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Sydney - stay at Darling Harbour or The Rock area?

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hautumncloud
LoopKicker

Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 912

Posted: Dec 05, 2007 - 08:47 AM
Post subject: Sydney - stay at Darling Harbour or The Rock area?

We will be going to Sydney with two preteen children and deciding whether to stay at Darling Harbour or the Rock area? Are they very close by? We will be there for a week in Feb. Any ideas about hotels? Any input would be appreciated.

lilstar

Reacher

Joined: June 20, 2005
Posts: 286

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 05, 2007 - 09:29 AM

I just got back from Sydney 2 weeks ago. and had great time there. If I'm not wrong Darling Harbour and Rock is not so far away, it's also walking distance to China town, Queen Victoria Building, Town Hall. Well put it 30-60minutes Smile

Or you can take train or bus. My suggestion places: Manly ( beach ), Blue Mountain, Hunter Valley Vineyeard for wine tasting. Now is season for cherry, they have cherry picking day tour for most of travel agents.

Cannot help with hotels though as I stayed with relative in suburb.

flifox

Raver

Joined: July 15, 2004
Posts: 434

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 05, 2007 - 10:57 AM

Rocks has more bars, is close to the bridge, opera house and botanic gardens. Close to the northern end of the CBD. Better if you want to travel by train to other areas. Also has ferries to take you to areas like Manly, zoo, most places north of the bridge and Watson's bay.

Darling harbour and surrounds have more restaurants as well as the casino. You are also close to the fish markets. Cockle Bay (or cockless bay) and Kings Wharf are a stone's throw away. Located on the western side of the city. Close to China town.

In terms of hotels, if would depend on your budget but both areas have a good range of hotels as well as hostels....

tlm66

Talker

Joined: Oct 07, 2005
Posts: 117

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 05, 2007 - 11:12 AM

A great hotel in The Rocks is the Sebel Pier One. Cheaper than the other hotels, but just as nice and it is located over the water on a pier.

loowk
Talker
Talker

Joined: Sep 14, 2006
Posts: 95

Posted: Dec 05, 2007 - 12:09 PM

stayed at Darling Harbour's Oaks Goldsbrough a few years back for family vacation (with 2 preteens). Service apartment style with washing machine, dryer and quite well-equipped kitchen (pots, plates, stoves, microwave oven, fridge, etc).
- just cross the road to monorail and light rail stations
- very short walk to Darling Harbour shopping, IMAX, and restaurants
- near ferry terminal to The Rocks (Harbour Bridge, Opera House, etc)
- nearby attractions
+ Casino
+ Sydney Aquarium
+ Chinatown, Little Italy
+ Sydney Automobile Museum
+ Paddy's market (souvenirs, fruits, nuts, etc)
+ Sydney Fish Market (buy shells, fish, prawns, wines, etc and the stalls cook for you)

yu888
Board Deity

Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 18042
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH

Posted: Dec 06, 2007 - 05:56 PM

My wife and I have nothing but the best things to say about the Hyatt on the Rocks, now called the Park Hyatt Sydney. Amazing location, amazing view, and convenient to food and shops and we walked everywhere from there, even to Darling harbour...with the amount we walk here in China, its a breeze.

Anyhow, I seem to recall lots of fun stuff to see and do closer to Darling Harbour for kids, but we loved it. the Hyatt isn't cheap though so not sure about your budget.

Regardless though, it will be a great place to visit for sure!

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camelina

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Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: Dec 07, 2007 - 06:35 PM

Yes the Park Hyatt is amazing but it's around $800/night AUD Sad

What is your budget for the hotel? How many stars?

As for areas, either Darling Harbour or the Rocks is fine. Both are very touristy areas with lots to do, see, eat. They are actually not that far apart either, a short bus or taxi ride.

The weather is February is wonderful. Can be quite hot in the day time but nice in the evenings. Still, it could rain so best to bring an umbrella.

With a week you will have no shortage of things to do!

Here is a site to look up maps or directions
http://www.whereis.com/

Here is a site for public transport
http://www.131500.com.au

Andreas
Board Royalty

Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6412
Location: 31 N 121 E

Posted: Dec 07, 2007 - 07:27 PM

You can always look up a good deal on www.wotif.com
You can't book that far in advance, but you can get some amazing deals. That's what I usually did when I stayed in Sydney.

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hautumncloud
LoopKicker

Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 912

Posted: Dec 07, 2007 - 07:40 PM

camelina, thanks for the helpful sites especially 131500. I can now work out on how to get to Blue Mountain Smile

I have found a 2 b/room serviced apartment hotel called Grand Mercure Service Apartments One Darling Harbour @ average AUD380/night includes breakfast. They are at 50 Murray Street, Darling Harbour. Tripadvisor seem to not have much travellers review on it. Any opinions on Grand Mercure?

http://www.grandmercuredarlingharbour.com.au/

Dasher

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Joined: Aug 28, 2007
Posts: 68

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 07, 2007 - 08:01 PM

Hi there, I used to live in the Darling Harbour area and LOVE it! I think it's definitely the better area if you have children as there are parks, museums etc all aimed at families in that area. Darling Harbour is also close to Sydney Central Station which is the major exchange for trains and a lot of buses. I haven't stayed at the Grand Mercure but have heard good things. It's also in a good spot as you can walk straight across the Pyrmont Bridge and you're then in the middle of the CBD.

