World Traveller 73 
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Lounge, North Satellite, Sea-Tac Airport, Seattle, Washington, United States
We happened to end up disembarking in the North Satellite at SEA-TAC. The North Satellite has undergone a bit of a re-birth over the last view years. Our visit happened to coincide within 7 days of the brand new flagship Alaska Lounge opening. With the window coverings finally taken down, we were keen to see what Alaska now had to offer.
Alaska Lounge (new)
North Satellite
SeaTac International Airport
The lounge is located on a new third level above the North Satellite in an expanded area. We took the elevator up since there were no stairs. We were entitled to access as we were on a same day Alaska Mileage Plan First Class award. Although there was no First Class cabin on our departing propellor Alaska flight (single class of service), the agent was able to scan our inbound Alaska First Class DFW-SEA boarding card on the scanner, and we were easily admitted access. Unfortunately, the Seattle Alaska Lounges have dropped out of Priority Pass, so the only way in is through a confirmed paid or reward (not upgraded) Alaska First Class ticket, an annual Alaska Lounge membership or a reciprocal lounge membership such as AAdmirals Club.
“The new concept Alaska Lounge is much nicer than any other Alaska Lounge that I’ve ever been to.”
The lounge itself is nicer than any other Alaska Lounge that I’ve previously been to. However, that’s not saying all to much. The lounge is a marked upgrade from the usual older Alaska Lounge experience. The lounge was decorated like a dark “W” Hotel, with contemporary blues, greens and blacks. The size of the lounge is much larger and occupies the whole half top floor of the North Terminal, with large day light windows on 3 sides of the lounge.
The lounge offers a beautiful gas fireplace, similar to the Iceland Air Saga Lounge in Reykjavik.
There is a large bar at the east end of the lounge with top shelf liquor available for purchase. The Alaska no tipping policy seems to have been maintained, and the usual dollar bills across American airline lounge bars are not seen here.
There is a large coffee bar with available cappuccinos, along with the usual small Alaska cheese cubes. The food service station is so large, it almost dwarfs the small offerings that were out at the time of our visit.
Alaska has also gone upscale and now offers pay for purchase foods in the lounge, with menus across many tables. It didn’t seem like the kitchen was open at 10 PM when we stopped by.
All in all, a nice space and Alaska has a lot to be proud of with this lounge. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to come and visit again on a day light layover in the near future. Without Priority Pass access or an annual membership, paid First Class remains the easiest way to get in.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Airlines First Class, Boeing 737-900, Dallas – Seattle
We left the Centurion Lounge and headed over from the Terminal D to the Terminal E via the Skylink elevated train; apparently the only way to transfer between the two terminals on the secure side. While we were en route, the A380 was being towed back to the Gate 16D stand for the evening return of the QF 8 DFW-SYD flight.
On arrival to the plain Terminal E, I took a look around at some silly souvenir stores before settling in the general concourse lounge for the flight. A 10 minute delay was posted.
Alaska Airlines
AS 667 – First Class (A)
DFW – SEA (Dallas Fort Worth – Seattle Tacoma International Airport)
July 21, 2019
7:55 PM – 10:10 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Finally on board, we had the usual large puffy Alaska First Class seats. There was plenty of bin space tonight, with no problems stowing the bags.
The usual, “non exciting” pre – departure Dasani 250 ml bottle of water was waiting for us. I hope that one day Alaska decides to go with the open bar pre-departure beverage like most other American carriers. There is only so much hospitality and welcome a small plastic bottle of water can provide (laughing).
“I hope that one day, Alaska decides to go with the open bar
pre-departure beverage, like most other American carriers.”
We had a departure over some not very interesting Dallas scenery as we climbed to altitude.
We started with a simple drink service, along with some roasted nuts.
Dinner tonight was, as usual, an interesting Alaska special. It was described as a Peruvian Chicken Breast, roasted boneless chicken breast, raosted with lemon, cumin, paprika and garlic, served with roasted summer squashes, fried rice with bacon, zesty Peruvian green sauce. It was reasonably tasty for a change.
We had some weather on the way to Seattle. It was one of the first times that I was able to look out the window and see lighting piercing through the clouds.
We arrived fairly quickly at Seattle, but in usual SEA-TAC fashion, the gate was not available for us and we had a 10 minute delay sitting on the apron until we were re-assigned another gate in the N Terminal.
We were eventually off at N17 in the North Satellite with another flight done. It was a bit of a long way home routing Sydney – Dallas – Seattle – Vancouver but much better that it was in First Class instead of in the back in Economy like my last flight leaving Australia.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, Dallas Forth Worth, Texas, United States
We arrived in Dallas in mostly great shape for an international flight. We had a 7 hour layover at Dallas Forth Worth airport thanks to no earlier Alaska flights available to take us home. After being in a tube for 15 hours on Qantas, I was keen to go outside and get some fresh air. Not having visited Dallas for 20 years, I was reminded from MrsWT73 how muggy the nudity was here. We lasted about 10 minutes outside of the international arrivals hall before we turned into a pool of dripping perspiration.
