For two weeks in April 2018 etrip.tips headed to Sydney and Brisbane in Australia and reviewed the hotels and destinations we stayed in along the way. This is the handy collection of the blogposts:

Sydney

• Sydney
• Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Sydney
• Novotel Norwest Sydney
• Vulcan Hotel
• Hotel Palisade
• North Sydney Habourview
• Simpsons Potts Point
• Holiday Inn Potts Point

Brisbane

• Brisbane
• Adina Apartment Hotel
• Holiday Inn
• Il Mondo
• Ibis Styles Elizabeth Street
• Plaza Premium Lounge

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Day One

Our flight from Sydney landed about midday and we collected our luggage and headed out to the airport. A booth sold Go-Cards, the local public transport stored value card, so we got two of them and put $30 on them. The cards themselves cost $10 which was a deposit you got back when you returned the card and having a station at both Domestic and International Airports meant that we could get our money back as we left the country. Handy!

The train into the centre of town was clean and not crowded at all, and we amused ourselves looking out the windows at the view as it changed form the brush and trees near the airport, to the sporadic houses of suburbia and then onto more built up neighbourhoods as we approached the city.

Our first hotel was the Adina Apartment Hotel on Anzac Square – directly opposite the Central Rail Station. After lunching and then checking in, we headed out for dinner with my brother Anthony (Ants) and his family in Loganlea, a suburb an hour to the south. Interestingly Brisbane seemed to go from CBD to semi-rural suburbia without much in between. Maybe it was just the type of train we caught though (the Gold Coast line).

Visiting Family

My sister in law Lauryn made gluten free Kangaroo burgers which were delicious. I loved the DIY burger station – just add the bits you like. The ‘roo itself was a little denser than beef but very nice. It was great catching up with the kids and they all loved it when I read them a good night story.

Ants is also an avid traveller and Lauryn has a map in the wall to show the countries that they’ve been to – 84 at last count with an additional 4 coming up on their next trip. Lauryn has challenged him to get to 100 countries by the time he’s 40 – apparently they’re well on track. The map is surrounded by photos of the people they’ve met and the places they’ve gone to and it’s quite an impressive tribute to their travels.

I’ve been lucky enough that our respective travels have coincided a few times, and make sure I visit them almost everywhere they’ve lived around the world.

After the kids have gone to sleep and we notice that we’re starting to nod ourselves, we head back into the city via the train.

Day Two

West End Dinner

Next day after checking in, we headed over to the Holiday Inn Express. Ange had some work to finish off so I made a nuisance of myself with the TV and stared out at the view.

In the evening we headed out to the West End for dinner with friends of Angela’s. The West End sits behind the touristy area of the South Bank and every other shop seems to be a restaurant or bar. We headed back at a reasonable hour but the vibe on the street was that things were only just getting started! One of Ange’s friends drove us back to the hotel afterwards which was nice.

Day Three

The next day we checked out of the hotel and headed into Fortitude Valley to have lunch with a friend of mine from school. Over ribs we interrogated Andrew on the must-sees in Brisbane. He frowned as he considered his answer.

“Most people come to Brisbane to go somewhere else” he said eventually “usually up north to the Sunshine Coast or down south to the Gold Coast”. Surely there’re things to see in Brissie? we asked. He mentioned a few things we could do and then suggested we meet him at New Farm Park the following night – free comedy at a hipster bar he knew in the old Powerhouse nearby. Hard to resist!

After returning to the hotel we Ubered to Il Mondo Boutique Hotel on Kangaroo Point and then looked around there. Night fell quickly – as you get closer to the tropics sunset is less a dragged out affair and more of an instantaneous transition from day to night: one minute we were admiring the orange sky over the Story Bridge, the next it’s pitch black save for the neon in the distance in the CBD and the street lights.

It was the first night we weren’t catching up with friends or family, so after dinner at a local restaurant we just headed back to the hotel, and enjoyed the view from the balcony.

Day Four

After checking out of Il Mondo, we headed across the river to the Ibis Styles Brisbane in Elizabeth Street for a two night stay. We checked in, dropped off our luggage and grabbed some food from a nearby food court and then came back to the hotel.

The weather had been following a pattern of starting with bright blue skies, clouding by late morning with light rain in the afternoon, then clearing in the evening. Today was different though: by lunchtime the clouds had turned a darker shade than normal, and by mid afternoon the rain was coming down hard. And it kept coming.

Brisbane Powerhouse

We’d arranged to meet Andrew at New Farm Park where the plan was that we’d throw the aerobie (a ring shaped frisbie-like object) around the park before heading to the Powerhouse for the comedy, and when the time came to head out the rain had paused, though the sky was still laden with heavy clouds.

We walked the short trip from the hotel to the ferry station, one eye on the clouds. We took the free city hopper ferry to the park and as we got on the heavens opened again. We went from riverside jetty to riverside jetty hoping that the deluge would abait but all to no avail. We got off at our stop along with some other passengers and we all waited under cover in the vain hope that the rain would somehow abate. It did not.

Eventually we decided that we needed to meet Andrew at the meeting spot and headed off under Ange’s umbrella. It wasn’t much fun both of us cramped under the same small umbrella, both affecting a very weird gait to ensure that we maximised the portion of our respective bodies that were under cover. Sort of like a drunk three-legged race.

Anyway the rain had at least eased to a steady thrum from the tropical downpour by the time wed’d managed to walk through the very picturesque Merthyr Park and along Oxlade Drive to the entrance to New Farm Park.

Andrew met us there, also a little damp from the walk from his car. We bundled into his car and decided that instead of throwing a disc around in the park, we’d just head to the Powerhouse and dry out over a drink or three.

Andrew was the consummate host, and didn’t allow us to pay for anything. We grazed through some bar snacks and tried a few drinks while catching up on old times. Before we knew it, it was time to move to a different part of the complex and settle in for the comedy. Which was… worth what we paid for it. I don’t want to sound mean, but screeching about how hard comedy is does not entertainment make.

