Australia Day 7--Sydney to Cairns, Holiday Inn Cairns & the Cairns Esplanade

Australia series

Australia Day 1--Qantas flight 8 DFW-BNE (Dallas to Brisbane)
Australia Day 2--Flight to Sydney, the Westin Sydney hotel & sightseeing
Australia Days 3/4--Hunter Valley & the Blue Mountains
Australia Day 5--Sydney sightseeing and Manly Beach
Australia Day 6--Paddy's Market, Bondi to Coogee Walk & Darling Harbour
Australia Day 7--Sydney to Cairns, Holiday Inn Cairns & the Cairns Esplanade
Australia Day 8--The Great Barrier Reef 
Australia Day 9--Kuranda Koala Gardens, Skyrail & Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
Australia Day 10--Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation 
Australia Day 11--Going home, Part 1, Cairns to Brisbane
Australia Day 11--Going home, Part 2, Brisbane to Honolulu  

Sydney to Cairns

Another one of my aspirations was to visit The Great Barrier Reef. I decided Cairns (pronounced "cans" by the locals) was the best place for us to stay based on the hotel options and reef tours. So after five nights in Sydney, we packed up our belongings and flew to Cairns.
 
My cousin had a very early flight to Cairns, so she headed to the airport just before 5 am. I got to sleep in a bit, checking out of the hotel around 7:30 am. As I mentioned previously, the train to the airport was quite expensive for such a short ride. The ride from Sydney CBD to the domestic airport was $16.40 AUD. I like to cut costs wherever I can and splurge on the fun things, so I decided to once again go with the cheaper train/bus combo to the airport.

Going to the airport

 
I got on the train at St. James station (a 10-minute walk from the Westin) and bought a $3.80 ticket to Mascot station, which was the stop just before the airport. At Mascot, I was supposed to catch the 400 bus, and I had a little trouble locating the bus stop, but I eventually found it. After 10 minutes, the bus came. I thought the bus cost around $2, however the driver told everyone getting on that it was free fare. Woohoo!
 
One stop later, I was at the domestic terminal checking in for my three-hour flight to Cairns. I booked a one-way flight in economy class using 10,000 American Airlines miles and paid $21.50 USD in taxes. I was on Qantas flight 922, departing at 10:40 am and sat in seat 25A, which was near the back of the plane.

Goodbye Sydney!

Typical economy leg room

 
I was surprised that we were served lunch, being that USA domestic flights in economy don't get lunch. I was offered a hot choice of chicken pie or fish curry. I declined both and just took the tray without the main course. Later, we were given an ice cream bar.

I was surprised to get food in coach

And dessert!

 
When we landed in Cairns and de-planed, I immediately felt the difference in temperature from Sydney. In Sydney, the days were nice (highs in the 60s), but the nights were colder (40s to 50s). In Cairns, it was much warmer (highs in the mid to upper 70s).

Hello Cairns!

 
My cousin was waiting for me near the car rental counters as we had previously discussed. In researching transportation options from the airport to our hotel in Cairns city, I found the taxi to be the most reasonable, as far as price and convenience. There was no public transportation, so the only options were shuttles and taxi.

Holiday Inn Cairns

The taxi ride to the Holiday Inn was around $24, so $12 per person & we didn't have to worry about it taking longer to drop other people off like a shuttle would do. We arrived at the hotel after 15 minutes or so. It was around 2 pm.

Photo taken later in the evening

Holiday Inn atrium

We were able to immediately check in. The room cost 30,000 IHG Rewards points per night, so I used 120,000 points for 4 nights. The nice thing about the IHG program is that if you have the credit card (I do), you get a 10% percent rebate on all points redemptions, meaning I should get back 12,000 points. This usually posts to my account 4-6 weeks after the stay. This drops the number of points used to 108,000.
 
I got the points by participating in IHG's Big Win promotion earlier in the year. This promotion involved completing various stays at IHG properties. Everyone's specific promotion was different, but I was able to "mattress run" four nights in my local area for a total cost of about $300 to receive over 100,000 points. Instead of just paying this out of pocket, I used cash back bonuses from some new credit cards, bringing my expense to $0.
 
Unlike the gorgeous Westin we stayed at in Sydney, the Holiday Inn Cairns was quite rough around the edges. As I am a platinum rewards member (thanks to the IHG credit card), at check-in, I was upgraded to a sea-view room. The view was the best thing about the room.

Balcony in the room

I could look at that view all day

View in the other direction

First, the room and the bathroom were considerably smaller than the room we had in Sydney.

No more Westin "Heavenly Bed"

Second, there were bugs! When I felt the tropical climate, I had a feeling there might be bugs. Well, I opened a desk drawer and saw a nice little note from management about if you see ants in the room to call management for spraying. The note also mentioned that the geckos were quite common. We have those in Texas, so I understood, but still not a fan of them.
 
