blackwarry Tower, only to find out when we were nearly there that the road was for 4 wheel drive only. so we had to drive all the way back.
• Our next stop was the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk. This was a pleasant walk through a rainforest gully and across trickling mountain streams. The highlight was supposed to be Cyathea Falls, but, because we were in teh middle of a drought, there was no water.
• The park was starting to fill with tourist at around this time (10:30), but when we tried to get out, we found our exit blocked by a fallen tree. No way to move forward, we had to take a detour (and because Slokky is crap we took a longer than necessary detour) on very narrow uncomfortable roads, adding an hour to our trip.
• Needless to say, after that drive, I wasn't interested in the dense forest and farmland scenery of Grand Ridge Road anymore.
• I was very glad when we reach Mirboo North, the home of the Grand Ridge Brewery. I really wanted one of their award-winning beer, but because we were delayed an hour and lunch was beckoning, I made do with a six-pack of takeaway beer ($25) instead.
• Had lunch at the Erinae Lavender garden's beautiful garden.
• Drove to Sunny Creek Organic Berries, only to find out that they weren't opened, even though people had called earlier and they had said they were opened. To compensate, we sample some of the apples and kiwi hanging from their trees instead.
• Yarragon Village is more one of the villages you expect on the tourist route. Filled with antique shops, and old fashioned lolly shop, lots of clothing and trinket store, not to mention enough cafes so you can have coffee at a different place each day for a week. Finally I picked up some fresh and rustic bread at the Yarragon Country Style bakery Bakery.
• Finally, at Yarragon's visitor centre, which also doubled as a gourmet food place, we were able to pick up a Gateway to Gippsland, Food & Wine Network brochure, which led us to Marshall Green Deer & Venison Farm
• The place was certainly hard to find, as someone had stolen their sign, so they had to put a red ribbon up. Once we were there, we were given a personal tour. First we were given some mitzu apples straight off the tree. While we were munching, we sharing the apples with the deers. Deers are quite shy animals, only 2 or 3 animals would eat out of your hand. We were told about the current mating season, as well as what the effects of the drought had been to farming.
• About 45 minutes later, we finally left, armed with some venison steaks (only $28/kg!), a quince jelly ($2), a handmade wool beanie ($6!), and a bag full of apples and quinces! She gave us recipe sheets, told us about her market sales and her other customers and her arts and crafts. We felt like we know just about everything! This has been another of those highlights that makes a trip so special.
• Well, after that, it was a bit too late to keep exploring. We stopped off at Warragul, but all the shops were closed, and the town itself wasn't that interesting, so we joined the traffic crawl back to Melbourne.
• Dinner at France Soir, classic French in style, but somehow so Melbourne.
• Relaxing in the roof top spa and plunging into the freezing cold swimming pool, just to say that we used the facilities at Rialto Hotel on Collins.
• Forcing down some complimentary choc-dipped strawberries as we were really full from dinner.
• Plucking out all of Slokky's chin hair (152!) because he forgot his shaver.

Food

• Mi Goreng BBQ chicken noodle
• Vaalia vanilla blueberry and mango passionfruit yoghurt
• sweet seed mustard tuna with linseed bread
• Goulburn Valley diced peaches
• Cadbury Eden
• potato bread ($2.70)
• mitzu apple
• France Soir dinner:
• Chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Mint chocolate.

Day 2 7/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Sale -> Golden Beach -> Loch Sport -> The Lakes National Park -> Loch Sport -> Sale ->Rosedale -> Sale -> Longford

Highlight

• Enjoying breakfast on the deck with expansive views of the Latrobe River wetlands.
• Drove through "wetlands" to reach Golden Beach, part of the Ninety Mile Beach stretch. This is virtually miles and miles of dead straight beach. The weather wasn't the best so people weren't out in force.
• There was a "market" at Golden Beach, consisting about 3 stalls of people selling their junk, and by junk I mean junk.
• Loch Sport is very popular with the boating, sailing and fishing set, we drove through the town on the way to The Lakes National Park.
• The Lakes NP is basically one huge dirt track, we went for a walk on the Lake Reeves Nature Trail, where we observed several habitats and dead trees. It was a path less taken as the trail was totally overgrown. The lookout had extensive vies of Lake Reeve and the Gippsland Lakes system.
• Drove to the Jetty at Point Wilson, passing a few swamps on the way. We watched swamps of jellyfish floating around in the water. What surprised me were there were heaps of people actually swimming there...
• I wanted to eat at the jetty, but Slokky was against the idea, so we went and checked out the Loch Sport local bakery, decided what was left of the day wasn't worth eating. Slokky wanted to eat at Sale, so we drove especially to the Centre Bakery, because they had advertised all over the tourist brochures, and was extremely disappointed. All the choices we wanted weren't available, and because I was extremely hungry (it was after 2pm) at this point, and we drove there especially, we had to order. I should have not listened to Slokky and had the tuna sandwiches at an earlier time instead.
• Rosedale is a lovely little town with some pretty colonial buildings. We came though, for food (what else). The Tarra Valley Food store sells pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes. The owner, George Sharp, makes everything on the premises and grow some of the fruit and veg as well. They have won a stack of awards, and everything we tasted was very yummy. More importantly, everything was cheap as chips. Even buying the raw ingredients must cost more than that. The sauces were $3 for a small and $5 for large. These prices are even cheaper than buying it at the supermarket. What's more, we actually had a 25% discount voucher as well!
• Tried to buy some local lamb and beef at the butcher but, forgetting that this was a country town, all the shops were closed by 1pm! So we had to contend with the local IGA, for some lamb cutlets and flatheads.
• Visited the fame Port of Sale, but couldn't see what was so special about it, just some grass and water.
• Another highlight was supposed to be the Sale Powder Magazine, a building built in 1865-65 to store gunpowder supplies. I think we've seen way too many heritage buildings to appreciate this little hut.
• More to our taste was the Sale Common State Game Reserve, where we went for a walk to the Long Waterhole and lookout. This is supposed to be a habitat for birds, but all we could see were a few ducks.
• Last stop was the Historic Swing Bridge. Built in 1883 and one of the first swing bridges built.
• Fired up the barbie and ate our Gippsland fare while watching the sun set.
• Played 2 player 500 (not as interesting as 4 player but better than snap any day) while indulging in chocolates and cheese.
• Giggled at all the newly weds who signed the Frog Gully guest books. Thanks for telling us about your honeymoon night!

Food

• bacon, fried egg, tomato with homemade bread
• banana
• vegetable pastie ($2.90)
• Mexican pie ($3.20)
• iced coffee ($3.90)
• taste testing pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes at Tarra valley Foods
• BBQ flatheads with lemon and pepper ($7)
• BBQ lamb cutlets with pepper and hot sweet chilli dip
• baby mesclun blend salad ($1.79) with Maffra mature cheddar and lemon juice
• lemon tea with honey
• jarrah hot chocolate
• Cadbury Eden
• Maffra matured cheddar

Day 1 6/4/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Melbourne -> Wilsons Promontory -> Agnes Falls -> Port Albert -> Longford

