Thank you for your reviews of Silky Oaks Lodge for the benefit of fellow travellers. Included here are some of your responses and we update regularly.
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Hi Tina Thank you for organising our holiday. Everything went smoothly and we relaxed instantly at
Silky Oaks Lodge , with a little help from the 3hr massage we indulged in! Being surrounded by nature and its quietness made our minds focus on the job -- "total relaxation". Port Douglas was great to, The Boathouse was conveniently located in the centre of town and close to the beach. Nice - our 2 week holiday felt like 3 weeks!" Nikki & Noel S., Sydney, Australia (26 Sep 05)
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Hi Sonia We had the most wonderful time at
Lizard Island, Silky Oaks and then the
Sheraton Port Douglas!!! Everything was so beautiful, the people were so nice, and we loved all of our hotels and locations. All travel arrangements went perfectly & the Four seasons Sydney was ideal. We wouldn't have changed a thing! Thank you for everything." Patti S., Los Angeles, USA (4 Aug 05)
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Hi Eva We had a great time and
Silky Oaks Lodge was excellent. It's expensive, but less so when you take the meals into account. The accommodation is superb, and the common areas a very comfortable. It rained a fair bit while we were there, but not enough to spoil anything. Port Douglas was as usual: superb weather and full of people. Lots and lots of great restaurants.
Our apartment at
Reflections was only so-so; it was on the ground floor and got no sun. It's a superb location, but we would probably try elsewhere next time. We visited friends at
Mandalay, and that is much better. I was able to get into a scuba diving course, which took four days (6 ocean dives), and was quite tiring for one in less than the first flush of youth. But well worth while. Many thanks for all your help. Here's a picture of an azure kingfisher taken on the
Daintree River. " Robin B., Melbourne, Australia (15 Jul 05)
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Hi Sali, The spa at
Silky Oaks Lodge is just the best I agree. Food at
Bedarra Island the best of the big three ie
Silky Oaks, Lizard Island and Bedarra. Not so much to do on Bedarra though. We think we will go back to Lizard next time." Carolyn B., Sydney, Australia (27 Jun 05)
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Hello Sali, We had a wonderful time. We very much liked
Silky Oaks - and we LOVED
Lizard Island. At Lizard Island our room was lovely, the staff was wonderful, the food was really special and the island is a slice of heaven. For the money - Lizard Island is our preference. Both Silky Oaks and Lizard Island are unique and luxurious - but for the money - we thought the amenities, the physical plant of the resort itself and the climate is more enjoyable at Lizard Island. We did enjoy the variety, however.
At Silky Oaks they did upgrade us - on our arrival - to a River House... same as the tree houses but with a view of the river. We enjoyed some of the other guests at Silky Oaks and they had a very nice menu as well. They also presented us with champagne and fruit in our room in both resorts - so, we were definitely treated well. We are very glad we did not miss the Great Barrier Reef. The combination of the Reef and the resort at Lizard Island - is something we hope to someday experience again.
The drivers for the car service were also very pleasant and informative. That service is something we would recommend. We had no travel or itinerary issues. It was an all around wonderful, memorable trip. Thanks so much for your help and insights." Mara C., Cleveland, USA (3 May 05)
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Dear Sonia, We loved our trip to Australia and look forward to going back some day. We were treated ever so nicely everywhere we stayed and in the shops and restaurants we visited. We loved scuba diving at the reef, the ambiance and setting of the
Silky Oaks Lodge, and Sydney!!! We loved the location of the Four Season's Hotel, the choice of staying at
The Outrigger in Palm Cove (vs an island). All in all a great trip. Thank you for your guidance." Merle W., USA (16 Mar 05)
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Hi Elisabete, We had a lovely time on our honeymoon and everything you organised was really great.
