Here's her travel report:
Flying all the way to OZ in one go for a 5 day trip is a big ask for anyone but softening the blow with a guaranteed business class seat...and then topping that by telling me it was an Emirates A380 business class seat...well, I was in!
At Bridge & Wickers, a large number of our clients travel in business and first class, so it was great to finally be able to offer first hand knowledge of the Emirates A380, having flown the Qantas version back in March.
So after a very comfortable flight to Dubai and exclusive access to the First Class Lounge for a few hours (a special treat only because we had two Emirates staff with us - it's actually the same as the business class lounge but with the addition of a Timeless Spa in case you need a pedicure mid-journey!), we boarded our flight to Sydney for the long journey down under.
It was a wonderful flight - the flat bed in your own 'pod' means great comfort and privacy, and, when you combine that with some delicious food and excellent wine, you have a winning combination for a long sleep!
Arriving in to Sydney, we transferred to the Shangri-La, a fantastic 5 star property with picture postcard views of the harbour and a firm favourite with our clients. I had a Grand Harbour View room with club floor access, and it does exactly what it says on the tin - the grand harbour in all it's glory is right in front of you. We were whisked off for lunch at the famous Icebergs overlooking Bondi Beach and got in the swing of things over a few glasses of local wine and some freshly caught local fish - delicious!
Later that afternoon, we met up with Shawn from Sea Sydney Cruises and boarded his boat for a sunset Harbour cruise - just the thing to blow away the cobwebs after a long flight. Again this is a real B&W favourite product and we get fantastic feedback from our clients - Shawn will give you the low down on local history mixed in with celebrity property sightings as you cruise around the bays...all combined with fabulous Aussie refreshments of course!
After a very brief stay in Sydney, we headed up towards the Blue Mountains, stopping first for breakfast in Bronte at a real locals favourite called Swell. Gorgeous coffee and fresh smoothies with a view of the beach that would mean I'd never get to work if I was a local!
Our friends at Australian Wild Escapes who operate our small group tours did the transfers and we had a fascinating drive out of the city heading up the mountains - lots of stories of local history and folklore to keep us entertained for the 90 minute drive.
We stopped for lunch at Lilianfels and had a good look round, it's an Orient Express hotel and has just the right balance of genteel history mixed with Australian charm and modern elegance. It was an incredibly sunny day, so we made the most of it by sitting outside and yet again sampling the finest local produce.
Continuing the drive, we passed by the famous Three Sisters lookout for the obligatory photo opportunity - and then it was on to Wolgan Valley (approx 3 hours in total from Sydney) - Australia's latest luxury eco lodge and Emirates first in Australasia. 
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa opened in October 2009 and Bridge & Wickers was the first ever tour operator to make a booking at the resort, and I can only repeat what our first clients to stay there said - it is magnificent!
Costing a cool $A125 million, this 4000 acre resort features 40 free-standing suites nestled between two national parks. Suites offer private decks and pools and are very luxurious. Activities in the area include Aboriginal interpretive tours, nature walks, AWD wildlife safaris, mountain biking and horse riding and of course the Timeless Spa, Emirates' signature spa brand.
We did a wildlife spotting drive in their brand new 'safari style' vehicle - kangaroos and wallabies in abundance but we failed to spot any of my favourites..the very cute wombat - obviously they had better things to do than please a bunch of tourists that day! That was rounded off by sundowners on a platform overlooking the valley - it was just magical with the sunlight fading and casting shadows on the escaprment as the colours changed by the minute.
Dinner that night was a 9 course gastronomic extravaganza matched with the finest wines - there's a choice of about 20 regional wines that are included with the full tariff along with all soft drinks and local beers.
Day 2 for some meant walks and horse riding, for me it meant relaxing in my suite, a little dip in my pool and a fabulous facial after lunch - well, I'd had a heavy workload up to this point, so I needed to chill out (well that's what I told Jerry and David anyway!). The spa experience, as you can probably imagine, was out of this world.
I'm already planning my next visit..............
Leaving Wolgan was only tempered by the choice of transportation - we took a very smart helicopter back to Sydney airport, swooping across the Blue Mountains Heritage Area and down to the city where we continued with the most fantastic scenic journey over the harbour bridge, past the Opera House and along the coastline to the heliport - at 45 minutes, it was both a fabulous quick transfer and a stunning sightseeing tour - definitely worth the money and highly recommended to combine with a transfer by car via the Blue Mountains on the way up.
I love Hamilton Island - it's a destination that offers such a great choice of accommodation from luxury self-catering villas to 5 star hotels and a huge range of activities, it's suitable for families, couples, groups of friends and is a top seller year round for Bridge & Wickers' clients.
qualia is away from the main resort and marina and is an exclusive part of the island. It's just a beautiful setting looking out across the Whitsunday Passage and the Coral Sea. The accommodation is to die for - I was lucky enough to have a Windward Pavillion and that means you get your own private plunge pool. You also get your own golf buggy to explore the resort and the rest of the island.
As well as seeing the resort (and the Spa qualia of course!), I'd highly recommend a trip over to Dent Island to the new Hamilton Island Golf Club - even if you don't play, it's a spectacular spot for lunch. But for those of you who do play golf, it's spectacular...and the only championship island golf course in Australia.
A must do activity when you're on Hamilton Island is a trip to Whitehaven Beach - I'd been by boat before but this time was even more special - a seaplane flight with an aerial view of the surrounding Whitsunday Islands and fringing reefs before spending a couple of hours lounging on the best beach in thw world - the white sand really is like talcum powder and the water is just beautiful!
Our final night took us to the sparkling new Hamilton Island Yacht Club - a stunning piece of architecture that is definitely worth checking out - you get a great view from the water too when you go over to the golf club.We had dinner at the signature Bommie restaurant, a true example of the finest modern Australian cuisine -
I can highly recommend the steak (possibly my best ever!), and they stock some of the best wines that Australia has to offer.
It was a perfect end to a spectacular trip and I'd like to say a big thank you to Emirates, Tourism Australia, Wolgan Valley and qualia for their impeccable hosting....we must do it again sometime!!
This trip shows how you can easily pack in a range of different experiences in to a relatively short time in Australia (not that I'm suggesting anyone goes for 5 days!!). If you've got 2 weeks and think that OZ is just too far, I'd say think again - a city, outback/wilderness and island/beach combination is definitely realistic in that time frame...just do what I did but stretch it out a bit!
Annette
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