Flying to Sydney from Heathrow with a 1 yr old...

[Julez82]

Hi all,

I'm going to be moving back to Australia in June and will be flying from Heathrow with DD, who will be 1. I really don't know what the best options are for the flight - do I take the plunge and fly direct, or do I stop-over somewhere for a week or so, to break up the travelling time?

Can anyone recommend any nice places to stop over that aren't too expensive?

Jules

[millymoo]

Singapore!! I lived there from 12-17 yrs old and it is super!

Very good hotel prices especially if you book direct with hotel or thru wotif.com.

All are near airport as it is so small a place. Bit hot maybe but aircon everywhere.

My parents always do 2 nites there on the way to Sydney from Heathrow as it eases the jet lag.

Are you coming to live?

H x

[PunkyDiva]

:thumbsup: Singapore for a week, cheap resorts, food and good shopping.

Japan Airlines (JAL) can include a one night stopover but with a 1 year old I would tend to want a bit longer.

We flew back with Emirates and although no stopovers, by choice as just wanted to get home, we left the day of the London bombings) we did have some long breaks in airports so could go window shopping and stretch legs. You could always do a stopover with them in Dubai, again reasonably priced to stay and eat and excellent shopping.

[Julez82]

Helen, yup I'm coming to live - used to live in Perth when I was kid but have lived all over the place since leaving Aus. I can't wait - I'm really excited! Singapore seems to be quite a good option for us at the mo!

[millymoo]

Well keep us informed and I can try and help with any Singapore info eg good hotels etc. But wotif com are excellent for hotels. I am not allowed on anymore as have had too many bargain breaks in Sydney!

[Londonmum]

We fly over to Auz when our DD was 10 months old and stopped over for 4 days in Singapore.
Definitely recommend going there and we went through Flight Centre as they can usually find the best deals.
We flew with Singapore Airlines who were very good esp with our DD and if you fly Singapore there is a special package deal involving discounts with certain hotels and places to visit there (Singapore).

We pushed the boat out and stayed at the Shangri - la which is 5 + stars and was excellent. Again staff very friendly and good restaurants within hotel, we even took a chance and booked a babysitter for a few hours (one of the hotels staff so fully vetted) and so got a chance to go out by ourselves for dinner :thumbsup:

As for sites to see, I'd highly recommend the Zoo. They have Orangutans that roam free/not in a pen and it's very picturesque, also the botanical gardens are lovely but don't forget the shops. You can get some good bargins in Singapore, just ask the taxi divers where to go. Oh and I wouldn't with going to Raffles, it's very over rated.

[Ivijani]

Hi Jules,

am new on here, so you wont recognise me, but my 2ps worth is go direct if you don't need the holiday. Don't be scared of it - the second stretch they are so tired that they just crash.

We came over for holiday when our son was 8 months old and he was pretty good and we came over again for good just days after he turned 2 and he was still pretty good - just wriggles a lot trying to get some sleep in his seat.

good luck!

Janine

[Julez82]

Thanks for the advice everyone, that's quite valuable! I think I'm going to have a mini break in between as I love a bit of sightseeing, going to stay in Langkawi, Malaysia for a couple of days in between and then fly on to Sydney. Hope to book the flights very soon - I'm getting very excited!

[Pixie]

I flew direct with Virgin my DD was 10 months old she slept pretty much the entire time, I'd go straight through, unless you want to visit SP I have heard the zoo is great!