Praise where it's due: Wotif.com and the Ibis, Darling Harbour, Sydney

I have flu again this week, following our weekend in freezing Canberra. Unfortunately, this has forced me to cancel a much looked-forward-to weekend trip to Sydney. That is so disappointing, but thanks to good customer service from Wotif.com and the Hotel Ibis, Darling Harbour, it isn't the financial loss it could have been!

Last month a childhood friend, Anne, let me know that she and her husband would be in Sydney for 3 days (last days of their trip from UK). I arranged a quick overnight visit to spend time with her, booking into the same hotel, the Ibis Darling Harbour, through Wotif.com. I noticed that the hotel property was one with a 'no refund' policy for cancellations, but I booked anyway because Anne and Jack had a reservation there.

When I realised that I couldn't make the trip, I explained the circumstances to the nice bunch of people at Wotif.com, who kindly negotiated on my behalf with Hotel Ibis. The hotel agreed that on this occasion, it would allow a cancellation and refund.

It is good to come across excellent customer service, and I want to let others know of this experience. I shall certainly be using both Wotif.com and Hotel Ibis on other occasions, and recommending them! I'm still sad to miss seeing my friends, and still in bed with flu, but at least I am not paying for a harbourside room with a view in Sydney, that I can't use, this Friday. That is a silver lining!

Niamh and Peter

We just celebrated my daughter's engagement. An exciting time for the family, and a new experience for Jim and me as parents. We had a busy weekend in freezing Canberra, with much eating out and jollifications various.