Australia via Hong Kong

via Cathay and Qantas First Class

February 2012

QF 30
HKG-MEL
747-400
February 21, 2012
7:50P-7:50A (sked)
7:50P-7:45A (actual)
Seats 1AK

With no direct elevator access to Level 6, we had to walk all the way back to the central shopping area to use the escalator and then walk back to Gate 19 at the end of the terminal. Once at the gate, the good news was that there was indeed priority boarding, to the left of podium. The bad news is that it was nearly pointless, as with secondary security the GAs were letting Y pax go down the left lane so that there was a 5 minute wait for secondary security. Priority boarding my a--.

We were warmly welcomed on board by a great crew, but we entered the oldest, ugliest and most disgraceful excuse for a First Class cabin I have seen in ages. No wonder UA can survive and make money on LAX/SFO-SYD. What an absolute crap hard product. It looked like it hadn't been freshened in decades. How anyone would pay for this type of hard product is beyond me. And then there was the constant flow of pre-boarding traffic to the closet between our 1A and 1K. Yeah, I just love your butt in my face when you bend over to adjust something in the closet. And let's put a magazine rack in the closet door to encourage even more traffic.

Comfortable PJs...

Amenity kit...

PDB open bar including nuts and olives. Nice idea but... yo Qantas, how do I pick up the olives without using my fingers, and since I used my fingers, how do I wipe the oil off my fingers when you didn't give me another napkin??

Prior to push-back, our friendly crew offered hot towels and menus. As PETER01 noted, the menu was quite impressive with a very nice selection of options, and a lovely cover...

With a celebrity consulting chef...

Interesting hand written note...

But only a continental breakfast prior to arrival??

Both the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc were horrendous, but the 2004 Penfolds RTW Shiraz was sensational.

IFE was only slightly better than the old LH IFE, although not very user friendly. Mine would only play one movie even when I tried to make an alternate selection.

Amuse-bouche of Tarlet of Chicken Mayonnaise with Parmesan and Seared Tuna was very good.

Dinner service began with proper linen table cloth and setting.

But the salad with king prawns was awful with no Serrano ham I could find and absolutely no dressing on the greens.

The lamb was quite good.

Nicely prepared.

But pretty fatty inside.

While not in the same category at LH or CX, the cheese course was adequate.

The pear and vanilla cake was good but a little dry.

Better with extra creme anglais.

For a crappy old F hard product, I actually slept pretty well for about 4 hours.

I was still full from dinner so I passed on any breakfast.

Our first views of MEL.

All in all, a disappointing introduction to Qantas. With CX no longer offering First on their HKG-Australia routes and crappy competitors to LAX, perhaps the incentive to improve First is simple not there. If I was flying to Europe from SYD/MEL though, I would certainly go with SQ, BA or EK.

The Lyall Hotel Melbourne

Sorry for the delay in updating the report but Sydney was a whirlwind of activity...

Arrival into MEL was not nearly as pleasant as in HKG. No golf cart here, just a push wheelchair thru a crowded, older terminal with a lack of proper air conditioning. And no bypassing the C&I queue as we lined up in the priority line, which didn't look like it was moving any faster than the regular lines. Our Lyall driver was waiting for us just outside C&I and baggage claim and 45 morning rush hour minutes later we were in the middle of quite, leafy residential suburb of South Yarra, only 5 minutes from the CDB.

The Lyall Hotel and Spa
Melbourne
Suite 401

I had selected The Lyall based on tripadvisor.com and other recommendations. Although we were a little skeptical as we pulled up, we wound up loving the place. Just a lovely, small boutique hotel in quiet residential area near trendy funky shops, pubs, coffee shops and restos on Toorak and Chapel Streets.

Our Suite 401 was a corner room on the top floor. While not overly luxurious, it was very comfortable.

And the three sets of sliding doors and balconies were wonderful. The weather was a perfect sunny and 25-26 each day, and comfy 14-15 at night. With a steady breeze, we kept the doors open the entire stay.