Each act had maybe a couple of lines of mirth padded out to a fifteen minute slot and even the compere was finding it hard going. The headline act were good though – Release the Bees. A comedy duo in a similar vein to Flight of the Concords (I’m sorry – every musical comedy duo for the next 5 years will be compared to FotC), they made the night worthwhile. Or maybe that was the free food and drink and good company?

Anyways, after the gig we went back to Andrew’s place to meet his partner and play board-games before Andrew dropped us back off into the City.

Day Five

Daisy Hill Koala Centre

As usual the day dawned with better weather and once we had breakfasted it was time to go back South to meet Ants, Lauryn en famille and enjoy the Daisy Hill Koala Centre. This is a free sanctuary for Koalas who have been run over or attacked by dogs and they nurse them back to health as well as using them as a resource for teaching conservation.

It’s a compact facility, squarely aimed at the kids with an opportunity to dress up and administer first aid on koala teddy bears, as well as a scatological exhibition entitled “Whose Poo?”.

There’s an observation tower allowing views up into the tree canopy of the bush around the sanctuary, and on the way up it we could see into one of the offices where there was a human sized stuffed koala reclining in a chair. A little surreal. There’s also exhibits on some of Australia’s other animals and a movie theatre with some very interesting documentaries.

The sanctuary itself sits on a large reserve of natural bush and other animals can be seen in and around – we go for a walk and spot some weird snails with a disproportionate body to shell ratio, a kookaburra, a frog and even a wallaby (or it might have been a small kangaroo).

Afterwards we head back to Ant’s and Lauryn’s for dinner.

When they’d lived in Vienna, they had discovered a ribs place on the river called the Strand Cafe. Each time I visited them there we’d head down and marvel as the waiters would carry around huge boards of ribs – so heavy that they had to wear special wrist guards. The huge platter of delicious ribs had certainly set the bar high and I can’t help but compare all subsequent rib meals to them.

One time I visited Ants & Lauryn and the Cafe was undergoing renovations – I almost turned around and got straight back on the plane. Anyway, Lauryn had decided to try her own take on ribs and had made her own rub and everything! They came out very well and the evening was a success.

After dinner we headed back by train, getting off at South Brisbane station to walk across the Victoria Bridge back to our hotel. It was nice seeing the city all lit up.

Day Six

GOMA

Our last day was the most touristy. We checked out and left the luggage at the hotel. Then we headed over to the GOMA (Queensland Gallery of Modern Art) where there was a exhibition by Patricia Piccinini called Curious Affection. This cost $18 but was disturbingly good. The exhibition consisted of a large number of disturbingly realistic statues of… creatures.

Sometimes there would be two figures, one a perfectly normal person/child and then another more grotesque. The interplay between the figures would always be loving or friendly, without any revulsion or other recognition of the “other-ness”.

There’s something called the Uncanny Valley. This is a relationship between the realisticness of a thing and the emotions that are illicited from that thing. Basically a toaster doesn’t look human and therefore can just be treated as a machine. But as androids and robots get closer to looking and behaving like humans, there is a revulsion felt.

The exhibition had reminded me of a statue I had seen in a museum in Washington, Ron Mueck’s Untitled (Big Man). I’d had my photo taken with it but it was a test of wills to stand beside it because it looked so real that I truly expected it to stand up or move of its own volition. I’m not the first to draw parallels between the two artists – altogether too easy when they’re both Australians –  but whereas Piccinini shows love when we expect revulsion, Mueck is more about exposing raw humanity by making the sculptures huge. Just my opinion anyway!

River cycle

Afterwards we thought about taking in more of the GOMA, but we instead headed out to get some bikes to ride by the river. This turned out to be harder than we thought. There are dozens of CityCycle stations around Brisbane where you can rent a bicycle (and if it hasn’t been lost, a helmet also) for a $2 membership fee.

As long as you keep returning the bike within 30 minutes, you can effectively ride it all day for nothing more. And it’s only $2 if you happen to just miss the 30 minute mark. Unfortunately they’re incredibly popular, but fortunately each station will tell you where the nearest other stations are and how many bikes are available at each one. Unfortunately it doesn’t show a map so make sure you’ve got one!

So the first station we went to only had one bike, despite the online website saying that they should have twelve. We navigated to the next closest station in the Botanical Gardens and there were two bikes there with helmets, so away we went.

We headed from the Botanical Gardens down to the riverside and then proceeded to ride alongside the river all the way back towards New Farm Park, keeping one eye on the path and the other on the different parts of the city as we made our way through them.

First of all was the Gardens themselves – an oasis in the CBD with 18 hectares of parkland which opened back in 1828. The track follows the bank of the river for 1.8km and then pops out to the CBD. A path between the river and the skyscrapers of the business district is shared between pedestrians and cyclists, but everyone seems to be sharing the space nicely, and nobody objects to the off ringing of the bell to let them know that you’re there.

The CBD retreats as you hit the RiverWalk, which is a floating walkway over the river set out away from the bank to give a truly unique perspective on the city from river level. The houses which face onto the river have their own jetties and it’s fascinating seeing how the other half live – these are not cheap properties!

Finally we ride through the same Merthyr Park where we’d been caught in the rain and it’s much nicer when you’re not concentrating on trying to keep under a tiny umbrella. We end up dropping off the bikes just after the Park, and then walking back to the Ferry stop to catch the City Hopper again to make our way back to the Hotel.

Ange wanted to see the City Beach, an artificial swimming environment on the South Bank beside the river, modeled on an Australian ocean beach. I must admit the juxtaposition of a man-made beach right beside a natural river did appeal, so we got off the City Hopper a little before our Hotel and travelled along the South Bank.

Streets Beach

There, nestled between the restaurants and the river, was an oasis of a swimming hole complete with life guards and sand.

Signage let people know that the life-guards weren’t baby-sitters and some tourists were actually in the water. I could tell that they were tourists because although the temperature was in the mid twenties Celsius (~70°F) and therefore warm enough to swim, for local Brisbanites that would be way too cold.