Dunk Island and Silky Oaks were very beautiful places and would highly recommend them to anyone. Organising through you over the internet made life very easy considering I had left booking until about 2 weeks before. Thank you so much for your assistance." Marsha R., Prospect, Australia (10 Jan 05)
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Hi Kylie, We had a wonderful trip to
Australia. All of the accomodations and travel arrangements went really well. (
Silky Oaks Lodge, Lizard Island, Four Seasons Sydney, Le Meridian Melbourne ) The only thing I would suggest is to let the clients know how much it would be to upgrade at the hotels during the planning process. That way the onus is on the client to choose whatever they want. Overall, you did a great job for us! Thanks, and regards," Jack F., Los Angeles, USA (30 Nov 04)
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Hi Kylie, Thank you so much for your booking & your attention to the details. This vacation to
Silky Oaks Lodge, Dunk island, Outrigger Hervey Bay & Quay West Suites Sydney was like a fantasy. Everything went according to plan very smoothly. Of course the
Gold Coast Indy Race was my favorite thing.
But, putting that aside the best part of the Australia visit was the four days in
Longreach. The history, atmosphere and people there moved us.
The Outback Tour that you booked was absolutely perfect. We met Alan Smith the tour owner. What a real nice caring & down to earth fellow. I was surprised to hear that they do not get many Americans out there. Must be the best kept secret of Australia. If we were to come back to Australia I would spend more time in Longreach. Regards," Jack H., New York, USA (2 Nov 04)
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Hi Gayle, What a fantastic trip we had! Thank you for all your help in arranging the cruise and all the other accommodations. Your insight and recommendations were most helpful.
We enjoyed the
Captain Cook Reef Endeavour cruise - the food was great and the crew members were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Although the weather was a little choppy and it was a fairly rocky ride the first couple of days, that was soon overshadowed on the last day of our 4 day cruise when we snorkeled
Ribbon Reef No. 5 (an unforgettable experience).
Silky Oaks Lodge was an excellent follow-up to the cruise. the resort is first class in everyway and a perfect place to relax and unwind. We enjoyed
the Daintree and Cape Tribulation tour you included in our package. Although it was hard to compete with the ambiance and serenity we experienced at
Silky Oaks, we did enjoy being on the beach for a few days on the final leg of our journey when we stayed at the
Sebel Reef House in Palm Cove. It's a lovely resort and the beaches are beautiful. My only regret is that we couldn't spend more time in your amazing country. We'll just have to plan on another visit before too long and when we do, I'll certainly call on you to help with our plans. " Lynn W., Missouri, USA (6 Oct 04)
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Dear Zoe, We had great time in Queensland, we realy enjoyed our honeymoon holiday there at
The Outrigger Beach Club Palm Cove, Silky Oaks Lodge and Green Island. Even I've suprised my husband with the organisation that he did not expect something like that. Thank you again for this very well organization you did for us." Hale T., Seol, Korea. (5 Oct 04)
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Hi Sonia, We really enjoyed ourselves at
Hayman Island, Silky Oaks Lodge and Four Seasons Sydney, what a beautiful and diverse country. We have absolutely have fallen in love with Sydney. Thank you for everything you did, it went smoothly and nicely. If we ever make another trip to Australia we will use your services again. When I do my photo album I will send you a picture. Thank you again " Adeleh R., Los Angeles, USA (6 Sep 04)
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Hi Gayle, Thanks for your note. We had a great weekend.
Silky Oaks Lodge was wonderful and everything went smoothly. Regards" Andrew T., Brisbane, Australia (10 Aug 04)
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Dear Kylie, We want to thank you so much for the great job you and GlobeNet travel did for us on our recent trip to Australia. Every thing went according to schedule and everybody met us when they were supposed to.
