Escape to Paradise 2024 - Lord Howe Island 6 Night Getaway
Escape to paradise for 6 nights on the world heritage listed Lord Howe Island.
Lord Howe’s crystal clear lagoon, bordered by the world’s most southern coral reef, is home to over 500 species of fish and 90 species of coral. The island’s forest has 240 native plant species, half of which are found nowhere else in the world, and while 32 species of birds breed on the island, 203 different species have been recorded visiting.
There will be planned activities & tours for you to participate in every day, however, the beauty of this tour is that there will also be plenty of time for you to just sit back & relax, go for walks, bike rides, do a spot of bird watching & simply enjoy all that this island has to offer.
There are also several optional activities that are available to you in your free time, such as golf, yoga, tennis, bicycle hire, lawn bowls, massage & beauty treatments. These can be booked whilst we are on the island, subject to availability.
Our accommodation will be located just a short stroll away from the island's shops, cafes, restaurants and beautiful beaches. The rooms will be comfortable & have a kitchenette, ensuite, TV, DVD & ceiling fans.
Breakfast each morning will be at Anchorage Restaurant, a short 2 minute walk (130 metres) from our accommodation. Blue Lagoon Lodge will provide transport to dinner every night & the restaurant provides transport back to our accommodation after dinner.
On days where lunch is not included, you have the option to buy supplies from the general store to make a sandwich or roll for lunch, you can go to Thompson’s Burger Bar and buy a hamburger, fish & chips etc. or you can even get a freshly made island pie from Anchorage Restaurant
Due to the topography of this island, it is important that those interested in this tour do have good, general fitness & mobility. Although our accommodation will be centrally located, we will need to walk a short distance to where daily tours begin. This ranges between 5-20 minutes each way. Furthermore, boat tours depart from a sandy beach and require people to remove their shoes to board the vessel.
Friday 11th October 2024: Central Coast to Lord Howe Island
You will be picked up from home (for those living within our home pick up area on the Central Coast) by one of our friendly Connect Coaches Drivers & transported to Sydney Airport. Alison will be there to ensure that all goes to plan & will be with you for the entirety of the trip.
Depart Sydney at 11.50am onboard QF2262 & arrive at Lord Howe Island at about 1.55pm (subject to change).
We will be met at the airport by a Blue Lagoon representative and transferred to our accommodation where you can relax & settle in before dinner. CLICK HERE TO VIEW BLUE LAGOON LODGE
6.00pm – Dinner at Anchorage Restaurant
Saturday 12th October: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
9.00am - Island bus tour
A refreshing introduction on what to do on Lord Howe, where to go and how to do it. Learn everything about the island there is to know.
12.00pm – Lunch at Anchorage Restaurant
6.00pm – Dinner at the Bowling Club
Sunday 13th October: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
North Bay Turtle & Nature Tour
View the large variety fish, turtles, stingrays and amazing corals of the world's southern most barrier reef on our glass bottom boat, 'Adventure One'. While exploring North Bay you can climb up Mt. Eliza, walk to the Old Gulch or Herring Pools, view the sea bird rookery (seasonal) or enjoy a swim. Amazing snorkel opportunity is provided through our optional snorkel of the wreck of the 'Favourite' which ran aground here in 1965. (3 & ½ hours duration)
6.00pm – Dinner at the Golf Club
Monday 14th October: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
Around Island Cruise
Our 2hr cruise enables passengers to relax and enjoy the breath-taking views all around Lord Howe Island including the spectacular image of Balls Pyramid creeping up in the distance and sheer mountain cliffs. During part of the 2 hr cruise you will approach the 'Admiralty Islands' which are home to a large percentage of the Island's bird population.
Packed lunch or lunch at the Coral Café
4.00pm – Nursery / Brewery Tour
1 hour guided tour of the local palm nursery with Island grown produce including a tour of the micro-brewery.
5.30pm – Ian Hutton Talk
Ian is an Australian botanist who has lived on Lord Howe for most of his adult life. He is involved in many research projects & spends a lot of time taking photos that he uses in his weekly lectures & in the books that he publishes. Ian has been the curator of the museum for over 20 years & has been involved in initiating a number of conservation projects on the island.
6.30pm – Dinner at the Coral Café
Tuesday 15th October: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
Coral viewing with Environmental Tours
This two hour tour focuses on exploring the profuse coral seascape and introduces visitors to some of the more unusual lagoon inhabitants such as the endemic double-header wrasse, stingrays and turtles. This tour provides an optional snorkelling experience at Erscott's Hole or you can just relax on the boat and view the stunning diversity of this exotic marine location.
12.00pm – Lunch at Anchorage Restaurant
5.00pm – 1 Hour Sunset Cruise
Enjoy the magic of a Lagoon sunset on a glass bottom boat cruise around the lagoon.
6.00pm – Dinner at Driftwood Bar & Restaurant
Wednesday 16th October: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
Today is a "back up day" in case any tours need to be swapped around due to adverse weather during the week etc.
5.00pm – Historical Movies at the Local Hall
These movies about the planes that once ferried people to & from the island are run every week by the local school children as a fundraiser.
6.00pm – Dinner at Anchorage Restaurant
Thursday 17th October 2024: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
You will have some free time to relax & rediscover some favourite places on the island before being transferred to the airport by a representative from Blue Lagoon.
Depart Lord Howe Island at 2.25pm onboard Flight QF2263 & arrive at Sydney Airport at about 4.40pm (subject to change)
Upon our arrival at Sydney Airport, we will be met by our friendly Connect Coaches Drivers who will transport us back home to the Central Coast (& provide our home drop off service to those living within our home drop off area).
Payment & Cancellation Policy:
Lord Howe Island is very different to other places we have visited on tour, & so are their booking & cancellation requirements:
An initial, non-refundable deposit of $500 is payable to secure your booking
A second non-refundable deposit of $200 will be due by 9th March 2024
The balance will be due by 20th July 2024. You are welcome to pay this balance in instalments.
Connect Coaches’ tours require extensive planning, coordination and costs, as well as advance bookings and payments of accommodation and activities. In the unfortunate event that you have to cancel your tour with us, the following policy will apply:
Deposits paid ($500 + $200) are forfeited due to this amount being non-refundable
Once the balance has been paid by 20th July 2024, a refund for this component will only take place if we can resell your ticket.
If the tour is cancelled by us because we have not been able to meet the required minimum number for the tour to proceed, monies paid by customers will be refunded in full.
CLICK HERE to view our Terms & Conditions in full.
Travel Insurance:
We strongly advise that all passengers have comprehensive domestic travel insurance that covers cancellation, amendment and emergency accommodation. This is especially important for a tour to Lord Howe Island. It is not an uncommon occurrence, that planes are unable to land on the island due to low cloud and/or other adverse weather conditions. If this were to happen, we may then have to pay for extra accommodation and/or airport transfers in Sydney and/or Lord Howe.
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 "High Tea Lunches with Connect Coaches")