We returned back into the D concourse and re-cleared security. Although our boarding cards were stamped with “First” and TSA Pre-Check, the officious line dragon denied MrsWT73’s attempt to access the priority line. “It is for privileged people” (of which we were not apparently).
American Express Centurion Lounge
Dallas Forth Worth, Texas, USA
We wandered through to the American Express Centurion Lounge where the kind host checked us in and put us on the list for a complimentary spa treatment. We also gained immediate access to the shower suite, which was much needed after our long flight.
The lounge was a busy place and pretty crowded throughout our stay. The staff managed capacity pretty well as there was always somewhere to sit.
I was able to enjoy the complimentary spa treatment at about 4:20 PM. An enthusiastic massage therapist Christina indicated, as they all do, that I needed to get in for a longer term massage.
We eventually passed the time away, with another order of chicken and salad before left for our flight. The Centurion Lounge was a comfortable, if not crowded, stopover in Dallas. Although the lounges are a great space to get food and drink, the North American locations always seem to be very crowded.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Qantas First Class, Airbus 380, Sydney – Dallas Forth Worth
I was looking forward to this flight as it was the longest flight in our personal history book by distance travelled. The flight was to cover 8,577 miles (13,804 km) and about 14.5 hours of flight time. It beat our past personal record of Dubai to Los Angeles on Emirates at 8,309 miles and 13,420 km. At the time we travelled, it was the 7th longest flight in the world by distance, just ahead of Philippines Airlines PR 127 New York JFK to Manila, but behind United Airlines UA 101 Houston – Sydney. It was a bit amazing that there was Alaska Mileage Plan reward space on it, but sometimes you just have to take what you can book. This particular flight was several thousand miles out of the way inland into the Americas and we would need to back track towards the coast, eventually heading toward Vancouver.
We left the lounge at about T-65 and headed down to the main concourse. We stocked up on a bottle of Wirra Wirra Sauvingon Blanc Duty Free Wine and headed to Gate 9.
Qantas Airlines
QF 7 – First Class (P)
SYD – DFW (Sydney Kingford Smith International Airport – Dallas Forth Worth)
July 21, 2019
12:35 PM – 1:00 PM
Booked: Airbus 380-800
Flown: Airbus 380-800
Gate 7 – 9 appeared to be set up for US Departures as an extra screening gate. As with most USA overseas flights, there was an army of additional security screening staff. MrsWT73 was unlucky enough to be pulled into secondary for a 3rd time by security “because she had too many carry on’s and looked irritated”. LOL, that’s a good one, although I wouldn’t want to be the screener that provided that information as a reason for her security check. As a result of the secondary, secondary, security screening, we missed the first boarding call. The gate area was pretty full of people blocking the aisles anyway with no easy way to get over to the first lane.
Once on the jet bridge, we had a proper 3rd jet bridge dedicated to First Class. As we headed down the jet bridge, we were met halfway down by a Qantas host who escorted us to our seats.
On Board Qantas First Class Airbus 380:
The Suite was the same comfortable seat we had on the way down. It was all the better to be arriving to the suite in the day time as opposed to the 10:30 PM time we had departing Los Angeles.
We had a steward introduction “Stu” and a Cabin Manager introduction (who would be upstairs for most of the flight). Our steward “Stu” had a strong likeness to actor Jason Stratham, of the Transporter movie series. As a result MrsWT73 very much welcomed his “attention(s)” throughout the flight for the 14 ½ hrs. I was immediately placed on hiatus for most of the first half of the flight.
“Are you serving the good stuff?”
Qantas opens the “good” champagne on the ground, so a Tattinger Comtes be Blanc 2007 champagne was the pre-departure beverage of choice. We also had some almond and olives dropped off as an amuse bouche.
The seats and entertainment were controlled by the same dated controllers and wired remote.
The seat had in suite power, although rather inconveniently tucked on the floor of the entry and exit of the suite. This meant the potential for kicking out your plugs as you entered and exited the area.
The amenity kits were dropped off, along with another pair of Martin Grant L / XL pajamas.
While we were waiting to get underway, I played with the in flight map and the cameras. Eventually, we would get underway and taxi out.
A take off roll and away we went. We had a nice gentle rise to cruising altitude; Airbus A380 is such a super pleasant way to fly.
While I was waiting for the action to get going, I settled into Australian “Classics” movies. The Crocodile Dundee movie still isn’t boring after all these years… that is, if you don’t get a regular dose of it like you probably would have in Australia.
Food and Beverage: A Neil Perry Tasting Menu for Dinner
“Qantas First Class still offers a delicious Neil Perry Tasting Menu based on highlights from his restaurants”
The menus were also presented for the flight. Qantas has re-instated the tasting menu concept departing Australia. It is a light version as it is not specifically paired with any wines, but rather a sequence of meals that are recommended courtesy of celebrity chef Neil Perry.