I didn't see any geckos, but I definitely saw ants. We had to call for spraying on the first night and the last night. I will say that customer service was top-notch. They came in to spray promptly and even changed my cousin's bed sheets. They were very apologetic and offered us drink coupons the first time and free breakfast the second time. The hotel had free Internet for rewards members, but the signal was very weak from the room.

The Cairns Esplanade

The Holiday Inn was located was well-suited for visiting the Esplanade, or the main drag in Cairns. There were lots of shops, restaurants and live entertainment along the Esplanade.

Live music on the Esplanade

Cairns Esplanade

Entertainment on the Esplanade

Some people are surprised to find that instead of a beach in Cairns, there are only mudflats. However, I had done my research, and I knew there was no beach.

Cairns is NOT a beach town

Since there is no real beach in Cairns, there is a free public swimming lagoon along the Esplanade. It was a little cool, but I really wanted to swim, so I hopped in for a little while, while my cousin used the free public wi-fi.

Swimming lagoon

 
We enjoyed the beautiful sunset. Then we grabbed dinner from a local spot along the Esplanade and watched a Japanese man performing a fire show before calling it a night.

Where we ate dinner

More entertainment

I'm back...earn free night with new Club Carlson promo

Well, I'm back from my hiatus. I thought I'd jump right back in with a promo I recently registered for, though not sure if I will take advantage or not.

Radission 1 For 1 promo

The first 50,000 Club Carlson members to register for the Radisson 1 for 1 promotion will be eligible for a Free Night Award at any Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel in the U.S., Canada or Caribbean.

Promo details are as follows:

• Book a qualifying stay online at www.radisson.com or www.clubcarlson.com at any Radisson Blu or Radisson hotel in the US, Canada or Caribbean between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, 2012.
• Complete your qualifying stay between Oct. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012.
• When you are ready to book your Free Night Award, log in to your Club Carlson account and then search for your desired location and date. Select the 0 Point rate option in the Gold Points column and click “Book Now.”
• The Free Night Award will be available through your Club Carlson account and will be valid for online reservations at Radisson Blu and Radisson hotels in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean through Dec. 31, 2013.

 Stay More Nights promo

The 1 For 1 promo can be stacked with the Stay More Nights promo, which awards bonus points for every night stayed between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.


Complete the registration form to earn:

• 2,000 bonus points per night when you stay one to five nights
• 4,000 bonus points per night when you stay six to nine nights
• 6,000 bonus points per night when you stay 10 to 20 nights

Your total award will be calculated and credited to your account early in January 2013.

The 1 For 1 promotion is not nearly as lucrative as the 150,000 points I got from mattress runs over the summer. I most likely won't have a need for a hotel stay between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, though if I can find a good rate, I'll do a mattress run. During the summer promotion, I paid about $75 for my night at the Radisson. Current rates at my local Radisson are almost $100, which is too much for me. The other drawback is that the free night can only be used in the U.S., Canada or Caribbean. The previous promo allowed for worldwide redemption.

Still, it can be a pretty good deal if you can book a sub-$100 rate, then use your free night at a place like the Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago, where rooms go for $250 to $300 per night.

More Priority Club points (and status!)

Back in June, I posted about my first mattress run at the Candlewood Suites (an IHG hotel). Shortly after the stay, I received 7,330 points, but I knew more were on the way. Well, all of the points I expected to receive finally posted and it looks like my one stay netted me a total of 17,330 points (the 3,000 other promotional points I received would have posted regardless of whether or not I had a "stay").

I'd say that's a pretty decent haul of points for just over $50 (room cost $131.06-$75 mail-in rebate), considering if you use the "cash and points" option to reserve a room, 10,000 points cost $70.

I've already got a booking in mind for these points, but I'm anxiously awaiting the next Point Breaks list to see if my hotel is on it. (Update 7/31: The new list was posted! Unfortunately, nothing I can use this time, but maybe next time.)

Since these new points bumped up to more than 20,000, I now have status! Not that it really means anything to me at this point.

It takes 15 nights OR 20,000 points to move up to the Gold Elite, which comes with additional benefits such as Priority Check-In and 10% bonus earning on top of base points. Of course, Platinum is where I'd really like to be (because it comes with complimentary upgrades), but I doubt I'll get there.

150,000 points in my Club Carlson account

My points from Club Carlson's Big Night Giveaway

The day after my stay at the Park Inn for Club Carlson’s Big Night Giveaway, I checked into the Country Inn and Suites near DFW airport.

Only this time, I didn’t stay the night. Still, the frugalista in me couldn’t stand to see the room go to complete waste, so I hung out for about an hour soaking up the A/C and watching the big flat screen TV. The mini-fridge and microwave are nice amenities.

