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Dear Jo, Just got back this week. Had a great time in the
Whitsundays. Was more beautiful than I thought. Just a quick thankyou for everything you did. Everything ran smoothly and we encounted no problems along the way. You did a fantastic job. Sorry about all the dramas it took to get there." Renee M., Brisbane, Australia (20 Feb 03)
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Dear Jo, We had a great time at
Hayman island and thanks for getting us a poolside room - it was fantastic! I don't have any good photos for you at the moment, but thanks for all your help and great service. We'll definitely be in touch for another holiday later in the year! Thanks again, Barb & Paul S., Melbourne, Australia (17 Feb 03)
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Dear Zoe, Thanks for all of your help regarding our vacation. We had a great time.
The Beach Club at Hamilton Island was very special. We were picked up personally at the airport, our luggage was transfered from the plane directely to our room, we had welcome cocktails, and the staff was very happy to help in any way. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
The San Moritz was very nice, a bit rustic. It would have been uncomfortable if the weather had not cooled off because there was no air conditioning. I have told my fiends about your service and I will definitely let you know when were plan to visit again. Thanks," Maria C., Atlanta, USA (17 Feb 03)
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Dear Tina, Just want you to know that we had a wonderful few days in
Norfolk Island. Thank you for the arrangements you made for us. Everything was"spot on".
The Governor's Lodge provided excellent accommodation -an extremely attractive resort where much thought and planning has gone into providing all that one needs on this type of holiday and the efficient and friendly staff there and at
Bounty Tours made it all we'd hoped for. Regards," June C., Mt Macedon, Australia (10 Feb 03)
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Hi Zoe, We are back from our trip and I want to thank you for all the help you gave us with our arrangements and give you our impressions of the places where we stayed for future reference for other customers you may have.
Everything went really smooth, thanks again: the
Le Royal Meridien in Bangkok is a superb! hotel and the suite we got was incredible - and shopping was great.
The
Four Seasons Sydney is a nice hotel too but the room felt like a closet (small) after the Suite at
The Royal Hotel in Sydney ; the
Savoy in Hobart was also very nice but the rooms seem to be connected via the air vents and we knew when someone was cooking fish in another room and/or smoking in another room - great stay there anyway.
Peppers Convent at Hunter Valley was too old for our tastes but I can see why other people might like it - it seemed overpriced to me.
The Clarion Powerhouse in Brisbane was great and they were very nice in holding our bag while we were in
Heron Island.
The
Novotel in Palm Cove was just fine too, millions of Japanese were constantly embarking and disembarking from huge buses to stay at the hotel. We just loved our stay in Australia and we had a wonderful time with our friends on
Stradbroke Island where they rented a house for a week.
Zoe, thanks again for your help, I'll make sure to call you next year when we go travelling again." Tony D., California, USA (8 Feb 03)
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Hello Zoe, Thank you so much, the holiday you arranged for us was exactly how we wanted it - we're very pleased! The only negative experience we had was in Hervey Bay at the
Playa Concha Resort. We weren't impressed with the service at Reception there. The girl was very suspicious of our voucher and wanted some other proof of payment, which we couldn't give her since that was all we had.
This had not been a problem at any of the other places however, which we told her, so she finally accepted it. She wasn't directly rude, but not very polite either, so we were a little disappointed. Maybe especially so since we had received such excellent service in
Noosa and on our trip to
Fraser Island, and also, as it would turn out, at
Lady Elliot Island.
Anyways, thank you again for your excellent arrangement, and we will be sure to use GlobeNetTravel again! Please send us information when you have special offers! Best regards," Cecilie J., Sydney, Australia (6 Feb 03)
•"Hello, I would like to compliment you on your website. In particular the
Queensland and
Great Barrier Reef sections. After struggling for days to find comprehensive accommodation information and the necessary map of the Reef on the Internet, I finally stumbled across your site and it was just a pleasure to use. Please congratulate its designers. Thank you Matthew G., Sydney, Australia (6 Feb 03)
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Hi Jo, I've been meaning to write you and thank you for all your help getting us into
Heron Island on such short notice. We had a wonderful and all the transfers and reservations you made for us went flawlessly. Thank you for all your help and all your attention to detail. Next time we visit we'll definitely call you to handle the entire trip! Cheers!" Joe W., Littleton, USA (5 Feb 03)
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Hi Jo, Yes, Yes, Yes. We had a fantastic holiday and all your arrangements went perfectly. It is the best holiday we have ever had. The hotels were great and we would recommend them to anyone with the exception of
Lilianfels which we found a bit pretentious. It was still good value for money though.