Further long the banks of the river were the letters spelling out Brisbane, painted in various different colours. Unfortunately this made the photos we took not very good as the letters failed to stand out against the background. Ange tried to clamber on the “s” of Brisbane but again, it was hard to see her. Not quite as good as some of the other city letter statues around.

Finally we came to the Victoria Bridge and headed to the monument to the right of it. This turned out to be the remnants of the previous bridge that stood here, and serves as a permanent monument to an 11 year old boy, Hektor Vasyli, who was accidentally killed while welcoming the Australia soldiers home from World War 1.

We crossed the bridge for the last time and then came across a parade. Hundreds of Sikhs were marching, accompanied by police, trucks and attendants handing out apples. The trucks held men sitting on the floor and singing into microphones and at the head of the parade, after the police car and pipe band were a line of elders in bare feet marching solemnly.

Various members of the parade twirled some sort of plastic contraption and would fling them into the air before catching them and continuing their rapid rotation.

We find out later it is to celebrate Vaisakhi – the start of the Punjabi New Year and the anniversary of the year (1699) when Sikhism was born as a collective faith tradition.

Ready to head back home, we got our luggage and got on the train to the airport. At the airport station we found a kiosk and got a refund for the remaining cash on our Go travel card, plus the deposit, and then caught our plane back home. We hadn’t done a whole heap of touristy things, but we’d had a really good time in Brisbane.

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When we arrived the place was almost empty – maybe three or four other people. The lounge isn’t huge:  a curtain wall of bamboo separates an eating area from a collection of hexagonal work stations, while the floor to ceiling windows allow those in the three or four hanging chairs near the entrance to look out over the concourse.

There’s a surprisingly wide array of food and drink available, including hot options. For a compact lounge I think it punches above its weight for selection. There’s butter chicken and roast lamb along with either boiled or vegetable fried rice, plus a pretty good salad selection and cold cuts so that you can make your own sandwiches.

Hidden away beside the salad are the dessert items: lamingtons and white mousse. We were lucky enough to arrive as they were putting out fresh scones with jam and cream – a nice touch when the scones are still warm from the oven!

Self service juice tureens alongside a soda bar were other nice touches, and there were a couple of different beers on tap while behind the bar were top shelf spirits.

But the piece de resistance for me was the automatic pancake making machine. Once I got it going (the lid on top needed clicking down firmly), it was cool watching the splosh of batter make its way along the conveyor belt getting cooked and then plop onto the plate at the end.

I’d still be there today making pancake after pancake with a push of a button if we hadn’t had to leave to make our flight. Speaking of which, keep an eye on the time. The lounge is at one end of the concourse and we left from the gate at the other end which took a good twenty minutes of walking to reach. Just an FYI.

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It doesn’t take long to get to the Ibis Styles on Elizabeth Street in Brisbane. Nestled in the centre of Brisbane CBD, the hotel is roughly equidistant from the Central, Roma Street and South Brisbane train stations, and adjacent to the Casino in the old Treasury building beside the river. We arrive around lunch time to check-in and our Deluxe Corner Room with River View is ready so we head up to the fifteenth floor and quickly drop off our luggage.

We grab lunch at the neighbouring food court at the Myer Centre which ends up taking a lot longer than we intend merely because there are so many food outlets from which to choose!

Room

When we get back to our room we’re quietly impressed. We’re in a corner room on the 15th floor, so the views are exquisite. One side features a view over neighbouring buildings to the pool of a nearby hotel, but the main view is of the river over toward the South Bank and Victoria Bridge.

The room makes clever use of space so the closet is exposed and the kettle and iron hidden away. There’s a huge big screen TV on the wall near the ceiling. In the entrance way is a table overlooking the floor to ceiling windows, allowing some work to be done should that be necessary.

The bed is huge and comfortable. The blinds are really important in a tropical area: Queensland doesn’t do daylight savings so sunrise is at 6am – not the best if you want to sleep in: you want to make sure that the there are no chinks in the blinds!

When we arrived the sun was out but it didn’t take long for the clouds to roll in. I expected a lightning storm but the sound of distant thunder turned out to be three defence force helicopters travelling maybe twenty metres above out room level following the river south west. I was kicking myself for missing the photo op as I watched them pass at almost eye level.

The view is almost worth it just to watch the sun go down and the city come to life under the night lights. Being so close to the action does come with a pair of negatives though. Around the corner from the hotel, opposite the casino, just outside a burger joint is a congregation point for the homeless. And there’s a live music venue on Reddacliff Place that plays late on the weekend. Hardly the hotel’s fault of course.

I found out later that the hotel has a complimentary guest laundry on level 4. An awesome offering which I wish I had known about.

Breakfast

Apparently all rooms come with a free continental buffet breakfast which you can upgrade to include the cooked items. I’m not sure how they police that, but we were lucky to be given the full experience, and we took advantage of it. The standard cooked and cold offerings were there, with a few additional items which I would not have expected to see.

Things like cinnamon sticks added to the bowls of fruit for a slight twist, and yum cha dumplings added on one of the mornings as a nod to the Chinese guests. The breakfast room is a good size and overlooks the street offering a view of the bustle outside.

Pros and Cons

Would I Go Back?

Definitely – the location is perfect and the views fantastic. It’s tempting to sit in front of the floor to ceiling windows with a tasty beverage and watch the city transition from bustling city centre during the day, to party entertainment area at night.

The Ibis Styles Brisbane Elizabeth Street supported our Brisbane trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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I have a lot of time for the Il Mondo. Situated on Kangaroo Point with the Brisbane river on three sides, this boutique hotel is as close to the centre of Brisbane as you can get without being surrounded by be-suited office workers. In fact Kangaroo Point manages to invoke more of the ambience of a sleepy seaside neighbourhood from one of Australia’s ubiquitous TV soaps than an inner city fringe suburb. If it wasn’t for the bridge connecting to the CBD that is.

