USD Blues

Ouch, is it just me or is everything expensive here?

We knew the US dollar was weak before we left, but I think there may be some resort surcharge on all the prices here. Our resort by the Great Barrier Reef is a beautiful place, with a wrap-around swim-able lagoon and a small path to the Four Mile Beach. We have a jacuzzi in our room, and a balcony. The weather is perfect.

But are we actually expected to pay $79 each for the hotel dinner buffet? $1 Australian is roughly $1 US. We dropped a pretty penny on sushi last night (it was ok) and figured we'd save on the buffet. Nah-uh.

So we got a recommendation for an outside restaurant and hopped a shuttle bus to downtown Port Douglas. It was a gorgeous night and I wore a cute top, jeans and flip flops and I was super excited about the '60s sex-kitten thing my hair was doing. There's something about the tropical night air that makes you feel attractive. If they could bottle it...

I highly recommend Zinc if you are vacationing in the Port Douglas/Cairns area. It was chic and open - we dined outside - and totally romantic. They have a huge wine selection and the staff was cheerful and attentive without being stuffy. My favorite drink is a gin gimlet and apparently that's super out-dated down here (never had a problem in New York or Boston but then again NYC & Boston are a little martini-obsessed) but the bartender came over to ask me how to make it and it turned out to be one of the best I'd ever had. Then the bartender came back over to make sure it was up to snuff. Nice.

We shared the duck confit papparadelle and the macadamia crusted barramundi. X had a vodka martini and we split a bottle of Aussie sauvignon blanc with the meal. The meal was fantastic - not like awe-inspiring or anything - but solid. We enjoyed every last bite. And... guess what? We paid roughly $130 total. Sheraton dinner buffet? Eat your heart out.

Later, we ambled over to a gelateria and got some cones, then walked around in the warm night under the vast array of stars (including the Southern Cross). We took a cab back to the hotel (the cab was a luxury sedan with leather seats and smelled of gardenias) and to bed. All in all, a wonderful night. And if my USD blues haven't disappeared, they've at least gotten a whole lot lighter.