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I will be at the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide next December and would like to travel from there to spend Christmas somewhere hot and relaxing before travelling back to London. If anyone has any suggestions it would be amazing, thank you. I have diamond Hilton and IHG and earning OW tier points would be a bonus if relevant.
I will be at the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide next December and would like to travel from there to spend Christmas somewhere hot and relaxing before travelling back to London. If anyone has any suggestions it would be amazing, thank you. I have diamond Hilton and IHG and earning OW tier points would be a bonus if relevant.
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A. The Barossa Valley – Great vineyards, great cycling, and a few nice restaurants. (Also the Adelaide Hills winery region).
B. The beaches of the Yorke peninsula are stunning. About a two-hour drive from Adelaide. Bit sleepy, but great walks.
C. Kangaroo Island – short flight or long drive from Adelaide.
Maybe I will see you in Adelaide. What is your strategy for securing tickets?Thank you 1958, this is an excellent starting point and much appreciated. I have no thoughts regarding tickets yet – this is a new plan as I managed to find a Q suite flight for avios yesterday and will take things from there. I shall post here once I have found a ticket plan. Thanks again.
I’m interested in this thread as going over there slightly earlier but will be in the country when the first two tests are on.
J redemptions to Sydney seem doable during this period. Got ours a few weeks ago with no problem and still been getting an overnight Seatspy alert most days since.
Flying home seems slightly trickier, although looks fine with PE (although hopefully on the same plane rather than forking out extra for the one that requires a connection in SIN).
Takes me back – I did all 5 days of the test in 06/07. Terrific test with a terrible ending (from an English POV).
You’re not far from Uluru, which is a short flight or long days drive/train ride away. If driving you can stop around halfway at Coober Pedy – which is the home of Opal mining.
Or if you want to head back towards Melbourne, there’s a decent 5/6 day driving route passing along the ‘Great Ocean road’ which has some interesting stops – see https://www.australia.com/en-gb/trips-and-itineraries/melbourne-and-surrounds/5-day-road-trip-from-melbourne-to-adelaide.html for Inso
Thank you – all of this is so helpful.
We did a grand tour of all but WA two years ago. We took Greyhound for most of journey from Darwin to Adelaide. It was a great experience but although it fits with hot, it wasn’t what I would call relaxing if you’re looking at reading a book by the pool.
Everywhere we visited was different. When we said we were going to Coober Pedy people said you’re mad. But we really enjoyed it. Didn’t stay underground but in the Mud Hut Hotel which was next to the Greyhound stop. Alice was another great experience as well as Uluru.
Thought the Botanic Gardens in Adelaide were worth a visit too. Have family and friends who live between Glenelg and Semaphore, where there is a nice beach (can get train to/from the City). As mentioned above, the Barossa Valley is good for wine. Kangaroo Island worth visiting too.
We drove from Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road, which is a great experience too. Weather wasn’t good so wasn’t too busy (early December). 12 Apostles looked just as good, if not better, than the photos.
A few years ago we spent Christmas at Apollo Bay on The Great Ocean Road. We rented a place overlooking the ocean which was lovely to wake up to on Christmas morning. Had a lovely lunch at a restaurant and as we had our own place we had a Boxing Day BBQ.
Why look for somewhere else? They don’t call it Radelaide for nothing…
Second @1958, though personally prefer the McLaren Vale over the Barossa for wine, food and convenience (though it’s been a decade since I was in the Barossa).
How much time do you have to spend?
Kangaroo Island is a must visit if you have the time to spend a couple of days there. Another suggestion for scenery/exploring is the Flinders Ranges, a 5 hour drive to the north of the city.
Adelaide itself is a lovely city to visit, and probably fits the bill for “hot and relaxing” itself. But, you’ll probably exhaust it after a few days. Great dining options especially in the east of the CBD and some good museums along the northern edge.
I would avoid doing the Great Ocean Road from Adelaide personally unless you have a week or so – the first part of the southbound route is a good 8 hours of driving inland, you you’d want to break that up which adds time to the journey.
Thank you Adder, I have a week to 10 days after the test so time is on my side. In my original post I actually meant flying somewhere from Australia to have a second holiday, as it were, but I will definitely explore all of these options. I will stay @ The I/C in Adelaide during the Test Match and might think about just staying there and exploring Adelaide for a few days after the cricket as well.
