Sydney

There are loads of option for hotels and apartments, as usual check the web sites www.booking.com and www.venere.com we chose a hotel in the CBD, Central Business District, for our first visit, because of its central location and good transport links. On subsequent visits we have stayed around Potts Point as we like the area and its proximity to Darlinghurst and easy access to Surry Hills.

There are a couple of small groups of boutique hotels that we have used,  www.8hotels.com whose hotels are mainly in the CBD but they have one in St Kilda. Recently we used www.sydneylodges.com who have several hotels in the Potts Point area, they are all well appointed and rooms at a range of prices.

Restaurants

Sydney, like New York, offers some of the best dining experiences anywhere, and yes it can be top notch prices if you want to splash out. However nearly all bars do food and the menus offer far more original food than you would expect, plus there are loads of special offers, particularly mid-week or on Sundays. Lots of smaller restaurants also do BYO for wine with a reasonable corkage charge, there are usually Bottle Shops, supermarkets do not sell alcohol, attached to hotel type bars.

Sepia, Darling Park, 201 Sussex Street, Darling Harbour, was a last night treat on our first visit and did not disappoint, it was fantastic, the food, we both had seafood and fish, was full of Japanese influences and was amazing. The service was top notch and it is up there in the best meals ever eaten, as to the cost, yes a splurge but worth every dollar and by comparison with some other Sydney places reasonable. Still highly rated.

The Pavilion, 1 Art Gallery Road, CBD, is just next to the Art Gallery of NSW and close to the Botanic Gardens, this is a lovely place to have a weekend brunch on the terrace and watch the Sydney Ibis birds which are common in the gardens. Amazingly most of the locals have no idea what they are and call them garbage birds.

Studio Café, Western Collonade, Opera House, CBD,  is a good place to sit and have a light lunch while gazing at the Bridge and Circular Quay, the pasta and panini are good. The Opera Bar &  Terrace Bar below are definitely livelier and on a Sunday afternoon had live music, the food at the Opera Bar is good and reasonably priced especially with the view.

A Tavola, 348 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, a top notch Italian restaurant where booking is essential. We had seen this on a previous visit but it was fully booked so made sure we visited on our return and it was worth it, yes it is pricey but the quality warrants it. The staff are very knowledgeable although perhaps can go into too much detail, a serious eating place.

The Fish Shop, 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point, this was recommended by a local on a previous visit, the food was good but the service rather too cool. We returned on our most recent visit just for a drink and the style seems to have relaxed and it is till very popular, it is close to several other great places.

Frattelli Paradiso, 12-16 Challis Avenue, is amazingly popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is good and excellent service, it is popular with well-heeled locals and therefore on the pricey side but worth it for the quality.

La Buvette, 35 Challis Avenue, is another spot popular with locals for breakfast, lunch or just a drink. It also serves dinner but we didn’t smaple the evening menu.

Monopole, 71A Macleay Street, Potts Point was a real find on a previous visit and this time we frequently popped in for a nightcap. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and it is always packed, the food looks very good. Drinks prices can be high but they have an excellent happy hour, Monday to Friday from 5pm to 7pm.

The Apollo, 44 Macleay Street, is a very smart modern style Greek restaurant, we were lucky to get in without a booking and enjoyed the food and teh atmosphere and it was reasonably priced.

Opium Den, 89 Macleay Street, is an excellent Thai restaurant that does BYO cutting down prices hugely. We thought the food was excellent, lovely service and very reasonably priced, the only negative would be that the tables are on the small side.

Mohr Fish, 202 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, we saw this on our first ever visit and loved the look of this tiny restaurant, eventually on our most recent visit we got the chance to try the food and it was top notch. The seafood and fish dishes were all excellent, lovely service and amazing value for the quality. Booking essential at weekends due to its popularity and size.

Dove & Olive, 156 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, is one of many places in this area doing good bar food, we booked for a midweek and there were special on offer, even without choosing them it was good food at reasonable prices with a very good beer selection.

The Winery, 285A Crown Street Surry Hills, was recommended by a Friend who lives in the city and we went there with her, the bar and restaurant is in a lovely setting which adds to the enjoyment. The food was good, not all dishes quite worked but it is still worth a visit.