Highlight

• Slokky got the time wrong for our flight, he thought it was 6:45am instead of 6:15am, so we had to run for it and nearly didn't make check in. Luckily they were just finishing boarding, and we did a 10 minutes from arrival to boarding the aircraft. We were also one of the first to get our luggage on the other side, so not too bad.
• Slokky doing the being anxious before holidays thing again
• Slokky kept getting the indicators wrong even though the Audi was exactly the same as the Focus.
• Slokky was really lazy and woke up really late, and then didn't pack stuff so was rushing around doing things, like jamming everything in the front of the suitcase and nearly breaking the zip.
• Slokky didn't work out beforehand where we had to go so wasted heaps of time.
• Drivers in Melbournians are quite rude, nobody at all gave way to us, especially one time when we were changing lanes and nearly got run off the highway.
• Our first stop ever at a stop revive survive station, got some free bickies, tea and a backseat driver revival bag, filled with kids games, biscuits and even a trivial CD!
• Got stuck behind a caravan and crawled along most of the highway, but when we finally made it to Wilsons Promonary, or "The Prom" 4 hours later, it was all worth it.
• First stop, Squeaky Beach, with beautiful white sand which squeak when you rub them together, mid sized waves and amazing rock formations
• Caught the shuttle bus to start our climb (more like a gentle slope) to Mount Oberon Summit, at ...m, with the most amazing view over the beaches and islands, as well as the Tidal River. We stayed to enjoy some nashi pears with lots of other walkers.
• Norman Beach - a flat sheltered beach with gentle waves, with Mount Oberon in the background
• Stopped by Norman Viewpoint for views of more ocean and island. After visiting almost all of Australia, I can say that that this is one of the most beautiful spots in Australia, if not the world (although I don't think I can be the judge of that one just yet)
• Last stop on the Wilsons Promontory National Park was the spectacular Whisky Bay, a small sandy beach with rock formations on both sides, a tranquil walk lead you to that area.
• Drove through some green rolling hills with dairy cows, the heart of dairyland. It's a bit like Tasmania, but with much more flat lands.
• Passed a wind farm on the way to Agnes Fall. The scenery is again spectacular, ocean on one side, rolling hills on the other. The fall itself didn't have much water, but the surrounding was so peaceful, especially at dusk when we visited.
• Slokky missed out on pics of some very good view of the sunset against the wind farm.
• Port Albert is a small charming fishing town. The local fish & chips, Port Albert Seafoods, was packed with holiday makers. They cook up their specialties of flatheads and duckfish (not available). We joined the crowd to enjoy some fried stuff by the wharf, with only the moonlight to guide us. If it wasn't so cold we could've stayed forever.
• Drove along some very very straight highway from Yarram to Longford, talk about efficiency!
• Frog Gully was suitably frog themed. We settled in front of the (electric) fire and relaxed while planning the next day.

Food

• Homemade bread with baby spinach dip.
• nashi pear
• Bushells tea.
• Arnotts Milk Coffee and Nice
• Arnotts dark chocolate wheatens
• chilli tuna tempsters on homemade bread.
flathead ($5.50) and chips ($2).
• Jarrah hot chocolate.

Victoria 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Melbourne - Wilsons Promontory - Sale - Loch Sport - Melbourne - Sydney

Date:
6/4/07 - 9/4/07

Flying:
Virgin

Cost:
$$$

Holden VS Commodore

Trip Summary

Launceston -> Hobart

Drive

I didn't actually drive this, so you'll have to take Slokky's word for it. There is a tendency to slightly oversteer. It is well balanced but a little jittery when braking. There is good power and good torte. Being a Commodore, it was fitted with the standard ABS, cruise control, electric mirrors and doors...etc

Rating - 3

Comfort

Surprisingly for such a huge car, the ride was pretty bumpy. Either the roads in Tassie are worst than NSW or this car's suspension is worst. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as the Ford Focus.

In terms of creature comfort. The seats are wide, designed for the "average" Australian no doubt. The cushioning and support are pretty good, and of course there's plenty of leg room. The noise insulation for terrible. We could hear wind noises and you can't use fresh air with the air conditioning!

Rating - 3

Service

The people at Avis were excellent. We got our car sorted out at the airport ages before our luggage was even ready to be picked up. It was the same when we dropped the car off. As soon as we pulled in the Avis car park, an attendent has checked our car over and printed our receipt, before we'd even got out of the car!

Rating - 4.5

Value

We asked for a manual Corolla and get upgraded to an auto Commodore. However, this baby sucks fuel up like there's no tommorow! Hehe, they don't even bother displaying fuel consumption on the trip computer because it's just too depressing to know otherwise!

Rating - 3.5

Clean

Cleaned very well. There were a few minor scratches on the car, but that's even better for us, we didn't have to be that careful.

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 18.5

Info

Website

North Lodge Apartment

Room

One word, HUGE. We were in the "penthouse", and the room consisted of one very very long room, with a bedroom with a queen sized bed and bay window and dresser on one end, to two single beds and the tiniest, and I mean the tiniest, bathroom I've seen (about the size of Japan's). In between all this there's a dining room and a pretty big kitchen. It all sounds really good doesn't it, but it's not as it seems. The penthouse was opened in 1982 and obviously hasn't been renovated since then. The furnishing were worn. The cupboard doors and tiles were falling off the kitchen and all the cutlery and appliances were also from the 80s. The bathroom was so impractical we brushed our teeth in the kitchen.

The good points though, there was plenty of room, the bed was nice and comfy, with very nice pillows. We had a pretty big TV and the largest wrap-around balcony with great views over the Launceston hills.

If they renovate this place they can probably charge an outrageous amount for it. I wonder what the rate is normally? I'd hate to imagine what the "studio" we originally booked would be like...

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

There's a full kitchen, laundry, lots of beds. But all this is matched by cheap coffee (International House), a small bottle of milk, shampoo and conditioner. The kitchen holds lots of bits and pieces, but they are all falling apart, plus, stuff were so dirty I didn't really want to touch them.

The guy who ran the place forgot about me, and questioned me heaps about whether I really had a booking. upon producing my email confirmation though, he turned nice and accomodating, and had to give us the only room left, the "penthouse", out of the whole place. He was very helpful actually, if only the first impression he gave didn't turn me off.

Rating - 3

Location

Great, very close to the city centre, right next to Kings Park. From our balcony you can get a view of the park and the surrounding hills. We didn't really make good use of it though.

Rating - 4

Value

Only because we got the penthouse was this place worth $90 a night. Granted it's quite close to the city centre, but this IS Launceston we're talking about, it's not like the city centre is the centre of everything. Despite all our times in Tasmania, we haven't spent very much time in Launceston at all! I don't appreciate misleading advertising on their website though, they made everything sound much better than they really are.

Rating - 2.5

Snooze Points - 13

Info

7 Brisbane Street
Launceston
TAS 7250
Phone (03) 6331 9966
Website

Jetstar Flight JQ 127

Time

The plane left 1/2 an hour late. It took ages to board the plane, ages to get our luggage, in the rain! About the only thing that was quick was check in. But I was surprised they didn't even ASK if we had anything flammable in our bags.

Rating - 1

Comfort

Like all the other jetstar planes. It was 3 across and no middle asile. The leathers seats are pretty wide, with a fair amount of leg room. The plane was nearly full, but there were 3 or 4 spare seats scattered around. Slokky and I had to sit separately, but it meant we were more comfortable.

Rating - 4

Service

Was ok. The check-in was cold as usual. The air hostesses kept giggling and gossiping amoung themselves. The servie was ok. I was surprised there was actually an announcement to tell us to clean up our own seats, and to throw our rubbish away!

Rating - 3

Allowance/Gifts

We only had the one bag but I think they are pretty strict.

Rating - 3

Food

They serve the usual stuff on board and charge an ok price for being up in the air.

Rating - 3

Value

$44.50 one way. We only travel on discounts!

Rating - 5

Jumbo Points - 19

Info

Sydney -> Launceston
8 Feb 07, 19:40 - 21:00
Website

Day 1 8/2/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Launceston

Highlight

• Our holiday got off to its usual start, with Slokky being late in meeting me as we were going to the airport.
• There were tons of people at the airport. You couldn't even find a place to sit in the food court.
• The plane was late. There were heaps of rude people on board, who all decide to stand in the aisle and not let anyone else through.
• We travelled with lots of old people and babies (which will become the constant recurrence on this trip, but we didn't know it yet).
• After we landed late, we had to get off the plane in the pouring rain at Launceston Airport. Yes it was primitive and they don't actually have connection corridor.
• We had to wait ages for our luggage. They don't have luggage belts and all the luggage gets driven in on a cart. It's the same at Hobart Airport too.
• Luckily the rain eased when we drove into Launceston. Our hotel, the North Lodge Apartments actually forgot me, so we ended up staying in the "penthouse". For more on this story read my review.

Tasmania 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Launceston - Burnie - Stanley - Hobart - Sydney

Date:
8/2/07 - 12/2/07

Flying:
JetStar

Cost:
$$$

Easyjet Flight 5292

Time

Because we ended up arriving at the airport late (thanks to Italian public transport), there was no line at check in, but it also meant we boarded the aircraft almost last and there was no choice of good seats left. The plane was delayed for about 20 minutes.

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

ok for a budget airline, but not very comfy.

Rating - 2.5

Service

All the staff were cool but had no sense of humour and definitely have an attitude problem, or where they just being English? They could certainly be friendlier or warmer.

Rating - 2

Allowance/Gifts

They were extremely strict on the limit, which I thought they might be for a budget airline, so we tried to make our luggage as light as possible. They were being a bit anal though as they won't even let on 41kg.

Rating - 2

Food

Of course food is not included in the price, but you can buy on board. Their selection included loads of chain store food, and I'm certainly not sad I missed trying it.

