Pannys is always a compulsory stop whenever we bring out of town visitors to Philip Island to see the penguins. It's conveniently located on the main road onto the island so you can't miss it.

I really think the best thing is the walk through attraction for $15 per adult (kids under 4 are free) you get to see how chocolate is made and some great uses of chocolate as an art medium. The very very best part of the attraction where you get to make your own specialty chocolate out of great high quality chocolate. There are also free arcade games to win free chocolate treats and robotic chocolate dispensers. There is no shortage of free chocolate that you actually feel like you get your money's worth.

After all that you exit into the chocolate shop and are faced with gorgeous professionally decorated great quality chocolate and accessories. The cafe on site makes great hot chocolates and coffees with meals and snacks if you're all chocolated out. If not, try the chocolate dipped bananas because they are amazing!

Only con is that the chocolate is not cheap. But they are hand made and great for a little treat and to keep this place going and providing this great little side attraction in Philip island.

Approximate cost: $15

Meals here are generally good but I have never been wow'ed by anything that we've ordered. I have to say that the portions are quite generous and I have not had any reason whatsoever to complain about my meal.

Mostly we've gone to this cafe because they do have some truly excellent cakes and desserts. They don't come cheap tho with a slice of cake or costing about $10. Still, they come in good portions and don't hurt the wallet so much if they are shared by 2 people.

I have to agree with another reviewer that the music is a bit on the loud side and the restaurant seats a lot of people, so don't expect to be able to have quiet conversations with your dinner date.

They also do most cocktails which are quite excellent as a treat with dinner. I've always found that restaurants which serve cocktails charge outrageously for them (about $15-$20) and this place is no exception.

Approximate cost: $22

This place is always full even when we were there for afternoon tea at about 3.30pm. Fortunately, they still serve their lunch menu (and specials) at that time. Service here is always very good with very attentive and well trained staff.

The food is also very good. Generally they serve typical cafe food (steaks, fish and chips, lamb, chicken etc) but I would say the food comes out classier than your typical cafe. Hubby and I shared a starter of crispy Pork Belly (highly recommended), I had the fish and chips (pretty good) and hubby had the pasta from their set menu (excellent). My dad had the Kangaroo steak in mint sauce there for dinner once and still talks about it so it must have been really good. Hubby also mentioned that his coffee was excellent (I am not a big fan of coffee)

The management have really thought about the image that they want to portray and it comes across in the quality of staff and their food.

It also comes out a little bit in their prices. They are a little pricier than your average cafe but like I said, they are a little posher than the average cafe.

They do have seating outside (or alfresco) but I would avoid that if I could help it. There is a lot of foot traffic in Kingsway and I can imagine that it would distract from the excellent food.

Overall I really like this restaurant. The prices do make it such that we don't go there regularly, especially with so many excellent and cheaper restaurants in the area. But once in a while for a treat and for a good cup of coffee, we give it a go and have not been disappointed. A little shocked when we pay the bill but never disappointed :-)

Approximate cost: $28

I'm generally wary about car salesmen. But if more car salesmen were like the gentleman that served us at Barloworld VW then I'd be far less suspicious. We were looking at getting a bigger family car and were just browsing. The salesman who served us was very helpful and provided a lot of useful information. It was close to closing time but he never rushed us and was very patient.
We didn't end up buying a car that day as we found out that our insurance company would replace our car rather than giving us the money to spend on another one. But next time we're in the market I'm going to these guys.
They also do other cars even though the storefronts say Holden and Volkswagen. So all in all a good one stop shop for any car that takes your fancy.

Dessert Story is the perfect way to end off dinner at any of the restaurants at Kingsway. Service is super quick and courteous and they have to be because they have to keep the turnover going or it would get super crowded.

Mouthwatering Taiwan and Hong Kong desserts are so refreshing and delicious. I particularly like their Snow Series but bring a friend along because these servings are huge. If I can't convince someone to share with me I get their Mango Sago pudding with green tea ice cream. Hubby loves the sea coconut sago in coconut milk.
The prices are very reasonable considering that down the road you'd pay the same price for a small piece of over rich cake. Here you'd get a good size bowl of refreshing and not too sweet deliciousness.
I'd like to be able to recommend more of their offerings but the ones I've tried are so yummy that I keep going back for the same things. Their menu has about 100 different options not counting their extensive drinks menu.
Pop in between 12 noon and 3pm Monday to Friday for 15% off anything on the menu.