Sydney and the
Hunter Valley wine tour were great and
The Four Seasons was outstanding. We really enjoyed
Uluru and the aboriginal people. Jane and Guy thought that was the best. Carol and I and Greg and Nancy thought
the Daintree and Silky Oaks was the best. We all enjoyed the
Great Barrier Reef and the people of Australia, who were friendly and interesting. All in all we thought you did a sensational job. Thanks again" T, C, G, J, G, and N, Michigan, USA (19 May 04)
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Dear Kylie I just wanted to write and thank you for all the arrangements you made for our recent trip to Queensland. Everything worked out perfectly - there wasn't a single glitch except that the tour we requested at
Silky Oaks Lodge had not been booked on the day we requested. But this turned out to our advantage so it was not a problem. We loved everywhere that we stayed -
Heron Island, Coconut Beach Rainforest Lodge and Silky Oaks.
We especially liked Silky Oaks - it is a beautiful, elegant resort in a stunning location -
Mossman Gorge. Heron Island was a bit like Club Med but we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and the beautiful location - not to mention all the birds EVERYWHERE and the wonderful marine life. Coconut Beach also had a great location - right on the beach and at the edge of the rainforest - it was also nice being so remote - right up in
Cape Tribulation whereas many tourists do not get past
Daintree village.. Thanks again for all your help. " K.C., Bangkok, Thailand (4 May 04)
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Hello Tosh, What a great trip. Really exceptional. Ended with one night only in
the Blue Mountains and stayed at
The Establishment in Sydney. Smallish beds but great rooms and incredible bar and sushi.
The only poor experience was the
Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas which is a tired boring resort. Suggest you send people to
Silky Oaks. Went for lunch and its very nice and an easy drive from Port Douglas.
Lizard Island is top class and very friendly.
As for
Ayers Rock I do recommend the flight and
the Harley tours. Also I would recommend that people self drive there to avoid the crowds. The car rental is no more than the overpriced tours. Another tip, the room service at
Sails in the Desert is better than the restaurant and
the Gecko Cafe is better value than the hotel for food. We send the car hire back a day early so don't know if we will get a credit. Not important. Kate and I are really grateful for your help and we will recommend you happily. Best regards" Rob N., London, UK (13 Apr 04)
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Zoe, we’re back from our wonderful trip. Tired, confused about our time zone, but full with magnificent memories. Thanks for all of your help. All arrangements went smoothly and worked well for our purposes. All of the accommodations worked well. Only suggestion for others is that we were on a low floor, street-side room at
The Saville, which was very noisy.
Silky Oaks, Dunk Island, the house in
Katoomba and
Hunter Valley Lodge Estates were great. Actually, Saville was just what we needed, just too close to the street. All of our air and hire car arrangements came off without a hitch. Our appreciation for your guidance." John & Barbie L., Savannah, USA (3 Jun 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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Sonia As you may remember, you helped my father, myself and my son have an absolutely wonderful visit to
Australia last year. The
Sydney, the Ghan train, Ayers Rock, Cairns (Silky Oaks, Dunk Island) circuit was a fantastic, unforgettable experience. And you, of course, were instrumental in making it so. So a belated thank you from all of us for all your help." J.C., Alaska, USA (22 Jan 03)
• "Hi
Jo, Eric and I had a wonderful time on our holiday and appreciate all of your assistance with our trip. The only feedback that we have is that we felt that the flight from
Cairns to
Hamilton Island was a little too early. We had to be picked up at
Silky Oaks at 3:30 a.m. by the car service... It wasn't that big of a deal, but would have allowed us a little more sleep.
Overall, we felt that you did an outstanding job and were very pleased with our trip. We loved
Ayers Rock the
Sounds of Silence dinner (a real highlight) and the
Harley Davidson tour (I know that I scheduled this one, but thought I'd give you positive feedback for future customers). We also had a great experience on
Hayman Island resort and would recommend the Sea Plane for snorkeling at the outer reef, the sunset drop-off, and
The Chef's Table. Thank you for all of your help. " J.S., Wilton, USA (13 Jan 03)
• "Hello
Gayle, Happy New Year to you and I hope your holiday was as wonderful as mine. Everything went just as you had arranged.