Rating - 1

Value

69.48 Euros for 2. They had a special on not long after I got my tix, so it could've been even cheaper. Oh well, you get what you pay for I suppose.

Rating - 3.5

Jumbo Points - 13.5

Info

Milan -> London
Website

Air Canada Flight AC 33

Time

Wow, what a difference a country makes. We got to the airport very early but it still took ages to check in. The airport staff didn't inform us that once we checked in, there was no customs, so we couldn't claim our tax back. They operate on Canada time, which is a bit slower than Australia time but faster than Italy time.

Rating - 3

Comfort

Unfortunately this was the least comfortable of all the airlines we flew this trip and this was our longest flight yet. Everything was old and needed a rehaul or at least some refurbishment. The headrests didn't fold to the side, and personal screens? ha. The best thing was that the flight was not very full so we could move around to seats we wanted. If it was a full flight it would be VERY uncomfortable as the leg room and seating were crap.

Rating - 3

Service

Hey, at least they don't discriminate. The Air Canada air hostess were the oldest and ugliest I have seen, they were also extremely slow but they were very very friendly and willing to serve, it was just that their ability to serve was not great. Hmmm, which one is better, efficiency or friendliness?

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

Well, because we were flying through the US, it meant that we could have lots more luggage as long as each bag is not more than 20kg. So we managed to haul all our chocolate home! As for gifts, we were happy to get a meal, as some people actually missed out.

Rating - 3

Food

Before I describe the food, just remember that this is America, and they don't serve Asian food. The food was the worst of all the airlines on this world trip. The pasta was damp and tasteless. They actually ran out of choices of food so I only got to try one meal. The best thing they served was probably the ice-cream. All the desserts were too sweet for my taste. Their redeeming grace though, were the Clamato drink, yup, you guessed it, a combination of clam and tomato juice, which I thought would taste very strange, but in actual fact, is quite addictive.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was our last leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 19.5

Info

Vancouver -> Sydney
Website

Lufthansa Flight LH 492

Time

The lines were really slow and long, so I was pretty frustrated.

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

We were originally in the 2 middle seats out of the 4, but fortunately we were able to swap for the 1 side aisle seat instead. We got to sit next to some interesting Canadians, a mum and her son, traveling back home. The mum used to be a flight attendant and spoke fluent German. I watched them try to get upgrades but it didn't work. They laughed really loud at Rumours Has It, so I don't know about their taste...Speaking of movies, their entertainment program was pretty bad. I've seen both the movies and Harry Potter before, and it was really difficult to see the screen from my seat. One thing I have to commend them for is the set up of the toilet area (very important!), it was in one big space downstairs where you wait. It was pretty quick and there are refreshments available while you wait (the setup is better than it sounds!)

In terms of seating and gifts, by this time we knew what to expect from Lufthansa flights.

Rating - 3

Service

The staff were friendlier at the airport and more lenient, except for the cold no word dude at passport control. One particular air steward by the name of Alex M deserved special mention for his good looks, charming and friendly manner and efficiency. I didn't see any rings on his finger and two ladies were openly flirting with him and he played along...

I'd come to expect this from Lufthansa, they were able to handle the request for new headphones while they were also serving lunch...if I'd asked Qantas...well...

Rating - 4.5

Allowance/Gifts

We had no problems with the 43kg and the extra hand carry.

Rating - 3.5

Food

The usual excellent standard from Lufthansa (See list). The bread roll was dry but they had that morish chocolate cake again...I didn't drink the beer this time though...

Rating - 4.5

Value

This was our 5th leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 21.5

Info

Frankfurt -> Vancouver
Website

Lufthansa Flight LH 4751

Time

We left on a busy time from Heathrow so I was expecting chaos, but no such drama. The plane took off and landed around 10 minutes from scheduled time.

Rating - 4

Comfort

Yup, the same seat as the other flight except this time of course the middle is filled. I think they are not bad for short haul. And there was no entertainment or anything to report on, not to mention any gifts.

Rating - 3.5

Service

Being our 3rd Lufthansa flight, I was starting to expect some pretty nice and decent service. The attendants were ok at Heathrow and ok on the flight, but my expectations had been raised.

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

They let through 48kg, and the process was pretty fast, nothing like the horror stories I've heard about Heathrow. We didn't get any upgrades though. Again no gifts not it was to be another short
flight.

Rating - 3.5

Food

ok for a 1.5 hour flight. We got a bread roll with some pretty tasty cheese and lettuce. It was not bad but it was nothing compared to business class. I'll actually like to know what they get in business class normally, you would almost eat non-stop!

Rating - 3.5

Value

This was our 4th leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 22.5

Info

London -> Munich
Website

Lufthansa Flight LH 4088

Time

Because this was a "domestic" flight, everything was quick - no customs or passport checks needed. We flew out just about on time.

Rating - 4

Comfort

We were upgraded to business (yeah!) but the seats were all the same. There was plenty of leg room and the seats were covered in comfy leather. The only difference was that instead of sitting 3 across, we had a seat between us free so it was more roomy. Unfortunately this was the shortest leg of our flight, being only about 1 hour, so we really didn't get to get comfortable.

I thought we might get some gifts or our own TV in business, but no such luck. We were kept pretty busy just trying to eat all the stuff they brought out for us anyway.

Rating - 4

Service

They were extra nice to us, delivering everything with a smile, and they were very attentive, but was that because we were flying business?

Rating - 4.5

Allowance/Gifts

We had 49kg this time, but was told we could only be allowed max 44kg, so we had to remove some stuff from check-in luggage into hand-luggage. Fortunately our hand carry was light, but it wasn't pleasant carrying around a few kilos while waiting to board the plane. At least we didn't have to pay extra.

No gifts but I wasn't expecting anything for such a short flight.

Rating - 4

Food

As usual, the standard was good, and we did get a feast compared to what they were given in economy (see the list). My only gripe was the fruit tart's pastry was a bit too soft. The staff's timing on food delivery was impeccable.

Rating - 4.5

Value

This was our 3rd leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 25.5

Info

Frankfurt -> Venice
Website

Lufthansa Flight LH 211

Time

We arrived right in the middle of peak time, and waited in queues for everything - check-in, security check, passport, check, immigration, boarding AND getting INTO the departure gate. The plane took off a half hour later than the scheduled time and also landed EXACTLY half hour later. At least the Germans are exact on everything, even how late they are going to be...

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

The seats are slightly narrower and shorter than Qantas but not by much, again it had the adjustable headrest, but alas, no personal TV. You really notice the difference especially when they are playing crap movies.

Rating - 3

Service

Very friendly and more importantly, very efficient, just the way I like it!

Rating - 4

Allowance/Gifts

We were 10kg over the limit at 51kg but they let us through. Maybe they didn't have time to argue with us? There were no gift bags though.

Rating - 4

Food

I won't recall everything we had again (click here if you want to know) but I was very impressed. The beer tasted great with the pretzel.

Lunch was very impressive. The sushi actually tasted fresh and I loved the vermicelli salad. They also bring out water, drinks and tasty snacks at the right moments.

The standout from the again excellent dinner was the chocolate cake.

Rating - 4

Value

This was our 2nd leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 22

Info

Tokyo -> Frankfurt
Website

Qantas Flight QF 21

Time

We waited for about 10 minutes in each queue and another 10 minutes to pick up our luggage, so it was all good but we were travelling in the dead time. The plane actually got to Tokyo early and we had to circle around because we couldn't land before the curfew of 6am.

Rating - 4

Comfort

The seats had a pretty decent amount of leg room. You can adjust the headrest and fold up the sides to sleep on now. The best thing though, was having our own TV screen to choose our own programs to watch. I think the facilities are pretty first rate for economy - although I didn't really watch any good movies (see my comments).

Rating - 3

Service

You know how everyone is always complaining about Qantas staff. I didn't find any problems with them. They were a bit strict but they worked much more efficiently than I thought. Maybe they were more polite on this trip since we were flying to Japan?

Rating - 3

Allowance/Gifts

We were just over at 41kg for 2 so they let it go. However, I saw heaps of people pulling stuff out of their bags so it seems they are quite strict.

We all got little amenities kit that contained a toothbrush, mask and socks, all in a stylish zip-bag.

Rating - 4.5

Food

Hit and miss. The bread roll served with dinner was dry and the wine list unimaginative, but they was nothing I couldn't eat. My favourite was probably the chocolate coated macadamia.