Vini, 3/118 Devonshire Street, on Holt Street, Surry Hills, is a highly rated Italian restaurant in the city and does 4 course set regional Italian menus on a Tuesday, which are great value, booking is essential. They do two sittings and we went to the later one which I would advise, there is not a great deal of room but the food was good and the service very knowledgeable. The owner gave us a run-down of the region and the menu. The rest of the time it is all daily specials. They have a wine bar and enoteca almost next door 121BC at 4/50 Holt Street, on Gladstone Street.

Unas, 338/340 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, is a great local place with German dishes, the specialities being Schnitzels, huge portions and BYO or try the beer. It’s   great for a change of style and full of regulars. Go to Messina after for an ice cream  see below.

Malabar, 274 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, is a really good Indian restaurant which does BYO, very popular with locals, and really good value and smart setting. This was a great find and we were lucky to get a table.

Iceberg, on Bondi Beach, this is part of the famous Iceberg Club with its outdoor pool, which was in a photo that I had seen and had to visit. There is a very upmarket restaurant but also a very reasonably priced bistro and there is no finer place to sit and have lunch than on the terrace especially after completing the cliff top walk from Coogee. Try the prawns with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc, pure heaven ! You need a day membership which is free so should have ID with you.

Gateway, Circular Quay is a recent opening with a number of food places from lunchtime sandwich or slad to full blown meals. We ate at Chat Thai on the first floor which was excellent, loved the food and very reasonably priced. they have a couple of other places in the city.

Doyles on the Wharf, Fishermans Wharf, Watsons Bay, explore Watson Bay then have your freshly cooked fish and chips on the terrace with a glass of wine from the bar. They also have a very upmarket restaurant nearby for which reservations are essential.

Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, just by the ferry has a great terrace and is incredibly popular. They have special evening offers at certain times, we enjoyed some seafood at lunchtime and it was good.

Two more for ferry trips are Woolwich Pier Hotel, about fifteen minutes walk from Woolwich Ferry Stop, another great ferry ride across the harbour and the views from upstairs at the hotel are fantastic. Very popular with families at weekend and food is good but there can be a long wait and Mosman Rowers, 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman, a short and lovely ferry ride from Circular Quay takes you to Mosman and a short walk from the ferry is the Mosman Rowers. It is a club but you can sign in and use the bar upstairs where they also do meals or try the more upmarket restaurant on the lower floor where we had a lovely lunch.

Cafes

Dare, Playfair Street, The Rocks is a great place for breakfast, it’s not cheap but the quality of the food and the service makes it worth it.

Morning Glory, 128-130 Beach Street, Coogee, if you are doing the cliff top walk to Bondi this is superbly placed at the start of the walk and a great place to have breakfast, really good homemade food and lovely service.

Messina, 241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, this has to be the best ice cream ever tasted outside Italy and the longest queues are worth it. The flavours are amazing, imagine Fig and Dulce de Leche with Marsala. They now have several other shops including one at Gateway, Circular Quay.

Bars

In Sydney until a few years ago bars had always been big public house bars, mainly called the something hotel, with a couple of separate bars, one probably with sport and or gambling but they were not what I expected. They all seem to have a great selection of beers, not a Fosters in sight, and a excellent selection of wines. They mainly offer a wide variety of food, excellent service and were reasonably priced with beers and wines not being much more than at home in the UK. Also in many of the buildings there were some lovely old original features. The ones listed below are all recommended, if there were any particular features they have been mentioned otherwise they are all much as described above.

Marble Bar, Hilton Hotel, 488 George Street, CBD, not sure what category this should be in but it is a Sydney must see, a Victorian masterpiece moved bit by bit to its current location.

The Lord Nelson Brewer Hotel, 19 Kent Street, The Rocks, is one of the oldest bars in Sydney, it is more pricey than your average hotel but that is because of the location and its popularity, it has a highly rated restaurant up stairs.

Fortunes of War, 137 George Street, The Rocks, supposed to be the oldest bar in Sydney, on the tourist trail but worth a visit. It has live jazz at weekends.

Light Brigade, 2A Oxford Street, Paddington, a lovely art deco building, worth a visit if you are exploring the quirky and trendy area of Paddington.

The Bourbon, 22 Darlinghurst Road, is the best of the Kings Cross bars by a long way with a great outside terrace, a wide selection of food and drink but beware entrance after 9pm only with ID which can be scanned.

