Thursday 17 November 2016

Throw Back Thursday Post - A weekend in the sunshine

In the spirit of the Throwback Thursday trend I have took the decision to make a weekly post dedicated to something or somewhere from the past...

These Throwback Thursday posts will not have been previously posted - more often than not they will be something that I didn't get around to posting at the time - busy lives get in the way too darn often, hey!!  xx :)  Enjoy!

Today's Throwback Thursday post takes me back to August 2016 when I enjoyed an escape from the South Australia weather;



Adelaide to Cairns, a weekend in Port Douglas

My constant moaning about the terrible wet and cold weather in Adelaide had the desired effect when my hubby surprised me with a flight from Adelaide to Cairns!  We spent a lovely weekend in the Queensland sunshine at Port Douglas.


Packing up for my weekend I was freezing and shivering in my bedroom whilst trying on summer wear in order to decide what to take to Port Douglas in my carry on case. Not only decide what to take but check what I could squeeze into - the recent operation on my foot saw me immobile and gaining kg upon kg which I have yet to shed (more about the accessory navicular and big op another time...)


Of course I too needed a few new items and took this as a great excuse to escape the Hills and hit the City - well close to the City anyway!  I took a short drive down the freeway to Burnside Village - lots of wonderful stores in this mall to inspire me and see me updating my style, fashion and beauty purchases.  

At Burnside Village ... 

I like the Forever New store, Laura Ashley and Zara for clothes and accessories.  The stationery lover in me adores kikki K store and there are no shortages of coffee stops and lunch options xx ;)

What did I buy? ...

A Couple of off-the-shoulder tops from Forever New - these look good with shorts for a casual day out or can be dressed up for an evening look when paired with wide leg trousers or skinny jeans and heals.

The electric blue Forever New top
(thankfully, I have lost some kg since this pic was taken xx :))

Also bought a lovely pair of pink shorts from Zara - these are high waisted, silky cotton and fit me perfectly.  Again, when packing for a short journey and using just a carry-on case, these shorts are perfect to style up for evening wear and can be worn again for the hotel breakfast as a more casual look.


At Port Douglas ...

Quite a short flight from Adelaide to Cairns and a shuttle bus from airport to hotel saw us arriving at the Pullman Sea Temple Resort in Port Douglas.



The hubby and I are celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary this year so we spoilt ourselves to a beautiful apartment room with jacuzzi and roof top terrace. As a special welcome and celebratory gift, we were over the moon to find a bottle of bubbly on ice in our kitchen.





Seeing the view of the pool from our balcony we decided to explore and take a dip.





Just a short walk took us to the beach front of Four Mile Beach. Stunning views out to sea and of the tropical hillsides - which reminded us of Thailand views.




The Sea Temple Resort at Port Douglas is set quite a way out of town so the regular and inexpensive shuttle (mini bus) taxis are the way to get around best.


As there is only one restaurant at the Sea Temple Resort in Port Douglas, we enjoyed getting into town for a change of scenery.  One early evening we had drinks at the marina and another morning we took a stroll around the arts and handicraft market.

One particular favourite view was the cute little church by the sea





The average weather for Port Douglas in August is 20 degrees with the odd few rainy (but warm) days thrown in - a perfect destination to escape the cold and damp weather from Adelaide.


We didn't do many of the sights but intent to return with our boys to enjoy the tourist attractions like;
Sky railWildlife park, 


The flight we took was with JetStar and we could not fault the service or comfort.

The Hotel - my personal opinion

The Pullman Sea Temple Resort in Port Douglas is beautiful.


Here's my personal opinion scores for the Resort;


Cleanliness 10/10 lovely


Check in service 10/10 friendly, professional


Pool area 6/10 limited seating, loud pool bar, with crowded seating close to bar


Breakfast choice 8/10 usual selection at buffet with choice of eggs to order


Breakfast service 7/10 quite slow for any menu orders


Restaurant choice 5/10 just the one restaurant


Restaurant service 8/10 very good


Overall resort 9/10 beautiful, perfect for a quick and short break



I hope you've enjoyed my post and perhaps it will inspire you to jet off to the sunshine sometime soon - Or maybe you'll feel like treating yourself to a shopping trip to Burnside Mall to update your wardrobe or pick up some new season accessories!

Kisses and Smiles from me xx :)


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