Rating - 3

Value

This was our 1st leg of our Round the World Fare with Lufthansa, which costs a total of $1779 + $665 in taxes, not bad for the amount of travel you get. We could've got it cheaper but Flight Centre ripped us off.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 22

Info

Sydney -> Tokyo
Website

Mercedes E200 Kompressor

Trip Summary

Munich -> Frankfurt am Main

Drive

Well, we got "upgraded" to an auto, so that was very good for my peace of mind. As you know, there ain't no speed limit in Germany so we made sure we tested the baby out. At one stage we reached 220km/h and I have to say, this baby handled it no probs. Slokky said it was very good to drive so I'll take his word for it.

Rating - 5

Comfort

So this is what's it's like to have a luxury car. Electric seat, adjustable for height and tilt, loads of storage room, individual reading light, individual temperature control, everything is adjustable from the steering wheel to the radio. There's plenty of leg room and the interior is of course leather. The best thing though, the sun roof. I LOVE sun roofs, I think I will get one in my next car...

Rating - 4.5

Service

I didn't see the staff at Munich but they were really strict on the time of pick-up and drop off, but like the rest of Germany, were extremely efficient. At drop off, they were also efficient, but they were more lenient on the time (we got stuck in a traffic jam so was late) and they were helpful, as well as being pretty good looking... (they were females)

Rating - 4

Value

It was $410 for the 2 days so I guess this is what you get. I guess if you can afford it then go for it.

Rating - 3

Clean

Back to the standard I expect. It was very clean inside, but there was a bit of dirt on the outside.

Rating - 4

Zoom Points - 20.5

Info

Mercedes E200 Kompressor

Website

Volkswagen Bora (a.k.a Jetta)

Trip Summary

Bath -> Salisbury

Drive

I'd been a Volkswagen fan since the family Passat from years back. They are reliable and sturdy, and this one wa no different. The Bora came with a powerful diesel engine and really went. We got to test it out on a few highways.

Rating - 4

Comfort

Soft head rest which is easily adjustable. The interior was soft and has much more mod-con to play with. However, there is not much legroom at the back - a reason why we didn't buy a Golf when were were buying our car.

Rating - 3.5

Service

I didn't deal directly with them but they were undersing when stupid Slokky forgot to bring BOTH his license and his voucher when we went to the hiring office. They kept the office open for him to go back and get his stuff, so understanding staff always score with me!

Rating - 4.5

Value

Well, everything in England is expensive, so you need to measure this on relatvie value. It is much much cheaper than catching a train definitely. Plus, we got upgraded from a Holden Astra.

Rating - 4

Clean

Very clean, but then so is just about everything in England. I think they have an obsession with hygiene, maybe their past has something to do with this?

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 20.5

Info

Website

Fiat Panda Unleaded

Trip Summary

Florence -> La Spezia

Drive

The unleaded Panda has less power than the diesel, but apart from that, everything else was the same.

Rating - 3

Comfort

We got a brand new car this time, but you still get the same headrest problems.

Rating - 2

Service

Well, after the Venice experience, these people were like angels. They still did their Italian thing (i.e., slow as anything), but at least they knew what they were doing.

Rating - 2.5

Value

Because of our villa stay, this worked out to be about $29 a day ($1291 for villa + car). However, unleaded costs A LOT more money than diesel, getting up to 1.39 Euros per litre.

Rating - 3.5

Clean

So it wasn't Italians that don't have clean cars, it was just that particular Avis. Yup, the car was very clean.

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 15.5

Info

Fiat Pana

Website

Fiat Panda Diesel

Trip Summary

Venice -> Rome

Drive

It handles worst than the Jazz, and that's not a good thing. Apparently the turning circle is not crash hot and the engine is on the smaller side. But it is pretty zippy so great for getting around the narrow city streets.

Rating - 3.5

Comfort

There's ok room for a small car, however, the headrests are rock hard and non height adjustable. I had to attach my own cushion on the heat so I don't get a sore head every time we go over some bumps. The seats themselves could be a bit more comfy, and all the gadgets are of the lower-hand variety.

Rating - 1

Service

I think this is where I got the true taste of Italy, but at this stage I wasn't used to the way things work yet. The Avis people were 20 minutes late for our 4pm booking which I totally don't understand, what's the point of BOOKING if they decide to staff the office at whatever time they feel like? Anyway, I found out that the Avis people just decided to go for a coffee so closed the shop. We were left waiting on the sidewalk with our huge suitcases and nowhere to go. What's worst, they worked so slowly once they decided to serve us, and they didn't know what they were doing! Hmmm, actually learning your job instead of taking breaks might help. We didn't get out of there until about 4:40 pm.

Rating - 0

Value

$39 a day is ok for the car you get. It's pretty fuel efficient, using 2.2 L of diesel per 100 km, however the service can't be excused.

Rating - 3

Clean

I was already fuming when I got in the car, but imagine my disbelief when I got in. The car hadn't been cleaned since the last hire, and it was filthy! The outside had mud and dirt all over it, the windows were dirty. I can put up with that, but the inside! There was dirt, food crumbs, bits of biscuits everywhere. And it wasn't just a few things, it was ALL OVER THE CAR! I couldn't stand it and went back to the office to complain, and what do they do? Come out with a hand-held vacuum to get rid of some of the crap. When it comes to cleaning, they sure worked quickly though, less than 1 minute later they returned the car to me. All the obvious dirt was gone, but there was still heaps of food crumbs between the brakes and the gear stick and the harder to reach places. Since I had already been so inconvenienced and was way behind schedule, I decided to not bother complaining further.

Rating - 0

Zoom Points - 7.5

Info

Fiat Panda

Website

Things you see everywhere in Canada

Vancouver/Richmond

• Asians
• Asian shopping malls
• Asian food stores
• cars - especially huge four-wheel drives
• flowers and gardens
• totems
• wooden houses
• Starbucks
• fast food stores

Victoria/Vancouver Island

• seaside
• gardens
• chain stores
• fast food outlets
• fat people
• boats
• fish & chips

Travelodge Victoria

Room

All hotels just reflect cultural differences...well from my review of Hotel Waterview, what does that say about Australia? Anyway, I digress. This is somehow so typical of hotels in the little town. It's a 2 level rectangular brick building with a veranda running along one side. You park your car next to the building and enter. There are 2 huge beds (I think they are doubles, but they may be singles...) in the room, with a huge TV, a huge cupboard and wardrobe. The furnishings are quite new, and the theme is green. Because of the veranda and only 1 window, there's not much privacy so you have to keep the blinds closed. The bathroom actually has a bath tub! The beds were also very comfy and there were many pillows, so I didn't have to worry about any flat pillows.

Rating - 4

Facilities

I found the strangest things in the drawers. Besides the bedside bible, the bathroom toiletries also include make-up remover... What's more, there's a digital bathroom scale! Hehe, maybe they are trying to make a point? Of course now that we're out of Europe, there are the usual coffee & tea making facilities, including a huge percolator in every room!

We made good use of their big indoor swimming pool and had a go at their not bad gym equipment too.

The staff were Canadian friendly and were able to cater to a dog.

Rating - 4

Location

Ummm, there's a Travelodge in every town? You wouldn't stay there unless you have a car anyway.

Rating - 3

Value

Well we didn't pay but according to the Internet, it costs from $65 CDN plus taxes for a double, so great!

Rating - 4

Snooze Points - 15

Info

229 Gorge Road East
Victoria, B.C, Canada
V9A 1L1
Phone (250) 388-6611 or 1-800-565-3777
Website

Krönlein im Weinberg

Room

Finally, we found a hotel in Germany that's actually different to all the others. This place is situated in a suburban area. It's basically a very big house, in the style of the big attics. And that's where we got to stay. The room looked very cool, with a huge slope ceiling and a window that you open sideways. Unfortunately that meant the room was quite small, but still bigger than Japan and Centro Turistico Citte di Bologna. It also meant we had to carry our luggage up 2 flights of stairs. The bed was big, but the blankets and pillwos the same as all the other German hotels. Still, they made some effort with the room, with some better asthetically looking furniture.

Rating - 1.5

Facilities

They have unique touches, like a shoe shine machine, a sewing kit, bottled water, but no fridge. The lollies on the pillow were from the famous German brand Haribo.

The staff really reflect the philosophy of the hotel, they were the friendliest and warmest in Germany. They were able to accomodate our reqeust for an earlier breakfast because we had a flight to catch, and they made us feel very welcomed.