There was the rest of the regular menu, which was decent as well.
There was also a very respectable wine list, with some Australian regional favorites.
Getting underway, I enjoyed another glass of the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, along with a Caviar tarlet with cauliflower puree. It’s smart of Qantas to offer caviar in a smaller portion, instead of a traditional caviar serving. This way, they can say that they’ve served it, instead of likely all the expense of a full portion. It was nice and tasty. Along with the caviar was ocean trout tataki with soy, jalapeno and cucumber. Both exceptional and super tasty.
After that, the table was set for the tasting menu experience…
Roast pumpkin soup with garlic and thyme croutons and herbed crème fraiche.
I deviated from the tasting menu since I wasn’t able to have my favorite dumplings at the Opera Kitchen at the Sydney Opera House. I went with the Pork and Shitake dumplings with pickled cucumber, and spicy black vinegar dressing. It was absolutely sensational! This was paired with the Jim Barry The Florita Riesling 2012, Clare Valley, Australia.
In almost an identical replication of our Rockpool dinner in Melbourne, the main was a Rockpool Bar and Grill style Cape Grim beef filet with potato and cabbage gratin, broccolini and fresh horseradish. This was paired with the fantastic Hollick “Ravenswood” Cabernet Sauvingon 2015 from Coonawarra, South Australia.
Unfortunately, the steak was terribly overcooked through and not really of restaurant quality. Although branded as such, I wouldn’t have ever missed out on the Rockpool restaurant experience in lieu of trying it on the plane.
Desert was chocolate mousse with sour cherries and toasted almonds. This was paired with Lillypilly Noble Blend 2015, Riverina New South Wales. It was pretty tasty, a solid eight out of ten on the dessert scale.
Dinner service was complete about 4 hours into the flight or at about 4:30PM Sydney Time. We were just approaching Tonga by this point.
I went upstairs to the lounge area with MrsWT73 while I finished off my desert wine. I also took a look at the business class “bar”, which offered some bottles available for self pour. There were an ample selection of magazines and snacks. Stu made up our bedding for the evening in the First Class suite while we were up there.
Qantas Sleep Set in First Class:
“There’s nothing like a spectacular sleep on an Airbus 380”
Like on our way down, the sleep bedding was exceptional. Qantas does an exceptional job with its bedding and it really shows. The quality of the sheets and bed set are strong and are among the best of any carrier in the world.
We had some turbulence and when it was safe to do so, we came back down to our seats. Having had an early 6 AM wake up, I had a sleep. I must have been tired from all the traveling as I slept for almost 7 hours.
I woke up as we approached the Baja California peninsula, at about 3 hours left in flight time.
The Second Service: A Full Breakfast
I ended up deciding this would be a good time to take breakfast. It started with Neil’s Health Bircher Musli with apple, almond and hazelnut with Meredit Dairy Sheep’s milk yoghurt, along with more of that excellent champagne.
An interesting poached egg with pearl barley, kale and spinach salad, toasted nuts, seeds, pomegranate and yoghurt dressing, along with orange juice, sourdough toast with marmalade, and a Vittoria Cinque Stelle Coffee. That was an interesting dish but a different breakfast. Ohh, and a little bit more of that Tattinger Comte de Blancs champagne.
Our cabin representative “Stu” came over to thank us for flying with them today. MrsWT73 was sad to see him go (laughing).
We had an approach to Dallas from the north, which I followed with the SkyCam so that I would watch the big bird touch down. We had several cabin announcements relating to domestic passengers having to retrieve checked bags, whereas international connecting passengers to Canada and Mexico did not have to retrieve bags.
We arrived to the D concourse at D16 on one of the only A380’s in town. With the new re-fined Global Entry, we did not even have to submit fingerprints or passport and we were straight through without so much as a question asked.
My Thoughts on Qantas First Class:
“Qantas First Class Sydney to Dallas is one of the world’s longest and greatest First Class airline experiences, and priced accordingly”
A great Qantas flight and a new favorite of MrsWT73 for the no nonsense food, great wines and very spacious seat. Qantas First was easily among the new favourites for us. It is highly recommended if you can get your hands on some of it.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Qantas International First Class Lounge, Sydney Kingford Smith International Airport, Sydney, Australia
“The Qantas First Class Lounge at Sydney Kingford Smith is one of the world’s most uniquely decorated lounges. The Mark Newson contemporary design will be seared into your memory forever”
We self drove ourselves to the Sydney International Airport. On Sunday morning, there was a major traffic jam on the approach to the terminal. It seems that all the international flights were leaving at around the same time causing major car traffic pile ups. It was less than 5 km/h for about 10 minutes.