The Four Seasons in Sydney was a great location as it was very close to the ferry and
The Rocks. Hayman Island was beautiful and the room was fantastic. Just as nice was
Silky Oaks in relaxation, 5 star food and presentation, and spa treatments were to die for.
Please find a picture of my wife holding a 2 month old orphaned baby Wombat during our VIP tour of the
Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
A day or two later the princess of Japan was holding the very same Wombat. Thank you so much for all your help it was a wonderful 30th anniversary celebration. Regards," S.F., USA (14 Jan 03)
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Zoe, Thanks so much for all of your help. It was one of the most awesome and easy vacations we've ever taken. We definitely plan to return within the next couple of years.
Lizard Island was spectacular and the service and food were top notch. We didn't want to leave. We liked
Silky Oaks as a rest stop but it was a little hot and buggy during the summer for us.
Bondi Beach was everything we expected it to be and the hotel location was perfect. Overall, the people and places in Australia should not be missed by anyone. We'll definitely recommend you to our friends. Have a happy New Year and if I do in fact download my pics I'll send you one. Cheers! " M. & M. B., Los Angeles, USA (9 Jan 03)
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Hello Gayle. We're finally settling back into our daily grind and so I wanted to take a few moments to give you some feedback on our trip. Overall, it was truly a wonderful honeymoon. We enjoyed every leg of our journey!
First,
Sydney...
The Four Seasons was beautiful and the service impeccable. Thank you for telling them (and all of our hotels) that it was our honeymoon because every time we checked in to a new hotel, we had a A complimentary bottle of wine or champagne brought to our room. We REALLY enjoyed the
Harbour BridgeClimb. The night climb is definitely the best time to do it, because the climb starts while it's still daylight and then the sun goes down during the climb and then we had incredible night views of the city.
Sydney's a lovely city to explore.highlights for us were
Darling Harbour, The Rocks, a harbour ferry trip, the Opera House and Botanical Gardens, and the Paddington weekend bazaar.
Next stop was
Hayman Island which was simply luxurious, starting with the launch that took us from
Hamilton Island to Hayman. It's a beautiful yacht and they greet you with champagne and afternoon tea. The
Pool Deluxe room was perfect. The room was very large and faced the pool and the ocean. The décor of the room was just lovely and the grounds of the resort are stunning. It is VERY expensive to do activities there but we were prepared for that before we arrived. The only free activities are to take out your own small catamaran sailboat or canoe. We did a paid kayak trip to another part of the island called
Blue Pearl Bay 2 and did some great snorkeling there.
We also took an exhilarating seaplane ride over the reef which then landed on
Whitehaven Beach for a couple of hours, perhaps the most pristine beach I've ever seen. That was a highlight! One thing about Hayman that surprised us a bit was the food -- the restaurants were expensive and all had beautiful décor, but the quality of the food was not 5 stars. The food was good for sure, but it was not the exceptional quality I would have expected from such a luxury resort. We spoke with several other guests who shared that opinion. But don't get me wrong -- we overall really enjoyed our stay there.
You may remember that we had to leave Hayman very early that morning to fly to
Cairns... you may want to remind your clients, especially international clients, that the weight limits on luggage for Qantas domestic flights on regular size planes is 32 kg per piece and for the smaller Qantas planes (and Rex) is 15 kg.)
Next stop was
Silky Oaks in the rainforest. We really loved Silky Oaks. What a beautiful place. All guests have their own private chalet (fairly large too) set right in the rainforest with balconies surrounded by lush jungle. The grounds are exquisite, including the pool and the treetop restaurant overlooking the
Mossman river. The service was 5 stars and so was the food. Truly gourmet (far better than Hayman).
We spent an afternoon in
Port Douglas which was very charming.
The Daintree tour that was included in our package was a lot of fun. It was a full day excursion and we had an excellent guide. Fortunately, there were only six of us in the van (two other honeymooning couples) which made it very nice. But FYI, the van can hold 14 people which I think would really be too much. Those types of excursions I think are better enjoyed with smaller, intimate groups, which we were lucky to have.