Rating - 4.5

Location

As mentioned, this is away from the touristy area, but there were parking and it was nice to look out to see farms and trees. The location was especially lovely when you could have breakfast out on the balcony, with a great view over all of this.

Rating - 4

Food

The breakfast was defintely worth the wait. A few types of very yummy bread and 5 different liver/sausage spread along, not to mention jams, honey, nutella, cold cuts, cheeses, as well s the German breads, muesli, a really yummy chocolate cereal, yoghurt and fresh and dried fruit. The boiled eggs were cooked just right and they made freshly brewed coffee (unfortunately Italian coffee beats it any day) and I'm happy to report, not a croissant or pastry in site!

Rating - 4.5

Value

We paid 58 Euros, not bad considering the excellent breakfast. And the hosts had charm, which is more than you can say for a lot of these places!

Rating - 4

Snooze Points - 14.5

Info

Gerbrunner Strasse / Krönlein 5, D-97236 Würzburg-Randersacker
Phone +43-1-40 40 20
Website

Achat in Augsburg

Room

I'm beginning to think that German hotels all look the same! I didn't know that Achat is actually a chain until I arrived. The building was huge but ugly, the room was again, quite big, with nice blankets, big beds, but flat pillows.

Rating - 3

Facilities

Not too bad, they had all the usuals, plus a nice bowl of lollies at the front. Finally finding somewhere where they supply the shower caps was good too. Again, no fridge or Internet.

The staff were nice and friendly. They did make a mistake with our bill, charging us for breakfast when we didn't have any. This was all fixed quickly when I told them the mistake though.

Rating - 3

Location

It's outside the city centre, but we had a car and there were plenty of parking. There's good public transport, with trams not that far away, so it's all good.

Rating - 3.5

Value

We paid 51 Euro, which was ok for that area and size. The breakfast that we were slugged was actually 12 Euros - good thing you can choose not to have it, as I think you can definitely eat A LOT with 12 Euros.

Rating - 3.5

Snooze Points - 13

Info

Servicezentrale,
Untere Hauptstrasse 11,
68766 Hockenheim
Phone +49-(0) 62 05-20 49 0
Website

Hotel Royal

Room

Like the other German Hotel, Hotel Garni Diplomat, the room was quite big and spacious, with a very long and large bed and comfy blankets. The pillows were a bit flat though, but the heating system was quite good. The room and the hotel, was, in the German way, quite plain but very functional.

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

They had a lift, albeit a small and clumsy one where you have to shut lots of doors manually before it works. Our room was quite high up so we couldn't really take the stairs up, or with our luggage. They have Internet, as well as all the usual hairdryer..etc, but yup, no kettle or fridge.

The staff were friendly and helpful, with very good English skills.

Rating - 3.5

Location

Excellent, close to trains, tram and the city centre, and also right in the heart of the red light district by the looks of things. There's an Aldi nearly as well as lots of cheap eating places.

Rating - 4

Value

When they advertised, they said that breakfast was included, at 69 Euros per night, it was quite expensive. I guess you are paying for the location?

Rating - 2

Snooze Points - 13

Info

Schillerstraße 11a
D-80336
München
Phone +49-(0)89-59 10 21
Website

Hotel La Residenza

Room

The bed was big enough with some extra pillows, but the room itself wasn't that big, so after putting all our luggage in there, we had to stay on the bed all the time. The decor and furnishings were a bit warm, and not like the design-conscious efforts we've seen so far. We couldn't adjust the air-con so we were quite cold. This was also the first hotel out of the whole of Europe we stayed in that had no bidets!

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

This was a 3.5-star hotel, but the facilities were nowhere as good or everything as nice as Hotel Admiral. They did have 10 minutes of free Internet though, which, while good, you can't really do much with. Having a lift also helps.

The reception staff were so-so, polite, but not friendly. Who I had a problem with though were the breakfast ladies. They spoke no English but did manage to be rude! They were really slow in getting the food replaced, so people were constantly waiting, they told me off for using the coffee machine which was supposedly broken but there was no sign up telling you not to use it. Of course we had to ask for cappuccino, and they reply with a rude, "room number", that's it. They advertised that breakfast was supposed to start at 7.30 but of course when we got there they weren't ready, in the Italian way.

Rating - 2

Location

This was extremely hard to get to, we needed to catch a few connecting buses as well as walk a long way from the bus station to get there. Luckily Milan's public transport system works relatively well most of the time. I think this is best if you have a car.

Rating - 1

Food

Despite my discontent at the breakfast ladies, at least there was a bit of variety (when you can get it, you basically have to pounce on the food when it comes out) besides the usual fares. There were some coddled egg dish and other pastries we hadn't try before. Those cappuccinos that was so hard to get tasted quite good though.

Rating - 3.5

Value

65 Euro for an out of the way place with a smaller room and nowhere near the quality of Admiral. Still, out of all the hotels we've stayed at, this one is reasonable for the price.

Rating - 3.5

Snooze Points - 13.5

Info

Via Scialoia 3,
20161 Milan
Phone +39 02 6461646
Website

Admiral Hotel

Room

The room was very nice and comfy, decked out in period furniture. The bed was very comfy, with good pillow and blanket. The room was big with a huge balcony. Too bad when you get out there it's really noisy!

Something you probably didn't know, and probably doesn't affect you in any way, but they are the home of the James Bond Fan Club. The lobby is decked out with all sorts of 007 memorabilia.

Rating - 4.5

Facilities

This was a 4-star hotel, so facilities were excellent, or would've been if wireless internet wasn't broken. They had a mini bar - which meant a fridge! The toiletries were also quite nice, with all the extras besides the soap included.

The staff were quite funny because they didn't speak much English. Otherwise they were quite helpful. At breakfast though, we didn't get asked for cappuccino by the ladies again, but we really couldn't be bothered because there was a huge group at breakfast and we didn't want to wait.

Rating - 4

Location

Not that close to the city centre, but very close to public transport. There's a tram right outside, the train station is about a 7 minute walk away. I guess that's why it's cheaper.

Rating - 3

Food

The standard fare was present, i.e. tarts, pastries, cakes...etc, but the quality was better. They had some good muesli and fruit. I'll be quite glad not to have to eat Italian breakfasts anymore.

Rating - 4

Value

Excellent! For only 60 Euros a night. Too bad we didn't get to stay long enough to really enjoy it. We actually wanted to book 2 nights but they were fully booked out.

Rating - 5

Snooze Points - 20.5

Info

via Domodossola 16,
20145 Milano
Phone +39 023492151
Website

Albergo Il Sole

Room

A pretty big room with a big bed and firm pillow, plus extra blankets. Decor wise, things could be better. There was no carpet but this worn green lino thing on the floor that had little pot holes. The furnishing were all very worn.

Rating - 3

Facilities

This was only a 2 star hotel, so everything was very basic. The worst thing was that we weren't allowed to use the lift so had to lug our suitcases all these giant staircases. Our room was basic, by that I mean no TV, phone, iron...etc, but all we really needed was a bed, chairs and table really. At least they cleaned the room and we had towels everyday! I was there was a fridge or Internet though.

This was a family run place so they were very friendly and helpful. Over our 3 nights stay we met most members of the family. Slokky had a big football and F1 conversation with them too.

Rating - 2

Location

Right in the heart of the city centre, it was also about 10 minutes walk from La Spezia station. There's a lovely park across the street and the ocean is not too far away either.

Rating - 3.5

Value

You pay for the location I guess. This place served its purpose, but could be cheaper. I think because of the Easter holidays we were charge peak season rate.

Rating - 2.5

Snooze Points - 11

Info

Via Felice Cavallotti, 31
19121 La Spezia,
Italia
Phone +39 0187 735164
Website

Centro Turistico Città di Bologna

Room

What a change, we went from the biggest room we had, to the smallest, yes, even smaller than Japan. There wasn't really enough room to do anything in this place, especially with our 2 huge suitcase. We were only here for 1 night so we didn't bother unpacking anything. Decor was very very simple of course, but the setting of the Tourist park is quite nice.

The beds were kinda small and short, the bed spread was not very attractive and the pillow was very flat. We could control the temperature differently for the room and the toilet though, so that was great.

Rating - 2.5

Facilities

Again, no kettle, but also no fridge, which was kinda bad 'cos we still had some cheese from Tuscany left - but then again - nobody seem to fridge their hard cheese in Italy, so we weren't too concerned. There was a shared laundry and an Internet terminal with a 10 minutes limit. It was enough so we could do some stuff. The shower had great water pressure though! This was a tourist park so I had very different expectations for its facilities, and what they offer more than met my expectations.