We returned the car to a compact International Hertz Rental return. The area was full of Chinese families with kids running around in the traffic lanes, mom’s not really paying much attention and dad’s smoking cigarettes in and between everyone. We didn’t get a charged a drop fee for dropping at the International wing, despite having rented from Sydney Domestic wing. I tried to figure this out in advance, but couldn’t find anything on line about this; despite it being two wholly different sides of the airport. After we returned the car, we headed over to the Qantas first class check in.
Checking into Qantas First Class in Sydney:
Unlike some other more impressive facilities around the world, the Qantas First Class check in has a pretty pedestrian and boring space in the D finger. There was a short wait of about 3 parties ahead of us. We were able to get our boarding cards for SYD-DFW and DFW-SEA on Alaska, but not SEA-YVR. We were given instructions to the first lounge immediately after security and up the escalators to the left. Cutting into the lounge time, we didn’t make it out of the first check in zone before we had an irritating “security questionnaire” full of non sensical profiling questions from a civilian security guard who eventually applied a sticker to our passport.
We joined the masses and went through passport exit controls (which were now wholly automated). I got thrown into secondary screening at the immigration exit for some reason here but a quick glance at the passport by the Australian Border Force and I was on my way.
Security was a massive endeavor with several lanes open. I made it through the fracas but MrsWT73 got pulled into secondary for bag swabbing just as she was re-assembling her bags into a rolling carry on pyramid of convenience.
We entered into the duty free mayhem world of Sydney Airport. The prices were not actually any better than street side. Despite this, I couldn’t resist at picking up some specialty T2 tea that was priced at $18 AUD despite the grocery store selling it in Surfers for $15 AUD. It was a last little bit of Australia to take home.
Accessing the Qantas First Class Lounge:
We were a bit pressed for time since we had pre-booked 9 AM spa appointments which were coming up fast so we headed straight for the escalators and up to the Qantas First class lounge.
At the check in, we self identified to the reception at the top of the escalators and were walked down to the back of the room for our treatments. It was a good thing that we had booked in advance as I doubt there would have been availability had we walked in expecting a spa booking.
Accessing the Qantas Spa:
I went for a scalp neck and shoulder massage. All the treatments were only 20 minutes long and the time went way too fast.
Inside the Qantas First Class Lounge:
After we got out of the spa, I had an opportunity to look around. My first impression of the lounge as we walked past was how busy it was; there must have been over 300 people in the lounge. You won’t ever confuse this place with the BA Concorde Room or the Lufthansa First Class Lounge as both of those places are pretty quiet sanctuaries compared to here.
After the treatments, we sat down for breakfast along the glass windows. The sun was pouring in and it was a bit of a hot experience temperature wise. Despite the windows, there doesn’t seem to be any blinds and the lounge catches the full morning sun as it rises.
Food and Beverage in the Lounge, including a la carte First Class Dining:
“It’s a unique privilege to be offered a full sit down breakfast paired with champagne before any flight”
MrsWT73 was happy to see that the international departure terminal was a local liquor law free zone meaning that champagne was available to be served prior to 12 PM, unlike all our other Australian domestic lounge experiences. We both settled on a Perrier Jouet champagne. I had my last smoked salmon benny of the trip with sourdough toast with marmalade and MrsWT73 went for an egg white omelet with parsley, capsicum and mushroom. It was such a privilege and pleasure to eat in a quality first class lounge prior to getting on the flight.
After breakfast, we took a little explore of the crescent that is the Qantas Sydney First Class Lounge. The lounge was designed by Mark Newson who assisted also with designing the Qantas First Class cabins. Although the First Class lounge opened in 2007, the design still looks contemporary and ever so cool in it’s vibe. The lounge is split in its lounging versus restaurant table areas intermittently, so there is a nice blend of functions throughout most of the lounge. The lounge is evidence of how money spent on designing a lounge can have a lasting impression on a visit. I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed at lounge architecture anywhere in the world in comparison to this space.
Watching the Qantas Split Flap Displays:
I was also over the moon and being able to watch some of the split flap displays that grace the entry and the two ends of the Sydney Lounge. It’s one of the two split flap display locations in Australia, with the other being at the Melbourne First Class Lounge. It’s rare to see these types of displays left in aviation. I have vivid memories of stepping off the plane as a 9 near old at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong and seeing one of these rotating displays for the first time and wondering what it all meant.
We settled into some loungers by the windows while we passed the time. The restaurant menu changed over from breakfast to lunch at 11 AM. MrsWT73 commented on how good lunch looked but we didn’t opt for a second serving of food. MrsWT73 opted for Pommery Champagne for the next round which wasn’t as good as the Perrier Jouet. Eventually the 300 or so people that were in the lounge when we arrived seem to filter down to a more comfortable 150. It was designed in a low density manner so that despite all the people, it did not feel super crowded.
I snapped some lunch menu photographs, although we didn’t actually enjoy any of it since we didn’t order any lunch.