Which brings me to my only negative feedback of the trip.the
Quicksilver reef trip. I would not recommend that trip to anyone. It's a monster of a boat and they take 300 passengers! Not exactly my idea of intimate. It's not even an attractive boat and it's so overcrowded that you're constantly bumping into people in order to move around. We felt like we were in a herd of cattle. The seats on the decks were hard like those on a subway and very close together. When the boat reached Quicksilvers's permanently fixed pontoon out on the reef, 300 tourists made a mad dash for the bins where the snorkel masks and fins were held in order to be first in the water. It was totally unorganized and chaotic. We signed up to scuba dive and fortunately that went fairly smoothly. We had a fun guide and the dive, though not cheap, was enjoyable...
Several people recommended to us that
the Aristocat boat is a much better reef experience. They only take about 30 people at a time, and their price includes two scuba dives... November technically starts the wet season in the rainforest, which ordinarily would mean rain all the time, but it rained for the first time there since April while we were there, but only at night. The days were very humid. We were told that come January, it will rain for 3 months straight...
The one night in
Adelaide was very pleasant. The loft suite in the
Radisson Playford was huge! Very nice hotel. We tried to see the eclipse from a park in Adelaide, but unfortunately it was too cloudy. The next morning we started our adventure to
Kangaroo Island. As you know, we had the luggage dilemma, which we solved by storing one of our suitcases at a place called Morgan's Corner at Adelaide airport. For security reasons, the airport itself no longer provides storage services, but this was a private retail/convenience store in the airport. It's $10 per day per bag.
The bus ride from Adelaide to the ferry was almost two hours... It's about an hour on the ferry and it was a very long hour! We were happy once we got there. I think flying from Adelaide is the better option! (Our flight back was easy and uneventful -- only 20 minutes). But Kangaroo Island was probably THE highlight of our trip. We loved it!
First, the
Seascape B&B was wonderful. Jenny and J.P. our hosts are two of the nicest people you
could ever meet. And their house is beautiful. It's on the top of a hill overlooking stunning Emu Bay. The house is only about a year old and the rooms are huge, all facing the bay. The breakfasts and dinners were excellent. J.P. is a freelance tour guide and he took us on a nocturnal walk to see penguins and other wildlife. Kangaroo Island itself is a very special place.
We went to
Seal Bay (a sea lion colony on the beach),
Parndana Wildlife Park where you can play with kangaroos and koalas and see every type of wildlife,
Flinders Chase National Park where there are animals in the wild and beautiful rock formations and trails,
Hanson Bay Sanctuary which is a koala "colony",
Kingscote which is the largest "town" on K.I., but is only about 4 blocks long, and finally we went scuba diving on our last day with sea lions and leafy sea dragons! (That made up for Quicksilver!).
Most of the island is unsealed roads, but a few main arteries were sealed within the last couple of years. The island is the same size as New York City but with only 4500 residents! (vs. 6 million in NYC!). There are more kangaroos than people! I would highly recommend Kangaroo Island to anyone and especially the Seascape B&B!
Finally, the
Grand Hyatt in Melbourne was very nice, as one would expect. Excellent location, which made for easy exploring, especially given our limited time. So overall Gayle, our honeymoon was unforgettable and we really appreciate all of your help! I will surely recommend you to anyone I know that is planning a trip to Australia! Have a very happy holiday and new year! Warm regards" S.F., New York, USA (18 Dec 02)
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Dear Sonia The honeymoon was wonderful and everything went extremely smoothly. Both
Silky Oaks and
Lizard Island were fantastic and I would recommend to absolutely anybody! Finally I would like to say how pleased we were with the exceptionally friendly, helpful service you provided to us in organising our trip, it was excellent and I will certainly be using GlobeNet Travel again. Kind regards," E.C., London, UK (7 Oct 02)
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Hi Sonia, 350 sleeps until we're back on
Lizard Island. Overall we had a fantastic trip. Lizard is an exceptional experience. The quality of the accomodtion, staff, quiet and calm, and food is outstanding. Being on the
Great Barrier Reef obviously makes it that much more of a great location since Sue loves the water and snorkeling. we expect to go back there next September.
