[thread=1558155]LINK TO FULLY FORMATTED REPORT WITH LOTS OF PICTURES - CLICK HERE[/thread]
Day 1 The Flight, First Time Driving, AKL & Boma
The alarm went off at 4-45am, although it needn't have bothered, as I was laid awake, much too excited to sleep. My mother in law, God bless her, had stayed up all night so that she would be ready to take us to East Midlands airport. We set off on time, at 5-30am and arrived at the airport at around 6-20am. The check in desk was already open, so we quickly rid of our cases and got through all the security checks into the departure lounge.
We had a full breakfast, did a bit of shopping and my DW had to inject herself with heparin, as a result of a blood clot she had some years ago. The time soon passed though, and at around 9am we were called to our boarding gate. Being Star Class Premier passengers meant that we were boarded first, which was very nice. The seats were very impressive leather, extremely comfortable & with miles of legroom. No sooner had we sat down than we were given a glass of sparkling Rose wine & crackers, and from that moment on, we were pampered like royalty.
It was an amazing site as we took off at 9-47 to look down and see all the flood water everywhere, and even more amazing to think that we were leaving it all behind. I watched a few things, including the Royal Family & Paddy n Max on the seat back screen, listening through my anti static headphones. None of the films really appealed to me, or I just couldn't be bothered to get into them, as we were constantly served with drinks or food. I eventually became hooked on the game bejewelled, and this passed time on brilliantly.
For our meal, we were served a Greek Feta cheese & olive salad with herb vinaigrette starter, served with warm bread,
followed by beef Diane, served with roast potatoes & vegetables.
There was a choice of chicken or pasta for the main course. This was followed by a lovely sweet, made up of 3 layers of chocolate with a fresh orange topping, and then cheese & biscuits & beautiful Belgium chocolates.
Wine was served with the meal, and it was all served on real pot plates, and we even had individual salt & pepper pots, not just paper sachets!! There was also a plentiful supply of tea & coffee. Further drinks were served, and as we completed the visa waiver forms we got a delicious tub of refreshing ice-cream. Two or three hours later, after getting complimentary newspapers & magazines, we had a selection of sandwiches, with scones & fresh grapes, plus further tea & coffee. Lisa even turned down a further glass of sparkling wine, as she wanted to stay compus-mentus to help me with the driving (that's a first!) Our landing into Sandford airport was superb & just a few minutes early at 1pm local time.
We soon got through all the security checks, and our priority baggage soon came through, so we quickly headed for the Dollar Car Rental stand. Now, somehow, and I don't know how it happened, I got talked into upgrading my pre-booked economy car, to a Chrysler XXX. This, together with the full tank of fuel that you have to pay for, and the optional??? Roadside assistance suddenly cost me over $300. As I was not planning on doing much driving, I felt as though I had been a bit conned, but as the holiday progressed, I did not regret any of the additional costs, especially the roadside assistance, which will become obvious on our last day!! I would eventually use the full tank of fuel, and more besides, and the comfort that the car gave us was well worth the upgrade. So, off we set, on my first ever-driving experience on the other side of the road. I had worried about this for months, but thanks to printing out detailed instructions from the US192 site, it was actually a doddle. I opted for the I4 route, and before I knew it, we were seeing the signs for the Disney exits. I did tend to drift over to the right, but Lisa would quickly put me right, and less than 2 hours after landing, we pulled in to AKL.
I dropped all the bags off with the porter at the door, along with Lisa & Ben & then, after getting in to the wrong side of the car (how embarrassing!) I went to self park. We all entered the building together, and even everything that we had read about this place couldn't have prepared us for that wonderful moment. It was like entering another world. The lobby area was just stunning. An African in full costume, greeted us by welcoming us home. We just couldn't stop looking around us and trying to take it all in. It then got even better, as we were checked in, and told that we had a free upgrade to a Savannah view. Our room was on the Zebra trail, on the 4th floor, which is 1 floor up from the lobby. It was quite a treck to the room, but with so many views of the savannahs & all the different artefacts on display it didn't seem too bad. We got to our beautifully decorated and themed room, with 2 king beds, and made our way straight on to our balcony. There they were, 2 giraffes and other, as yet unidentified animals plus flamingos and other birds, all within yards of our room. Amazing!
