I have not been outside of Asia, so it was a good opportunity to meet up with my fellow foodie + travel group in Melbourne, Australia.
My ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) application took about one month to approve and thankfully, got it a few days before my trip start date. But by then, the air ticket was soooo expensive. In fact, it is THE most expensive budget air ticket ever in all my travels. Anyway, decided to throw caution to the wind and just do it!
Ticket booked, accommodation booked and bags packed. Time to travel!
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| 2.30am flight |
I am a short person, and my legs were almost touching the front of the seat. So, can imagine the taller persons challenge... But of course, if you have money to spend, can buy the seats with more leg space, quieter seats etc. My flight had a crying kiddo and the lady next to me, had dubious hygiene practice...For Scoot flights, passengers are to keep their mask on.
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| almost touching the front |
Most importantly, we landed safely at Tullamarine Airport (Melbourne International Airport) around 11+am. On time, yay!
Ivan gave me a tip and said to use the Smart Gate at the airport. Indeed, it was pretty fast and convenient. Thumbs up!
Turn right after exiting the customs, and you'll find the Optus shop. Buy a prepaid sim card for just AUD25 for 60GB of data. Nice! Optus works well in city area and not so good at the mountain areas. The staff are fast and you'll be done within minutes.
Then, the transportation out of the airport to Melbourne city center, one could take the SkyBus (Melbourne Airport Buses) for just AUD19.95 for one way or AUD32 for return tickets. The bus stops at Southern Cross Station (near to some hotels). The journey from the airport to the city center is about 35 minutes, depending on traffic condition.
Or, one could get a private hire car via Uber. There is an UberX queue outside the airport. Just follow the signs. So, one will need to download Uber app first, and then use it to get a UberX car to the airport. The app will give you a pin code so there is no designated driver at that moment. Join the queue at the designated line and there will be someone who will indicate to you which berth to await for the vehicle. Then when the UberX car arrives at your 'berth', usually they will help you with your luggage as well. After getting into the car, do share the Uber generated pin for the ride as the driver needs it before he can commence the journey. If you are lucky, you'll get a super nice vehicle but the one that I got was pretty run down. Nevertheless, the driver was friendly. It usually costs about AUD50+ for a one-way trip out of the airport via UberX but there was a 10% discount if you sign-up for the one-month free membership to Uber One.
Reached Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens an hour ahead of check-in time, and luckily, the room was ready. Standard room, no frills. One double bed, a bathroom and shower. The mini-bar was stocked with drinks, non-complimentary of course. Hahaa, but the price for a bottle of orange juice was alright at AUD4.50.
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| hotel lobby |
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| HQ's on William Restaurant & Bar |
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| Standard Room |
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| view from room |
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| work desk, TV |
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| instant coffee and tea |
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| kettle |
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| you drink/eat, you pay |
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| travel adaptor to use during your stay |
The room was pretty spacious. The bed and pillows are a tad softer than what we are used to in Singapore hotels.
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| bottled water |
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| Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens hotel entrance |
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| Flagstaff Gardens opposite of the road |
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| night view outside the hotel |
One thing I noticed during my stay in Melbourne, is always to watch out for the cyclists or food delivery riders. There are lanes for them and they do go pretty fast.
According to my friends, the hotel is right at the edge of Melbourne. Sounds cool, doesn't it?
Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne
Address: 380 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Contact: +61 3 9322 8000
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