Thanks for the info on the Windsor. We booked the standard double room which they tell me is 33 sq. meters. I think that's a decent sized room. My typical hotel room in Paris is 15-18 sq meters, so 33 should be fine. We can upgrade to a 40 Sq. mt. room for an additional $25. a night. I'm trying to stick to a budget for this trip, and we'll be there four nights, so for $100.00, Id rather spend it on dinner than 7 sq meters. However, I'll contact the hotel, as if it also means it's a much nicer room with a nicer bathroom better amenities, etc, then we would go for the upgrade. The web rates for the Como that I'm seeing is keeping it out of our budget, about double the price of the Windsor. Since we won't there until January, I'll start looking for last minute web deals in early Dec. If the price competes with the Windsor, then it'll be in the running again and I'll have to make a decision. I'm also booked at the Sofitel, they're offering a great B& B deal, but we've stayed there before and want to try someplace new, so I'm sure I'll cancel. But I like to keep my options open until a few weeks before our trips.

Re: Blue Mountains. We'll be staying in the Hawkesberry region for 4 nights and figured we'd do the Blue Mountains as a day trip from there. Am I correct in thinking that they're about an hour apart by car? Genolan Caves.......is this a must see? I've seen caves in New Zealand, Iceland and France, so should I make a special trip to see these? I honestly haven't done any research for that area yet, other than accomodations. I'm still trying to figure out how we're going to see Kangaroo Island.

Sydney Eats. I'm anxiously awaiting your report! How pricey is the Marque? I have some friends in Sydney that we'll meet for dinner one night, but they're usually on a budget, so I wouldn't want to recommend anything that would make them uncomfortable. Do we need to prebook the Marque weeks in advance? About that Good Food Guide.....do they have a website or do you know if they ship the book here to the US for distribution? I'll look for it on Amazon. I'd love to get a copy! Who's the author?

Thanks for all your help Gavin. I didn't think you'd abandoned me, I just figured life came along!

Best, Candice NYC