Lisa was busy unpacking, so Ben & I got straight into our swimwear and headed off down the stairs to the wonderful oasis that is the pool area. We got our towels and set up base on the ample sun loungers, before stepping into the water. As we lazed in the blazing sunshine, I looked around us and I really, genuinely thought I had died and gone to heaven! Everything was just beautiful, whichever way you looked, except upwards, as the expected storm began to move in. Eventually, everyone had to evacuate the pool, as the thunder & lightening began, so we went back to our room to watch it. It did not last long, and by the time it was over, we were ready to go and explore our surroundings. We just became more "gobsmacked" by the minute. The showcases, containing interesting items, the hand carved furnishings, the African art, the river flowing down the stairs from the lobby towards Boma, the wonderful large window and the views outside it, the firepit, the smell, the ambience, it was all too much to take in. We got our re-fillable mugs from Mara, which again, would prove to be excellent value for money & Ben got his points on his card for the amusement arcade and had a couple of games. Before we knew it, it was time for our ADR at Boma.
At this time, I was regretting eating so much on the plane. As we entered the restaurant, the aromas were amazing, and the open fires where the chefs were cooking really added to the feel of the place. As for the food, well, where do you start. The servery areas for the buffet were just laden with different things. The chicken curry stew was just to die for.
I had a salad too, with a mango dressing that was stunning, before moving on to prime rib and other delights. I was totally stuffed and struggled to manage one of the delightful sweets.
At this rate, the 41/2 stone I lost before coming would be back on in the first week!! To top it all, the chef came to our table with a specially prepared sweet, consisting of a thick slice of pineapple, speared with chocolate filled doughnuts & decorated with chocolate sauce. My God, where were we going to put this?? Our waitress kindly said that she would pack it for us to take to our room, it was far too good to waste.
Ben & I had another quick swim before we had another wander around to see the place by night, and were astounded to look through the night vision binoculars onto the savannahs. It was just like daylight, and all the giraffes, bongo's gazelles & vultures were right up by the fence. This was a truly wonderful end to an unforgettable but very tiring first day, so we slid into our beds at 10-15 ready for our extra magic hour in the morning at MK.
Day 1 The Flight, First Time Driving, AKL & Boma
The alarm went off at 4-45am, although it needn't have bothered, as I was laid awake, much too excited to sleep. My mother in law, God bless her, had stayed up all night so that she would be ready to take us to East Midlands airport. We set off on time, at 5-30am and arrived at the airport at around 6-20am. The check in desk was already open, so we quickly rid of our cases and got through all the security checks into the departure lounge.
We had a full breakfast, did a bit of shopping and my DW had to inject herself with heparin, as a result of a blood clot she had some years ago. The time soon passed though, and at around 9am we were called to our boarding gate. Being Star Class Premier passengers meant that we were boarded first, which was very nice. The seats were very impressive leather, extremely comfortable & with miles of legroom. No sooner had we sat down than we were given a glass of sparkling Rose wine & crackers, and from that moment on, we were pampered like royalty.
It was an amazing site as we took off at 9-47 to look down and see all the flood water everywhere, and even more amazing to think that we were leaving it all behind. I watched a few things, including the Royal Family & Paddy n Max on the seat back screen, listening through my anti static headphones. None of the films really appealed to me, or I just couldn't be bothered to get into them, as we were constantly served with drinks or food. I eventually became hooked on the game bejewelled, and this passed time on brilliantly.
For our meal, we were served a Greek Feta cheese & olive salad with herb vinaigrette starter, served with warm bread,
followed by beef Diane, served with roast potatoes & vegetables.
There was a choice of chicken or pasta for the main course. This was followed by a lovely sweet, made up of 3 layers of chocolate with a fresh orange topping, and then cheese & biscuits & beautiful Belgium chocolates.
Wine was served with the meal, and it was all served on real pot plates, and we even had individual salt & pepper pots, not just paper sachets!! There was also a plentiful supply of tea & coffee. Further drinks were served, and as we completed the visa waiver forms we got a delicious tub of refreshing ice-cream. Two or three hours later, after getting complimentary newspapers & magazines, we had a selection of sandwiches, with scones & fresh grapes, plus further tea & coffee. Lisa even turned down a further glass of sparkling wine, as she wanted to stay compus-mentus to help me with the driving (that's a first!) Our landing into Sandford airport was superb & just a few minutes early at 1pm local time.
