Kingfisher Bay Resort: 3/10

"You must go to Fraser Island!" - advice received from almost everyone we spoke to regarding our honeymoon in Australia. Alas, we booked in London with an agency. We arrived in Brisbane, to be told we'd have to wait an hour for our pick-up. A four-hour road journey ensued in a bus whose air-conditioning wasn't working (no apology from the driver). When we finally arrived at the resort, we were shown to a smelly, ground-floor room that had three beds in it (remember, this was our honeymoon, and the resort had been advised of this well in advance). The ceilings and walls were so thin we could hear the screaming children and scraping furniture all around us. We asked to be moved. We were offered their "top-of-the-range" villa for AUS150 extra a night. It had the same musty smell and decor, but it offered more space and privacy, so we took it. The pools here are nice. But Kingisher knows it has a monopoly on the western side of the island (if you're going, stay on the east which is prettier and has more choice), so the restaurants - which are okay - are overpriced. The service - though some individuals do try - is woeful throughout: when my wife called reception to ask for more towels she was told there was a washing machine in our villa and she should wash them herself! Nevermind that we couldn't see a washer, and only found it later locked behind the villa owner's store room which we were told we mustn't open.

What I don't get is why our agents - a very large UK agency - booked this place to begin with? It's okay if you have a brood of screaming children and don't care about service. But this is not a resort for honeymooners. Everyone we subsequently spoke to on the mainland was totally unsurprised by our experiences. In short, avoid like the plague!