Melbourne

Since our rooms weren't ready, we had breakfast in the small Lyall restaurant. Our rooms were ready at around 11AM and after a short nap and a shower, we were ready for our 2PM tour of Melbourne with our great driver Barry. The tour included different areas of MEL including the Docklands and the CBD and then over to the beach, where we stopped for drinks and pupus.

Yarra Valley Wine Country

Yarra Valley Wine Country
near Melbourne, Victoria

But just outside of Melbourne is the wonderful Yarra Valley wine country. Just as Napa is to San Francisco, the Yarra Valley wine country is less than an hour from Melbourne. Our first stop was the beautiful Domaine Chandon, the 4th of the worldwide Domaines that includes Napa, Argentina and, of course, France.

On our way to lunch, we stopped at a small winery...

Before arriving for more tasting and lunch at Yering Station.

Spectacular scenery and one of the most sensational menus and meals of the past year. Kudos to Chef Laura Webb-James.

The 2010 Yering Station Reserve Pinot was outstanding.

Each and every dish was both a visual and taste delight.

Our starters were Scallops, smoked jalapeno and corn salsa, avocado, creme fraiche, corn wafer...

... and Cauliflower, pannacotta, tempura florets, chanterelle mushrooms, shallot souhise.

Mains were Panko and olive crumbed veal rib with summer vegetables, marsala jus...

... and Baby snapper, prawn cocktail, creme de cuvet fumet.

And we cheated on the Atkins today with wonderful salt and vinegar thick cut chips.

For dessert, the hazelnut, caramel marshmellow and salted popcorn candy bar with popcorn ice cream was simply out of this word.

What an absolute delight. For anyone visiting Melbourne, a trip to the Yarra Valley and lunch at Yering Station is an absolute must.

Qantas Club & Business Lounge MEL

One of the largest airport lounges I have ever seen, anywhere. Does anyone departing MEL not have lounge access? This is a combo lounge, Qantas Club up front, and the Business Class Lounge way in the back. Separate lounges but, with a common kitchen, no discernible difference in food and beverage between the two.

Qantas Club lounge, up front.

So big it has its own shop.

Business Class Lounge, at the back of the Qantas Club. Since the FCL is in a separate International Terminal, OW Emeralds on domestic flights only have access to the BCL, which has numerous seating areas and free food, drink and wi-fi.

Dining area...

With a nice selection of light snack items, soups, stews, cheese, antipasto.

OK, I realize that we're excited about inflight entertainment but considering that it has only been installed on a single aircraft, this really is one of dumbest ad banners I've seen in a while.

Qantas Business Class MEL-SYD

QF 434
MEL-SYD
767-300 with semi-sleeper seats (went mechanical at T-30)
737-800
February 24, 2012
1:00P-2:25P (sked)
1:50P-3:30P (actual)
Seats 2A, 2C, 3A

What is it with me and MX'd 767s? First my YYZ-YUL AC 767 was swapped with a 320 and now my QF 767 is swapped for a 738.

Seat and cabin are similar to AC's domestic J class 319/320 seats.

Outstanding service today from our friendly FA. PDB with real glass, not the plastic glass most NA airlines use for PDBs.

Curtain drawn immediately after take-off although there is no cabin dividing wall but rather a dopey curtain like AC and DL MDs.

Beverage and lunch service from the cart.

Choice of three light mains today... cod, barramundi or duck salad.

I went with tasty duck salad and couscous.

The lemon merengue tart was excellent.

Not sure if Virgin's new J class domestic service was the catalyst but this was very nice J class domestic service for a little more than an hour flight. Much better than anything that any NA carrier provides on a similar route.