@1958 a friend of mine who is a cricketer in Melbourne is looking into the ticket situation and I shall update here.If you want to head out of Australia Adelaide has direct flights to (I think) SIN, KUL, DPS, AKL, DOH and DXB.
South Australia is an under-visited state though (and my personal favourite) so if you haven’t explored it before I’d suggest splitting your time with a few days in Adelaide itself, and 2-3 in each of the Barossa or McLaren Vale, and on Kangaroo Island.
The food scene in Adelaide is one of the best in Australia, certainly better than Sydney or Melbourne, so you could easily spend days indulging in the sunshine!
The food scene in Adelaide is one of the best in Australia, certainly better than Sydney or Melbourne, so you could easily spend days indulging in the sunshine!
Food scene better than Melbourne? I’m not sure I agree with that, though I mm biased. I do like SA though.
Kangaroo Island is definitely worth visiting, depending on how much time op has god why stivk to SA? Also in terms of heading elsewhere outside of AU, a quick connection in MEL/SYD opens up most of the world, ADL is a small airport, well connected for its size, but the excellent QF Flounges are at the big two (ok, so travelling to Australia to visit a lounge isn’t on most peoples’ list of reasons, but when in Rome).
For wineries SA can’t be beaten though, in my opinion – not just the big ones, there’s lots of little, independents which are well worth a visit, and it’s easy enough to book on to a bus tour which takes you to a few outside the CBD (and you don’t have to worry about driving then – remember our drink drive limit is 0.05, rather than the UK’s 0.08, so having more than one is a no-no, as it should be anyway really).
You don’t mention budget or where you fly back to the UK which are by far the most important variables in deciding where next from Adelaide. If you have not booked your return flights then me personally, I’d head to Western Australia, snorkel Ningaloo Reef and hit the wineries or the outback there. Alternatively, if you want to just relax, Heron Island is £200 a night over Christmas and is unforgettable. But then I like the water. And turtles.
Once again, I am most grateful for these wonderful insights. As a an alcoholic (26 years dry) I think I shall avoid the wineries but everything else will be avidly investigated! Thank you.
I’d always been led to believe (by several [disreputable] Australians that
Adelaide is the most boring city in the country – just a few churches? No?!Won’t be the HfP popular choice, but I’d have to say Bali if you’ve never been.
Kangaroo Island is great but bear in mind that the weather even at that time of year can be chilly. On the south side of the island, next stop is Antartica. Did Christmas there 17 years ago but think it’s changed a lot with way more upmarket eco-tourism now dominating. Just don’t be tempted to try and smuggle a bag full of dirty potatoes onto the island. They take biosecurity even more seriously than the kiwis…
You don’t mention budget or where you fly back to the UK which are by far the most important variables in deciding where next from Adelaide. If you have not booked your return flights then me personally, I’d head to Western Australia, snorkel Ningaloo Reef and hit the wineries or the outback there. Alternatively, if you want to just relax, Heron Island is £200 a night over Christmas and is unforgettable. But then I like the water. And turtles.
Love Heron, hence my tag and that reminds me I must get to Ningaloo at some point.
I’d always been led to believe (by several [disreputable] Australians that
Adelaide is the most boring city in the country – just a few churches? No?!Won’t be the HfP popular choice, but I’d have to say Bali if you’ve never been.
This view says more about Australians than Adelaide….
(I have numerous Australian family members 😀 )
You don’t mention budget or where you fly back to the UK which are by far the most important variables in deciding where next from Adelaide. If you have not booked your return flights then me personally, I’d head to Western Australia, snorkel Ningaloo Reef and hit the wineries or the outback there. Alternatively, if you want to just relax, Heron Island is £200 a night over Christmas and is unforgettable. But then I like the water. And turtles.
Love Heron, hence my tag and that reminds me I must get to Ningaloo at some point.
Heron Bommie is a very splendid dive site.
@masaccio thank you for your response – I do not really have budgetary constraints and will fly back to LHR. Best wishes.
I’d always been led to believe (by several [disreputable] Australians that
Adelaide is the most boring city in the country – just a few churches? No?!Won’t be the HfP popular choice, but I’d have to say Bali if you’ve never been.
We were getting told this when were in Sydney airport on our way to Adelaide. Didn’t know what the hell they were talking about once we got there, it’s a fantastic city.
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