Room

We headed up to the room on arrival and we’re pleasantly surprised. The room was an apartment with a huge lounge with a full kitchenette. Including a dishwasher!!

A couch and armchair faced the big screen TV over a stylish coffee table and a dining room table with four chairs sat in the corner, offering views out to the river, over not one but two balconies.

The bedroom was all style. A second door to the balcony offered indoor/outdoor flow, while the bed itself was enormous and stylishly laid out with a bazillion pillows. Both lounge and bedroom had independent air con which came in handy: we had the lounge air con on at night which allowed near silent coolness to reign in the bedroom.

The bathroom was nice. A roomy shower with well powered shower and Natural Earth toiletries from NZ.

Dinner

We headed out to explore the neighbourhood and find somewhere to eat. The Compendium in the room had listed the nearby restaurants and eateries and there were a fair few to choose from. We passed the local sports bar and gave it a miss. While it was a lively and energetic atmosphere we decided we were after a more laid back and conversation conducive spot. We found that at the St James Crabshack, not five minutes walk from the hotel.

Crabshack

The Crabshack was almost empty when we arrived and we raised a bemused eyebrow at each other when we were asked if we had a booking. They managed to squeeze us in and we selected a seat near the exposed brickwork and event posters on the wall beside the kitchen.

The owner walked us through the specials and offered us the $100 per person platter which we decided was just a little too much to spend on a meal. Instead, spurred by a hunger from a full day of activities, we decided to have the garlic shrimps each, followed for Ange by the crab cakes while I had the full kilo of mussels and we shared some onion rings and a coleslaw.

The waitress who brought our drinks also brought plastic bibs and gloves and showed us how to put them on. Ange didn’t need them having ordered cutlery-friendly food, but I availed myself of the bib, knowing how messy mussels can get when you add tomato into the mix.

I didn’t realise that the shrimps would come on a hot plate, sizzling away dramatically. They were also accompanied by some soft toasted baguette, which was perfect for soaking up the garlic juices after the shrimp was gone. The best part was the size of the shrimps – so big that even after you chopped the head off and took the last of the shell off there was enough meat to justify the price. Lovely! Ange really enjoyed her crab cakes, but the highlight of the evening for me were the mussels.

I’m a bit of a mussel snob, being lucky enough to be brought up in New Zealand. There when you have mussels, if they’re not the size of your thumb then they’re considered too small. Being spoiled like that makes some experiences in other countries a little disappointing, but Australia delivered, with nice big juicy mussels in a lovely tomato based broth. More baguette soaked up the broth once all the mussels were gone and after I got rid of the shells came the treasure hunt looking for mussels that had managed somehow to escape into the tomato-ey goodness.

Full and satisfied, we waddled out into the night, happy with the meal. By the time we left the restaurant had filled up nicely and the volume risen considerably. It was amusing watching the owner offer the $100 per person special to everyone that came in – I wondered how many people would take him up on the offer, it seemed to be good value, just a lot of crustaceans!

Breakfast

In the morning back at the hotel we wandered down to see what was on offer for breakfast. For $10 per person we got an impressive continental offering including, juices and milks, three different breads for toasting, five different cereals, yoghurt and fruit. Tea and a coffee machine rounded out the offerings. The breakfast room itself was a cool space with a book swap and newspapers should you get bored with the news on TV.

Amenities

There were a few additional amenities we didn’t avail ourselves: the on-site restaurant, the free bike hire, the coin operated laundry (hidden away in the basement), and the swimming pool which was accessed through the carpark outside the reception area. The steps from the front office passed over the pool and when we left I looked wistfully at the cool and refreshing water. Tempting to just jump from the steps – next time!

Pros and Cons

Would I Go Back?

In a heartbeat! A great place to stay in Kangaroo Point with everything you need for lengthy stays with enough room so you don’t feel cramped and all the mod cons including a dishwasher in the full kitchen.

The Il Mondo Boutique Hotel supported our Brisbane trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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We were surprised when we tried to check-in early to our room at the Holiday Inn Express Brisbane Central and found that it was both ready and available.

Situated equidistant from the CBD and Fortitude Valley, the hotel straddles the slight hill between the suburbs which affords it a good view out across the rooftops of the city fringe in one direction, and back towards the skyscrapers of the CBD in the other.

We’d managed to get a room on the tenth floor so headed up to see how good the view was.

The Room

The room wasn’t enormous but had managed to cleverly include everything you’d need. The bed was a good size and the decor was subdued with a splash of colour to liven things up.

The motif of the Brisbane River was repeated through out the design with the pattern of the river featuring on the frosted glass of the bathroom walls.

The room had sufficient workspaces to get some work done, though the chair beside the window lent itself more to staring out over the view – good for relaxing if not the most productive!

One thing that stood out for me were the power plugs. The Holiday Inn had followed designs we’d seen in higher end hotels where each power point was accompanied by one or more USB ports. Handy if you didn’t have an adapter and needed to recharge your phone.

The Bathroom

The bathroom mirror had that cool edging made of light that apparently helps you see better when you’re putting on makeup, and the toiletries were Urban Skincare Co.

The shower had the rainforest head I’ve come to love and it was switchable with a massage setting. This forced the water through fewer outlets which strengthened the flow making for a delightful pummelling on shoulders and neck. It was quite the struggle of willpower to get out! One thing that struck us about the bathroom though was the glass walls – when one of us visited the facilities late at night, there was no protection from the bathroom light for the other person in the bed. Less than ideal.

The Breakfast

The funky cafe on the ground floor converted into a very well-stocked breakfast in the morning. It had all the standard fare, your bacon and yoghurt and toast etc., but two things stood out for me.

One was they had these cute little omelettes that were all uniform in size – obviously some sort of cookie cutter arrangement while cooking, but they tickled me.

The other was the attitude that they had towards the breakfast. From check-in when the staff member had said “just head down and help yourself, you don’t have to find anyone to tick you off the list” all the way to the plastic containers and sign which said “Take me with you: grab and go here”, the relaxed attitude to the food was in stark contrast to other places we’ve stayed.

