Sydney, Australia

G’DAY Sydney

Sydney is heaven for foodies. There are vineyards on your doorstep. There are spectacular mountains, and it has the world’s most famous opera house. And, may I mention, that you can even climb it’s famous landmark-no, not the Opera House, but the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I hope after this post, I’ve inspired you to travel to Sydney.

The Opera House is a beauty. The Opera House Bar is located just outside near the promenade where you can have a view of the Harbor Bridge. In addition, during evening and night hours, there is a Light Show that takes place at the Opera House. I highly recommend it if you’re in the area. It goes on for roughly 15-20 minutes.

HACIENDA SYDNEY

HACIENDA Sydney was one of the cutest and one of Instagram’s most photographed bars. It’s located in the Pullman Quay Hotel in Circular Quay. It’s chic, girly with a super airy bar and Harbor views. This was literally my favorite spot in all of Sydney. I highly recommend it if you want to just wine down after a long day.

BRUNCH RECOMMENDATIONS IN SYDNEY

Two Sis & Prymont
Speedos Cafe (Bondi Beach)
The Grounds of Alexandria

When I travel, I love to see skylines and views. It’s what I live for. When we took the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Bay- I got to see the entire skyline with the Opera House. It’s beautiful. Sydney has some incredible view points of their city but also of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. One of my top picks is Mrs. Macquarie’s chair in the Botanical Garden. The sunsets from here are breathtaking. Wendy’s Garden in Lavender Bay is another nice viewpoint of the city.

BONDI BEACH

When visiting Bondi Beach-you have to do the Coastal walk to Coogee Beach. It’s incredible with amazing views. Some consider this a hike but to be honest, its not intense as a hike-it’s just a really nice walk.

Bondi Beach has tons of nice waterfront bars and restaurants to eat and hang out at. If I could recommend one, I would suggest The Bucket List. Obviously, there are so many places near by but personally, I liked the atmosphere at The Bucket List.

THE ROCKS

Ahhhh, The Rocks is a historical district in Sydney. This neighborhood consists of historic alleys and shadows of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. There are tons of locals and tourists who mingle here; whether it’s their markets or some of those older pubs.

The Rocks is definitely one of the oldest neighborhoods. One place you wouldn’t want to miss when visiting Sydney. It’s a thriving area with lots of cafes, restaurants and bars.

Personally, I loved The Rocks neighborhood over Darling Harbor. Darling Harbor is super nice as well but I found it more touristy. The restaurants here are really nice with great service. It is touristy so prices might be a little bit higher than compared to The Rocks. I definitely recommend checking Darling Harbor out and making your way to the Sydney Eye.

Sydney Eye is Sydney’s highest playground. I would advise you on purchasing tickets for the observation deck in advance. Mind you, this place gets crowded if you go mid-day or early afternoon. I saw so many tour groups, school groups and tourists heading up to the observation deck. We went early as soon as they opened and thankfully I had fun on Sydney’s playground.

HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS in SYDNEY:

Pullman Quay- Located in the Circular Quay neighborhood near the ferry port and waterfront promenade. This hotel overlooks the Sydney Harbor and the Botanic Gardens. ($$)
Four Season Hotel Sydney- Located in the historic neighborhood of The Rocks. Ideally, this is the perfect location with tons of pubs, upscale dining and the vibrant Rocks Markets. This hotel overlooks the iconic bridge and is about 1.5km away from the Opera House. ($$).
Rydges Sydney Harbor- Located in the historic neighborhood of The Rocks. This hotel is perfect location wise. You are in the heart of The Rocks, a 5 minute walk to the Harbor Bridge. There are plenty of boutique shops and cafes at your doorstep. ($)

The Grounds of Alexandria

The grounds are just WOW! I loved visiting the grounds. Luckily, when I visited, the current theme at the time was Aladdin. There are multiple places to eat here, if you want to just have cocktails- you can do so too, there are so many places to take photos but keep in mind that it’s crazy busy here once the markets are set up.

During the day is when I noticed all the Aladdin themed inspiration. However, this is also when the markets were setting up. Having the markets there made this experience so much more enjoyable. Who cares if there were crowds at every corner, I loved it.

We came back here a day later with some of our relatives that live in Sydney and had some drinks. The experience I had the previous day was so different than my experience that night. There were no crowds. Instead, you could instantly get seated into a restaurant.

Mind you, The Grounds have a few different places to enjoy:

The Cafe
The Potting Shed
The Garden

But don’t forget all the little carts they have on the grounds with the markets. For instance, there’s a BBQ cart, a bakery and pastry cart and when I went a saw a donuts cart near the cafe. I must point out, the cocktails we had at The Potting Shed were delicious. I have never experienced cocktails that looks amazing yet taste delicious.

Sydney should be on everyone’s list. Whether you’re going for a business trip or for leisure, it’s a place where you and your family can definitely enjoy. There are tons of places to eat and so many new foods to try, that I won’t even tell you recommendations on places to eat. Try everything from appetizers to desserts. Harbor City is full of sophisticated spots to eat.