Enjoying Beautiful Airside Views:
We had some stellar airside views thanks to the large windows in this lounge. Most of the aircraft were of the One World variety, but there were some odd ones around that were passing by every now and then.
We eventually saw our Sydney to Dallas A380 being towed in off stand…
The Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney summarized:
I was really happy to have visited. The lounge is a busy place but overall a pleasant option prior to any flight. The best part was that MrsWT73 enjoyed her experience, which is all the more than I could ask for.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Pier One Sydney Harbour by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
“The location of this hotel almost immediately under the Sydney Harbour Bridge made an excellent choice for those looking to stay close, but not on top of the Circular Quay Sydney Harbour”
We arrived after a bit of around about driving route courtesy of Google Maps skipping through signals and the towers around Darling Harbour. Having accidentally drove over the Sydney Harbor Bridge, we ended up at the hotel.
Booking the Pier One:
I picked this property as it was positioned in an excellent location to the Harbor Bridge and reasonably priced being right around the corner from the Park Hyatt Sydney. Since we were on a short stopover, the objective was to be down by the water, instead of in an upper downtown hotel where we’d have to walk to get to the harbour. MrsWT73, somehow with the treatment of all the indulgences, had the impression that we were staying at the $900 AUD a night Park Hyatt, instead of the $250 AUD Pier One.
The lobby area was chic and featured great views of the water.
The front desk check in was prompt. A local amenity was offered, in addition to breakfast, although we just opted for the points since we weren’t sticking around long in the morning and would have access to a nice breakfast in the Qantas First Class lounge. The car was promptly valeted, with no self park option.
The Room: Water View, Guest Room – 1 King
I had applied Suite Night Awards to the room but they had failed to clear. Instead, we had been upgraded from a base room into a Water View Room. We were assigned #318, which was a room close to the water side of the harbor. We wandered through the distressed beam hallways towards our room.
The room was one of the more compact rooms that we had stayed in on this trip. The hotel is in restored warehouse, so a smaller room is likely to be expected. If you’re looking for a spacious suite, this is not the property for you since most rooms appear to be on the smaller side.
The room was nicely attired and decorated with modern furnishings. There was a small snack bar and the usual amenities such as an iron and a safe.
The bathroom was nicely appointed with two sinks, along with a see through shower to the living room.
A Very Welcome Platinum Amenity:
A complimentary bottle of wine was also provided, along with a nice card thanking me for my Platinum status. Unfortunately, we ended up finding out about this after our evening ended, having arrived to the property at around 7 PM, heading out for the night, and returning to the hotel at around 11 PM.
A Short Walk from the Hotel:
After we checked in, we headed out for a walk over to the Sydney Opera House. It was Saturday night, and despite being winter, everyone was out and about enjoying the city. The hotel has a great location with the harbor being very close to the property.
We wandered up around Circular Quay towards the Opera Kitchen for a little dinner. It was a busy place tonight. The seagulls were especially keen on all the food.
After dinner, we had a quick walk through The Rocks almost under the Harbour Bridge. It was quieter than expected tonight but still a nice place to spend a little time.
With a final walk back to the hotel…
After our quick sleep, I woke up in the morning at about 6 AM. I was determined to get the most out of a 20 hour stopover since you’re only through one of the world’s greatest cities a few times in your life. As a result, I left MrsWT73 in bed and left Pier One for a morning harbour walk. There were several others out this morning jogging and taking pictures of the morning sunrise. My reward was a simply unbeatable view of one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.
It was nice and calm as the sun broke the horizon as I wandered back towards the hotel as the sand quickly ran through the hourglass and it was time to get to the airport for our flight.
The Bottom Line: The Pier One Sydney
I returned to the hotel where MrsWT73 was finally getting ready. The Pier One Sydney was perfectly adequate for our needs; a trendy, fashionable, quick crash pad in Sydney situated in an excellent location. In summary, it was an all-to-quick stay at this property and I’d be keen to return.
PIER ONE SYDNEY HARBOUR, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION
11 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, Sydney 2000
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Qantas Business Class, Boeing 737-800, Brisbane – Sydney
“The highlight of todays’ domestic flight was the harbour views on final approach into Sydney, Australia”
We were among the last to board, thankfully no one travels with rollies in Australia so there was lots of bin space left. We were into the usual barca lounger seats on this B737 with views of an active apron immediately next to us.
Qantas Airlines
QF 533 – Business Class (U)
BNE – SYD (Brisbane International Airport – Sydney Kingford Smith International Airport)
July 20, 2019
2:05 PM – 3:40 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
On Board Qantas Business Class Short Haul:
There was a PDB offer of sparkling or still water in a proper glass.
We had an easy departure with no other traffic to delay us today. Our departure track and climb was over the city and immediately southbound.
We had very pleasant older crews today who took interest in us travelling; especially when they learned that we were Canadian. Stories were shared of the crew’s Alaskan Cruises and their journeys on the somewhat famous Rocky Mountaineer Rail Tour through from Vancouver to Banff.