The ability to grab a decent breakfast, while still being able to make your early morning meetings, would surely be appreciated by the executive on the go!

Pros and Cons

Would I Go Back?

Absolutely – the location is good and the attitude is friendly and relaxed. I particularly liked the breakfast and the view from the room is great.

The Holiday Inn Express Brisbane Central supported our Brisbane trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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The Room

Our room has a separate lounge area, a bedroom and a large bathroom. It’s impressive what they can fit into the space: in the lounge is also the kitchenette, a small table with two chairs for dining.

The kitchenette has a hob and a fridge along with coffee making facilities.

A large table at the window overlooks Anzac Square with its tomb of the unknown soldier, and a big screen TV and couch are separated by a coffee table. It’s certainly comfortable in size and with enough amenities to allow a self contained stay over a long term.

The bed is a great size and the wall between the bedroom and lounge makes the space feel more private. The only problem is the gaps around the front door are a little large and let the light from the hallway stream into the room. Strategically placing the unneeded pillows blocks out the rays of light though!

The bathroom is perfect for the long term traveller: it’s got a washer/dryer along with some laundry powder. Perfect for the weary traveller on their last pair of clean underwear! The shower is above a full-sized bath tub and the toiletries are Antipodean Body Care.

The decor of the building is in keeping with its history. It is now a heritage listed building and was built between 1931 to 1959. The Art Deco influences in the lobby are also illustrated in the hallways and lounge areas.

We didn’t have breakfast at the hotel, but managed to snap a few shots of the breakfast room as they were clearing everything away. It looked like there were some warmer trays fro keeping cooked food hot and ample space for coffee and juice so I think we may have missed something special!

In terms of amenities, there’s no gym or pool, but the greatest attractions of the Adina are twofold: the central location and the self-contained living afforded by a fully contained apartment.

Duce & Co. Cafe

Instead of paying for breakfast, we elected to nip out and go to the first coffee place nearby for a bite to eat. This ended up being a little bit of a farce. First of all Duce & Co. is tucked away down a flight of stairs. Quaint. Rustic. There are a strip of coffee cup lids with joyous messages on them beneath a sign saying to “Pay it Forward” – a really nice system where you can pay for someone else’s coffee if you’re feeling generous and a way to get caffeinated if it’s the day before payday.

It takes a few minutes for the owner to finish serving the other customers and then it’s our turn to order. Our initial attempts to order from the menu are rebuffed by a vaguely apologetic explanation that they’ve only just reopened and haven’t managed to get to the store yet. We shift tack and suggest he tell us what he does have and we’ll select from that.

He starts going through the menu and mentions that he has bagels. Ooh, I’ll take a salmon bagel I offer. He looks uncomfortable and says “well, I could sell you that, but I’d rather not”. I look incredulous and he elaborates that it would be safer if I chose something else.

I end up getting the banana bread and Ange gets a spinach and feta muffin from the cabinet. We both choose the banana smoothie, and he heads tot he kitchen. A few minutes he heads back and apologetically explains that he doesn’t have any bananas for the smoothie, and would we like the berry smoothie instead. We take the road of least resistance and agree.

When we get the food it’s very good – I’m a great fan of my banana bread – but Ange finds the berry smoothie a little too thick for her straw and says she’ll try drinking straight from the glass mug. She keeps an eye on the ice in the glass but it still all comes out in a rush leaving her with an amusing handlebar moustache of spilt berry smoothie and a skittering of ice on the table.

Pros and Cons

Would I Go Back?

Oh yes! The Adina gives you a base to explore the centre of Brisbane and with enough of the comforts of home to allow you to stay long term. I wouldn’t hesitate!

The Adina Apartment Hotel on Anzac Square supported our Brisbane trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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Unfortunately, the work meetings were all out in Norwest so it wasn’t possible to sight-see afterwards. The conference was at UTS – great central location very near the Central Train Station. We stayed at the Vulcan Hotel and then moved up to the Hotel Palisade in Miller’s Point. After the conference we headed to the North Sydney Harbourview, and a then couple of hotels at Potts Point – Simpsons and the Holiday Inn.

Opera House & Harbour Bridge

The two icons of Sydney are the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. If you’re feeling particularly rich you can explore both of these structures with truly unique experiences, but it’s also possible to get a feel for them without spending any money at all.

Opera House

We had a number of options for exploring the Opera House. The cheapest would have involved just wandering around the bits the public are allowed access to – the concourse around the Opera House including the steps. Another option would have been to go to a performance in one of the concert halls.

Apparently it’s possible to get discounted tickets at GroupOn or you could try Sydney Opera’s website. We looked at the options for a tour and the standard Access Tour ranged from (AUD)$40 per person for a standard tour of an hour to the Backstage Tour (2.5 hours, $175) and on to the Taste of the Opera House (4 hours, $295). You get a 10% discount for booking online.

We ended up getting the introductory tour and rocked up to the meeting point, where a camera wielding assistant insisted on taking everyone’s photograph. Our tour guide then arrived with headphones and iPod sized receivers and handed them out to everybody.

After checking that everybody could hear her and that none of the receivers were broken, we headed off on the tour. The tour guide introduced herself as ‘Floyd’ and we were shown the backstage area and then climbed the stairs to various parts of the lobby. Floyd proceeded to give us the low down of the House and how it was built etc. We even went into the main Concert Hall and marvelled at the pipe organ, main stage and designer seats.

In the lobby and the stairwell we were shown two videos, but they kind of seemed to be there to pad out the tour to the required hour. Floyd did well, answering questions with aplomb and pointing out the interesting features and highlights of the tour, but I came away with a vague sense of dissatisfaction.

Thinking about it later I think it’s because Floyd did such a good job in person that the videos felt superfluous. But then, there’s only so much you can do when you can’t go through the complete backstage areas.

