An Enthralling HONEYMOON Experience:
From meeting Kangaroos and Koalas, going 30 feet underwater, to soaring high in the sky, we did it all!
It was an exciting trip with some minor disappointments. I will get to that eventually, but for now, let me take you back to the time we went exploring the country down under.
Rahul and I got married two years ago in December. Most of the honeymoon destinations in “my list to visit” experienced an onset of winter during this time which made our options quite limited.
I wanted to bask in the sun because I would move to Michigan in the United States, one of the coldest places to live in during winters.
So are you a beach, mountain, or nature lover? or do you like the city vibe?
Since I usually prefer a mix of crystal clear beaches and serene nature, I wanted to choose a place with the best of both worlds.
Thatโs how we chose Australia, a country in Oceania!
By the time you finish reading this post, I can undoubtedly say that you would look forward to visiting this beautiful country.
SYDNEY
When I travel long distances, I choose a preferred airline, which is why we flew Singapore Airlines, since it’s one of my favorites! The long journey seemed less tiring and more comfortable.
We Landed in Sydney, stayed at Pullman Sydney. It was a very comfortable stay.
The hotel offered us some complimentary wine as well. Gee!
A quick tip here: If you are traveling on a special occasion, let your hotel know about it before your check-in. Most good hotels make sure they plan a tiny surprise element for their guests.
After all, who doesnโt love surprises?!
The breakfast spread at the hotel isnโt free, but it is worth the money because it was scrumptious. Rahul never skips breakfast, and he takes the phrase โEat breakfast like a kingโ quite literally!
Places we visited :
Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, Bondi Beach, Blue Mountains and Circular Quay.ย
The vibrant, bustling vibe of the quay made us visit this place every evening. There are numerous open-air restaurants on the promenade with stunning city views.
On your visit, find a hotel closer to the quay or Darling Harbour!
Bondi Beach Sydney
This beach is on everybodyโs Sydney itinerary. People often wonder if itโs worth walking the entire stretch from Bondi to Coogee beach. I canโt emphasize enough why you shouldn’t miss this!
Surrounded by hues of aqua blue and sea green ocean waters. Pitstops that offer fresh air, as you enjoy the calm sound of waves hitting the shores, it’s these moments that took my breath away.
There are numerous beaches with golden sand. You will find tons of surfers, sunbathers, and swimmers here.
Then, thereโs the famous Bondi Icebergs ocean pool located along the shore of Bondi Beach, and itโs been there for more than 100 years! You must have seen this picture in every travel feed since itโs the most photographed pool in the world. The best part about this pool is that itโs open to the public.
Unfortunately, we couldnโt take a dip in the pool as we ran short of time.
Blue mountains:
On our last day in Sydney, we traveled to the Blue Mountains National Park by train.
Various tours will take you to this place, but in my opinion, you donโt need it at all. Itโs more fun to explore the area by yourself; just note how to get to your destination and the viewpoints to cover.
There are numerous scenic points like Jamison Valley, Wentworth Falls, Valley of Waters, short and long hikes, and a cable car ride if youโd be interested.
We missed the scenic railway, which was on my to-do list here. You should check it out if you go and tell me how it was!
Our evenings were laid back. We would walk to the Circular Quay or Darling Harbour, feel the placeโs vibe and try out a new cuisine every day.
We also bar hopped a few days and came across this speakeasy named Eau De Vie. A hidden gem with some kickass cocktails!
Try to get a seat at the bar to watch how they design your cocktails. I enjoyed watching that! Isnโt it an impressive form of art?
When we did not have any sightseeing, we would be exploring the city mostly on foot. I love doing this, as I feel it is truly the best way to explore and get a feel of the place.
We shopped, interacted with the amiable locals, and ate our heartโs content!
Talking about food, do you like tasting different cuisines when traveling? As for me, I look forward to this part the most!
We also had plans for a sunset cruise which we missed. You can find that on Viator for $36.
HAMILTON ISLAND
The next destination was Hamilton island, a place in the news for being Taylor Swiftโs holiday destination.
I knew we were landing in paradise the moment I got a birdโs view of the island from the plane.
This island is privately owned, luxurious, and exorbitantly priced, because of which you wouldnโt find this place as crowded as other places.
Since Hamilton Island is privately owned, you can eat or drink at any restaurant and use their facilities and charge everything to the room.
You donโt have to pay as you go. However, I would recommend doing this to know how much you are spending to avoid a shocking bill when you check out.
A quick tip: Download the Hamilton Island app on your phone before your arrival, which will come in handy. It has everything you need to find on the island, including live weather updates and event schedules.
We wanted to escape the city rush and spend some romantic and relaxing time on this island. It was worth it!
We stayed at Palm Bungalows, which is a private villa. It was beautiful, surrounded by lush greenery with occasional visits from cockatoos, kangaroos, and other birds, while I relaxed on the hammock on our porch with my fav book to read. Ah! I miss those days.
We walked and explored the island. You can hire a buggy at 90$ per day, but I would say you can avoid this expense as the island is pretty compact. If you want to experience sitting in a buggy, you can do that by booking a buggy trip to One Tree Hill, a famous spot on the island.
Grab your cocktail and enjoy the splendid hilltop views.
WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS
We booked ourselves a half-day trip on Cruise Whitsundays, a catamaran to the Whitehaven Beach called the Whitsundaysโ jewel. If you book the whole day trip, you can check out the Hill Inlet.
We sunbathed on the pristine white sands, got ourselves some tan, and swam in the teal waters of the beach, being mindful of the stingers, even though we were wearing the stinger suit.
We spotted a few monitor lizards on the beach, petrifying for me, but if you feel adventurous, you can go greet them!
My next adventure in this place was something Iโll never forget. **DRUMROLL**
The Scenic Flight Tour we took on our last day on this island.
The 60 mins flight was highly breathtaking. The pictures donโt do any justice to this placeโs natural beauty.
We got to see the stunning birds-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitehaven Beach, which we took a day trip to, and the famous heart-shaped reef, which was so cute ( you can see it in the picture below).
This sightseeing costs 330$ per person. If you can manage the budget for it, pls do not miss it. This has etched a beautiful memory in my mind, so glad we did this.
Arenโt the pictures so surreal? This experience needs a bucket list of its own!
CAIRNS
We flew to Cairns from Hamilton island, expecting more or at least the same welcome. Just like earlier, I knew from my views how my experience would be. Only this time, I wasnโt as thrilled, thanks to the murky water views because of the rain.
So that was an average start, but we decided not to judge the place based on this. We checked into our Air BnB, and minutes later, it started raining cats and dogs. We were so disappointed!
We were famished and stuck in our apartment. The convenience of room service seemed more important than ever, haha.
Thanks to the unpredictable weather, after 2 hours, the bright sun was out to cheer my sullen mood. We headed out to grab some quick lunch and, after that, to the Cairns Esplanade.
Things to do in Cairns:
You wouldnโt find excellent beaches in Cairns, but the Esplanade is suitable for walking along the boardwalk or chilling at one of the many restaurants, cafes, or shops.
The next day we woke up at 4 am for the hot air balloon ride. We saw kangaroos hop below us in the lush forests once aboard while we were 4000 feet high. The experience was thrilling.
We caught some spectacular sunrise views from the balloon. I recommend this activity. Make sure to fly with a legit good company with high ratings. We had a good experience with the company we booked with.
We went to Kuranda Rainforest the next day. The scenic railway was closed, but we did the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which was impressive. You can see the dense rainforest surrounding you, the falls, and the river too.
It was fun. And so was meeting the koalas and kangaroos in the Kuranda Rainforest village sanctuary.
Did you know koalas are nocturnal but need 18-20 hours of sleep during the day? Talk about sleeping goals!
The last activity in Cairns and the most terrifying yet exhilarating experience I would say;
Scuba diving and snorkeling! I can write an entire article about my experience.
I wouldnโt say I have hydrophobia, but I donโt know how to swim. The thought of immersing my face/head underwater makes me feel claustrophobic.
Rahul had almost given up after persuading me a lot. And donโt mock me for saying this, but what convinced me to dive in was the famous deep-sea diving scene of Hrithik Roshan in ZNMD. LOL. I am laughing as well while typing this.
No, I am not a Bollywood buff. I was simply significantly influenced by that particular scene and by Hrithik ofcourse! ๐
I hate to disappoint you, but I couldnโt finish scuba diving. Just one more foot down, and I could have made it. The excruciating pain in my ears because of the pressure made me give up.
There were numerous other reasons why I couldnโt finish this. As I said, I could write a blog post just about this. But I will someday try it again with a better instructor. Do you want to try it too? Write to me, and I will tell you all about it!
Rahul completed his scuba diving tour and couldnโt stop gushing about it.
After the fiasco with scuba diving, I decided to try snorkeling. Thankfully this wasnโt a fail. I enjoyed seeing the sea turtles and colorful fishes underwater. I was mindful of swimming away from the Jellyfish!
Melbourne
The city streets with colorful graffiti
This was our last destination. The city is vibrant, lively, friendly, and livable!
Loved it!I would love to go back to Melbourne and stay longer.
We chose to live at The Atlantis Hotel because of the location, which was good but certainly not the stay.
I loved Southbank, which has plenty of lovely bars and restaurants along the Yarra River. We had a couple of relaxing evenings at a few of their floating restaurants with stunning views.
Domaine Chandon
Drove to the Chandon winery the next day. Overall, it was a pleasant experience as we explored the vineyards and tasted some of the finest wines. We also returned home with one of their limited edition Chandon champagne as a souvenir.
In the evening we went to the Sealife aquarium. I did not expect it to be so humongous. Tons of things to see inside, but the penguins were the highlight.
We planned the last day for the bestโThe Great Ocean Road.
It was the most scenic drive of my life. A sheer treat for the eyes!
There are so many viewpoints. You can either finish all points soon or stop at each one and take a quick refreshing walk enjoying the viewโso relaxing, serene and incredibly beautiful.
We ended our beautiful vacation by celebrating New Yearโs Eve in the city along the Yarra River, enjoying the colorful fireworks.
We returned home with big smiles, hearts full of sweet memories, and tons of pictures to reminisce about from time to time.
Do you have Australia on your travel bucket list?
Let me know if I could help plan your ideal vacation or answer any questions.
