Sydney

I had an amazing time in Sydney. The city is vast and so many different cultures call this home. The vivid light show on the Opera House was superb and is now an annual event in mid-June. The weather was in the low 60’s in June and was pleasant enough.

I stayed in the Haymarket area in the Mercure Hotel which was clean and modern. The rooms have either two double beds or a king. They have some with balconies. The rooms were not massive but a decent size. The bar and restaurant were great and the staff very friendly and helpful. The swimming pool and gym on the top floor were also excellent. There is an indoor pool.

The hotel is close to the central train station so you could take the train from the airport which is 16.60 dollars per person but a taxi was only 40 dollars.

I visited Manly and Bondi beach and the ferry and bus transport are great and cheap. The ferries run from Darling Harbour and Circular Quay. Circular Quay is where the Opera House is but I preferred Darling Harbour, where there are loads of restaurants and lots going on. There are lots of hotels down here but they were quite a bit more than the Mercure.

I took the whale watching tour from Darling and it was amazing. The season is May to December and we saw about 100 breaches as they call it of whales leaping out the water. It was unbelievable.

Sydney is quite expensive for eating out and drinking but there are plenty happy hours and plenty of Chinese and Thai cafes and restaurants that offer great value for money.

Young ones should check out Scary Canary’s night club. Very lively and close to Darling Harbour.