After the tour proper we were led to a booth where they presented us each with a personalised hard cover ring-bound booklet with information about the Opera House and five or six photos of us in front of various scenes featuring the Opera House. The photograph they’d taken at the beginning of the tour had been with green light against a reflective background so it acted like a green screen, allowing them to superimpose the image of us in front of any standard background shot they already had.

Kind of tacky when the green screen shot of us in front of the steps leading up to the Opera House could be actually taken not 50m from here we were standing! And then they told us the price – $50! I didn’t see any of the people on the tour taking them up on the offer.

The Rocks

After we’d chortled our way out of the Opera House, we headed to the historical centre of Sydney: The Rocks. This suburb is nestled between the Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and Darling Harbour and has managed to retain its character despite being earmarked as the next obvious location for skyscrapers and high rise apartment blocks.

It’s now a hot bed of over priced street stalls and retail shops targeting the tourist market. We stop off at the Endeavour Tap Rooms and have lunch – Ange gets a grilled chicken salad, which she says is great, and I get a Wagyu Burger.

Which turns out to be a slab of meat in a bun with a little mayonnaise and a slice or two of gherkin. The meat is nice, but the burger is totally underwhelming – no lettuce, no tomato, nothing else. It is good to get out of the hot sun though, and dining alfresco is a great way to people watch.

Museum

The Rocks Museum is free but don’t let that put you off going. All the exhibits are well put together and while there aren’t many of them, the charm of the museum comes when you head upstairs. The exhibits continue but are augmented by videos of the neighbourhood over the years and how times have changed. There’s four or five videos and it’s interesting how they really make the museum experience compete, whereas the videos on the Opera house Tour felt tacked on.

Marvelling at the museum, we head back out into the rocks, wanting to walk back to the hotel over the Harbour Bridge. The afternoon is starting to give way to evening and the wind has picked up a little bit. The layout of the streets is such that a wind tunnel is created, and the funnelled wind picks up some of the tents in the street market which are attempting to separate tourists from their money in exchange for tacky trinkets.

The tents don’t quite fly away as they are attached to each other at the base, but they do get to about twenty feet in the air like a caterpillar pawing at the sky before coming back down to earth with a crash. Well meaning tourists approach to help the shopkeepers gather their merchandise but the security guards gently push them away, no doubt concerned by the potential to purloin the products. Ange and I walk on, trying to make the Harbour Bridge before sunset so we can take photos.

Harbour Bridge

We find the stairs to the Harbour Bridge, which is a long way from where the bridge crosses the water. Still in suburbia, we climb the stairs to the entrance and try to find the way to go on the Western side so that we can take photos of the sunset.

Unfortunately the only way we can see to go on that side of the bridge is if we are on bicycles. I ask a nearby security guard if it is possible to go on that side by foot and he lets me know that the Eastern side is for pedestrians and the Western side is only for cyclists. Oh well Ange and I tell each other, we’ll just have to make do with shots of the Opera House instead.

It doesn’t take long to cross the bridge and the views are amazing. First of all is the back side of a Brutalist Apartment block which was obviously built in the 60s or 70s and reminds me of the Barbican in London.

After that we really start gaining altitude and the views over the Harbour to the Opera House are spectacular.

As we approach the entrance to the pylon (which you can climb for $15) we could see the people doing the Harbour Bridge Climb where they actually walk up over the metal arches elevated above the car-level. We’d looked at doing this bit at $300 per person, we really couldn’t justify the cost.

The flags fly near the middle of the bridge and it’s good to be able to tell how far we’ve come and how far there is left to go. Periodically there are security guards and video cameras, presumably to stop people from trying to clamber up the security fences and plummet to their deaths off the bridge. The fences are curved at the top to help prevent this, but regardless of the successful of these preventative measures, the net effect is to make for some awesome photos.

Anyway, we made our way back past Luna Park to our hotel and relax with some nice room service. It’d been a long day with lots of walking, but the best thing about Sydney’s iconic landmarks is that they’re close enough together to do them in one day.

We were changing accommodation from the North Shore of Sydney to Potts Point the next day, but didn’t want to travel from one side of the bridge to the other and then have to go back again to collect our luggage, so we checked our baggage into Baggage Storage opposite the cruise terminal. For storing our three bags for 4 hours we’d have to pay $30. And then we were off to Manly on the ferry.

Day Trip to Manly Beach

Back in the 80’s there was a cool song by Australian Crawl called Reckless which included a reference to the Manly Ferry. It remains quite an iconic symbol of the connection between the surf beaches of the Eastern parts of Sydney and the CBD. We decided we’d head out there and do the Manly to Shelly Beach Walk.

The Ferry itself was chocker and we settled in to the upper deck, electing to sit inside rather than attempt to fight the crowds for one of the few seats outside. It took maybe 30 minutes to get across and using the Opal Card only cost $7.35.

If we’d taken the Manly Fast Ferry instead we could have done the trip in 18 minutes at the cost of $9.10. The Ferry disgorged its passengers and like a tsunami we flowed from the wharf across the street towards the beach. Or maybe we were like baby turtles all hatching and rushing for the water, picked off one-by-one by shops or restaurants on the way.

Ange and I were hungry and could see a terrace bar from street level which would mean we’d be away from the crowds while still getting fed in the shade, so we headed into the New Brighton Hotel and up the stairs. And more stairs. There were a lot of stairs. All the way to the roof where the waitress kindly pointed out that there was a lift we could have taken.

As I got my breath back we checked out the rooftop – there was exposed seating areas overlooking the beach, but we were keen on avoiding the sun for as long as we could, so selected some seats in the shade.

There was a lovely wicker teepee which reminded me of the similar structures we’d see in Menton, but we figured it would be too awkward to eat while inside. The meal itself was good: Ange had the grilled chicken salad with beetroot and I decided since we were at the beach that I would have the fish and chips. Deeelish!

And then it was on to the walk. It’s only 1.5km from the main promenade to the Shelly Headland Upper Lookout, but that last section from Shelly Beach is a little steep.