Approximate cost: $7

We got photos done with my Little Man was 2.5 weeks old. It was quite a cool day but the studio was nice and warm so baby was content to be stripped down for some obligatory newborn nudie shots.
David was fantastic and there was no rush. We were even able to take a short break for me to feed and change the baby.
We could view the photos immediately and choose what we wanted to be printed. He offers some good packages which are more affordable than some of the chain studios.
We ordered 4 shots in 3 copies for the grandparents and ourselves and received them by post in less than a week. He also included a free gift of 2 black and white magnet photos in another gorgeous picture which we didn't end up purchasing because we were limiting ourselves to 4 shots. So in the end we got 5 different pictures to remember our little one at 2 weeks old.

Excellent service and surprisingly good value for a local chemist. Usually these small stores find it hard to compete with the big chains in the Shopping Centers but the prices at Buckleys are quite comparable.

The biggest reason I go there is for the advice. Binh and Karmen who are the owners and pharmacists are very knowledgeable especially about medicines for children and what medications can and cannot be taken by a nursing mum. They are parents themselves and have first hand knowledge on how to deal with the usual kid ailments like teething, vaccinations, fevers etc.

I make it a point to go to them even if I happen to be passing by one of the big chain chemists because I like the personal attention and that the person I'm talking to is familiar with pharmacy needs. When I used to go to a big chain pharmacy I see someone new and I have to answer the same questions or listen to the same instructions over and over even for prescriptions that I've been renewing for years.

There is nothing like having a toddler in the house to really teach you the value of a good pharmacist. These guys really help make dealing with a indisposed child easier.

The service here is fantastic. Staff are very knowledgeable about the stock that they carry. And they help you to carry those big bags of dog food to the car. They also have a extra services like dog washing, grooming, puppy school all in one convenient location.
The range of aquariums and fish is also quite impressive although I have never bought fishes from them. It does look like they have everything you'd ever need to to set one up.
Carparking is very accessible and ample and located right at the front door.
When we lived in Brisbane I bought all my dogs food and gear from Petstock and have never been disappointed.

The Pizza House makes some of the best pizza I've ever had. They definitely don't skimp on the toppings to the point that you almost forget that there is bread under all that goodness. If I had to fault them for one thing it would be that the pizzas are a touch on the greasy side but still significantly less greasy than the big pizza chains. My picks are the Capricciosa (Tomato, Cheese, Ham, Mushrooms and Olives) or the Bosses Special (Tomato, Cheese, Ham, Hot Salami, Mushrooms, Capsicum, Spanish Onions, Pineapple, Prawns Olives and ANchovies - See I wasn't kidding about the topping frenzy)

Fortunately you can counter that with one of their homemade fresh garden or Greek salads which have such good quality greens that you can really taste the freshness. The BBQ ribs and chicken wings are also finger licking good.

The desserts are alright but they I could take them or leave them.

They have some good deals on combos where you can get a Large Pizza (u.p 11.90), Garlic Bread (u.p 3.50) and 1.25L drink (u.p 3.50) for 14.90.

The service is also very friendly I think everyone who works there is part of the same family and they are very friendly and helpful. Service is also very quick. Unless they are very busy I can usually call to put in an order for pick up and leave right after hanging up the phone for a leisurely 10 min stroll down the road and they'd just be finishing up my order as I get there.

This is definitely the best shop made pizza I've ever had. And we always make a point of mentioning it to our house guests when they arrive and have it for dinner that night.

Approximate cost: $11.90

I've flown Qantas domestically for business for a few years and have racked up a significant amount of Frequent Flyer Points. But try as I might I cannot seem to use them for flying with my family. We fly internationally to visit relatives in the US and Singapore at least twice a year.

In my extensive research, Qantas has the highest priced infant and toddler fares around and so even if I was to cash in points for myself for a round trip flight to Singapore I still end up paying about the same price for the whole family to travel as I would on another airline. However, if I was travelling with another airline I'd still have all my Qantas frequent flyer points (not that I can use them anyway).

I only fly Qantas because it is Company Policy to do so and they pay for it. But I really don't think there is value in the premium fares they charge for domestic flights when the only difference I see between Qantas and a budget airline is that the food cart that comes around with a drink (approx $3) and a scone (approx $4) or a bag of veggie chips (approx $2.50)

Qantas could have a lot of business from me (especially on their Sydney->Dallas route which I would fly at least once a year) if their fares and policies were more in line with the market. They don't even have to be cheaper, just comparable, rather than way outside of reasonable.

On the plus side, I have never had any reason to fault their ground staff, Qantas lounge staff or cabin crew which are very helpful and kind especially when I was doing weekly flights from Syd-Mel return all through my pregnancy. There was always someone to help me with my bags and make sure I had an easily accessible seat.