Escape to Paradise 2025 - Lord Howe Island 6 Night Getaway
After such a wonderfully relaxing 'Escape to Paradise Tour' in 2024, we have planned our second escape to this 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 5 minute walk (280 metres) from our accommodation. Somerset Apartments 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.
^Please Note; the bed configuration for Twin Share in both apartment types consist of 1 x queen & 1 x single bed located in the master bedroom.
**Itinerary:
** Subject to change, depending on the weather
Sunday 16th November: 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 smoothly & she will be with you for the entirety of the trip.
Depart Sydney at 11.45am onboard QF2262 & arrive at Lord Howe Island at about 1.50pm (subject to change).
We will be met at the airport by a Somerset Apartments representative and transferred to our accommodation where you can relax & settle in before dinner. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SOMERSET APARTMENTS
6.00pm – Welcome drinks & BBQ dinner at accommodation
Monday 17th November: Lord Howe Island
8.00am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
9.00am - Group 1: Island bus tour (12 people max.) - 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.
- Group 2: Free time to relax &/or go for a wander down to Ned's Beach for a swim & to feed the multitude of fish
12.00pm – Light lunch at the Coral Café
1.00pm - Group 2: Island bus tour (12 people max.)
- Group 1: Free time to relax &/or go for a wander down to Ned's Beach for a swim & to feed the multitude of fish
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
Connect Coaches - October 2024 tour
Tuesday 18th November: 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 Driftwood Bar & Restaurant
Cameras at the ready (It wasn't as cold as it looks!)
Wednesday 19th November: 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.
Light lunch at Anchoarge Restaurant
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.
5.00pm - 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 20th November: 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 the Coral Cafe
Friday 21st November: 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.
6.00pm – Dinner at Anchorage Restaurant
Saturday 22nd November: Lord Howe Island to Central Coast
7.30am - Breakfast at Anchorage Restaurant
We will be transferred from our accommodation to the airport by a Somerset Apartments representative
Depart Lord Howe Island at 9.40am onboard QF2261 & arrive at Sydney Airport at about 11.55am (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 May 2025
The balance will be due by Friday 15th August 2025. 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 15th August 2025, 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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