On the way we took in the sights, amongst which were the beach fun hire tent, Eastern Water Dragons (cat sized lizards) basking and dodging people trying to feed them BBQ meat, people doing handstands on the rocks, Bush Turkeys, a stuffed tiger in a tree and heaps of people sunbathing or enjoying beach side dining in one of the many restaurants.

The view from the headlands was stunning.

We then headed back to the wharf, stopping briefly at Manly Beach for an ice cream. When we got to the wharf we had maybe twenty minutes to wait, so strategically placed ourselves where the upper deck gates would open, with the view of securing seats at the front of the boat outside. When the gates finally opened the crowd surged forward and we surfed the surge all the way to the front and secured some seats.

The boarding continued on and by the time the ferry left Manly, there was quite the crowd standing directly in front of us! Can’t complain though: everyone was trying to get a good spot to capture shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as we came into the harbour.

The trip back was interesting for a couple of reasons – the first being the conditions. There’s a brief period as you cross the harbour when you’re not protected by the headlands and the sea is briefly choppy. The spray mists across the exposed areas of the deck which makes you viscerally aware the fact that you’re out on the water and not safely ensconced inside. The other part which raised a wry smile was the interaction with the other Harbour users. Other boaties in yachts, pleasure cruisers and small runabouts all waved as they passed, with one scallywag taking the opportunity to moon us.

Anyway, we managed to navigate our way back into the Harbour, past one of the enormous cruise liners that were in port and back to Pier Three where we had left from earlier in the day. Then we hustled back to the Baggage Storage so that we didn’t have to pay for extra time. Circular Quay was a bit quieter in the afternoon as the passengers for the Cruise ship had all embarked meaning there weren’t queues snaking out of the Passenger Terminal. After picking up our luggage, we Ubered to Simpsons of Potts Point, our next accommodation.

Bondi to Coogee Walk

The next day we headed out to do the Bondi to Coogee Walk. Getting to the start of the walk would involve taking the train to Bondi Junction and then a bus to Bondi Beach for the reasonable sum of $2.57 and taking 33 minutes. The walk takes in six beaches and bays, each with their own character.

Bondi Beach

The most famous of the beaches is Bondi Beach, a large 1 kilometre swathe of sand pounded by surf and enjoyed by swimmers and surfers alike. At the southern end is Icebergs, a private pool close enough to get water splashing into it from the sea. Entry is $7 and includes access to the sauna. It would be tempting to actually do the Bondi to Coogee Walk the other way around, ending here at Bondi and having a dip in Icebergs to celebrate, but since we’re starting here we bypass it: not wanting to do any part of the 6km walk with wet togs. Chafing, you understand.

Tamarama Beach

Along nicely maintained paths with walls of stone and railings, we’re passed by the glamazons in lycra and activewear going about their exercise regimes, despite the noon day sun. About 1.2km from the start of the walk we hit a lovely surf beach with a long expanse of sand. A surf life club sits on top of the hill and the beach itself is narrow but very long- 120 metres of grass and sand before a cafe indicates where the path continues.

Bronte Beach

The next stop, just around the headlands is Bronte Beach, a broad beach centered around the local life saving club. We grab an icecream from the shop next to the clubrooms and head away from the beach to enjoy it. A spattering of pagodas provide shade for the various people out and about and each is divided in half to provide some semblance of privacy.

In the distance about thirty young guys are surrounding two of their number who are boxing in the sun and a tribe of about a dozen sixteen year old girls are enacting some sort of reunion with ever increasing decibels. We finish our ice creams and head off for the next beach. This involves rejoining the road and we are flummoxed by a split in the road with one path heading down towards the water and the other continuing along the top of the cliff.

The last thing we want to do is find ourselves at a picturesque dead end, so we ask one of the locals which way we should go to get to the next bay. Her companion misunderstands her directions and castigates her – “If they went that way (down to the water level) they’d end up at the Bronte Baths and have to come straight back up!”. We nod our thanks and take the high road.

Waverly Cemetery

Curiously we come across a very large Victorian (the era not the state!) cemetery. Huge crosses, mausoleums and other tributes to the dead cover an enormous vantage point overlooking the ocean. There is no shade and so we hurry our way across the exposed paths until we reach the other side and continue on our trip. Very strange location for a cemetery!

Clovelly Beach

Clovelly Beach is at the end of a bay which has a narrow opening which protects the long neck of water which ends in a sandy beach. On the far side from our approach we can see another manmade pool right beside the water. We pass the sandy beach and make our way past the pool to the point which is totally concreted and overlooked by a cafe. There are many sunbathers there, basking on the hot stone like seals. We notice a large number of people snorkelling and pass a sign indicating the different fish that they would be looking at beneath the waves. A very protected place to explore the sea fauna.

Gordons Bay

The next bay is also a feature for divers, but whereas Clovelly Beach is a narrow finger of water, Gordon’s Bay is a much more open affair with a wide exposure to the sea, surrounded by steep cliffs.

Some signs indicate that there are submerged chains in the water, connecting drums under the water and allowing exploration of marine life here too. As we head around the bay we see a tour group with powered hand held diving thingies which mean you don’t have to swim so much. Definitely what I would use!

I’m not sure what the conditions are, but there is no surf hitting the beach at the far end. So the beach there is rocky, not sandy and locals have made good use of the calm conditions and parked their boats on racks.

Coogee Beach

We finally round Dolphin Point and head down the hill to Coogee Beach. It’s a long beach that’s well built up with shops behind it and we avail ourselves of the first place we see for some well earned food and drink – the Coogee Pavilion.

That might be a mistake in judgement as the price for tapas and beer is a little on the steep side. The beer and soft drink are certainly welcomed though, and once we’ve recovered, we head to the bus stop for the bus back to Bondi Junction, and from there back to Kings Cross.

Onwards

My hat is definitely off to Sydney: the airport is very easy to get to, and even with our luggage we find the train a very quick and simple way of getting there for our flight onwards to Brisbane.

