Flights To Fancy

Travelling the world in luxury for less a week at a time

Australia is a haven for tourists who like variety in their experience. From natural attractions, culinary adventure, and culture - you can find it here!

Darwin Airport Transfers: Darwin Taxis, Darwin Hire Cars, Hi Oscar & More

Darwin Public Transport

I have a tried and tested system for planning my travel and I stick to the same sequence almost religiously. Booking a cheap flight is always my first priority. Once the euphoria of scoring a bargain flight ebbs, my mind turns to the more mundane aspects of travel. Figuring out how to get to and from the airport is one of the last things I consider, often only days before lift-off. Sure you could just wing it and hope there is a reliable taxi waiting at your destination, but that is not always the case (I’m looking at you Bali!) and arriving in an unfamiliar location, particularly late at night, with no clue how you will get from the terminal to your hotel is not the ideal start to your adventure. For our recent trip to Darwin, I researched all the options for Darwin Airport transfers and I’m sharing everything right here. We ended up using Darwin taxis on arrival for convenience but Hi Oscar for our drop off for cost effectiveness. Other options include Darwin car rental, the Darwin Airport Shuttle bus, Darwin hire cars and even Darwin Public Transport. Read on to find the one that is best for you …

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How To Do An Enormous Greek Feast Right At Yots Darwin

Marina view from Yots Darwin

Regular readers know just how much I love Greek Food, so I was so thrilled to discover Yots Darwin during our recent trip to the top end. One of my favourite things to do on my travels is to seek out Hellenic cuisine in every new city I visit and Darwin was no exception. It’s been almost two decades since I was last in Darwin and much has changed. I found myself having to re-acquaint myself with the local foodie scene and after a bit of research I discovered Yots Greek Restaurant Darwin. Our dinner at Yots Greek Taverna was one of the highlight meals of our trip. Read on for all the details …

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Palms City Resort Darwin: Resort Style Serviced Apartments in Darwin City

Palms City Resort Darwin Entrance

Darwin is the perfect place to ‘winter’. While the southern states of Australia shiver from June to August, Darwin enjoys consistent temperatures in the low 30’s (that’s Celsius peeps!) during the winter months. After a particularly brutal June, The Hubs and I decided we needed a little warm in our lives and on a whim one lazy Sunday we booked flights to Darwin for the following month. With the transport sorted, our minds turned to finding the perfect Darwin city hotel. We knew we wanted Darwin waterfront accommodation so it made sense to start our search in the area near Bicentennial Park. Accommodation on Darwin Esplanade is plentiful so narrowing it down was no easy feat. We trawled through all the modern Darwin holiday apartments and the well-known chain hotels and even the lesser known motels in search of the right fit. After weighing up all our options, we chose Palms City Resort Darwin. While we don’t normally opt for self-catering, Palms City’s serviced apartments in Darwin really appealed. We were very impressed by our self contained accommodation in Darwin and I bet you will be too. Read on for all the details …

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Sydney Weekend Getaways: 15 Fabulous Short Breaks From Sydney NSW

Weekend Road Trips From Sydney

I love Sydney getaways. I’ve lived here all my life and every time I get a glimpse of our magnificent harbour I am reminded just how lucky I am to call it home. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy my Sydney weekenders. After a hectic work week sometimes a short break from Sydney is just what the doctor ordered. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Friday night traffic is manic as the residents of the harbour city exit en masse in search of their own perfect Sydney weekend getaways. To make the most of our short breaks from Sydney we keep the driving time to within 4 hours and try knock off a little early on a Friday afternoon to beat the worst of the traffic. Weekend Getaways in NSW are incredibly diverse and within a few hours you could find yourself beside a beautiful beach, nestled in a quaint country town, exploring the the nation’s capital or hiking rugged mountain ranges. Read on for 15 of the best short trips from Sydney …

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How To Plan A Successful Blue Mountains Day Trip From Sydney