The rainforest and
Daintree Lodge were also a great time. The Eco-Lodge isn't for everyone. It is run on a much smaller scale, and while it is a quality experience it is not for those seeking real "luxury" or an upscale experience. I'd called it "funky" upscale. Is is a very authentic rain forest experience, I believe more so than
Silky Oaks (which we visited for dinner). Silky Oaks felt more like a resort, while Lizard felt like a hideaway or special place.
The spa at
Daintree is excellent. In fact that is my one criticism of Lizard....apparently keeping staff on island resorts (in certain functions, and not only at Lizard) is a challenge and as a result they often get more junior staff. I felt this to be true of their spa staff, and the quality of massage was not comparable to the overall standards of Lizard, or other resorts I've been to. I shared this on my feedback form there...
Thanks again for your help in plannng a great holiday. Best regards," J.M. Los Angeles, USA (18 Sep 02)
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Hi Zoe, just a note to say thanks, all went wonderfully, no problems at all, all rooms were excellent- I must state that
Hayman Island is exceptional- in addition, the people wherever we went were friendly and helpful- Ii only wish it could be that way here- Barbara was a little disappointed in
Silky Oaks accomodations, but the food and setting more than made up for that- as for me if I could find a way to move to
Sydney I think I might do it very quickly- once again thanks" D.H. Chicago, USA (13 Sep 02)
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Hey Sonia, Well we've come and gone. What a wonderful country you live in. We had a great time and wished we could have stayed longer. We did the
Sydney Harbour Bridge climb and it was awesome.
Dunk Island was probably our favorite place. It was more like paradise island. Beautiful. The trip out to the reef was a bit rough. Lots of sea sick people on board but only one in our party got sick. She was OK once we got to the reef. The snorkeling was great. I would rent a car if I had it to do over again.
Silky Oaks was nice but even farther from most of the things we wanted to do. We went back and forth to
Cairns six times from either
Port Douglas or
Silky Oaks. We got to know that highway pretty well. We went through
Wild World one day, rode ATVs through the rain forest another day, took the train to
Kuranda and the
Skyrail back then went bungee jumping after. If you haven't tried the bungee jumping it is quite a rush. Scary but awesome. I think next time I'd want to stay nearer to Cairns, rent a car and drive up to
Port Douglas, etc. Since we left from Silky Oaks, we had to get up at 3:30 a.m., take a van into
Mossman where we got on a bus, made several stops in Port Douglas and barely got to the Cairns airport in time for our flight to
Sydney.
It made for a really long day. All of our connections going and coming worked like clockwork until we got back into the states. I want to thank you again for all your hard work. The arrangements you made went like clockwork and the facilities were very nice. We'll definitely be coming back. We barely scratched the surface of your country and want to explore more of it. All of the people we met were very friendly and made us feel welcome. Thanks again for the great service and I won't hesitate to recommend and use your services in the future. Keep in touch and let me know if you ever decide to visit the states. I'll try to smooth the road for you a bit." S.F. Texas, USA (20 Aug 02)
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Jean: I just want to send you a quick note to thank you for all your help on our trip. Every think went well, we had an incredible time and all the hotels that we stayed at were very nice, we LOVED
Silky Oak Lodge, we wish we had more time to spend at this hotel. Thank you again." X.O. Richardson, USA (10 Aug 02)
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Hi Zoe, Wanted to thank you for the great job you did for us. Our trip went perfectly at every stage. We especially enjoyed
Silky Oaks and the
Four Seasons and wished we had more time at both. In
Melbourne, friends demanded that we stay at their home, so we left
The Windsor a day early... Thanks again for all you did and your expertise." C.P. Los Angeles, USA (1 Aug 02)
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