Ponant Kimberley Cruise - Day 1/2 - Home to Darwin

MONDAY 22 APRIL:

So, in these times of never knowing if your flights will operate on time, or at all, we played it super safe. After spending two days doing laundry and spring cleaning the house (because let’s face it, no one wants to come home to a messy house) and leaving minutely detailed notes for everyone we know about what was happening with the kiddies while Steve and I were travelling, we finally left home about 2.30pm and headed for our Sydney Airport Hotel. WE did not want to be up with the sparrows tomorrow for an early flight departure.

CKS QUALITY SYDNEY AIRPORT HOTEL

I had seen people I knew stay here before, so we thought we would give it a try. Location was great – a stone’s throw from International Terminal and less than 10mins to the domestic, and a walk of 5 mins up to St Georges Rowers Club for dinner – which was a good value for money feed – we ate indoors but there was a veranda with a view over the river if you wanted to brave the cold.

The room at the hotel was plain to say the least – I felt like I was in a converted nursing home or something – plain carpets, plain concrete walls, not exactly a warmth or welcoming charm. The bed was VERY soft to the point that Steve chose to sleep on the sofa rather than risk waking with a sore back. I enjoyed the soft bed and the pillows were great. The room did the job, but that was about it. I would only be recommending this place to people who were on a very tight budget and were literally going to arrive late and leave early. It’s a functional place that has a ton of rooms, friendly staff, but no onsite dining (overnight parking onsite was fine and $20 so reasonable) but no charm or reason to make me want to go there again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing to recommend.

 

Tuesday 23 April:

Got up nice and early and headed to the airport. Tried the Qantas Valet Parking option for this trip – the airport is a construction site so it took us a lap around the terminals to find the right entrance (because I was relying on my memory and not following the instructions on the confirmation – oops!) but we made it. Very friendly staff met us, took the key and our return flight details, and we just walked straight into the terminal building.  Hot top for new players is to book this well in advance – I booked it so long ago – the valet parking option was actually cheaper than putting the car in the parking station. We had to go and check in at the counter as we booked 3 seats for the 2 of us on this trip so we could be comfortable for the longer trip, and after a bit of worry about the weight of our bags, aced it in with me being 20kg and Steve about the same. We thought we were going to be a lot closer to the limit and were relieved.

For this trip we booked extra comfort seating - we booked 3 seats between the 2 of us - and it was fabulous for this full flight to have the extra space to stretch the legs and not worry about "wing span" and bumping shoulders with your neighbour.

 

ARRIVAL IN DARWIN

Darwin airport has a lot of construction going on – but nothing too disruptive. We made our way from the arrival gate to baggage collection in literally a couple of minutes, found bathroom facilities just there, and our bags were off nice and fast. Walked out the door to a taxi rank with no queue, so jumped in for the 15-20min ride into the city. We are staying at the Novotel on the Esplanade in town – the cab fare was $32 which I thought not too bad. 5% surcharge on all card payments though, so out came the cash.

We checked in and although our room does not have a great view, its large (the bedroom area is separated from the living room area by the bathroom and there is a ceiling fan in each zone, plus a good aircon that is cranking and keeping us nice and cool – it’s about 33 degrees outside.

MITCHELL ST

One of the main streets in town, it’s a funny vibe. Lots of pubs/eateries/souvenir shops and at the end of the street a Coles shopping complex. So many of the places were closed at lunchtime though, and not all looked the most inviting. We chose The Tap, opposite Shenanigans and Four Pines for lunch – undercover open-air beer garden style with a decent menu and friendly staff. Steak Sandwich w/chips for the big fella and I had a cos salad with grapes, toasted walnuts and haloumi and chicken with a balsamic drizzle. It should have been made with rocket but they swapped it out for me as I am not a big fan of the peppery taste. Nice service.

THE ESPLANADE

The Esplanade area is opposite the Novotel where we are staying. It reminded me a bit of the Esplanade in Cairns minus the ice cream shop – nice and grassy, cycling and walking path that stretches a long way, groves with a war memorial, gardens, viewpoints, a large kids play area undercover and outdoor gym, lots of benches to sit at with a frame of vines growing over them for shade. I know it was a weekday and about 2pm, but it was nearly empty, like most of the shops in the Coles shopping mall and many of the cafes on Mitchell St – maybe it’s just too early in the season for the crowds.

DARWIN WATERFRONT

The photo on this post is mine, of where we enjoyed sunset drinks and oysters with a view out to the Harbour.

After a little siesta we decided to head to the Waterfront for a sunset drink and dinner – what a great idea! It reminded me a lot of Cairns in a way (again). There is a man-made beach that comes in with swimmable water (flows thru a grid so nothing from the outside can enter) like a lagoon with an inflatable water park and an area for swimming. So many people using it. The Convention Centre and a Wave Park are on one side and a whole precinct of retail and dining and drinking venues all with outdoor seating under cover, lots of fans, greenery and a really nice vibe. Apparently, things don’t get really busy here until May, so we are here at the perfect time. Had a few nice glasses of bubbles at Bella – an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant on the harbour’s edge, along with a few oysters (parmesan crust, plain and limoncello – so delicious!) before heading to another Italian on the other side of the precinct for a mushroom risotto with chicken and a veal scallopini with spaghetti for dinner. The Uber ride from the Novotel to the Waterfront as just on $11 each way and took under 10 minutes. Just a bit too far to walk, especially in the heat. Came back to the hotel in a food coma and popped on the TV for a little while after a chat with the kids and another early night is on the cards. At least the bed here is good – no one sleeping on the couch tonight 

By Sarah Fenton

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