Do you take "freebies" in the bathroom?

Extra pillow and blanket in the closet

My view of Airport Freeway from the window

  I had no issues with check-in or the room. I had a non-smoking room, but the hallway smelled of unpleasant cigarette smoke as I was leaving. Overall, this was a decent hotel that I’d probably consider staying at in the future should I need a room close to DFW airport. I would have liked to partake in the free breakfast, but was unable since I wasn’t staying the night.

Finally, I stayed at the Radisson. I expected this to be the nicest of the three, but I’d actually rate it the worst. The hotel looked dingy, but to its credit is undergoing renovations. The hallways were dark. The bathroom was quite small and the tub looked seriously worn. I could never connect to the free Wi-Fi. I’d definitely be hesitant to stay here again in the future, even after their renovations are complete.

Sleep Number bed was OK, but clearly old

Bathtub looked dingy

Small, awkward layout with toilet, tub (behind door)

Morning view of Central Expressway

 I spent a total of $228.51 or an average of $76.17 per night. Since I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x points on travel), I should received 457 Ultimate Rewards points. I plan to use the Club Carlson points for a room that goes for $200-$300 per night in Europe.

All of my points posted within a few days of checking out (and I never checked out at the front desk, just left my keys on the nightstand). It’s so nice seeing those 150,000 points in my Club Carlson account. I can’t wait to redeem them!

Mattress run #2—44,000+ Club Carlson points

Back in May, I learned that the Carlson hotel chain was having a Big Night Giveaway promotion, basically a buy one, get one kind of thing. I signed up online to participate in each promotion of the three hotel chains (Radisson-50,000 points, Country Inn & Suites-44,000 points, Park Inn-44,000 points). Staying one night at each hotel would result in a total of 138,000 Club Carlson points, which could be redeemed worldwide.

Plus, I get 20 points per dollar on the room cost, 1,000 extra points for booking online, a 2,000-point “Welcome Next Stay” bonus and I previously got a 4,500 signup bonus from E-rewards (sign-up by invite only). So all told I should end up with at least 150,000 points.

Technically, the promotions are still available; however each hotel is only offering 15,000 points instead of 44,000 and 50,000. If you’ve got a trip coming up and one of these hotels work for you, I’d obviously sign up for the smaller bonus, but it’s no longer worth doing a mattress run.

Links to the promos are as follows

Park Inn

Country Inn & Suites

Radisson

*ParkPlaza also just announced a 50,000 point promotion, but there is only one in the U.S. (Minneapolis), so I didn’t sign up for it.

The three nights at the hotels I’ve selected in the Dallas area will run me about $230 (this helped to meet myspend on the Chase Sapphire Preferred as well). I was able to get each room through a 25 or 30 percent off promo.

Carlson hotels start at 9,000 points per night and go all the way up to 50,000 points. I plan to redeem some of the points for a night or two at a fancy Radisson Blu in Spain or Park Plaza in London, so I thought it was definitely worth an outlay of $230 to get rooms that cost way more than that.

My first stay for this promotion was at the Park Inn near Dallas Love Field for 44,000 points. I felt fortunate to have a Park Inn nearby, since there are only 10 of them in the United States.

I checked in about 11 p.m. on a Friday night. I had read the Trip Advisor reviews of this hotel and wasn’t planning on it being too nice. I had packed a bag to stay overnight, but if it was gross or creepy, I’ve would’ve turned around and went right back home after checking in.

My room was on the second floor. As I opened the door, I first noticed the light was on and there were towels and garbage in the vanity area immediately next to the door. I peered inside and didn’t see anyone, but the room had clearly been recently occupied. The bed was unmade and there were other pieces of trash strewn about.

I headed back downstairs and told the front desk clerk of the room’s condition. She said someone must have switched rooms and this was the second time that had happened that night. She gave me a free breakfast voucher for my troubles and reassigned me to a room on the 11^th floor.

The hallways were dark (borderline creepy), but the room itself was clean. The room certainly showed its age with peeling wallpaper. The lights were not easily accessible upon walking into the dark room. The pillows were also a bit too soft for my tastes. The air conditioner was extremely loud; it drowned out the TV every time it came on. The hotel’s amenities included an airport shuttle and free Wi-Fi.

King size Sleep Number bed with a complementary package of gummy bears, chair with ottoman

 

old tube TV, mini-fridge and microwave

The bath area was small, but serviceable.

I had a view of the pool from one window.

I got a nice view of the sunrise over IH-35 from the other window.

I ordered my free breakfast to-go the next morning and headed out around 7 a.m. They put my bill under the door with a note that I didn’t have to check out at the front desk, just leave my keys on the nightstand. I did call the front desk to let them I was checking out though just in case. Points posted the following Tuesday.