Category: Travel

  • Melbourne

    Melbourne was a pre-favourite because of many factors – the Great Ocean Road, meeting friends, and skydiving! While Melbourne does not have the laid-back feel of Cairns, it compensated with great food, splendid street art, and a casual vibe.

    Stay

    In the well laid out rows and columns of Melbourne’s CBD, we wanted a place that would be well connected by feet or public transport. As always, a view would be welcome, and it had to fit our budget. Oaks on William checked all boxes, though we would have to manage breakfast on our own.

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  • Cairns

    Cairns finds a place in the Australia plan because of three words – Great Barrier Reef! As they remind you, there is nothing remotely close to it in terms of size and variety. But, after we got there, a bunch of things made us like the place a lot – the promenade, the community vibe, the relative slow pace, and a general small town feel, though it isn’t really a small town!

    Stay

    We wanted a place that would give us a sea view, and be near enough to areas we were planning to visit. The Cairns Plaza was perfect, and delivered on both counts. The check-in time, and this seems to be standard across the country, is 2PM, but if you get in early like we did, you can leave the luggage there.

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  • Malta : San Anton, Mosta

    Continued from Part 1, 2, 3, 4

    Our final day in Malta predictably began with a walk to the Ponsonby bus stop, the first step in a multi-hop trip to San Anton Gardens. After fumbling through the first one at Gnien/Garcin, we gave up on the original bus route and just caught a bus to Piu, the bus stop nearest to our destination. A 15 min walk later, we were at San Anton gardens. The palace within is the official residence of the President of Malta, but we were here for another “historic” sighting. 

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  • Malta: Dingli, Rabat, Mdina, Ghajn Tuffieha

    Continued from Part 1, 2, 3

    Since the Gozo trip was relatively untaxing, we had decided to make up for it with a packed day. But given that we both now have to look back to find our our 40th birthdays, we were a little kind to ourselves. So instead of slumming it on a bus, we booked a cab to Dingli.  Explanations on the web were a little patchy, so it was difficult to know beforehand what location would give us a good view of the cliffs. The journey took us less than half an hour and so, a little after 9.30, we got down at what Maps calls Dingli Cliffs Panoramic View. If you walk off the road a little bit you get a very good view.

    A little under 2 kms of walk, which though uphill is made pleasant by the magnificent view, will get you to the St. Mary Magdalene chapel from where you can get a good view too. There is a bus stop just opposite.

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  • Malta: Comino, Gozo & some fireworks!

    Continued from Part 1, 2

    The islands off the main island, that was our plan on the fourth day. While we were in the planning stage, we had considered taking the ferry from the northern tip  of the island – Cirkewwa, but then we decided to be a little lazy, and arranged a tour with Hornblower Cruises for Comino Blue Lagoon and Gozo.

    We were picked up on time from the hotel on time and dropped somewhere near the Bugibba area where the boat was docked. The trip began at 10.30 and as we progressed, we realised that leaving ourselves uncovered from knee-down wasn’t a great idea. Thankfully, from the infinite innards of her handbag, D pulled out a shawl and the journey became much more pleasant!

    The boat hugged the coast at the start, passing St. Pauls Islands and the statue of St. Pauls, and then briefly halting at the Ahrax Caves. The shades of water were simply amazing.

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