Adventures of Lydia & Calvin

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Trip to Brisbane and Gold Coast: Return to Penang & Conclusion

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Our Emirates flight to Singapore was scheduled to depart at around three in the morning. This has got to be one of the inhumane flight time since you have got to stay awake really late before getting the change to catch some shut eye on the plane. My cousin dropped us off at the airport around midnight where there was already a long line in economy waiting to be checked in. The line was much shorter for those who have already checked-in online and we didn't have to wait long before we were checked-in by the First Class desk. How I wish I was flying in first today instead of just being checked in by the desk!

We made our way through immigration where there was very little wait before proceeding to get our shopping tax refund. Brisbane airport was virtually dead at this time with the Emirates flight being the last flight to depart. There was no Priority Pass lounges so we just had to wait it out on one of the benches next to the Cathay flight that was about to leave. I hoped on the wireless from the nearby Qantas lounge and caught up on email where as my sister actually managed to get some sleep.

Trip to Brisbane and Gold Coast: Exploring Brisbane

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We were only in Brisbane for 2 nights and with my cousin's wedding to attend, we didn't have much time to Brisbane. Brisbane city itself was pretty compact and easy to get around which allowed us to cover the major attractions like Queen Street Mall, Brisbane Square, Mount Coot-Tha lookout and Southbank.

View of city from Mount Coot-Tha

Trip to Brisbane and Gold Coast: Hilton Brisbane

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We were informed during check-in that the hotel was fully booked during our stay so we they couldn't upgrade us to rooms on the executive floors. We were also offered a bottle of wine since they couldn't upgrade us which was much appreciated. We also had access to the lounge even though we didn't get the upgrade with the choice of continental breakfast either in the lounge or the full breakfast in the main restaurant. As usual, internet was complimentary for Gold members and was taken off the bill without prompting. When we came back the first night, the turn down service included another bottle of wine.

Lobby Bar that was always packed

Hilton Kuching King Executive Deluxe Room

We're back in Kuching for Christmas break and am staying at the Hilton to get the stays for the Q4 Free Night. We booked the cheapest available room and was upgraded to a King Executive Deluxe Room as a Hilton Honors Gold Member. Although not as spectacular as the suite upgrade we had on our previous stay, the room was still pretty nice. The only major difference with the suite is that instead of a separate living area, the living area is in the room itself.

Trip to Brisbane and Gold Coast: Exploring Gold Coast

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Gold Coast was surprisingly quiet when we visited. Guess it was not quite yet the peak season yet. We spent a good part of one of the days just driving along the beach and stopping at various highlights a long the way. I was impressed that Gold Coast was so well planned - the roads were relatively wide, the clean beaches on one side and the modern and some high rise buildings on the other. Kinda reminded me of Miami.