The Shangri-La Sydney

The Shangri-La Hotel
Sydney, NSW
Suite 1211
Since we needed two rooms and I do have somewhat of a budget, I passed on the Park Hyatt and found a great Amex FHR rate for a Deluxe Grand Harbour View King at only A$360 including daily buffet breakfast for two, $100 per room per stay food and beverage credit, and free wifi. Upgrade not available since the hotel was sold out on the 2nd day of our stay. Since we were happy with the room, we declined the opportunity to move mid-stay.

The room was quite lovely: large, luxurious and well appointed. The bed and sheets were wonderful, better than the MO.

And the view from our suite was nothing short of spectacular.

And even better at night.

For the price, I thought the Shangri-la was a great hotel, in spite of check-in/front desk issues when we initially got some resistance with relocation after we discovered that our original room had previously been occupied by a heavy smoker. For a large hotel, I found the food to be very, very good and of outstanding quality. The lunch buffet in Cafe Mix was one of the best buffets I have had in years. The staff was outstanding. Great location within easy walking distance of Circular Quay and the ferries, and the old part of the Rocks, especially Lord Nelson and the Bridge Climb.

The only negatives for us was that the hotel was just a bit large for our tastes and, at times, had the feel of a convention or tour hotel. Elevator service was erratic and slow at prime times. If you book here, check regularly for rats changes as the hotel appears to aggressively manage inventory, and will drop prices significantly if they have rooms in the week prior to arrival. (We originally booked at $405 but rebooked at the new rate just before arrival)

Sydney

Sydney

Night 1
Between our delayed flight, trouble finding our driver (oh, I thought you were going to come down the other escalator ), and the room change, we only had time for a drinks at the Shangri-La's 26th floor bar (compliments of the Manager, merci) before heading out to Aria for dinner. Our first experience with Matt Moran was two great meals on SQ last year. Spectacular setting at Circular Quay, at the bottom of the hill before the Opera House. I wasn't as wow'd as I had expected... pleasant but unmemorable meal with service that seemed to drag on and on.

Sydney
Day 1
Taronga Zoo and Watsons Bay

After a great breakfast, we headed over to the Quay for our ferry to the zoo, on a beautiful Saturday morning.

We had a great time with some new friends...

Next we headed back to Circular Quay for our connecting ferry to Watsons Bay and lunch at Doyle's.

Despite the mixed reviews I'd read, Doyle's was a great experience and we all enjoyed the seafood and atmosphere...

And the great views...

Mrs. SFO decided to spend a quiet evening back at the hotel while the boys head out for some beer and a Rugby match at ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park. We figured we'd take the 55 minute 6:00P ferry to Olympic Park, which we mistakenly assumed to actually be in the same time zone as Olympic Park. Men can be so gullible at times. Also, easily distracted by an attractive woman. Anyway, this 30-something pilates instructor comes over and starts "chatting up" the younger of the two of us. He was so distracted, truth be told so was I, that we weren't paying attention to the sign board change (or the announcements) as we waited for the B pier to board while our ferry pulled away from the A pier.

Anyway, we shared a good laugh with a couple from New Zealand after he accurately opined "that's what happens when you are too busy chatting up the girl". After we got over the embarrassment and stopped laughing, we struck up a friendly conversation, while the two younger ones exchanged contact info and agreed to a date in April when she will be in the US for a wedding. Oh, to be young and single.

We decided not to miss the 6:30P ferry. I enjoyed the outside scenery, while the younger ones continued to flirt and generally carry on inside until she disembarked three stops before ours.

As we arrived at the Olympic Park wharf, it became obvious that it is in the middle of nowhere and we weren't even close to anything that resembles a Stadium or a Park. But there were 8 others walking up the wharf and a bus waiting at the end of the wharf. The driver confirmed that yes, he is going right by the Stadium. We arrived just before that start, buy our general admission tickets and head for the entrance.

Taking in some scenery. I believe I like rugby already...

Only about 30,000 in attendance tonight. Not exactly a raucous Raiders type crowd but they did come to life when the Waratahs scored. There are a lot of similarities to American football and it didn't take long to understand the gist of the game. But wow these guys are tough, pounding the cr*p out of other without helmets or pads.