Both Sally and I are homesick for Australia and we will be back. We think your country is wonderful but then any country is made by it's people and you Australians are just so warm-hearted. We will come back in about three years and please can we have you doing all the arrangements for us? Your service has been impeccable.
Having seen Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland we might have a look at some of the other states. We will though insist that
Sydney is on the menu. We loved the place and the
ANA Hote l was wonderful. We arrived at about 0800 straight from the airport and were taken to the most superb room on the 31st. floor. Things never looked back after that! I have a mountain of mail to answer but wanted to express our delight with everything you did. Many, Many Thanks," Clive and Sally B., Malta (31 Jan 03)
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Thanks Kylie,"The trip to
Dunk Island was wonderful, all of the travel arrangements worked perfectly, thanks for your help and advice." Dan, Fran & Ellie, Sydney, Australia (29 Jan 03)
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Hello Gayle ! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New years!
We had an incredible time. Your country is so beautiful and the people so warm and friendly. My two boys did not want to come home. Although they missed their dad and brother (who were left behind due to a hockey schedule), they very much wanted to stay - I think forever would have suited them fine.
All during the trip I thought of you. We did not have one glitch in all the plans that you made for us. I was really concerned about the connections - we had so many and they were key to our success. Not one issue. When I called to confirm, they were all expecting me and they all arrived to pick us up when they said they would.
We wanted to experience your country as a local would, and the trips that were planned gave us a great feel for the country and the people. I was impressed with our accomodations throughout the trip. The rooms were all clean, comfortable and the staff went out of their way to make us happy.
I asked each of the boys what they liked best and here are their answers:
Alex (5): Enjoyed the
Quicksilver Cruise to the
Great Barrier Reef best. Why? He fell in love with the Trip Director. He now wants to become a Marine Biologist and work along side with her on the reef playing with"Trevor" the fish and the Pinapple Sea Cucumbers. What he didn't like? The salt water (oops, Mom forgot to tell him!).
Michael (13): Enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef and
O'Reilly's Guesthouse best. Why? He was proud of himself for finding his way out of the rainforest 4 hours after getting lost. He lost the trail and forged ahead instead of tracking back. He loved (as we all did) feeding the Rosiella's and King Parrots. It was surprising how additive this simple task was. He loved the Great Barrier Reef because he scuba dived for the first time. The instructor on the cruise was excellent and he ended up diving 3 times.
Lynda: Enjoyed the entire trip, every day was great. I loved the
Great Barrier Reef, it is a must see. I was impressed with the crew on the cruise. They were so good to us. I was worried about having a 5 year old on a boat, but the boat was small enough I always knew where he was and the crew kept an eye on him as well. We met some great people and exchanged address information to keep in touch.
O'Reilly's was really special. I recommend it for the food, walks and birds. It gave us a chance to go at our own speed and really relax.
If you are planning a trip to Australia, I would suggest that you do your homework and determine what you most want to see. We spent 3 weeks and barely scratched the surface of this immense country. I would then suggest you get in contact with Gayle Tobin at GlobeNet. She made great suggestions and put everything together for us. We would not have had such a wonderful and stress free vacation without her help.
Gayle, thanks so much. I really believe that you were the key to our fabulous vacation. We met people from all over Australia and they each believed that their city was the best and their neighbours were the nicest. We will definitely have to come back." Lynda C., Santa Clara, USA (29 Jan 03)
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Kylie. We had a fabulous time! The
Daintree Eco Lodge was nice - the spa was beautiful though the food was mediocre. We loved
Orpheus Island - the 7 course dinners were out of this world. The staff was so friendly and very accommodating. My one suggestion is that it is really not the place for scuba diving - we had a difficult time getting out to the outer reef and with the small number of guests, it was difficult for the resort to plan frequent trips. Thanks for your planning! PS It was so easy to drive around
Cairns and the
Hunter Valley !" Cindi F., USA (29 Jan 03)
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Tina, Just to let you know that we have now returned from our trip to Oz and that all your arrangements for the Queensland part of our trip worked extremely well and that we had a great time. We enjoyed
Noosa and the visit to
Fraser Island was great. I have only one comment. The
French Quarter apartments were good but we didn't have such a great view since we faced the reception area. It would be useful when booking an apartment to check the level and the way the apartment is facing. Thanks for all your excellent work and tolerance with our changing plans." Walton H., Milton Keynes, UK (29 Jan 03)
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Kylie, Thanks so much for organising such a fabulous holiday for us - everything went like clockwork (and
Hayman Island was really amazing). Your help was so very much appreciated. Great country!" Ian W., London, UK (28 Jan 03)
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Hi Jo, Thanks, we had an absolutely great time,
Hamilton Island was fantastic, thanks for arranging everything. A few pics attached if of any interest," Rick F., London, UK (28 Jan 03)
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Hi Mary, The trip overall was wonderful. Our favorite accommodations were Millbrook Resort (Queenstown NZ) and
Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland. The apartment in
Sydney (Quay West) had a fantastic view and a very convenient location. The girls liked the
Queenstown NZ area - especially the
Shotover Jet Boats and the helicopter trip we took over the glaciers to
Milford Sound. The
Rotorua area was very interesting.