Staff were a bit colder, but they were efficient and effective, with very good English.

Rating - 3.5

Location

Not located in the centre of town, but a few minutes drive away. It's quieter, and there is a bus that connects to the town. It seems to be situated in the middle of a field. The setting is typical tourist park, but unlike before, there is no view.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was only 44 Euros a night. Since we weren't there for that long and we only used the room for sleep, more than adequate.

Rating - 4.5

Snooze Points - 13

Info

Via Romita 12/4 °A
40127 Bologna
Phone +39 051 325016
Website

Castello Vicchiomaggio

Room

Wow! That's all I can say. From the moment we drove up the dirt track to the cast-iron gate we were blown away by the setting. Perched on a hill, with a huge balcony space overlooking the Tuscan hillside. Incidentally, there was a wedding taking place so the place was decked out with flowers.

We were shown our attic space, up 2 narrow flights of stairs. I thought this was going to be a little space, but it was huge. The main area contained a bed, a huge wardrobe, dining table, a couch and a buffet. There was a separate area for a kitchenette and another for the bathroom. For such a huge space it could be heated up pretty quickly. For an attic it had small windows you could open to look out to the surrounding hills. The view from the bathroom was great! The furnishing was country style wood and very tasteful.

The bed was huge and comfy, with extra pillows :). I think I had the best sleep so far here.

Rating - 5

Facilities

Again, there's a bit of beauty over function here. The kitchen had lots of good wine and coffee making facilities, but not much for cooking and preparing food. I guess you're only supposed to drink wine and eat already prepared food here, but actually whip up any Tuscan cuisine! The bathroom was in blue and white chic, with a bath tub and heated towel rack, but there was no screen (I guess that's not a good look) so when you have a shower you got water all over the floor. There was no internet or laundry but they did offer a cellar and wine room door as well as a Tuscan banquet on a night of the week.

This place is really a self-service apartment. Apart from the initial check in, you're on your own, which was great! The maid who showed us the apartment couldn't speak any English, but we got by by miming. All the staff were much more Italian friendly than the big tourist centres.

Rating - 3

Location

The good news? You're in your own wine estate, a castle set in hectares of vineyards. The atmosphere is absolutely surreal and beautiful. It's quiet and secluded, a hideaway. The price you pay? Even though this place is in Greve in Chianti, it's still about a 10 mins drive into the town centre. (BTW, Greve is a beautiful Tuscan town).Being in the upper part of Tuscany, it's quite far away from some of the must-visit towns. Conclusion, a good place to go if you want to relax and enjoy the surroundings, but if you want to explore Tuscany, base yourself at a more central location, as the roads are windy and it takes awhile to get to the next town.

Rating - 4

Value

I can't believe this was one of the cheaper places we stayed it, it was far and away the best place ever. We booked through Flight Centre (which I don't recommend at all btw), for 7 night stay, and 9 day car hire of a small manual car for $1291 Australian

Rating - 5

Snooze Points - 17

Info

via Vicchiomaggio, 4
50022 Greve in Chianti (FI)
Phone +39 055 854079
Website

Japan Regional Specialties

Hakone Yumoto

• black sulfur-fumed cooked egg
• mochi cake - yellow outside with red bean

Hiroshima

• okonomiyaki with noodles
• maple leaf cake
• okonomiyaki flavour Pretz

Kobe

• sweets and lollies
• chocolate

Kyoto

• flat mochi sheet wrapped with green tea, red bean
• red bean flavour Pocky

Nara

• deer shaped mochi

Osaka

• okonomiyaki
• tataoki flavour Pretz

Tokyo

• Ningyouaki = 'ank' sweet paste sauce made from red bean coated with light sponge cake
• Tokyo banana
• "Edo" flavour Pretz

Things you see everywhere in England

• pubs
• footy fans
• Irish pubs
• Japanese eateries
• Marks & Spencer
• people
• Indian restaurants
• green paddock with sheep, moo cows and horses
• fields with yellow flowers
• English gardens with flowers
• red telephone and post box
• double decker bus
• rain
• Topshop

Things you see everywhere in Italy

Venice

• water
• gondolas
• tourists
• graffiti
• gelato and pizza
• masks
• bikes

Verona

• designer shops
• graffiti
• gelato

Rome

• crazy drivers
• cars parked at any odd angle
• gelato
• wine bars
• pizzeria
• delis
• beggars
• old buildings
• grand buildings
• rubbish
• tourists holding maps
• police
• ambulance
• smart cars
• sirens

Tuscany

• green hills
• wineries
• churches on top of hills
• old walled towns
• ham, salami, chianti, Pecorinos

Emilia-Romagna

• food stores
• fairs
• palaces
• graffiti
• designer shops
• rain
• ham
• dog poo
• music on the streets

Amalfi Coast

• cliffs
• water
• lemons
• limoncello
• tourists
• coloured houses
• narrow roads
• crazy drivers
• chaos

Liguria

• bread shop
• focacceria
• water, beach, coast
• tunnels
• tanned Italians
• people swimming

Milan

• designer shops
• Leonardo da Vinci shrines
• baby designer shops
• Japanese tourists
• trendy bars
• more designer shops
• designer pubs

Casa Susy

Room

This place is basically just an apartment block of about 12 flats. The owner stay in 1 flat, converting some of their rooms into the B&B. They also have another flat on the floor below, where each room has been fitted with its own ensuite. All the other facilities are shared.

Our room was pretty big, but it was filled with furniture, a big wardrobe, desk and another bed so there wasn't much room to move around. The best thing was probably the little balcony we had with views of the mountains in the distance which was beautiful. There was also a clothes line on the balcony which was handy. Everything was kinda homely and simple though, so no designer furnishing here. The bed was comfortable enough, but not the best. The pillow was very thin but at least there was an extra so I could prop myself up. The walls were really thin so you can hear next door, upstairs, downstairs, basically everything. Luckily we shard our apartment with only 2 other girls - there could be a maximum of 8 people sharing the flat.

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

The best thing about this place was the Internet and laptop that we were basically free to use as we liked. I got a LOT of catchup done. There was also a real big fridge which was great. We really were living in Suzy's house, so we could use her kitchen with all its utensils. So we got to boil our water ok. You could also get Suzy to do your laundry for the inflated price of 10 Euros.

We met Suzy and her brother Nicola who ran the place. They were pretty nice people and quite helpful, but I didn't feel they were interesting or genuine. I think they were seasoned pros so just put on a fake front. Their true colours came out when they tried to rip us off at the end. (See value entry below).

Rating - 3.5

Location

Relatively close to Sant 'Agnello station, a 10 minute walk down some narrow pathway. It was a good base for Sorrento and Pompeii, and also cheaper. The town itself is smaller and cheaper, with a more "authentic" Italian feel which I like. Just note that Sant 'Agnello is a small station so the trains and buses are not very frequent.

Rating - 3.5

Food

Befitting a small B&B, the breakfast was all "homemade". There was not very much choices available, but it was quite acceptable. We were served some yummy fresh bread every morning, with a selection of spreads you use out of communal big jars. The spreads weren't very interesting or good quality, but the bread was so good I could eat it plain.

I was most disappointed with the cheese they served. In a country renowned for their fantastic cheeses, which were all reasonably priced, we were served plastic wrapped 'singles' cheese which tasted like nothing at all.

We got stovetop-made cappuccino every morning, allbeit with cheap coffee, but we only got chocolate cakes and hazelnut biscuits on the first morning. We were always the first people at breakfast since we always headed off early, however, on the last day we came back later in the day (around 9.30) to pay the bill, and saw that other people had much BETTER breakfast items served to them, including an Easter cake.

Rating - 2.5

Value

Here is what I don't like about this place. What they advertised on the Internet and their promotional websites is definitely not what you get. The breakfast was described as very elaborate and half the items they promised was missing. They tried to rip us off when we paid the bill, trying to charge us an extra 10 Euros on top of the quoted 60 Euros a night. Luckily I kept all the documentation and was able to prove straightaway that that wasn't our agreed rate. They also said they accept credit card but it turned out they only accepted cash. It was only later, when we talked to the guy we met at the station who worked as a receptionist at a Sant 'Agnello hotel, that he told us we paid too much. If it wasn't for the lies this was quite an acceptable place to stay.

