Kid Free Weekend, Hit Me With Ideas

I've been very lucky for MD this year as DP has organised with SIL to have the girls over a weekend (at some stage dependant on DP's & her work) so that DP and i can go and have a weekend away to ourselves.... anywhere i want to go :dance:
It's going to be a joint MD & FD present for the both of us but DP has said i can pick the destination!

So hit me with some wonderful ideas, idealy i'd like somewhere we can enjoy some nice food, great scenery, some touristy things if we decide or maybe some fishing.
We will probably be flying & hiring a car as we will leave our car with SIL (or taking hers if we stay in vic)

I've never been to Sydney and would love to do the bridge climb (best i work on my fitness) but if it's windy etc DP can't actually do it due to ear issues.

I thought nice warm QLD, stay in a nice resort somewhere ??

I really have no idea so please convince me of somewhere beautiful and romantic for us too go.... not TOO expensive but i have no idea of budget yet ;)

Beach and hot are always my two criteria for weekends away. Bit hard at this time of year but is far north Qld out of the question? Even Byron?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

there are very cheap flight to bali and manila atm out of darwin $130 with jetstar!
have fun and enjoy havinga huge sleep in!!!

Port Douglas - romantic, relaxing, warm, can go fishing, do some touristy things, and it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it!

There are some great deals to Fiji at the moment too...

For the record, I am so very jealous!

Oh my goodness, I am so very jealous as well hun! You lucky thing!!

Give us some more criteria. Would you and DP like wineries for example? Yarra Valley is lovely and can be very romantic but if you don't like wine (from memory I don't think you're a huge fan?) it might not be a good use of your time.

What do you like to do? Would you be happy lazing by a beach/pool with ****tails? Or do you want to get out and do stuff?

How long do you actually have? FNQ is one of my fave desitnations but you need more like 3-5days minimum, flying out Friday and back Sunday might not be enough time to enjoy it.

Noosa is gorgeous and closer than FNQ. Bit easier to get to. DH whisked me away to Noosa for a surprise weekend just after we started going out, sweet thing that he is.

Perth is lovely - lots to see and do.

Sydney is awesome if it has been a while since you last went? Stay in the city, visit the nice restaurants around the Rocks/Darling Harbour, do some touristy things.

Otherwise down the coast in Vic if you want to stay in Vic? Mallacoota? Sapphire Coast of NSW?

Seriously, don't come to Perth lol...craptastic.

Oh if I had a weekend kid free, only one place I would be...Sanctuary Cove. Gorgeous, fabulous food, fabulous wine, fabulous spa treatments, 24 hour room service and the comfiest king size beds in the world ;)

Oh im green with envy!!

Um fave places of mine, Merimbula, Warrnambool, Portland, Mackay & Airlie Beach

I would stay in the Motel down the road if it meant a weekend without kids haha! Its never happened in the 9 years I have been a mum!!

What do you like to do? we both love fishing but would also walk along a beach, snuggle in front of a fire, go out and eat, touristy things, relax & drink ****tails.. i'm not at all fussy :rofl:

How long do you actually have? Will basically be a w/end thing, leave Friday & home sunday so pretty much a 2 night stay somewhere.. if we were flying we would prob leave early friday and then fly home sunday arvo.

I love wineries but DP not so much, will probably have to have a look around on some travel websites or something.
Anything out of Oz is pretty much a no as neither of us have passports and i think 2 nights might be a bit short for that kind of trip :(

What about some of our magnificent lakes that have just filled up again? Bonnie Doon etc. Lake Eyre is nice.

Mansfield is lovely and you could do a day trip to the snow...

What about Tassie?

Daylesford is always nice for a romantic weekend and heaps to do in the region.

Mildura has a nice resort where you can do as much or as little as you like and there is (apparently) some great fishing in the area (I haven't fished since I was about 10)

Byron Bay?