The post Sydney: Visiting CBD Attractions, Day Trip to Manly Beach & Bondi to Coogee Walk appeared first on etrip.tips.

On our return we were still too early, though the room was just being finished, so we headed to the bar/restaurant, the Sirocco. After a relaxing ginger beer, we were informed that the room was now ready and so we headed up to the room on the 7th floor.

The Room

The room was huge – it consisted of both a lounge area as well as a very well proportioned bedroom. Even the bathroom ignored restrictions on space and sported his and hers vanities, a full bath and separate shower.

Out the windows, the view was across the Botanical Garden towards the CBD, including both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We also looked down onto the roof of the other wing of the hotel where the bee hives were. We’d been reliably informed that the hotel harvests the honey from the hives and served it up on the panacotta. As good a reason as any to indulge in dessert!

The lounge area was well appointed with a couch, coffee table and desk alongside a chest of drawers with the first of two TVs on it. A dining table and chair rounded out the furnishings in the lounge while a couple of nooks held the coffee making facilities and mini-bar.

The bedroom had another TV on top of another set of drawers, and there was also an armchair in front of a small table. The bed itself was huge, and sported two different styles of pillow – with nice embroidery to indicate which was which – a nice touch I thought. In the mirror-door closet was the safe, ironing board, iron and hair drier. Plenty of space for all your clothes too.

Location

While the hotel name is Pott’s Point, it must be pointed out that it is right next door to the Kings Cross train station. Unlike some other hotels which laud their proximity to public transport (Harbourview in Sydney), its impossible to tell that we’re anywhere near the rail network. I’m not sure whether that’s because of superior sound proofing technology or merely because we’re high enough for the sound not to be able to get to us, but we appreciate the quiet with only the low hum of the air con.

The Restaurant

We decided we’d try the Sirocco Restaurant, and to be honest, while the service was cheerful enough, I think they’re still finding their feet. It took two hours to get through the meal, primarily because the service was so slow. The restaurant wasn’t very full at all on a Monday night, so I’m not quite sure how that happened.

The starters of calamari (me) and beetroot and feta salad were delicious, even if Ange wasn’t able to finish the salad because it was such a good size.

Ange’s salmon was dry and over cooked, but my steak was fine. They did manage to give me a mushroom sauce instead of the capsicum relish that I had ordered though.

Of the two hours, a good twenty minutes was spent waiting for dessert and then another ten for them to make the dessert after realising the order hadn’t made it to the chef. But we did get it eventually and both were a good size!

Breakfast

The next morning we headed down to breakfast. It was mid morning, so the restaurant was maybe  80% full with a good mix of a bus load of tourists and a smattering of business men. The breakfast itself was good – an impressive array of cooked and continental offerings and even an omelet station.

What confused me though was the pot of scrambled eggs with the other cooked breakfast items: it tasted like powdered eggs. Why would you cook powdered eggs when you have a chef making fresh omeletes not 50cm away? On the plus side they offered both American and English bacon (pro tip: American bacon is closer to ham) and a juicing station where you could make DIY fruit juice out of an assortment of fruits.

Pros and Cons

Would I Return?

The hotel’s proximity to the rail network is pretty awesome, and the front office staff can’t do enough to help you. The ample size of the room really lets you unwind and decompress, and breakfast was better than I thought it would be. I’d definitely go back for those reasons.

Holiday Inn Potts Point supported our Sydney trip by providing a complimentary stay and meal. All opinions remain our own.

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The Room

We are lucky enough to have the Ellis Rowan room on the first floor. This room is enormous. It contains a king-sized bed, a couch with table and chair along with a sideboard which contains the minibar, storage and coffee making facilities.

The decor is incredibly tasteful – muted tones and artwork depicting native flora and fauna accompany furnishings which speak to the history of the building. The shared spaces of the staircases and front lounge also reflect this history so staying at Simpson’s is very much like being part of history – a world away from the chain hotels! Speaking of which the minibar is only stocked with soft drinks and are very reasonably priced ($2/can) especially compared to the $4 per can we were charged at the previous hotel.

The bathroom is tastefully decorated in white tiles with dark trim and the shower has great pressure. The bath too gets a bit of a work out – the hot water melting away the aches of our extensive walks around Sydney.

The Lounge

Downstairs there’s a common room for relaxing in which is awash with books. The coffee table is (neatly) covered in books – several deep! The book shelves are full and there are plenty of other distractions should you want to relax – a glass chess set and a decanter with sherry on the sideboard. We helped ourselves to a drop after dinner, toasting the hotel and its owners.

Breakfast

Our room included a free continental breakfast and we were certainly spoiled for choice. Raisin bread and crumpets were the unusual bread items which joined the usual suspects of cereals and fruit. The continental also included the European favourites of salmon and cheese (feta and gouda I think) and there was even hard boiled eggs as well. Add in various fruit juices and coffee, fruit yoghurt and nuts and it was really hard to fault the breakfast at all. The hosts’ office was right beside the breakfast conservatory, and so they could pop out and have a chat or provide advice should you need a hand planning your day. And if you just wanted to catch up on the rest of the world’s current events there were newspapers for you to do so.

Location

You really are spoiled for choice for food – we ended up at The Roosevelt which is an Art Deco cocktail bar + restaurant for dinner. I chortled a little reading the menu – one page of food items, fifteen of drinks including about five alone on Scotches. But there is ample choice at all price points from upmarket Italian, all the way down to cheap and cheerful holes in the wall selling Thai.

It’s amazing being so close to the centre of town and yet to be in such a peaceful suburb: we could have walked to the Opera House in 30 minutes, or just to the point overlooking the harbour with views to the Bridge and Opera House in 5 minutes. Public baths were also walkable, and the ferry to Watson’s Bay stops just past the Naval yards.

Pros and Cons

Would I Return?

Definitely! Simpson’s is a calm oasis handily located near the CBD. It manages to offer modern conveniences as well as reflect the historical character of a Sydney of times gone by.

Simpsons of Potts Point supported our Sydney trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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