Rating - 1.5

Snooze Points - 14.5

Info

Via Cappuccini 36
Sant'Agnello di Sorrento
80065 Naples
Italy
Phone +39 3389424111
Website

Welcome Residences

Room

It's a case of style of substance. Everything was being renovated here so it was all new. The furnishing is of the Victorian period and very tasteful. The bed was quite spacious and comfortable, with nice doona and pillow that's not paper thin. It was warm enough in Rome to not need any sort of heating. However, the bathroom shower leaked and there weren't any hooks to hang up stuff. The drawers were beautiful antique like but required you to turn a key every time you want to open it, after awhile, it was just tedious.

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

They had a fridge, yeah! But again, no kettle or water. I am confused again, what is it with Italian hotels and inconsistency? The 1st day we were there we got soap and shampoo, after 2 days, they stopped giving us anything. A few days later we got razors. Sometimes they don't line the bins. Alas, no Internet (which we really could've done with) or laundry (also really needed!)

The level of service we received from the staff was also very inconsistent. There were 2 people there who were really nice, and went the extra mile to get you information and other stuff you need, for example they recommended great restaurants, laundry and supermarket for us, but at other times, totally useless. When I told them we had a leak in the shower, they promised it would be fixed the next day. Needless to say, it wasn't so I went to find out why. It turned out that the person we told didn't even bother writing down our problem or passing it on. We then got told it couldn't be fixed for a few days because of the Easter holidays and we'd just missed the last working day opportunity. They didn't offer to move us to another room, and when I complaint they gave us some towels we could put on the floor to absorb the water. This only happened once though, afterwards we couldn't be bothered going specifically to get towels all the time and gave up all hope of the shower ever getting fixed where we were there, and just lived with a damp floor.

Got the useless guy again when we checked out. Luckily we did it early as it took them ages to figure out what was going on.

Rating - 1

Location

It was close to Termini station and the Metro, which was good, but you get "bad" sorts here - homeless, beggars, gangs. It was also quite noisy with road noises. Because our house is next to a highway, the noise didn't really concern us, but if you're not used to it, you might not get a good night's sleep. They seem to do construction work at really odd hours.

Rating - 3.5

Food

They serve a buffet style breakfast every morning. The selection is not as good as all the other places we've been to, and we were staying for 7 days, so got sick of all the stuff by the end of it. What's strange is that the selection is pretty different on different days, as in some pastries and cakes are not available sometimes, sometimes there's no bread, sometimes none of a particular jam. I think it's more a matter of inconsistency rather than them changing it for variety.

The offering included cereals, tea, coffee, chocolates, apricot tarts, chocolate marble cake, bread, yoghurt. I really could have done with some fruit. Unfortunately, all the food were of the cheapo variety. They didn't have a real cappuccino machine, and the juice was sugary and cordial like. Also, they never refill the breakfast offering, so once it's gone, that's it. This didn't affect us as we always had an early breakfast so we could head off, but if you're a late sleeper, this could be a problem.

Rating - 2.5

Value

At 85 Euro a night, it was not as bad as the Venice place. There wasn't much cheap accom in Rome so it was passable. I hope the accommodation in the smaller towns will be better from now.

Rating - 3

Snooze Points - 13.5

Info

Via Amendola 7
Roma 00185
Italy
Phone +39 (0)6 48901248
Website

Ramada Fiera Hotel

Room

Hoorah! The room was big, tastefully furnished and decorated. Everything was functional! The beds were extra wide and comfy, but the pillows were quite flat and there was no extra blanket.

Rating - 4

Facilities

The staff were very efficient and very entertaining. When I went to check out, the guy chatted to me about visiting Sydney and surfing at Bondi, as you would. The only gripe I had was that at breakfast we weren't offered cappuccino but everyone else dining there was. It did look like everyone else were regulars though.

They offered the usual facilities befitting a 4 star hotel:toiletries , gym (that I didn't have time to use), internet. They had some great tasting lollies at reception but no kettle either.

Rating - 4.5

Location

I think one reason it was cheaper was that you cannot reach the hotel without a car. To their advantage they have plenty of free parking and they are close to the Verona Fairground - where most of their business seem to stem from.

Rating - 3.5

Food

Absolutely wonderful, they put out a spread of cakes and pastries, breads, cereals and milk, fruits, yoghurts, cold cuts, cheese, eggs, potatoes, bacon. They even had a separate biodynamic section. And the coffee when we got it? Excellent.

Rating - 5

Value

At 80 Euros a night, including that fabulous buffet breakfast, a bargain!

Rating - 4.5

Snooze Points - 21.5

Info

Via Zannoni 26-8
Veneto,
Verona 37136
Italia
Phone +39 458204485
Website

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Gold Coast

• BWS (Beer, wine, spirit for the uninitiated)
• beaches
• surf shops
• people in beach wear
• Baskin Robbins
• Thai restaurants

Things you see everywhere in Germany

Frankfurt

• people smoking
• graffiti
• bikes
• pretzel

Munich

• beer hall
• beer garden
• beer
• bread
• pretzel

Romantic Road

• yellow and green fields
• beer
• beer garden
• castles
• houses with huge roofs
• Italian restaurants
• cafes and bread shop
• cobbled streets with horse-drawn carriage
• churches and high towers
• bikes

Things you see everywhere in Japan

• people
• Hondas
• toilets
• food places
• convenience stores
• cleaners
• people bowing at you
• Japanese tourists
• American tourists holding guide books
• carparks
• bikes
• Starbucks

Toyota Yaris

Trip Summary

Gold Coast

Drive

After 4 days, Slokky still had trouble controlling it, and I'm not sure if that's due to his lack of skills or the sensitivity of the car. Either way, it wasn't a very smooth drive. Our little black Yaris certainly got a lot of looks because of that though. It's not a bad looking car, and its design points are definitely nicer than the Echo and the Corolla.

Rating - 3

Comfort

Besides the bump factor, not bad. There was the standard air-con, CDs, as well as electric windows and central locking. The seat was soft enough, but I probably wouldn't want to sit in the back. There are loads of nooks and crannies for you to store stuff, but the boot is quite small.

Rating - 3

Service

For once we went with Hertz, and I can't fault their service. Unlike those people at Kings Cross when we rented the Corolla (due to the stupid people who did the hit and run). They were available when we arrived on our late flight and we just filled in a form to return the car for our early morning flight.

Rating - 4

Value

Around $30 per day for our troubles. We only needed to fill up one tank too which was a bonus.

Rating - 4

Clean

I think apart from that experience in Venice, all rental cars have been immaculate. This one had a few small scratches on the outside though.

Rating - 3

Zoom Points - 17

Info

Toyota Yaris YR Hatchback
Website

Hotel Watermark

Room

This place was a lot more run down than I expected. The lobby and foyer resembled any other 4.5 star hotels, with a few restaurants and shops. However, when you actually go up to your floor, the carpet is worn, and inside the room, the same. The bathroom was tied and old, and although clean, felt dirty. The room was spacious enough, but had none of the "luxurious" furnishings I was expecting from a high-class hotel. In fact, I've stayed at 3 star hotels with better furnishing, so what's the deal with that? Because we'd paid $30 extra per night for the privilege, we were on a higher floor ($18) and had a view of the lagoon and the highways, no ocean view though). The "Deluxe" room also came with king-sized bed. The bed? I was quite impressed by first impressions. It was big (king sized alright) and tastefully decorated, with five pillows as well as other smaller cushions, decked out in neutral earthy tones. But like they say, don't judge a book by its cover. On sleeping on it, the bed was hard as! This is really really bad for side sleepers. I didn't sleep at all the first night, and for nights after that, I made sure I had extra pillows so I was really elevated and my shoulders weren't as sore after that.

Rating - 2

Facilities

There were the restaurants, bars, gaming room, function room, gym, pool, laundry, hairdressers, spa, the standard facilities for a 4.5 stars hotel really. What was disappointing was that you have to pay to use EVERYTHING. Even Internet was charged. We didn't end up using ANY of the facilities because of the strict opening times. Really, how do you expect anyone to be able to use these.

The most disappointing aspect was the staff. They were all wooden, with a very forced friendliness and impersonal service which I found so different to everyone else I've encountered on the Gold Coast. They delivered what we asked but that was all, nobody befriended you or went above and beyond their call. What annoyed me though was what they did with the toiletries - which, I might add, was cheap and second rate for a 4.5 star hotel. One the first day, there was 1 bottle of shampoo and conditioner, but no soap. We had to go to the conceiage to get some. On the 2nd day, there was 2 bottles of shampoo and conditioner, as well as more soap. On the 3rd day, nothing at all. What on earth is going on? As well, for every extra toweling you ask for, there's a $2 surcharge. Outrageous!