If you do stay in Darling Harbour I recommend the Powerhouse Museum as a great interactive science and technology museum and also the Maritime Museum (though I haven't been to that one lately). The Fish Markets are great too (as others have suggested) and are really close to that particular hotel.

Just out of Sydney is the Australian Reptile Park http://www.reptilepark.com.au/ which has heaps of native animals, wallabies hopping around etc. They also have a massive croc called Eric. It's about an hour drive north of Sydney.

I also recommend the Art Gallery of NSW http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/ which is located near the Botanical Gardens and the Domain. They have an amazing collection and do great things for kids. They also have a great Indigenous collection. You can also walk from the Art Gallery of NSW through the Botanical Gardens to Museum of Contemporary Art http://www.mca.com.au/ I always do it that way with a little picnic lunch in the gardens, just lovely!

Oh and make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen! 30+! You don't know what sunlight is till you get to Australia(damn that pesky hole in the ozone layer)!

hautumncloud
LoopKicker

Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 912

Posted: Dec 08, 2007 - 11:24 PM

^^ Dasher, thanks so much for your reply. Much appreciated. I will be getting busy checking out places to visit in Sydney. Sydney seem to be quite an expensive place to visit!!

winopete

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Posts: 785
Location: Jiving Jing'An
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Posted: Dec 08, 2007 - 11:58 PM

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Darling Harbour a couple of years ago (cost about AUD160/night then), and liked being only a short walk away from the Cockle Bay area with lots of great restaurants. To get down to Circular Quay and The Rocks was only about a 15 minute bus ride.

Trakka

Talker

Joined: Nov 13, 2007
Posts: 87

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 11, 2007 - 05:55 PM

Stay at the Rocks definitely. Darling Harbour is soulless...

And don't forget to use the Ferries!

In fact, for anyone travelling to Sydney ever: get the ferry to Watsons Bay, and have fish and chips on the little beach there (buy them at Doyles)

Or maybe this is just tight arse advice from me that you Shanghai Expats don't really need....

Other tight arse advice - you can get cheap tickets to performances at the Opera House usually, just go on their website...

Hmmm, other Sydney advice - do clothes shopping on Oxford Street.

camelina

Raver

Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: Dec 11, 2007 - 09:46 PM

Just adding to the other great advice, if you decide to stay in Darling Harbour I also think the Holiday Inn is in a great location.

If you decide to catch public transport and aren't planning on taking taxis (they are not cheap!) I would recommend the weekly travelpass. Bus, bus and train, or bus train and ferry. They are really convenient. You don't need to carry around spare cash and can be used as many times within 7 days and within a certain geographical area (most places, but the Blue Mountains is too far).

I'd also recommend a trip to Manly via the ferry esp. if it is a nice sunny day. You can walk through 'the Corso' (shops and eateries) and end up at the beach, then if you keep walking for about 10 mins you end up at another beach called Shelley Beach. More secluded. The walk is really easy and very scenic.
Also there you can take the kids to the aquarium, and waterpark (just a small one with a couple of those tube ride thingoes) if they are into that. You can also hire rollerblades there and rollerblade along the footpath that is right next to the beach. I think they also give surfing lessons there in the summer.
www.oceanworld.com.au
http://www.check-in.com.au/Sydney/Manly_Waterworks.htm

But if you are into aquariums, the one in Darling Harbour is much bigger and better.
www.sydneyaquarium.com.au/

Freebies:
Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour
www.anmm.gov.au
Art Gallery of NSW
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/
Customs House, Circular Quay (has a great model of Sydney similar to the one of Shanghai in the Urban Planning museum here)
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/customshouse/

Another interesting thing to do is walk around the Botanical Gardens
www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Hyde Park
www.discoversydney.com.au/parks/hydepark.html

Other
Macquarie St - Mint, Hyde Park Barracks, Parliament house, Sydney Hospital, State Library of NSW...
www.australianexplorer.com/sydney_macquarie_street.htm
Chinese Gardens
http://chinesegarden.com.au/

so much to do! Smile

camelina

Raver

Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: Dec 11, 2007 - 09:47 PM

mat

Board Royalty

Joined: Apr 26, 2004
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Posted: Dec 11, 2007 - 10:40 PM

I usually stay at Novotel on Darling harbour when there for work or pleasure. Great hotel, good convenient location.

as mentioned, wotif.com is great, also www.needitnow.com.au

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hautumncloud
LoopKicker

Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 912

Posted: Jan 03, 2008 - 11:31 AM

Any idea of how much taxi fare cost from Sydney Domestic Airport to Darling Harbour. Shuttle services are charging AUD12/ea x 4 = AUD48 ea way.

* I am guessing that Domectic and Int Airport are in the same vicinity? We would be flying in to Sydney from Cairn.

camelina

Raver

Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: Jan 05, 2008 - 12:09 PM

Domestic and International airports are in the same general area but not walkable. You need to take a bus . I think they offer shuttle buses between the two (but you need to pay!! yeah.. pathetic, don't get me started)..

Regarding the taxi fare... it is fairly close but ther would more than likely be a lot of traffic. I have not caught taxis in a while but would hazard a guess of around $30?

Depending on how much luggage you have though I doubt you could fit 4 people and 4 people's luggage in one taxi. Sad