Darlo Bar, corner of Darlinghurst Rd & Liverpool Street, is a real locals bars to suit all tastes, hosts various theme type nights in the upstairs bar and does food.

Green Park Hotel, 360 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst is a lovely bar with a wide range of drinks and also a wide selection of burgers, a very mixed crowd makes this very popular at weekends

Strawberry Hills Hotel, 453 Elizabeth Street and The Shakespeare, 200 Devonshire Street are both in Surry Hills and are old school locals bars.

The Cricketers, 106 Fitzroy Street, Surry hills is a gem of a bar, very quirky but with a friendly feel and a restaurant and cocktail bar upstairs.

The Clock Hotel, 470 Crown Street, Surry Hills, as well as a normal street level bar, this place has a fantastic terrace bar upstairs.

The New Brighton Hotel, 71 The Corso, Manly, take the lift to the top floor terrace for great views of Manly’s beach and its main thoroughfare.

Lately there has been a tightening up of the licensing laws, meaning more restrictions on entrance and hours with some demanding ID which can be scanned after 9pm. This depends a lot on area and type of bar but has had a great effect on bar trade in certain areas.

About five or six years ago the laws have changed allowing smaller quirky bar to open up and this has seen the opening of some great bars, a lot of which are hidden up lanes and take a bit of finding but boy are they worth seeking out. Yes, the prices are higher but they should be visited.

The Baxter Inn, (CBD), 152-155 Clarence Street, opposite Redoak Beer cafe, down the lane, past the security guard, turn right, down the stairs, open the door into an NY Speakeasy, that says it all. Still going strong and high up on the must visit bars.

Stitch Bar (CBD), 61 York Street, another lane bar cunningly disguised as a tailors shop, another one to seek out and try. We returned this visit and it’s still as good as before.

Mojo Record Bar, Basement 73 York Street, CBD, this was recommended by someone we met who works in one of the best lane bars in the city and we were so glad we tried it out. Great drinks and top notch staff what more do you need, oh and a record shop next door.

Lobo Plantation 1/209 Clarence Street, CBD, another recommendation from a man in the know, Cuban feel rum bar but doing loads of other things, again great staff and service.

Chester White, 3 Orwell Street, Potts Point, just off the main drag, we found on a previous visit and is now packed with people eating so never had the chance to pop in for a drink.

Shady Pines Saloon, 256 Crown Street, not the easiest place to find but a must on the Sydney bar scene, great place, very busy and a bit loud but go and try it, this is the one that people always ask if you have you been there.

Rosie Campbell’s, 320 Crown Street, was a great find on our most recent visit, a cool small bar specialising in rum but with loads of other options and doinf Caribbean food.

Drink

The nearest wine region of New South Wales to Sydney is the Hunter Valley, and this has made wine tourism big business in this area. NSW is also catching up with the biggest producing region, South Australia. Semillon is the most famous of the wines produced here, but second to that is probably chardonnay along with reds such as shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. There are huge producers here such as Tyrrell, Lindeman and McGuigan but also many small growers and a tour which can easily be done usually visits one large winery and three or four small ones.

It is easy to do this as an organised day trip from Sydney and research on what style of trip appeals to you and reviews of various companies is well worth the time spent.

Most of these will be obvious, walk through the Botanics to Mrs McQuarries chair for the best view of the Bridge & Opera House and explore the Rocks.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb is an amazing thing to do, it is incredibly popular so booking before you go is advised to get the day and time that suits. The whole experience is incredibly well organised and really is a once in a lifetime experience.

Get your Opal ticket and do as many ferries as you can, Manly, Watsons Bay, Mosman, Woolwich and the Paramatta River  they are all amazing.

Do the Cliff Top Walk, Bondi to Coogee but do it Coogee to Bondi, its 5km and there are more steps than in some descriptions but its worth it. Start in Coogee, take the bus from CBD, have breakfast in Morning Glory, stop for a Ginger Beer at the café at Tamarama Beach, then get to Bondi in time for lunch at Iceberg,

Visit the Fish Market, I think you would have to be very early to see the auctions, if indeed the public can, but go and sample the fish and seafood although the advice is to sit inside to avoid the gulls.

Look at the quirky lovely houses in Paddington and the selection of trendy boutiques.

Visit the Victoria Building at 455 George Street and as well as looking at the shops admire the fabulous interior.

Have a great time, it would be impossible not to.