 Darling Harbour, Sydney Day Twenty May 1st 2011 Onward to Sydney We checkout of the Shangri La and travelled up to Cairns airport for our midday Qantas flight to Sydney. Super-efficient check-in and soon we were up in the clouds. A drink and lunch, a movie and before we knew it we were approaching Sydney. On landing at Sydney it was an easy job to collect the bags and soon we were heading to our hotel for the final four nights of the tour in Australia, the perfectly placed Four Seasons. The transfer allowed us to glimpse the Opera House and see the famous Harbour Bridge. The hotel was very comfortable and with a highly convenient location within minutes walk of both Circular Quay and George Street with all the shops. And although the rooms were somewhat compact, they all had partial views Sydney Opera House. Four Seasons Hotel Sydney - So this was to be the hotel our final four nights of our month long tour of Australia. Turns out it was perfectly placed. The hotel was very comfortable and had a highly convenient location within a few minutes’ walk of both Circular Quay and George Street shopping area. Although our room was somewhat compact, we had a partial view of Sydney Opera House. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was fine with a good shower. We used the concierge service to book a meal in the revolving 360 Bar & Dining (Sydney Tower) on our first night and the girl was friendly and efficient. The hotel is ideal for walking around the Circular Quay and Rocks area; we walked down to the left to get to Sydney Opera House. We enjoyed a couple of drinks in the lobby bar of the Four Seasons and we found the staff friendly and efficient. The only negative in relation to the Four Seasons was that I was a little disappointed with the buffet breakfast as it didn't have as much variety on offer as other Australian hotels we had stayed in on our trip. I love my brekkie…most important meal of that day my father used to say! This hotel did not have a cook station for omelettes etc. Overall however I would recommend this hotel and would be happy to stay here if we are ever "down under" in Sydney again.  View of the Opera House from our Hotel Room Our guide gave us loads of info on what was available to do in Sydney. Like all major cities, there’s a ton of great things to do and see. Sydney is simply amazing. I’ve tried to narrow it down here to 8 Things to Do in Sydney in 4 Nights:
Road km: 22 Air km: 1970  Dinner & Vino in the 360 revolving restaurant Day Twenty-one May 2nd 2011 Sydney: Opera House, Bridge and Bondi We awoke to a rather overcast day and set off at 0815, on foot, to the Sydney Opera House. There we had an excellent and enlightening tour with Alan, full of enthusiasm for this iconic building. We all re-joined the coach and our driver/guide Max for the Sydney city tour. We stopped at Mrs MacQuarries' Point for a group photo, an excellent vantage point with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge perfectly aligned across the water. There we took our only group picture of our month long trip “Down Under”.  Our only group photo....I'm front right After passing some through King's Cross and Darlinghurst, we made for Darling Harbour. Here we boarded the boat for our lunchtime harbour cruise. This afforded some terrific views of one of the most photogenic cities on earth, and the buffet lunch was delicious. Back on the bus we drove out to Bondi Beach and had a walk around there. Unfortunately the weather was dull, chilly and overcast so none of us went for a dip. We passed Paddington with its impressive wrought-iron work, and finally via Chinatown and back to the hotel. A good tour and we were impressed with Sydney. The weather wasn't great but at least there wasn't any rain. But we were lucky in some ways: Sydney had had dreadful weather and lots of rain in the previous few weeks.  Bondi Beach....glad I brought that jacket! Free evening for all. So Charlie and I headed down to Darling Harbour for a meal. And afterwards walked back to the hotel for a nightcap. Road km: 25 Day Twenty-two May 3rd 2011 Free in Sydney, Blue Mountains for some The first of two free days in Sydney. Again a bit overcast but the cloud was high. Just a very small number of our tour group decided to head for the hills, or at least go out to the Blue Mountains. In the evening a group went to see a performance of English Liaisons at the Opera House, the first night to boot. It was very well received. Charlie and I headed over on the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo. One of the best zoos I have ever been too. Animals looked healthy and happy. There was loads going on – with various keeper talks throughout the day. My favourites …after the elephants of course…were the gorillas. We then tucked in to fish’n’chips before heading back on the ferry to Circular Quay and the short walk back to our hotel. A good day for all, plenty to explore in and around Sydney.  The A-pe Team, Taronga Zoo, Sydney Day Twenty-three May 4th 2011 G’nite Sydney Another free day, allowing time for helicopter rides, bridge climbing, but we decided to do some retail therapy. The shopping in Sydney is first class. Great weather for all, sunshine, some blue sky! In the evening we had the Last Supper as a group. It was an excellent evening at Wolfies Grill (now closed I understand), overlooking the waterfront. The fixed menu was good, the food excellent. And as a bonus a drink was included.... We returned happy to the hotel, but sad too because tomorrow we would leave Australia for Hong Kong, but not all of us would be going!  Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog post Number 38 (2) - Restaurants - 360 Bar & Dining Number 57 - Continents - Australia Number 58 (2) - Countries - Australia Number 59 (9) - Hotels - Four Seasons, Sydney, Australia Number 60 (7) - Cities - Sydney, Australia Number 76 (6) - World Heritage Sites - Sydney Opera House Related Blog Posts Blog 4 - London/ Singapore Blog 5 - Perth, Australia Blog 6 - Uluru, Australia Blog 7 - Alice Springs, Australia Blog 8 - Adelaide, Australia Blog 9 - Melbourne, Australia Blog 10 - Cairns, Australia So have you been to Sydney? What do you remember most about it? If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
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AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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