According to the website (which incidentally, is broken. They really should check their links) [Note 20/10/06 - they finally fixed their website, link updated], the "Deluxe" room also came with bathrobes. However, there were none in the room and you have to phone up for it. We phoned up for the 1st night just to see what we paid $30 extra for, and the maid delivered 2 stiff white bathrobes I'd rather not touch, and they sat in our room for 3 whole days.

Rating - 2

Location

The best thing about this hotel, situated at the edge of the main tourist strip. We could walk to the beach (10 mins) and to the shops, and it's also quite close to the Broadbeach and casino end of town. The parking was convenient too.

Rating - 4

Value

Because we went in the dead of winter, all the hotels were doing so-called "special" deals. We paid $340 for 3 nights, which I think was a rip-off, simply because they did not meet my expectations. I tried to use the 3-card which entitled us to a further 10% off, but they gave me some excuse of the reservation system was not controlled by them and they couldn't change the amount - then how do they charge people for mini-bar items and such then? I will not be returning.

Rating - 1

Snooze Points - 9

Info

3032 Gold Coast Blvd
Surfers Paradise,
QLD 4217
Australia
Phone +61 7 5588 8333
Website

Residenza Cà Dario

Room

I didn't know it at the time, but this was to be the worst hotel out of the whole trip, I guess at least it was good that my expectations were lowered. I was quite charmed by the outside, a two storey building. Inside, everything was decorated nicely, but nothing was as I expected.

Our room was on the first floor. Seeing this was one of the most expensive places we were staying at, imagine my dismay when we could hardly fit both our suitcases in there. (I had a peak at the other rooms though, and the one next door to us was heaps bigger, so maybe we were just unlucky. When I went to check the website, I realised they actually put us up in their "single" room as our exact room showed up in the "single" room photo, but they charged us the double room rate). The bed was also tiny, the pillows were FLAT, which were already bad signs... The blankets was thin and you could only turn the heat up a little bit. I had to sleep with a jumper on.

Rating - 0.5

Facilities

This was our first and only hotel where we had to share bathrooms, and I don't think I ever want that experience again. The bathroom itself was nicely decorated, but there was a lot of waiting around to use it. It was also very inconvenient if you wanted to use it at night because it was so far away. The shower didn't drain properly and after one person had a shower, the whole bathroom floor would be wet and filled with soap suds. The cloth hand drying dispenser ran out and wasn't replaced.

There was a cappuccino machine and tea and coffee making facilities (with a dirty kettle!) out in the hallway, but the cappuccino machine didn't work and wasn't fixed, and they gave you small plastic cups to make your coffee in, so whenever you poured anything into it, you got the melted plastic taste.

Apart from getting no toiletries items or even a cup to use for the bathroom, the towels were just cloths, and weren't replaced either.

At this stage, we weren't used to the Italian way yet, so I didn't know that when the office said it was opened at 8.30, they actually mean 9.00. We waited around for 2 days waiting for them to open, but when nobody showed after 9.00 on both days, we decided to take off. On the last day we had no choice but to wait, and the office ladies didn't come in under 9.10. When we finally got to meet her, she was pretty friendly, but not nearly as nice as the Japanese.

Rating - 1

Location

Venice is funny to judge on location 'cos it depends on your needs. For us, pushing our luggage over the least amount of bridges was the priority, so crossing only 2 bridges to reach this place was an advantage. However, this place is far away from the main tourist area around San Marco, which didn't bother us at all but other people might find inconvenient.

Rating - 4

Value

80 Euros per night, what a complete rip-off! As well as having a small room and shared bathroom, the supposed "breakfast" was a basket that kept diminishing every day.

Rating - 0

Food

The price was supposed to include "breakfast", but what we got was a basket filled with (on the first day anyway):

• two packets of cappuccino mix
• two packets of coffee and milk
• two mini chocolate donuts
• two mini apricot tarts
• two lemon tea

The second day there was no lemon tea, and the third day, as well as the lemon tea, the cappuccino packs were also gone. If they were trying to impress us the first day, it didn't work. The food was of low quality and not substantial at all.

Rating - 0

Snooze Points - 5.5

Info

Sestiere Di Santa Croce 642
30125,Venezia,
Italia
Phone: +39 0415242719
Website

Hotel Garni Diplomat

Room

After Japan, this room seemed absolutely enormous! The room actually reflected the characteristics of Germany. The room was sparsely decorated, but very functional. The beds were very long and narrow, catering to the Germans. All the switches and drawers were very high up, and I couldn't use the mirror at all! The European pillows and blankets were great too. Everything was basic, but you have everything you need.

Rating - 4

Facilities

The bathroom was very funny, in that there's no shower cabinet as such, you just get the whole floor wet. I was quite surprised that we had plenty of clean towels and soap surprised. This room didn't have a fridge, and as we found out later, no hotels in Europe provide kettles because of some sort of health regulations, so there are never any kettles in the room. The owner was extra nice though, as we didn't know about the kettle, he did manage to bring us a pot of boiling water so we had our water for the day.

checking in and out was easy, and the breakfast ladies were great. They were very busy making sure the food was always filled, and worked tirelessly making everything special, we really noticed the difference once we got to Italy...

Rating - 4

Location

This place was great, very close to transportation, pretty convenient to get to the airport, and we could actually walk to the city centre! It was in a suburban St, which had some wide kids running around though, and they were making a lot of noise. However, noise doesn't bother me so I slept through it.

Rating - 4

Value

We paid 46 Euros a night, the cheapest hotel in our EU stay.

Rating -5

Food

I was surprised, but the breakfast buffet was absolutely excellent. We didn't know it at that stage, but it was to become one of the best breakfast we were going to have. Buffet style, with loads of choices, including cold cuts, loads of cheeses, heaps of different breads, and best of all, fruit! It was all tasty!!!

Rating - 5

Snooze Points - 22

Info

Ostendstr. 24-26, 60314
Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Phone 069 4304040

Oak Hotel

Room

Well, the rooms are getting smaller and smaller, the bed was small, but comfortable enough. The pillow was good. Given that we were only here for a few hours to sleep, I wasn't really fussed. It did feel a bit claustrophobic in the room, 'cos it didn't have a window, but it was night and you couldn't see outside anyway.

Rating - 3

Facilities

This was a hostel, so as expected, there was a share kitchen, internet, laundry, vending machines. This place had no fridge and a small kettle. It was much better than I expected for a hostel, all the equipment were in good working order, and there was no rude guests or anything. We spent hours on the net and doing our laundry before we had to held off for Germany.

The staff had great English and were very helpful with our enquiries. We were able to check out very early in the morning without any problems.

Rating - 4.5

Location

10 mins walk from JR Ueno station, we chose it so we could get to the airport quickly. Otherwise, close to the attractions of Ueno.

Rating - 4

Value

At 7560 yen, I can't complain. You pay for what you get, and they exceeded my expectations.

Rating - 4.5

Snooze Points - 16

Info

6-1-2, HigashiUeno,
Taito-ku,
Tokyo, 103-0013 Japan
Phone +81-3-5828-0551
Website

Kyoto Garden Hotel

Room

Well, this was more what we expected from Japanese hotels. The room was small after we've moved in our huge suitcases, the double bed also very small. The bathroom continued the theme. The decor was very westernised and had no Japanese touch. However, we had everything we needed. The bed was comfy but the blanket was not big enough for both of us though.

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

By this time, we were very used to the politeness of the Japanese, so we were somewhat taken aback by the staff at this hotel. Oh, they were nice enough, it's just that we expected more by now.

Goodies wise, they provided everything we needed too, but nothing more. There was no laundry. The kettle could've been bigger. However, they did have 2 Internet terminals available at the lobby so we were able to blog.

Rating - 3.5

Location

Great location close to the station (15 mins to JR station) and metro (Karasuma-Oike) (1 min). There were also some cool shops nearby.

Rating - 4

Value

8050 Yen per night is ok value, but of course can't compare to Kitcho or Taiseikan.

Rating - 3.5

Snooze Points - 14.5

Info

Muromachi-dori,
Oike minamiiru, Nakagyo-ku,
Kyoto 604-8175, Japan
Phone +81-75-255-2000
Website