Food and Beverage: A Lunch
Today meal offering was a proper meal consisting of a Moroccan Soup or a Bali Duck with Jasmine Rice and Green Beans, along with a specialty chocolate were offered for lunch. This was paired with Howe Island Sauvingon Blanc. They had run out of the soup option by the time that they got back to Row 3.
Regular top ups of wine were offered, much to MrsWT73’s pleasure.
Sydney Harbour Views on Final Approach:
We had a nice sunny descent into Sydney. Usually when I arrive into Sydney, it’s after a long overseas flight and its’ in the morning when you’re all groggy and tired. It was absolutely spectacular and gorgeous to be able to arrive in the afternoon. We had a terrific view of the city as we lined up toward the south of the airport; we happened to be sitting on the correct side water side of the plane for once.
We eventually passed over the airport as we circled around for the final approach. Sydney’s sure a spectacular place to arrive to when the sun is setting.
We were off at Sydney Domestic Terminal 3 and the bags were out without any issues pretty darn quick.
We rolled over to the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards lane and picked up our Audi Q2. As we were staying just one night, I went with the more economical option to rent a car and self drive versus two Blacklane’s or bothering with the airport train and a taxi both ways.
My Thoughts on Qantas Business Class Short Haul:
All in all, our short flight was pretty uneventful. The coastal flying made the views over Australia much more enjoyable. Qantas rates quite high in my book with their offerings and I can’t wait to fly them again in the future.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Qantas Business Lounge Domestic, Brisbane, Australia
“The Qantas Business Lounge at Brisbane offered a substantial lunch offering with great short haul apron views”
In keeping with the holiday mode, we had a mid-day wake up. After a Marriott Platinum Breakfast, (pricing at $44 AUD on the weekend), we packed up the “Made in Australia” Holden Commodore AWD V6 and headed up the M3 freeway back to the Brisbane Airport. It was a much easier drive today without all the traffic as we passed by all the police traffic cameras on the way up to Brisbane. Thankfully, no tickets this time.
Arriving towards the airport, we gassed up and returned the car. It was surprisingly quiet at the Avis return area.
Checking into Qantas Business Class in “The Precinct”:
We rolled ourselves through the Brisbane Air Train area, which was much more impressive than our tiny Skytrain subway airport platform in Vancouver, Canada.
We headed to the far left over to the Qantas Business “Precinct”. Qantas has recently renovated their business class area in Brisbane to incorporate a dedicated and private check in, security and direct delivery deposit of passengers into the lounge.
It works and we were able to bypass an otherwise moderate line with the regular check in, in favor of a no line area with no wait and lots of space. After check in, it was up the escalators immediately up to the split lounge areas of both the Qantas Club and the Qantas Business Lounge.
Accessing the Qantas Business Lounge:
Once inside, we headed for the Qantas Business Lounge. Access to the Qantas Business Class Lounge was allowed thanks to the class of service of our ticket. Access is also granted to One World Sapphire members and higher.
Inside the Qantas Business Lounge:
The Qantas Business Lounge was a nicely decorated space, with ample loungers, dining areas and communal seating areas.
There was a separated dining area…
Along with an area and separate small format manned bar at the rear of the lounge…
Food and Beverage in the Qantas Business Lounge:
Like with all other Qantas Lounges, there was great food and beverage. Although we had access to Priority Pass restaurants in the concourse, we were much better served pecking away at the food on offer in the Qantas Lounge areas.
There was also a very full water station with infused waters.
I had soup, and a fresh ham and cheese toastie, along with a salad. This was paired with great airside views of Qantas’ short haul propeller operation.
Wine and alcohol service started serving at 12 PM (like in Melbourne) at a long bar in the center of the lounge.
We headed down to the gate at 12:40 PM passing through the long hallway towards the Qantas Club. I never headed in, but it seemed it had the lessor views overlooking the buildings and the vehicle arrival area street side.
On arrival to the gate, a short 10 minute gate delay was announced so we stopped in at “Graze at the Gate” for a Priority Pass water, and a glass of wine. They were still catering the plane with hold doors still open on our arrival so I figured it may be a while.
The Qantas Business Lounge Brisbane summarized:
Qantas still manages to put out a quality lounge product, even in their domestic operations. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit them. Having now visited their Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and now Brisbane lounges, their domestic lounges are always spacious, well catered and pleasant places to pass the time in.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
City Visit: Surfer’s Paradise, Australia – Part II
Our second day at Surfer’s Paradise, we returned to the beach. I left the big camera at home today so today’s photos are courtesy of my iPhone. We had a leisurely day, staying beachside from 11:30 AM to about 3 PM. We picked a sunnier spot that wasn’t blocked by the towering skyscrapers as the sun crept through the day.
