Final thoughts on accommodation and flights
To round this up, some comments on the travel itself.
Accommodation
This time around I wanted to try the cheap and hopefully cheerful options to see how they go. For a proper introvert, even the thought of hostel dorm rooms is alien and a short stint in a share house some ten years ago showed that they are ok for me only in very highly selective settings (like, in 0.0000001% of possibilities in the world). But here we go anyway...
Night 1 -
YHA Coolangatta. This I already mentioned in a
post above. Works as a crash pad but that's all and I won't be in a hurry to do this again. They do also have individual rooms which might work better but for the same price you can also get a modest hotel room.
Night 2 -
Aorangi Motel, Fairlie. An unplanned stop en route. This was the best accommodation on this trip. I got their 1-bed unit which was roomy, had beds for 4 pax and small but ok kitchen and bathroom. The property is partially outdated but very well maintained and perhaps the cleanest accommodation in a long while. An added bonus: under-floor heating which made this blissfully comfy. I had hard time leaving in the morning.
Nights 3-4 -
Glentanner Park Centre. I was here last year in a cabin so this was a return visit but this time in a dorm room. They have a big shared kitchen, a separate new(ish) bathroom block, and a cafe + gift shop + activity bookings desk at the reception. The dorm room was shot full of beds (10) and had a toilet & sink. The separate cabins have beds only. Most guests on site were on campervans, etc. The kitchen works and the dining room has a fireplace which the staff keep lit up. If you take a cabin or have a campervan, this is an ok place to stay. The bathroom block is cold at wintertime, though (has heating but the ventilation counteracts it). Next time I'll see if I can find a different place to stay in the area.
Night 5 -
Lylo Christchurch. Of the three hostels this was by far the best. It used to be Jucy and I stayed here in 2019 so knew what to expect. They also have single and double rooms. the shared bathrooms were big and clean when I checked in. They also have a large communal kitchen & social space. The property is a 10 min walk from the CHC terminal and very convenient for a late night arrival or early morning departure (like in my case, 4:50 am out of the door for a shower & brekkie in the lounge before 6:25 am flight). I'd happily stay here again if I need a simple bed near the airport.
Glentanner dorm room. This will be crowded when full. The best part of this holiday park is the view towards Aoraki Mount Cook from the yard.
Lylo CHC capsules are simple but spacious enough for you to spend the night. They offer two features lacking from the other hostels: blind for privacy and large locked luggage storage under the beds.
Flights
Three things caught my attention during the transit itself. Being a stock standard status run, the usual 4 * J is to be expected.
The new group boarding worked nicely. It looks like the pax in general have adopted the practice - as could be expected - and it went smoothly for the early groups. I also felt that everyone, staff and pax, were in a more relaxed mood about the boarding. Funnily enough, it was a lot harder for QF to implement than for pax to follow...
Onboard meals. Having a special meal order in does somehow seem to stretch the organisational skills of FA's. Only on one flight, the FA mentioned upfront that "I've got your meal here". With the others, I had to ask for it and then they recalled having it. This is consistent on QF, though, so nothing new here.
The breakfast out of CHC (QF132) was the best onboard meal I had. The only shortfall was the scrambled eggs which was either made of some kind of powder / mix or a vegan replacement, and edible but not appetising.
Of the two variants of B737 J cabins QF has, I like this old one a lot more. The lumbar support on the seat is a very welcomed feature, and having a properly full-sized table is fantastic. It also has a more versatile leg support function but I didn't explore that to its fullest. I wish all their B737 J's were like this.
Then a delightful surprise in the QF MELd business lounge: GF cereals. At a glacial pace they are realising that there are also non-mainstream eaters out there and a baby step at a time they are catching up. Good on them! Now, please speed up and offer a fuller range of food...
BTW, another find worthy a smile was chia puddings (in OOL QC and MELd J). A little adjustment to the ingredients and/or recipe to switch from the slightly bitter taste to the the typical smoothness of a good chia pudding and we'll be friends.
On arrival back to OOL, an Uber to Varsity Lakes station, train to Brisbane, a family birthday, and then the last VA flight of the day back to SYD. The loop has closed.
This trip was well worth doing. Last year I missed aspects I wanted to do but this year got them with interest and more. I have an urge to go back soon again! Perhaps it's a little hiking trip at summer. Who knows...
. I am looking forward to following your adventures though
