My husband Ryan and I have just come back from an incredible two night trip to Sydney in our home country, Australia. We left the children at home with Nanny and Poppy to celebrate hubby’s birthday, and my gosh did we celebrate! We packed so much into the weekend yet it was also very restful (not having the kids will do that!,) and we just had such a beautiful time. We covered so much ground, and visited only the best places, so if you are planning a trip to Sydney I highly recommend saving some notes from this blog post!
Getting there – We flew from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane on a quick one and a half hour flight. After arriving at the airport we decided to catch a train into the city. The cost was the same if not more expensive than getting Uber or a taxi, but because we don’t catch the train at home we did it for the experience, and it’s more environmentally friendly.
Accomodation – We stayed at the absolutely stunning Wyndham Sydney Suites in a one bedroom apartment. The hotel was centrally located to everything that we wanted to explore in the city, and our room provided a home away from home. Within the one bedroom suite we found a master bedroom with ensuite, kitchen, dining table, lounge room, two televisions and a fully equipped kitchen with everything we needed right down to a cooktop.
Itinerary –
FRIDAY – We arrived at our hotel at about 3:30pm on the Friday afternoon, and firstly had a quick meal in the beautiful hotel cafe. Then after checking out our room and dropping our bags off, we headed straight to the Opera house to explore this beautiful area. The famous Opera House is breathtaking so after doing a lap of the building, we settled down for a light dinner at Opera Bar, where we enjoyed a pizza and a perfect view of our new favourite spot.
After dinner we headed to a bar called Hyde which is renowned around the world. It’s cocktail list is exquisite and the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge phenomenal. We had a dinner reservation at Mr Wong’s that we missed, but next time we go to Sydney we will definitely make our table as it came highly recommended.
Later in the evening we took a walk around an area called the rocks, then further into the city to get some ice cream.
SATURDAY – In the morning we headed straight to Darling Harbour for breakfast where we enjoyed Eggs Benedict at Olivio’s. The people watching in Sydney is so much fun, with such a culture difference to our local Sunshine Coast area.
From Darling Harbour we took a taxi direct to Bondi Beach, enjoying a beautiful drive along the way. I particularly love looking at people’s houses and the different ways people live when on holiday.
When we got to Bondi we strolled along the beach and then onto the Main Street, stopping to admire variety of restaurants cafes this suburb offers. There are so many trendy places to enjoy and all of the store fit outs are stunning. We had a juice in a place called The Well.
Our walk concluded at Ice Bergs Restaurant and Bar where we stopped for lunch. We opted to eat in the bar area which had a relaxed vibe, delicious food and of course a stunning view of Bondi Beach. The staff were incredibly friendly and full of fun, I would highly recommend eating here if you are in Bondi.
After lunch we ticked off something that had been on my bucket list for years now m, and eas a swim in the famous Ice Bergs pool. It was a drizzly and fresh day but I manage to complete four laps and loved every second of it! There were big waves that day and watching them crash into the pool it was incredible. After my swim we took the coastal walk to Bronte Beach, before catching a cab back to Wyndham Sydney Suites.
At the hotel Ryan cooked up a snack of nachos for a pre dinner meal, because he is literally always hungry. There is a local store at the base of the hotel with everyone we needed.
That night we headed to a restaurant which had come highly recommended by a lot of my Instagram followers and that is China Doll. Located at the famous Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, China Doll is an award-winning restaurant delivering the ultimate Sydney dining experience to guests by serving up Pan-Asian dishes. My recommendation is the dumplings of any variety! After dinner we headed into the hotel Ovolo to check out their bar.
SUNDAY – On Sunday morning we had breakfast in the hotel cafe which is both convenient and extremely yummy. Then headed straight to the Sydney Harbour Bridge to experience their Summit express climb. This particular climb goes for 2 1/2 hours and covers over 1300 steps. Our guide Romeo was extremely knowledgeable, and very obviously enjoyed his job having worked there for 15 years. We took an exhilarating walk along the bridge, with the express climb taking a route through the bridge instead of along the top. We got to see aspects of the city and harbour, framed my the metal of the bridge’s structure. Then at the very end we climbed a staircase which led us to the summit… WOW what a view. I would highly recommend this climb to anyone and in particular the express because I loved the route that it took.
After we had worked up and appetite we took a 10 minute walk to Cafe Sydney, which had come highly recommended by my Instagram followers. This restaurant did not disappoint for its delicious food and stunning outlook of the harbour, I would recommend the crispy vegan tofu meal.
With our ice cream in tow, we headed across the road to the Circular Quay Station and jumped on a ferry to Manly. This took about 20 minutes each way, but there is also an express ferry. At Manly we took a walk around its main street and onto the beach. The sun had come out and it was a popular spot for tourist to take a swim, even some who were not fully prepared and were still in their clothes! We were feeling a little tired after all of the days activities, so headed to Hugo’s for an early dinner of pizza, a mocktail for me, and a cocktail for Ryan. Hugo’s sits directly on the water next to the ferry terminal with a water outlook, and is the perfect spot to wait for a return ferry to Circular Quay. Catching a ferry is an extremely cost-effective way to see all of the sites of the harbour from the water.
From Circular Quay we jumped in a cab and headed straight back to our hotel to get our bags, which the staff had kindly been storing for us. Then from the hotel it was onto the airport for our flight back to the Sunshine Coast.
We left Sydney with great admiration for this stunning city and for all that it offers from attractions, to restaurants, beaches and more. Sydney is the perfect destination for any Australian looking for a weekend away, whether you go with or without the children! And should also be at the top of the list of any international traveller heading to our beautiful Australia.
Lots of love!