We soon got through all the security checks, and our priority baggage soon came through, so we quickly headed for the Dollar Car Rental stand. Now, somehow, and I don't know how it happened, I got talked into upgrading my pre-booked economy car, to a Chrysler XXX. This, together with the full tank of fuel that you have to pay for, and the optional??? Roadside assistance suddenly cost me over $300. As I was not planning on doing much driving, I felt as though I had been a bit conned, but as the holiday progressed, I did not regret any of the additional costs, especially the roadside assistance, which will become obvious on our last day!! I would eventually use the full tank of fuel, and more besides, and the comfort that the car gave us was well worth the upgrade. So, off we set, on my first ever-driving experience on the other side of the road. I had worried about this for months, but thanks to printing out detailed instructions from the US192 site, it was actually a doddle. I opted for the I4 route, and before I knew it, we were seeing the signs for the Disney exits. I did tend to drift over to the right, but Lisa would quickly put me right, and less than 2 hours after landing, we pulled in to AKL.
I dropped all the bags off with the porter at the door, along with Lisa & Ben & then, after getting in to the wrong side of the car (how embarrassing!) I went to self park. We all entered the building together, and even everything that we had read about this place couldn't have prepared us for that wonderful moment. It was like entering another world. The lobby area was just stunning. An African in full costume, greeted us by welcoming us home. We just couldn't stop looking around us and trying to take it all in. It then got even better, as we were checked in, and told that we had a free upgrade to a Savannah view. Our room was on the Zebra trail, on the 4th floor, which is 1 floor up from the lobby. It was quite a treck to the room, but with so many views of the savannahs & all the different artefacts on display it didn't seem too bad. We got to our beautifully decorated and themed room, with 2 king beds, and made our way straight on to our balcony. There they were, 2 giraffes and other, as yet unidentified animals plus flamingos and other birds, all within yards of our room. Amazing!
Lisa was busy unpacking, so Ben & I got straight into our swimwear and headed off down the stairs to the wonderful oasis that is the pool area. We got our towels and set up base on the ample sun loungers, before stepping into the water. As we lazed in the blazing sunshine, I looked around us and I really, genuinely thought I had died and gone to heaven! Everything was just beautiful, whichever way you looked, except upwards, as the expected storm began to move in. Eventually, everyone had to evacuate the pool, as the thunder & lightening began, so we went back to our room to watch it. It did not last long, and by the time it was over, we were ready to go and explore our surroundings. We just became more "gobsmacked" by the minute. The showcases, containing interesting items, the hand carved furnishings, the African art, the river flowing down the stairs from the lobby towards Boma, the wonderful large window and the views outside it, the firepit, the smell, the ambience, it was all too much to take in. We got our re-fillable mugs from Mara, which again, would prove to be excellent value for money & Ben got his points on his card for the amusement arcade and had a couple of games. Before we knew it, it was time for our ADR at Boma.
At this time, I was regretting eating so much on the plane. As we entered the restaurant, the aromas were amazing, and the open fires where the chefs were cooking really added to the feel of the place. As for the food, well, where do you start. The servery areas for the buffet were just laden with different things. The chicken curry stew was just to die for.
I had a salad too, with a mango dressing that was stunning, before moving on to prime rib and other delights. I was totally stuffed and struggled to manage one of the delightful sweets.
At this rate, the 41/2 stone I lost before coming would be back on in the first week!! To top it all, the chef came to our table with a specially prepared sweet, consisting of a thick slice of pineapple, speared with chocolate filled doughnuts & decorated with chocolate sauce. My God, where were we going to put this?? Our waitress kindly said that she would pack it for us to take to our room, it was far too good to waste.
Ben & I had another quick swim before we had another wander around to see the place by night, and were astounded to look through the night vision binoculars onto the savannahs. It was just like daylight, and all the giraffes, bongo's gazelles & vultures were right up by the fence. This was a truly wonderful end to an unforgettable but very tiring first day, so we slid into our beds at 10-15 ready for our extra magic hour in the morning at MK.
Oh and Happy 50th. 
Can' wait to read more. 
)
