Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Going to SYD in late January? 10 days. Rooms? Should I go to Melbourne?

I've got an RTW Biz award, and will be stopping in Sydney for 10 1/2 days. This will be my first trip to OZ, and am open to a lot of suggestions.

I usually stay in Hilton's but the price and reviews I've heard of the Sydney Hilton don't seem to be good. At a Flyertalk MR seminar, I met one resident, and talked to a few people who've gone a number of times.

I'd like a decent hotel, and prefer to use the train or buses if they're decent. I'm on a bit of a budget since I've been flying too much (Going to Moscow next week, and Buenos Aires in early January)! I'd like to average out at $US125 a night or less for the whole trip. I don't mind paying $200 for a couple of nights if I can find a $60 place later in the trip.

I don't drink, and I like walking, but around the city, and not the hills/bridges. I read a book recently about Australia and it just scared me out of going in the water, the bush, you name it. Everything is deadly in OZ, it seems. :)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Sydney is full of hotels, most quite good and at all price points. You will have no trouble finding a good one for USD 100, though the name chains are in the USD 200-250 range. I'd suggest staying in Potts Point. Bus/train/ferry pass costs AUD 40 for 7 days and buses run very frequently and everywhere (as often as every 5 minutes on some routes) ... much better transport than any US city has. The ferry walks mentioned on another FT thread are superb, they don't really involve hiking, are quite safe, and well worth doing. Otherwise lots of city walking in Sydney exploring the local shops and restaurants, it is a great city (but expensive; Melbourne is noticably cheaper). MEL/SYD is a great dichotomy (similar cities that are completely different and have a bitter/friendly rivalry, a bit like SF/LA). Personally I like MEL better but SYD has a lot going for it and easily requires 10 days to explore.

For hotels check out wotif.com.au (wotif.com.au). Will give you some guidance on rates. Booking direct with a hotel may or may not be cheaper. Varies a lot.

For 10 days I would stay in Sydney and local area. You can take a train out to Blue Moutains (Katoomba) for a day trip or an overnight stay. Other placesyou could go for day trips either by yourself or with a group.

Late Jan is the hottest time of year so be prepared. Jan 26 is Australia Day - a major public holiday.

Be assured everything is not deadly in OZ. I have been here 25 years and yet to get bitten by a snake or kicked by a Kangaroo.

For hotels check out wotif.com.au (wotif.com.au). Will give you some guidance on rates. Booking direct with a hotel may or may not be cheaper. Varies a lot.

For 10 days I would stay in Sydney and local area. You can take a train out to Blue Moutains (Katoomba) for a day trip or an overnight stay. Other placesyou could go for day trips either by yourself or with a group.

Late Jan is the hottest time of year so be prepared. Jan 26 is Australia Day - a major public holiday.

Be assured everything is not deadly in OZ. I have been here 25 years and yet to get bitten by a snake or kicked by a Kangaroo.

Thanks for the tips. I get there after the 26th, so no problems there. Hopefully it won't be any hotter than Phoenix during the summer.

I usually stay at the Four Points Sheraton near Darling Harbour which is very well located for tourists. Darling Harbour, Chinatown , Queen Victoria Building (QVB), Pitt Street Mall etc are all within walking distance. Rooms are small but comfortable, and room rates have gone up by quite a bit over the last few years. However you should be able to book a city-view room for around USD125/night (rates are cheaper on weekends).

You can also check for good hotel deals at www.lastminute.com.au but do compare the rates offered directly with the hotel before booking.

If you intend to make use of public transport, its useful to know that most buses, trains and ferries stop at Circular Quay. To get to Circular Quay from 4P; you can either take a bus at George St, or the train at City Hall station, or even a ferry at Darling Harbour.

There is also a hop-on-off tourist bus (2 different routes) which is quite good for first time visitors to Sydney. May be a good idea to use this service for the first couple of days followed by the buses/trains/ferries once you have got your bearings right.