Entertaining half time show.

And apparently younger boys get to pose with the FxPro girls.

Not knowing how we were going to navigate the 4-5 miles to the ferry, and not having any skin in this game for that matter, we decided to leave early and check in with the bus dispatcher would had earlier promised the he would "work something out to get us back to the ferry". True to his word, we had our own private 50 seat bus to the wharf and the ferry which left right on time at 9:35P. Another beautiful night and we sat on the bow enjoying the fresh air and marveling at the precision of the captain at each stop. Photo time. If the ferry would stop vibrating or moving, these photos would have been even better.

Back at the Shangri-La, midnight fireworks at the harbour.

Sydney
Day 2
Sydney by Seaplane
Lunch at Cottage Point Inn Restaurant
tripadvisor.com rated #1 of 2,813 Sydney restaurants

Before visiting any new city, I always check with tripadvisor.com for popular activities and restaurants. When I read the reviews for Cottage Point Inn, it jumped to the top of the "must do" list. Combining it with a scenic seaplane ride made it the perfect day. Our taxi dropped us off at around 11:15AM at Rose Bay Marina. After some refreshments on the wharf at the Pier Restaurant, we boarded the shuttle for the quick 3 minute ride to our waiting plane. Owner and pilot Steve welcome us on board, and after the obligatory safety instructions, we were on our way for the 15 minute flight with spectacular scenery along the way.

We flew by Watsons Bay and Doyles, where we had lunch the day before...

Nice digs...

After a perfect landing on the Hawkesbury River, we pulled up to the pier at one of the most idyllic settings for any restaurant anywhere.

For the next three hours, we enjoyed one of the best meals in the past year, and vying with Yering Station for the best meal of our entire trip. Friendly, perfectly paced service with precise attention to detail. We were fortunate today to have a beautiful waterfront table.

The menu...
http://www.cottagepointinn.com.au/page/starters.html
http://www.cottagepointinn.com.au/page/main.html
http://www.cottagepointinn.com.au/page/dessert.html

My cauliflower, pea and Woodside Chevre Tart, Radicchio, Soubise and Asparagus was to die for.

The 2009 Craig Avon Pinot Noir was sensational...

Mrs. SFO enjoyed her Smoked trout starter...

While my Heirloom Tomatoes, Spanish Onion and Woodside Goat Curds, Aged Balsamic with Extra Virgin Alto Olive Oil was amazing...

My Master-stock Marinated Atlantic Salmon (from Tasmania), Spiced Eggplant Pickle, Coriander and Yoghurt was amazing.

Mrs. SFO enjoyed the Beef Tenderloin, Potato Fondant, Bresaola, Cured Beetroot, Black Olive Jus...

The raspberry souffle was exquisite...

One of the Inn's resident flock...

After nearly three hours and two bottles of the Craig Avon Pinot, Capt. Steve returned to pick us up. What an incredible experience that was one of the highlights of our trip.

More amazing sights on our return flight as we flew back towards Sydney and circled Sydney Harbour.

Sydney by Seaplane and The Cottage Point Inn Restaurant are absolute musts on any visit to Sydney.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...uth_Wales.html
http://www.cottagepointinn.com.au/index.html
http://www.sydneybyseaplane.com

Day 3
Sydney Bridge Climb and The Hyde Park Barracks
This morning the boys head (literally) down the street for one of the highlights of our trip, the 9:05AM Bridge Climb.

I've been on a lot of tours but this has to be one of the best organized activities I have experienced. As PETER01 noted in his excellent trip report, it takes about 45 minutes to prep for the climb, between introducing ourselves to our fellow climbers, signing the waivers, changing clothes, metal detector, donning harness, radio, glasses/cap tie downs, safety briefings, dummy stair climb test, potty and water break. Oh yeah, even breath-alizer test, which I was actually a little concerned about considering the amount of wine I had consumed the day before.