Three Sisters Blue Mountains NSW

Everybody should do a Blue Mountains day trip from Sydney at least once. Being a Sydney local, I have made the journey many times. The Blue Mountains region is an easily accessible area of stunning natural beauty on the city fringes which encompasses dramatic sandstone formations, impressive canyons, steep cliffs, virgin bush land and stunning waterfalls. Dotted with quaint villages, local galleries and award-winning gardens, the Blue Mountains has much to delight. With so much to see, day trippers will have to carefully decide what to include in their Blue Mountains trip because it is not possible to see it all in a day. Read on for all the details …

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Need Forster Accommodation? Try Great Lakes Caravan Park Forster

Boat at sunset at Great Lakes Forster Caravan Park

I love the nostalgia of a road trip. My recent stay at the Great Lakes caravan park Forster brought back memories of my childhood when Mum and Dad would throw me and the dogs in the back of the unseatbelted, unairconditioned, unreliable Kingswood and drive from dawn til dusk on bitumen turned molten under the harsh Australian sun to some far flung caravan park in the middle of nowhere because it was cheap. I remember spending a lot of time on the side of the road listening to the stream of expletives that spewed from my Dad’s mouth while his head was buried under the bottle green bonnet. No wonder I can swear like a sailor! Later, as newly licensed, cash-poor teenagers, we would pool our pennies for gas, pile into one of our bangers and speed out of Sydney most Friday nights with an exuberance reserved only for the young. Those were heady days and we reveled in that joyous space between childhood and being a ‘real’ adult where you are invincible. 30(ish) years on, I itch to explore all the world has to offer and travel means boarding a flight to fancy rather than starting up the family car. With one exception. Our annual group trip. As we settled into our Forster accommodation, the menfolk unpacked the cars, the kids ran excitedly from one cabin to the next and I nursed a freshly poured wine while taking a moment to study the now laugh lined faces of those once carefree young women I road tripped with a lifetime ago. And I felt blessed. Blessed to still have them in my life. Sure it’s a harder to get together now. Gone are the days when we would simply ring around on a Thursday night to see who was ‘in’ for the weekend as none of us yet possessed (or even imagined) smart phones capable of instant group chat. These days our technology has improved but hectic schedules, kid’s weekend activities, shift-working husbands and a general level of exhaustion must all be juggled with military precision to find time to catch up. Even though my grown up boys have long since stopped tagging along, I still enjoy the simplicity of these trips and spending quality time with a group of pals I love with all my heart. Read on for all the details …

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Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours is the Best Experience in the Coromandel

Fash Packing by SFH: Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours - Kayaks on Hahei Beach

New Zealand is renowned for it’s spectacular natural beauty. Often the South Island is considered the headline act but if you think the North has nothing to offer you have obviously never been to the Coromandel Peninsula. Cathedral Cove kayaking is a must-do in New Zealand. The Coromandel tempts visitors with mild temperatures, pure white sand beaches, impossibly clear aquamarine waves, craggy cliffs and dramatic rock formations. Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humour and makes her most special creations just inaccessible enough so only the truly dedicated get to enjoy their majesty. Getting from Whitianga to Cathedral Cove is a little tricky but kayaking Cathedral Cove is well worth the effort. Cathedral Cove can only be reached by foot or boat and the best way to get there is with Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours. The paddling is easy, the guides are knowledgeable and the scenery is breathtaking. What are you waiting for? Read on for all the details …

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Bushfire Flame Grill Cairns: Australian Style BBQ

Flights To Fancy: Bushfire Flame Grill Cairns - Staff

Everyone on the planet has tried Brazilian Churrasco by now right? If you haven’t, you are seriously missing out. There is something very appealing about mouth-watering cuts of meat being grilled to perfection on a skewer which is hand sliced at your table. Bushfire Flame Grill Cairns has borrowed the Churrasco concept, added a distinctly Australian Style BBQ twist and firmly cemented themselves as one of the most popular restaurants in Cairns. Did I mention it is all you can eat? Read on for all the details …

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