Internet access at the Qualia was spotty, so now I’m back in Sydney, this is the first chance I’ve had to jot down notes on the past couple of days.

Day 7 in Melbourne was about more relaxing. In the afternoon, we hit the casino on the way to dinner, where I lost $105 at the blackjack table without winning a hand. I’ll try my hand at the Sydney casino later in the trip. Dinner was a Koko’s where Mr. Tiger Woods had dinner the night before prior to starting (and then winning) the Australian Masters. The table was excellent (we had to cross a little pond to get to our table) and the sushi was superb.

Day 8-10 We flew from Melbourne to Hamilton Island and stayed at the Qualia resort. The location on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef was pristine. The Windward Pavilion we stayed in was luxurious, including the private infinity plunge pool. But… well, I would not recommend it to friends. I’d like to believe I’m not the super-snotty type of visitor (of which there were plenty there), but if you claim that you’re a six star resort, and you charge prices over what the Ritz and Four Seasons resorts charge in the States, then that’s the bar that you set for your service. And we didn’t get that level of service. I can understand that if we come in early a pavilion may not available immediately for us. But we shouldn’t need to track down staff to get updates. When you give us a golf buggy, but give us the wrong key, it’s not our fault – don’t act like it is. When the pavilion is ready, the deck furniture shouldn’t be filthy. When a guest asks that a dish be prepared without shrimp / prawns, it shouldn’t come out with two big shrimp on top of the dish…. the issues go on. Service was slow, spotty, and at times unprofessional. I’m guessing that we came in at the top of the season for them, and there was a lot of training going on, but that just doesn’t let a resort like this get away with anything less than a perfect experience. However, my biggest peeve, far and away, is that throughout our stay there, we were NEVER “Mr and Mrs. Shah” we were always “Pavilion 25″. Service is not calling a person a number.

    Photos

  • Dinner at Koko’s
  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/rshah21/sets/72157622787194352/Hamilton Island