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It’s been a surprisingly big day. Today’s set-piece event was a goldola ride up the mountain followed by a “Premium Lunch” at the Stratosphere Restaurant. “Premium” in this case simply means a table at the window. It cost a little bit extra for a potentially fantastic view. I write...

Fergburger is most definitely a thing and is absolutely on our to-do list! It's the one place in the world where I don't resent queueing. Having said that, you can now order online apparently. I'll put Winnies on my list of possible places for me to escape to if it all becomes too much...!

Unforeseen issue #2: We went back to our rooms and I FaceTimed my wife and possibly wrote a little more of this TR. At 6pm we met downstairs. My mother wanted a Pina Colada (we’re on holidays, right?) and I was happy to learn that the Novotel still allows people to order house spirits for their...

After lunch it was a short walk over to the little arena for the Farm Show. On the way I stopped at the beach to photograph a family… … and turned back to photograph this view. The farm show was here, and its stars were a man and his dog. Sheep grazed peacefully far up at the top of the...

The centrepiece of today was a boat ride across the lake to Walter Peak Farm for a buffet lunch and “Farm Show”. I originally booked this, months ago, on the TSS Earnslaw but they called me early last week to say that the Earnslaw would be out of action until October. So we were re-booked on...

Last night we ate dinner in the restaurant at the Novotel -- taking advantage of the final days of 50% off for Accor Plus members! In my sleep-deprived state I forgot to take photos but I had a tender and flavoursome lamb shank and my mother had a tomato soup which she also enjoyed. This...

I don't want to be specific (but you can wait for my book!) because, tragically, the conflict she fled from is a conflict that's continuing today, 80 years later. People have strong opinions on either side, and I don't want to risk this TR turning into a slugfest over the merits of one side or...

Some things are just worth the risk!

Metres from the Novotel and right on the beachfront is a cafe called The Bathhouse. My family had eaten at The Bathhouse many times on visits to Queenstown in 2015, 2017 and 2019, and we always loved it. The food was great, the service was friendly and easygoing, and the view was (still is)...

This is our home for the next six nights: The Novotel Queenstown Lakeside. I chose this hotel partly because I’m Accor Plus ALL Gold, but mainly because of its location. It’s a very easy walk into central Queenstown, with no hills. It wasn’t long before we were in our rooms, which were...

Our flight was VA163. For my mother, I had secured what is (in my opinion) the best seat in Economy class: 3A. I didn’t worry about having to sit in the middle seat. The choice of the left (port) side of the plane was deliberate, as anyone who has flown into Queenstown will appreciate...

I flew up to Sydney yesterday but I’ll spare you a post about my VA MEL-SYD flight, except to say that it was a typical VA MEL-SYD flight. The internet worked. So our trip began with a Didi to Sydney Airport at 5:30am, and a walk to Virgin Australia Check-In. Of course, the car dropped us of in...

Definitely following, and well done for doing a TR — the first post is the hardest! One lesson: Burgers on planes don’t work.

I am writing this Trip Report for me (and my family), to remember what may well be my mother’s final overseas trip. She is in her mid-eighties, having had an incredible life … a life worthy of a book, in fact! She spent her childhood in a war zone, a witness to terrorism. She remembers tanks...

Apologies if this has already been said but I think it’s a relevant point. My last 3 overseas trips have all been this year, and all booked (with relatively little difficulty, all things considered) with points. But I have EITHER been flying solo, or flying Economy. Both of those things make...

I shared my experience in my recent Trip Report. I agree that it’s a great seat. Along with the Cathay Service, it was one of the best Business class flights I’ve flown...

As a general rule, more and more smaller shops have surcharges, but the bigger chains (including supermarkets, petrol stations, department stores, and many hotels and utilities) don’t have surcharges. What this looks like for me is that even though probably half of the merchants I buy from have...

Not at all. The vast majority of my bookings with them have been done online. I can’t remember why I had to call them but I think it had something to do with including a domestic leg that wasn’t showing up online. It’s a good programme, particularly for Cathay’s own flights as they generally...

Pretty much instant, yes. I was once on the phone to Cathay customer service, organising a redemption booking, and the booking required more points than I had in my Cathay account. While on the phone I did a transfer from AmEx, the points turned up in my Cathay account within a minute, and I...

Well, I'm sure I have a breaking point. But at the moment I'm making more redemptions than ever, and flying more on points than ever. If I have a breaking point, it's so far away that I can't even see it on the distant horizon.