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Which area of Sydney would you recommend


sigsky
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Based on the following facts, which area of Sydney should we choose for our hotel?  We have been to Sydney before and have done the opera house, bridge, harbour cruise, tower, Blue Mountains.  Just looking for a spot where activities are going on that's good for people watching with eating options and everything within easy walking distance.

 

We will fly in Wed 10/16/2019 arriving around 7 a.m. (early check-in?).  We will board our ship about 1 p.m. the following day at White Bay Cruise Terminal.  Our cruise will end Sat 11/16/2019 at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at 7 a.m. and we have decided to fly out the following day around 9:30 am.  Because of luggage considerations we have decided to use taxis for ground transportation so it seems like anywhere in the city would work.

 

What part of the city would you suggest?

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If you have done the Rocks area before you could try the Hilton up near the Town Hall, or the Travelodge for location up that end.  I love the Westin, the hotel itself is lovely and interesting and the location is terrific.  For moving further out you could try the Intercontinental at Double Bay for a bit of glitz.  Or even Manly.

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We will be there just after you, we arrive Oct 24, 2019 and our cruise leaves Nov 1.  We opted for Darling Harbor due to it's central location and walking distance to just about everything we need. One year from today we will be in Sydney!

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Agree with Darling Harbour in your case.

Really loads of restaurants, good for walking around, national maritime museum, Sydney aquarium, Madame Tusseau, shops, the casino, departure point for harbour cruises, all there.

The new Sofitel hotel is wonderful,  but many cheaper options at Darling Harbour 

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Because you've been to the city and seen Sydney before, I'll suggest a couple of other places that fill the brief.

 

On arrival on Wed, try Potts Point. The city is still in walking distance if so inclined, as are nice parks and bays but there's lots of different restaurants and people watching activities in the immediate area as well. Taxi will also take you through cross city tunnel to white bay better than city so you avoid congestion and have a better run there. Also, city hotels will be busier on a weekday, so outside the city gives you a better chance of early check-in, and since you've been to the city before, not sure that you just need to see busy traffic again. Road closures are still in effect in the city as well.

 

On return, it's a Saturday, so somewhere around Oxford St, Paddington, Bondi. This both has lots of eateries, people and things to see in walking distance, including Centennial Park or Bondi for shopping and entertainment, as well as Oxford St for more shops and entertainment, and also Paddington markets if you're in that area. Saturday night will be thriving for entertainment/peoplewatching there. Plus you have an earlyish flight out so it's good to be closer to the airport as this location is to save travel time.

Edited by The_Big_M
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I had a bit of a look around the internet today and realised CBD was Australian.  I had no idea.  What is the bit of the city in America that has very little residential and mostly business and retail?  Or are the cities such that they grew up with a mixture of all types of buildings?

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Go out to Bondi Beach and also, if you haven’t done so and are so inclined, visit a vineyard and try the famed Aussie Shiraz or something else new. I mean, that’s not truly Sydney but the Blue Mountains take you outside too.

 

Also, you can pop over to Manly if you didn’t do that. And the Tauranga Zoo which is quite a nice zoo with great views and of course, many animals not common in other hemispheres! 

 

Another place that was quite fascinating was the Quarantine station; think Ellis Island except more so for the convicts than the immigrants. It was haunting and also presented stunning landscapes and vistas to accompany the dramatic history. 

 

All of the above easily accessible by Sydney Transit, or a tour van etc. and highly recommended. I’m glad I had enough time in Sydney to do the things you did plus all of these things. Sydney is that great a place to be! 

 

And CBD, Downtown, Old Town, Historic Center, almost everywhere and on different continents I’ve heard all of these terms used, probably because so many people have migrated and terms get adopted and integrated into the lingo in many places, though not universally of course. It’s part of the fun (or frustration depending upon the day!) of travel and discovery to learn new words, habits, foods, anything that is unfamiliar and different. 

 

And then, one day you find yourself using the term holiday instead of vacation or you arrive home and continue to say grazie or merci for a day or two, well then you know you have truly become a citizen of the world. People will now begin asking what YOU mean when you use a certain term, lol 😜 So much fun 😊

 

 

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You want to enjoy your two overnights without wasting too much time (and money) getting your luggage to/from hotels, so I'd suggest somewhere mid city too. Would agree with either Darling Harbour or the Potts Point area. I originally thought Manly but you're really not here long enough either time. It could work though if you travel light and are happy to take your luggage to Manly on the ferry.

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I was aware of the term "CBD" but it did take a few moments.  Never hear it in the US.

 

Very gratified by all the responses, but especially The_Big_M for a very thoughtful response with careful consideration of the details I included.  Will be researching with that in mind.

 

Thanks to all.

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I recommend Potts Point also.  I regularly stay at the Devere Hotel, an inexpensive hotel, which is close to a wide variety of restaurants from inexpensive to expensive.  It is walking distance to the city via the Botanical Gardens, as well as beautiful harbour front walks to Elizabeth Bay, Rushcuttters Bay and Double Bay.  

Edited by MMDown Under
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I can recommend Potts Point.  We stayed at a very nice and inexpensive boutique hotel. Really, with easy walking and good taxi service, there is no need to spend a lot of money on a hotel near the port.

 

For lots of info on travel to Australia, go to my website and find "Travel to Europe and Australia" and then find relevant articles and reviews. http://www.DonnaGawell.com

Edited by Markanddonna
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  • 3 months later...

We'll have three nights precruise in Sydney...have been looking at Airbnb's in the area of CBD but would Pott's point or Darling harbour be better?  We won't have a vehicle and it's our first visit to Australia so we'll def need to see the sights downtown but is it a far walk to those from the outlying areas.  Prob cheaper to stay in those areas but not if we're spending a fortune on ubers and cabs...Oh, and there'll be four of us, all adults so that's why we're looking at airbnb's as opposed to hotels if that makes a difference. TIA!!

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Potts Point is a nice walk - many locals walk it to the city, especially as it's through the Domain and Art Gallery. But it's about half an hour walk, so as a tourist, I'd be looking at somewhere closer for the first time just for convenience.

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