Towards the end of the day, we transitioned to the hotel pool for the sundowners. MrsWT73 could access some rose wine and it was remarkably less windy. We had some boardwalk views of the sun setting between the buildings.
Along with sunset views from the room after it got too cold for a bathing suit by the pool…
We finished our last night in Surfers’ out to Sandbar for some 50% off food. It was just okay, although really fresh. I went with an Tuna Poke bowl which was a bit bland tasting.
Then a final wander over through town for some last minute souvenirs. All in all we enjoyed our stay in paradise. I can see why it is such a popular holiday destination for Australians. Like my last trip, I would easily come back to stay for a longer amount of time.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
City Visit: Surfers’ Paradise, Australia – Part I
We left the hotel with a day at the beach. It was winter so it wasn’t all too hot, despite being in the very comfortable mid twenties Celcius. The neighborhood around the hotels are mostly high rises and glamourous residences. With crystal blue skies, it was a nice place to spend some time.
After spending the afternoon at the beach, we headed down into main street of Surfers’ Paradise for a wander around town. It was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. We eventually stopped for some nachos and a Victoria Bitter at Surfer’s Paradise version of an Irish Bar on the pedestrian Cavill Ave.
Along with a walk back to the hotel as the sun set via the Hard Rock Café Surfers Paradise where I picked up a T-Shirt for WT73jr.
A very relaxing day in paradise…
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
“A great Marriott option in this area that is almost perfect for families”
We had a long 1 hour and 50 minute drive from the Brisbane Airport to the Gold Coast in stop and go traffic that stretched the whole way from Brisbane to Surfers’ Paradise. While it always showed between 50 min and 1 hr on google maps, the same drive during rush hour traffic on a weekday turned out to be much worse.
Arriving to the Marriott Surfer’s Paradise Resort and Spa:
On arrival to the resort, the initial first impressions were of quite a dated structure pulling up. It was dark and of course you can’t see everything when it’s dim outside. I rolled up to the friendly outdoor greeter and went inside to check in. Some photos from throughout our stay, including the next morning when it was light out.
The décor of the hotel is a bit dated. It reminded me of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with high ceilings. It had high ceiling fans reminiscent of the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
“We reviewed excellent treatment as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum with staff and management that went well out of their way to make us feel special”
The manager on duty presented themselves and provided a very long list of Platinum amenities. They must not get a lot of platinum’s through there. . . There was a concerted effort to treat us well, something I hadn’t experienced in a Marriott property; if ever. The unpublished Platinum benefits included free valet parking, free in room movies, free breakfast, 20% discount on food and beverage through the hotel (except paid breakfast), 15% discount on laundry, upgrades to Premium rooms including a written commitment to move to a better room during your stay, complimentary Gold Coast Newspaper. I was actually quite impressed with the treatment as it was unexpected and nice to just leave the car with the valet and not have to worry about anything.
We were offered a welcome amenity of a glass of sparkling on check in, in addition to chocolates. I thought that they were just offering a glass when they offered some “sparkling”, but then about 10 minutes after we had checked into the room, there was a knock at the door and a cold bottle of sparkling wine was delivered. This was in lieu of the 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points welcome bonus.
We were also offered a Platinum breakfast in the main restaurant daily as there is no resort lounge at this property. We had a fulsome welcome letter outlining all the Platinum Benefits.
The Room: An Executive Suite
I had applied Suite Night Awards to the room, which cleared at the usual 5 days mark. We led ourselves up to room #2601, which was an executive suite. The room is not quite as was advertised on the website, or at least it looked newer in the photographs. The usual Marriott browns and beiges of years past were present.
The room was large and had a proper separate sitting area, which a very comfortable couch.
The bathroom had a retro soaker tub. Despite that, it was pretty large in size in an unusual almost hexagon shape.
A Room with an Ocean View of the Coast:
The best part was that there were 270 degree views of water from the room, which was totally cool. The surrounding area of the Marriott Gold Coast has waterways around the towers which leads to a bit of a Fort Lauderdale, Florida vibe.
With a view from the balcony to the hotel sandy pool below…
Food and Beverage including a Platinum Breakfast:
The breakfast was a large mass Las Vegas-y affair consistent with a medium to high volume operation with lots of people and many kids. Having said that, the buffet was huge and there was something for everyone. There was an egg station for omelets. Surprisingly, when I asked for two fresh fried eggs, the chef wouldn’t make them for me; pointing me to the pre-made eggs that had been out under the heat lamps for who knows how long. Denied at the egg station made for a good running joke for the rest of the holiday.
Around the Resort:
We did check out the hotel resort and pool. The pool was large and lagoon-y; perfect for families. It offered a sandy salt water bottom which was great for kids learning how to swim.
As usual in Australia, there can always be found some interesting wildlife… even in the pool areas within the city.