Christchurch was lovely - very English feeling.
We enjoyed the
Quicksilver Cruise, although we had very windy weather the whole time we were in the
Cairns area. The snorkeling was incredible - not to be missed. Favorites for the girls up there included
Hartley's Crocodile Farm and a wildlife sanctuary outside
Port Douglas where they fed kangaroos. It was worth the detour to see
Ayers Rock - if we'd had more time, a trip to
The Olgas looked interesting. We liked the
Sounds of Silence dinner, and the girls wished that we'd made plans to do a camel tour. We loved Sydney, but we were honestly a bit tired of traveling by that point. We all agree that we want to go back!
I am passing along your name and email address to a friend who is starting to plan a trip to Australia this June. I told her how helpful it was to work with you and how smoothly all our arrangements went throughout the trip. Thanks again for all your help," Linda S., USA (28 Jan 03)
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Mary, Just a line to thank you for everything that you did for us regarding the holiday that we have just had in Australia. Everything was first class. No travel or accommodation problems at all. Like clockwork.
Amazing memories.
Lizard Island sublime! And as for the fireworks in
Sydney at New Year………awesome!
Observatory and
Four Seasons were excellent places to stay. And I promise that the next time we come to Sydney to see the New Year, that we will give you more notice! Thanks again. Top class service." Adrian & Sarah M., London, UK (28 Jan 03)
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Greetings, Gayle ! We're back from our wonderful month in
Australia and wanted to let you know just how perfect the trip went. I know that Globenet has a site that allows clients to compliment their travel consultants and I will be sending a write-up about your excellent service.
But I did want to pass on some observations. We stayed in the
Goldsbrough Apartment Hotel on Darling Harbour and I highly recommend it. It was a perfect location, a minute walk to the actual Darling Harbour area and while we did head into the
Sydney Harbour and into the city centre, we actually preferred being away from the hustle and the bustle. I also sense that it was a good value too, as Sydney overall is an expensive city!
We wished we had stayed longer in
Melbourne (that's a well rounded city: sports, culture, gardens, good shopping and a GREAT transportation system - loved those trams!). We did like staying in the
St. Kilda area, but in retrospect I would have probably taken your first recommendation of staying more centrally. You had suggested the Novotel Melbourne on Collins, and we did hang around that area quite a bit, so maybe staying there and going into the St. Kilda area to sights might have been a plan. While the
Quest St. Kilda Bayside was in a good location, the accommodations themselves were a little tired looking. Also, I would argue that the St. Kilda area is more suited for young couples or couples without children.
As it was close to Christmas, I think there were lots of office parties and celebrations and it was quite"active"! Erika, our nine-year-old, got knocked over by a young fellow who was very 'merry' and it scared her. However, the restaurants were incredible and tons of choices! For some strange reason, the girls' favorite memory of Melbourne was going to see the
old Melbourne Gaol. I think it was really neat too, and the Ned Kelly story is quite fascinating. Melbourne does have something for everyone!
Hamilton Island was just perfect for Christmas time. The
Whitsunday Holiday Apartments were really pretty, nice layout, great views from the balcony. I would also highly recommend it. The overall ambiance of the resort was suitable for all groups - families, young couples, older adults with no kids anymore, teenagers, you name it. We were sad to leave! Pleasant service - lots of uni students on their break, so energy level was high! Hamilton Island was just an easy place to be!
We stayed with friends in
Brisbane so didn't require accommodations there. Loved your city, Gayle! It has a comfortable, yet competent air to it. Clearly, it's a city that is comfortable in its own skin! Full of intelligent people! Did a little sightseeing on a River Cat, and enjoyed your Art Gallery and Museum. We then headed to the
Gold Coast, and feel in love with the ocean there. We stayed in a place called
Oceanside Resort. If you are looking for a great place to send clients, this is it! It is in the Bilinga/Coolangatta area, and is just a really nice place with great management. Apparently it is very popular and hard to get a booking?!
After a week, we headed back to Brisbane and then spent a few days in
Noosa, which has a classy, yet casual air to it. Had to go see the
Australia Zoo, which I think has a bigger following in North America than in Australia itself! Another highlight for the girls, and
Steve Irwin himself was doing the crocodile feeding the day we were there, so that made them delirious!
