Sensational Sydney!

I was lucky enough to visit Sydney for a weekend whilst in Australia, I went with one of my colleagues from the office – Gabbie.  We got on really well from day one when I got to Australia so when we joked about going to Sydney, it did actually happen.  Gabbie used to live there so who better to go with as she knew where to go and what to see.  This again was one of my highlights of my visit to Australia. Bondi Beach was on my Bucket List as love to watch the programmes about the life guards and the vets there.

We called our adventure ‘Babs&Gabsontour’

We booked it about 3 weeks in advance and were so looking forward to it.  We flew from Brisbane to Sydney with the local airline Jetstar and it took only 1 hour 30 minutes, our flight was early at 9.30am so had the full day ahead of us. A cheeky drink before take off…

The flight went quick and we were soon in Sydney.  We used the train to get from the airport to the city and was really quick, only took about 20 minutes and I had my first glimpse of the Bridge & the Opera House – I was so excited to see them as never thought I would ever get here. It was then about a 10 minute walk to our hotel.  We stayed at The Holiday Inn Old Sydney which is right by the Overseas Passenger Cruise Terminal so great for guests sailing out of Sydney and only 10 minute walk to Opera House so a great location.

We were really pleased with the hotel, the staff were great and very helpful, comfortable & clean room and the best location we could wish for.

The only downfall on day 1 was the weather, it was pouring with rain and quote cold but that didn’t stop us, we borrowed a brolly from the hotel and went to explore.  From the rooftop of the hotel we could see the Opera House & Sydney Harbor bridge & the Overseas Passenger Cruise Terminal.  See these pictures in the rain and compare to better once the sun is out the next couple of days – such a contrast!

This is my favourite picture shows how bad the weather was that 1st day….

The Opera house looks yellow and not very attractive at all.

That 1st night we did a harbor dinner cruise with Captain Cook Cruises, it was fabulous, a 3 course meal with unlimited drinks and lasted about 2 hours.  We sailed round the harbor, past the Opera house & Luna Park and under the bridge – it was really enjoyable and a lovely meal with great company – Gabbie xx  For some reason we got sparklers in our pudding much to the dismay of other passengers & we still don’t know why!

The weather did not get any better that evening so after the cruise we headed back to the hotel to have a drink in the bar which turned into 3 as we were chatting away and planning our adventures for the next couple of days.

After a good nights sleep, the next morning I couldn’t wait to see what the weather was like & it didn’t disappoint, the sun was shining – yeah!!! We had a full on day today so we headed down to the harbor to grab some breakfast before heading to the park to meet out guide for our 3 hour tour.  This was great we did a city tour and also went to Mrs Macquaries chair, Bondi Beach and a stop to get some great photos of the Opera House & the bridge.  The guide was great – very knowledgeable and interesting.

Mrs Macquarie was the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, who was Govenor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. Folklore has it that she used to sit on the rock and watch for ships from Great Britain sailing into the harbour. She was known to visit the area and sit enjoying the panoramic views of the harbour. Her husband had this chair made from the rock so she could sit and watch.

The difference in colour when the sun is shining…….

First view of Bondi Beach!

I also took off my shoes and ran down to paddle in the water – can’t believe I have been to Bondi Beach – love watching those programmes now I’ve seen it for myself.

After our tour we headed back to the harbor to take the ferry over to Manly Beach, another popular beach with the locals & visitors, this beach was stunning and we walked a long way paddling in the water up and down, I loved Manly and could easy go back here but preferably when a bit warmer.

On the Manly ferry….

The captain suddenly stopped the boat on route and pointed out a pod of dolphins playing just in front of us – well I was in awe as I love dolphins and watched them play for a while before moving on.

Bubbles after our walk on Manly Beach..

After our visit to Manly we headed back to the hotel to change as we were going out for dinner, we went to a lovely Italian just behind the hotel which was lovely then to The Observer Hotel for a few drinks as a band was on, we had a really good night and met some great people.

The next morning we were up and out for breakfast then went to walk around the Opera House as the weather was so nice but 1st a visit to the cruise terminal as Sea Princess was in port. It is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel but down steps so if you have luggage I would suggest a cab and doesn’t cost too much – approx $10.

The weather was glorious today, warm and sunny so got some great pictures of the Opera house & the Harbor bridge.  We had coffee at the Opera Cafe and chilled for a while taking in the scenery.  I could quite easily have stayed for a few more nights.

I really loved Sydney and will definitely go back one day as so much more to see but had the best time with Gabbie & really appreciate her taking me for the weekend.

Our flight back was at 14.30 so time to head off to the airport, we took a cab which cost $45 and took about half an hour so not too bad and we were there in plenty of time.  We had booked a shuttle from the hotel but it was late and we couldn’t risk missing our flight after waiting 45 minutes so took a cab as much quicker. The shuttle cost $15 each so the extra for the cab was ok, better than paying for another flight if we’d missed it.

If sailing out of Sydney or returning to Sydney on a cruise I would recommend approx 3/4 nights here to really see all there is to see, we did a lot in 3 days but there is so much more.

I would be happy to assist you with your cruises to/from Australia & recommend where to stay & what to do so just call me or email me for details…

0330 303 8208

[email protected]