# 2008: Brisbane to Cairns to Fiji from U.S.



## Conan (Apr 23, 2007)

I'm thinking of adding NE Australia to the Fiji trip I'm planning for May of '08.

Question 1: Which looks better, Trip A or Trip B?
Question 2: Can anyone suggest hotels for the short stays and a timeshare near the Barrier Reef in Trip B?

Our goals for this trip are (i) snorkel and (ii) culture
We generally stay in 2-star or 3-star hotels.

Trip A:
Saturday:  depart JFK
Monday:  arrive Brisbane (2 nights Hotel _____ in Brisbane or Byron Bay)
Wednesday: Brisbane to Cairns (3 nights Hotel _____ vicinity Great Barrier Reef)
Saturday: Fiji (7 nights Worldmark Timeshare)
Saturday: Fly Fiji to JFK

Trip B:
Tuesday: depart JFK
Thursday: arrive Brisbane (2 nights Hotel _____ in Brisbane or Byron Bay)
Saturday:Brisbane to Cairns (7 nights Timeshare ______ vicinity Great Barrier Reef)
Saturday: Fiji (3 nights Hotel _____)
Tuesday: Fly Fiji to JFK


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## ausman (Apr 23, 2007)

Couple of comments:

Don't stay in Byron Bay, to fly to Cains you would have to go back to Brisbane or down to Sydney I think. So strictly for travel time and cost I would eliminate the Byron option unless there is a reson for it, see friends etc.

The first day you are likely to be jet lagged, maybe you have taken that into account with the two nights in Brisbane but if you wanted two full days of sightseeing much of day one is spent in a daze.

The choice of Brisbane over Sydney as an entry point and jumping off point, most flights fly into Sydney and then continue on to Brisbane or Melbourne . While I like Brisbane I would think most people find Sydney more attractive if a first time visit.

And lastly both plans have a full week stay in a timeshare. I understand the reason but maybe a shorter TS (4-5 day) stay would enable you to either see something else or stay longer at another. 

Do a "three week trip" with time in HI, get a week there last minute  in the "45 day" window a week or two from returning and extend your trip. Again not necessary to spend the full week in a TS.

Maybe it is as simple as how much do you want to snorkel at each location.





rklein001 said:


> I'm thinking of adding NE Australia to the Fiji trip I'm planning for May of '08.
> 
> Question 1: Which looks better, Trip A or Trip B?
> Question 2: Can anyone suggest hotels for the short stays and a timeshare near the Barrier Reef in Trip B?
> ...


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## sage (Apr 24, 2007)

Hi rklein001,
I totally agree with Basham. Make your trip 3 weeks with a week in each Sydney, Cairns and Fiji. You won't be disappointed!  
You can get timeshares in Fiji and Cairns. Sydney you will need a hotel or city apartment.
Plenty of accommodation can be found quite cheaply close to your arrival date at lastminute.com.au or needitnow.com.au  Otherwise book your accommodation ahead of time. There have been a few thread on visiting Sydney and some of the places to stay have been listed in them.

I live in Sydney but have also been to Cairns and Fiji several times.

Byron Bay is pretty but about 1.5 -2 hours from Brisbane and no airports in sight. You would have to travel back to Brisbane to get your flights. It is also considered a sort of hippie area (Nimbin). Our school leavers head there every year when they finish there exams in November/December as it is famed for to the beaches, booze and easy availability of drugs.

Even though Brisbane is classed as a city, it is more like a huge country town.
If possible, give Brisbane a miss and go to Sydney instead. More to do. You can see the Harbour, climb the Harbour Bridge, see Darling Harbour and the wildlife exhibit; go up to the Blue Mountains and our famous Bondi Beach.
You can find plenty of hotels on-line in the city at fairly reasonable prices.

Cairns has several timeshares. If you are with II, try getting the Novotel Rockford at Palm Cove. It is out of the Cairns but all day trips can arrange to have you picked up from your hotel. It is on a pretty beach, has 10 swimming pools, bars, restaurants and a local bus at the doorstep. Unless they have altered it, it also has squash & tennis courts, bike hire, casino and trivia nights, and a range of other activities including watersports.
Don't consider Port Douglas for hotels or accomodation unless you want to spend at least an hour getting to and from the airport and to various attractions.

You can take a day trip to the reef where you can snorkel most of the day.
Kuranda is up on the Atherton Tablelands and has markets, aboriginal performances and a great train trip through the rainforest.
There is a wildlife park near the Novotel that has crocodiles and other native animals.


Fiji has a great Worldmark on Denaru Island. It is on an "island" accessible by road. There are several big hotels along the same street - Westin, Sheraton, Sofitel. The Hilton and Renaisssance/Raddison (not sure which one) are being built there. Lots to do and they have a Bula bus (courtesy bus) that takes you between the resorts.

Have fun deciding and have a great trip.
Gillian


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## Cathyb (Apr 27, 2007)

There IS a Worldmark timeshare in Sydney in case you didn't know.


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