Anyway, I could go on, but I wanted to thank you again for your work in making our vacation go so very smoothly. The trip was a year in the making and went by too quickly, but the memories remain. We plan to return to Australia as soon as we can. The girls have told us that they plan to work in Australia when they are university students themselves, so that will give me an another excuse to visit!
Thank you again - it was a pleasure to meet you (via email) and to benefit from your obvious talents. A friend of mine, Joan C., will be taking her family to Australia for Christmas 2003, and I have passed your name on to her. She will be in good hands! All the best!" Karen C., Calgary, Canada (28 Jan 03)
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Hi Kylie... Our trip to
Australia was beautiful. After 6 trips to Oz it doesn't take much to make me happy when i'm there.
Noosa 's weather was superb. Daily morning ritual of walking through the national park along the rocky shore and down to the white sand beaches. Afternoons over at Sunshine Beach lazing about and our ritual swims.
Your help in getting things organized was superb. I even referred a former qantas co-worker,d d, to you for her trip Downunder. I had lunch with her friday but I neglected to ask her to what extent she made use of your services.
Comments about
Hayman Island. . .it is a lovely island and accomodations were great. I must say to you though that it is boring at night. It offers nothing for entertainment and those feelings were shared by all the aussies we met including a young newly wed couple from Melbourne and a lively group of aussies there for a wedding who invited us into the pre wedding party. For such a beautiful property to ignore the socializing aspect of bringing people to a property and neglecting nightlife is really too bad. It really is a tropical paradise and it could be even more so if they really concentrated on providing entertainment and an atmosphere where people could mingle and mix. Everyone said the same thing. I wouldn't go back because of that but I loved the physical beauty of the place. Two days is more than enough. Restaurants serve excellent fare, albeit at a price, wait staff are young,friendly and courteous. After dinner though everything just kinda lulls to nothing.
Sydney accomodations at
le Meridien were very good. It is conveniently located within a short walk to Circular Quay and the staff are very helpful. My mate Tony who unlike me is used to 5-star accomodations said he would stay there again. This was his first trip to Oz and he came away with a big smile. When we got to New Zealand I wiped that smile off his face by going to Waitomo for a caving experience called"lost world" where the adventure begins with a 100 metre abseil into a mist shrouded cave from a platform suspended over a river below and the bottom of the rope isn't even visible! The smile faded but returned when we touched down. It was beautiful.
Thank you again for all your efforts. You were superb." John L., San Francisco, USA (26 Jan 03)
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Hello Zoe ! Your arrangements were excellent, everything was done just as you said on the phone however, the Kingfisher Bay Resort was a bit disappointing in that we did not find out until the we were leaving that they supplied towels for the pool and we are still waiting for our welcoming drinks. But in saying that we have enjoyed ourselves on the island. Thank you for all your help, Merry Christmas !!!" S.N., Brisbane, Australia (25 Jan 03)
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Dear Gayle, I wanted to let you know that we had a FABULOUS vacation!!! Everything about our trip was amazing: the weather, the people, the islands, the hotels, the flights....honestly, everything was perfect! So, thank you for all of your help in arranging the trip and for all of your suggestions!
We LOVED the
Four Seasons, and I'm thinking about taking up a permanent residency in
Sydney, it was just so spectacular! Our four days there were well spent and we felt that we did just about all that we wanted to do!
Cairns was great too, very different from Sydney. Thankfully, we had much to do while in Cairns - snorkeling, whitewater rafting, etc., so we didn't get too overwhelmed by the college spring breaker feel that is exuded from Cairns.
Dunk Island is wonderful! And, although it is in the midst of their rainy season, we were pretty lucky with the weather so that was good as well. And finally, Fraser Island was definitely our favorite! I absolutely LOVE
Fraser Island and the
Kingfisher Bay Resort was great because we had such a short time to spend on Fraser Island and they really helped us budget our time which allowed us to see all that we could!
So, I just though it might be nice for you to hear yet another success story of your travel assistance. You did a wonderful job at picking hotels that matched our styles, budgets, and interests, so thank you for that as well!
I am so jealous that you are still in Australia and also, enjoying the summer. We came back to Boston to below freezing temperatures - lets just say that there was a 90 degree difference between Sydney when we left and Boston when we arrived home - YUCK!!!!
Hope your summer months have been going well and that you had a nice holiday!! I will certainly pass your name on to anyone I know who might be traveling to Australia in the future! Take care," J.C. & J.S., Boston, USA (24 Jan 03)
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