An enjoyable stay at the Surfers’ Paradise Marriott Resort:
Overall, we had a great stay at this property. It was reasonably priced, and it had all the fit and features of a Marriott Resort. The property was about 10 minutes walk from everything and close to the beach itself being about 2 block away away from the hotel. The platinum treatment was also excellent by Marriott standards. The hotel manager really went out of her way to treat us well.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read More From This Trip
- Introduction: Melbourne & Whitsunday Islands, Australia via Qantas First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Los Angeles
- Marriott LAX, Los Angeles, USA
- To Malibu for Lunch, California, USA
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, USA
- Qantas First Class: Los Angeles – Melbourne
- Westin Melbourne, Australia
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part I
- City Visit: Melbourne, Australia – Part II
- The Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
- The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge: Melbourne
- Qantas Business: Melbourne – Hamilton Island
- Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Pebble Beach at Qualia Luxury Resort, Hamilton Island, Australia
- Cruise to The Great Barrier Reef, Hardy’s Reef, Australia
- The Great Barrier Reef via Hamilton Island Air Helicopter
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, Australia
- Virgin Australia: Prosperine – Brisbane
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa (Gold Coast), Australia
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part I
- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia – Part II
- Qantas Business Lounge: Brisbane
- Qantas Business Class: Brisbane – Sydney
- Pier One Sydney by Autograph Collection, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class Lounge: Sydney Kingford Smith, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas First Class: Sydney – Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge: Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Dallas – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge: North Satellite – Sea Tac, Seattle, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Virgin Australia, Boeing 737-800, Prosperine – Brisbane
After our transfer through Cruise Whitsunday’s from Hamilton Island to Airlie Beach arrived at the Port of Airlie, we took a pre-booked Heart of Reef Shuttle ($21 AUD pp) to the Prosperine Airport. The Prosperine Airport is in the middle of nowhere and seems to be the new lower cost carrier airport for this area. We passed several sugar cane fields on the way out.
Virgin Australia
VA 1118 – Economy Class (L)
PPP – BNE (Prosperine “Whitsunday Coast Airport” – Brisbane Domestic Terminal 2)
July 16, 2019
1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
The airport was tiny which was okay by me. I find its usually quicker getting through these smaller airports and its not always about great amenities and lounges. Thanks to a strict 50 lbs checked baggage weight, our carry on’s were slightly overweight due to re-packing distribution of weight into carryon’s. Our aim was the opposite of our usual process of checking in with a person, we aimed to use a kiosk to avoid any contact humans and a subsequent cab weighing inspection. Unfortunately, the airport didn’t have any kiosks so we had to proceed to the bag drop counter having done online check in through the app.
Thankfully, there was a bit of a line at the counters and the attendants didn’t bother with weighing the carry on’s or aiming to soak travelers with additional fees.
We proceeded through security to a small but quaint holding lounge that was nicely appointed. There was a giant fish tank that had many tropical fish in the shape of a heart reef.
Not knowing when lunch or dinner was going to be, and feeling a little peck-ish, we went to “Captain Dan”, the sole airport restaurant for some food. We ended up with a ham, cheese and tomato toastie. Most noteworthy was that the restaurant had the most impressive selection of instant noodles that I had ever seen in an airport, numbering several hundred containers.
We boarded into the usual 3-3 configuration for a Boeing 737-800. Given the speed of the boarding, despite being near the front of the line, I wasn’t able to get photos of the basic economy seat so the Economy “X” (e-plus) seat is shown. Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve been in international version of standard economy. The standard economy seats are more compact than my usual go to on Air Canada for work trips. It was just okay for the 90 minutes, although I doubt I would have enjoyed much more tail in the seat time than that.
As we got underway, we had an immediate departure on runway 11. The climb featured lots of greenery and mostly flat topography.
The in flight service consisted of a free cheese, cracker and nut snack, which was more than expected. The drink service was a simple affair limited to water, juice, tea or coffee.
We were treated to a nice view of Brisbane on our approach. It’s another city that’s grown up substantially in the last 23 years since I’ve visited.
We arrived into the Virgin Australia stronghold of Brisbane Terminal 2. MrsWT73 picked up a light Sophie Kinsella book at the airport since she had finished her other one on the beaches of the Whitsundays.
We picked up a car from Avis. My usual go to Hertz was completely sold out so we had to cancel and abandon our plans with renting from them after adding on the extra day thanks to the sailing cancellation. Even calling the reservations center by phone and turning up at the counter didn’t yield any results unless I wanted a Land Rover at an over the top price. As a result, we ended up with Avis in a large Holden that was somehow pricing out cheaper than my usual intermediate.
The Virgin Australia Experience:
The Virgin Australia was the easiest and lowest cost experience to easily get away from the Whitsunday Islands over the more expensive Qantas Hamilton Island Airport alternatives. By going with Virgin Australia, we ended up with a narrow body jet over a propeller plane, a free in flight snack, along with an easy airport departure experience. Although the leg room was a little tight, I would easily fly them again in the future.
World Traveller 73 
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