Still Jealous. I really shouldn't be talking to you *pouts*

:rofl: MG - i will be coming to you for medical (wrist) & weight loss advice, DP and i are getitng back into it and am hoping i can loose a bit of weight before we head of somewhere as well.. so you can kick my butt for me.. make you feel any better?

DP and i haven't been on a proper w/end away together since our first anniversary - it's always been a quick trip for a wedding or something similar so it will be ncie to finally have some US time without the girls.

Although i wouldn't mind trying to plan a trip to Eden with the girls next year to go see my nan.

I vote for Noosa. It's close enough for a quick weekend away. I love getting away somewhere a little warmer during winter, makes the cold months seem less long and awful!

Something for everyone there - nice food, things to do, bit of shopping, beach action (or inaction if that's your thing), nice drives into the hinterland, accommodation as cheap or expensive as you want it.

I was going to suggest Fraser Island but I think that'd be a bit much for a short weekend trip.

I think you need to make it somewhere really special, if you can afford it. You did Mildura with the kids, you're thinking about Eden with the kids - do something really different, that they just aren't old enough to appreciate yet.

Just my thoughts!

(Lime - thanks for the heads up on Perth :lol: )

For some more local spots - I have always wanted to have dinner and stay at The Lake House in Daylesford and The Royal Mail in Dunkeld. Maybe even a fancy weekend in the city? Catch a show, shop and sightsee?
There are great deals about atm in QLD too - for all budgets, so perhaps have a look see and go from there? Sounds fun!!!

Noosa looks nice :) i'm sure there are so many amazing places we could go... :wall:
I was thinking of maybe somewhere local and just take SIL's car or something, i really have NO IDEA... really need to think this one through i guess.
Don't think we would do the city, it sounds nice but i'd hate to pay for a hotel etc and then go and see things we could see any other old time IYKWIM.

I might have to ask DP what he would like to do aswell and what kind of budget and go from there :)

Keep the ideas coming PLEASE.

Noosa has the added advantage that they have a food service where you can order dinner from pretty much any restaurant and they will deliver to you. We had a seafood platter delivered, it was wonderful.

For local....I guess I can share where my ultimate romantic getaway would be lol. I shared with MG a while ago. Will PM you.

No suggestions for staying in VIC, but I do have suggestions for other states.

Tassie is GORGEOUS! DF and I stayed in Hobart for his birthday a couple of years ago and it was fantastic. If you like seafood, there is so much fresh stuff at all the restaurants along the harbour front. We did as much touristy stuff as we could fit in our 4 day weekend, which was actually quite a bit. For a lot of it we just went to the tourist info centre and got some suggestions from them. We did the cascade brewery tour which was fun, and Port Arthur was gorgeous. Got a bit freaked out doing the ghost tour but really wish we'd had more time to visit the memorial gardians and see the gaol during the day.

In Sydney the Bridge Climb is a lot of fun (and not too hardgoing fitness wise). You stop every 5-10 min and the guide tells you all about the bridge so as long as you can walk a single flight of stairs you should be fine. The Blue Mountains are gorgeous and there's a lot of really nice secluded B&B's.

Adelaide is really pretty and if you like wine, I can definitely recommend either the Barossa or McLaren Vale. Kangaroo Island is also meant to be really nice, though I'm yet to make it there myself.


A good idea could be to work out roughly where you want to go, then look on trip advisor for somewhere in that area to stay.

There are some beautiful B&Bs in the Yarra Valley... you can drive there, do some wineries, eat some lovely local food and generally enjoy a relaxing weekend without too much fuss or travel time.
Cold grey days, warm open fires and a good bottle or few of local wine and you wouldn't need to worry about the fishing ;p

Ok so we've narrowed down the w/end we are going (start of August) and i'm thinking to save us some travel time i might aswell keep it localish (IYKWIM) and was thinking possible lorne, apollo bay or somewhere in the otways... somewhere nice and relaxing, possibility of fishing (rivers or beach) and then being able to hide away.
So does anyone have some tried & true destinations?
We stayed in Apollo Bay for one of our anniversaries in a goreous hotel but i'm thinking maybe something a little more private and romantic IYKWIM.