For airport tranfers, you can use the shuttle service if you are travelling solo. It does take much longer than a taxi, but the fare is less than AUD10/person compared to AUD30+ for a taxi.

I dont like Melbourne. Its quite true that they have 4 seasons in a single day, and the city feels a little like London but its not London ! If you have 10.5 days in Aust, its not a bad idea to spend 8 days in SYD and 2.5 days in MEL just to feel the contrast :p

I don't drink, and I like walking, but around the city, and not the hills/bridges. I read a book recently about Australia and it just scared me out of going in the water, the bush, you name it. Everything is deadly in OZ, it seems. :)I really wouldn't worry about this. I live in a country with safe nature, but have been going to Oz for many years now, spending a reasonable bit of countryside/beach/sea time there as well as city time, and the most dangerous thing I have yet seen in Australia was the lid of a tin can which was lying on the sand at the beach under six inches of water.

If you only have 10 days and it's your first time in Sydney, don't bother with going to Melbourne. Save that for another trip - not because there's anything wrong with Melbourne, only that there's plenty to see and do in Sydney and the surrounding area. Just the travel to and from Melbourne will realistically take half a day out of your time. If you want to do the travel for the sake of it, that may be fun. But if you want to see Australia rather than airports and aircraft, there are IMHO better uses of your time.

Jaimito Cartero

If possible, try and organise your trip to arrive in Sydney in early February 2006. School holidays commence about Dec 14th 2005 and go through to Jan 31 2006, so if you could plan your travel after this time you will find there will be a lot more accommodation available, and a lot cheaper.

There are many things to see and do in Sydney, and even if you wanted to see Melbourne www.virginblue.com.au have one way flights @ AUD$79 incl of taxes etc. The blue mountains (Katoomba) is a nice 2 hr train trip from Sydney, and it is really beautiful.

Mario33 provided some good advice, especially about Circular Quay. Sydney Harbour is great, and there are lots of ferries going to various destinations including Manly which is a 33 minute trip. They also have jetcats that can get you there in 15 mins, but not as relaxing. The train system in Sydney is good and inexpensive, and you can take the train from the international terminal to Central Railway if you wish.

The main thing to remember when walking Sydney is "LOOK RIGHT" and these words are painted on footpaths at corners to remind visitors.

Jaimito Cartero

If possible, try and organise your trip to arrive in Sydney in early February 2006. School holidays commence about Dec 14th 2005 and go through to Jan 31 2006, so if you could plan your travel after this time you will find there will be a lot more accommodation available, and a lot cheaper.

There are many things to see and do in Sydney, and even if you wanted to see Melbourne www.virginblue.com.au have one way flights @ AUD$79 incl of taxes etc. The blue mountains (Katoomba) is a nice 2 hr train trip from Sydney, and it is really beautiful.

Mario33 provided some good advice, especially about Circular Quay. Sydney Harbour is great, and there are lots of ferries going to various destinations including Manly which is a 33 minute trip. They also have jetcats that can get you there in 15 mins, but not as relaxing. The train system in Sydney is good and inexpensive, and you can take the train from the international terminal to Central Railway if you wish.

The main thing to remember when walking Sydney is "LOOK RIGHT" and these words are painted on footpaths at corners to remind visitors.


Well it looks like I timed it half right. I'll get there the morning of Jan 28th. So I won't have too much time with the out of schoolers. How are most of the hotels with early checkins? I get there about 8am, so probably 9-10 am to the hotel.

Thanks for all the tips on what to see. I'm pretty laid back when I travel. Some days I'll just relax, and on others, I'll go see one sight, and then head off wherever it looks interesting.

I get there about 8am, so probably 9-10 am to the hotel.

It depends very much on whether a room is available when you arrive.

Numerous times I arrived at between 11am to 1pm, but had to wait 1-2 hrs for housekeeping to clean and get the room ready. However, once I arrived at 8am and was given a room right away !