Our guide, Michael, was wonderful. Professional yet friendly, and a comedian to boot. He remember everyone's names and where we were from. The climb is leisurely and quite slow paced. There are numerous stops along the way for anecdotes and just allowing us to take in the scenery. As PETER01 noted, on some parts of the climb you are right under and then over the trains and cars. The only queasy part is indeed the cat-walks and steep stairs leading up to the main arches. Once on the solid and wide arches, any apprehension evaporated pretty quickly. Since they do not allow any cameras/iphones on the bridge, I've lifted some stock photos from the bridgeclimb.com website.

We were back at the hotel by 1PM and joined Mrs. SFO for lunch at the Shangri-La's Cafe Mix. I am generally skeptical about hotel buffet lunches, but this had to have been one of the best ever. Amazing selection of fresh and wonderfully prepared dishes, from salads to a wonderful variety of starters, mains and desserts including a rotating cone of chocolate to dip strawberries. OMG!

After lunch, we headed out for one last sightseeing trip. Since Mrs. SFO had been reading about the history of Australia, we went to the Hyde Park Barracks for a flavour of some of the early days when Australia was first settled as Britain's penal colony.

I can't pass up a food pic anywhere...

What a wonderful three days in a beautiful city. We will definitely return.
But what is with taxi drivers in Sydney? The first three we took literally mouthed off and complained about the short trip. It got to the point where before we got in a taxi, I just asked "We're going to the Shangri-La. Do you have a problem with that?" Once we established that, everything was fine.

As we prepared to check-out the next morning, a new visitor to Sydney harbour.

The Girls of Sydney

And the Girls of Sydney...

Oh, so that's what it says...

Qantas First Class Lounge SYD

Qantas First Class Check-in at SYD
for QF107 and QF11 SYD-LAX

After a quick 20 minute ride to the airport, we checked in at the First Class check in area. A nice enclosed area with chairs if, as in our case, we needed to wait for a wheelchair. SFOjr is big winner today as, unfortunately, Mrs. SFO and I are stuck on another QF relic 744, while the lucky kid gets the 380. It was hard enough finding 3 summertime SYD-LAX F seats, but 2 on the 380?? No way. At least we're leaving the same day which was not the case until a month ago, when a single F seat popped up on today's 380.

OK, I understand you can't change the name on a ticket but come on QF. The QF liaison desk at AA refused to make a simple switch, me to his flight/seat, him to my flight/seat. Nice attitude. Even the EXP agent couldn't understand that one. The only option was to cancel both seats and then hope they are released back into the award pool, so I can rebook. I might have been born at night, but not last night.

It is what it is, as they say. But I was still pretty bummed, although SFOjr was loving it, telling "don't worry, I'll take lots of pics". We'll see. Anyway, check-in itself was easy, although the dragon initially told us we couldn't check our son in until T-4 or some 90 minutes later. But that was supposedly only for those with checked bags. Another reason for carry-ons.

The QF wheelchair agent escorted to security and then thru the concourse to the elevators for the FCL.

Qantas First Class Lounge at SYD

Mrs. SFO and I have visited a lot of hub FCLs, but the Qantas FCL at SYD ranks up with the best of the best and wins the prize for the lounge with the best views! This lounge also featured perhaps the most engaging and helpful lounge staff of any FCL including SIN and FRA. Marion welcomed us in and offered an array of massages and facials. Since SFOjr had an extra three hours to kill, he booked two massages and a facial. You better take lots of pics, kid. Marion then escorted us to the dining room, to a primo table and then brought us OJ and coffee. The rest of the dining room wait staff then took over and provided flawless top quality restaurant type service. A great selection of breakfast offerings. The omelet was exceptional.

Not the best of photos today as the place was crowded and I felt a little exposed hauling my huge camera and lens around the lounge. The curving design of this is incredible, with full length windows and a view of downtown from almost every seating area.