The other thing i might do though is look at some places in the yarra valley, surely there are some ok fishing spots or something around there too but we could go have lunch at a nice winery and then move on to relaxing and some fishing?
So would love some tried & true places there too, same kind of thing though, relaxing & romantic but with options of things to do IYKWIM.

DH took me to a B&B in daylesford and it was lovely.....so much nicer than a hotel or motel....

we went to the grampians for a few days and that was lovely as well...

for fishing, we went to Marlo (near Orbost) a few times, we stayed in the caravan park - but it was a nice spot, and I'm sure there's B&B's down that way too...

you know... anywhere you pick will be lovely :)

only thing about going coast.... it's freezing at that time of year....

Years ago, D and I stayed at a place in Lakes Entrance (nowhere near the places you mentioned!! lol) called Bell Brae Cottages. Little self contained cabins, was gorgeous. Sure tehre is fishing near by, was very well priced too.

I'd go to Lakes Entrance. We've stayed there a few times, there's fishing and it's close to Buchan Caves, which are so beautiful. We stayed at Bellvue in a spa suite, it was excellent!

there are some nice places up around Lakes - and it's not toooooooooooo far for travel. there are wineries if you really want to do that sort of thing, Metung has some nice accommodation...

I love lakes but not sure I feel like driving that far as we will be dropping the kids off driving etc etc.
Would take more of the holiday IYKWIM.

Might talk to DP - lakes, otways or Yates valley.


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

yeah makes sense hun

Hmmmmm want to book soon & I can't choose.. Lol!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

Appollo bay is nice have stayed there can't think where though.

Lorne stayed with friends at Erskine resort (hens weekend)

Lakes
Paynsville is nice
Dandenongs is nice We got married up there and stayed the night in a gorgeous but $ tree top cottage in Olinda (Lochiel was name of place)
Halls Gap

Port Fairy is gorgeous! We camped but in sure there are lots of b&bs. fishing and beaches, wharf/port area is great! Lovely little town!

SURFERS ?????
Crowne Plaza Gold Tower - king deluxe spa ocean (with buffet breakfast) view $252 our flights would be $220 plus luggage etc.
So looking at $700 + in flights & accom and we would taxi & walk.
ALSO their site says find it cheaper first night free. Wotif had it cheaper but you have to book with them first THEN make your claim. Which is no big issue as the price is ok.


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

Sounds like a good deal. There's heaps to do there.

Got to love airlines right :( We changed to a different time, all good $60 more but then by the time we added baggage & 'taxes' on top of that it ended up being like $200 more.
Oh and 1 of them snuck in insurance I swear I ticked NO for, have emailed about getting it cancelled & refunded!
Ohh well it's booked



Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

Yaaaayyyy it's booked!!! That's great ZF :) Very exciting!

Yep, I can't wait :)
Will be something different, although our departing flight is like 6:20am... Not looking forward to that early start!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

It's an early start but you'll get a full day in QLD.

True... Anyone got some must do/see's for surfers?
We want a pretty lazy holiday & we won't be hiring a car, will taxi from the airport & hopefully walk heaps!
Beaches, drinks in the pool :rofl: better get my arse into gear losing weight now!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

There some great dinner and theatre places up there that some friends went to... I think Dracula or something along those lines. I


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's the Ripley's believe it or not museum
Dracula's Haunted House. The restaurant is a little way out of Surfers.
Don't bother with the Wax Museum.
You have to have a photo taken under the surfers paradise sign that leads to the beach
There's heaps of shopping.
Hard Rock Cafe
There are some pretty cool Irish pubs too

Pub crawl with all the yummy ****tails! Tinks is right there are so many things you can do within walking distance.

Ohhh nearly 2 weeks! Yay!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!