The Sydney Diaries: 48 hours exploring your own city
So, as you know, I turned last month and in my wise, ripe old age I splurged a few words on what I know now, apparently I am a life guru now... if you fancy getting to know me a bit better then have a little read
. Other than passing on my pearls of wisdom I thought I’d share a bit about what I got up to in regards of celebrating, let’s put it this way, it was VERY fun. All cleverly planned out by my BF who was in cahoots with a couple of my besties, I was whisked away on a little staycation. It was so beautifully crafted and planned out and all such a surprise I felt rather overwhelmed. The idea of the weekend was to explore the beautiful city we live in, Sydney! 48 hours spent eating delicious food, exploring the main tourist attractions, enjoying drinks with friends and walking… lots of walking – it was such a fun way to enjoy where we live while we can as the countdown is well and truly on before we embark on our big travel adventure home. I thought I’d break down the birthday staycation for you and show you how it all unfolded and if you live or are visiting Sydney then it might give you some inspiration on where to stay, where to eat and where to visit!
The accommodation
Matt finally dished out the address on the Friday of my birthday weekend. He told me to meet him at
.
Naturally, I googled the destination and hell bloody YES bbz, it was pure indulgence. Once work was done I hopped in an uber and made my way into the city,
is a luxury hotel with breathtaking views of Darling Harbour and it oozes Australia heritage. We had a gorgeous suite with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the harbour, a huge bed and a mini bar and snack tray to die for (Matt went straight for the Rocky Road, whilst I cracked open the red wine, obvs). The king size bed was a dream with a fluffy robe for us each to lounge in, which was the first thing I did after we unpacked. Robe and chill, mate.
The dinner
That evening, after all the robe and chillin’ (and red wine drinking) was done, I was treated to one of the best meals I have ever had at
. It is one of Sydney’s most iconic restaurants and has earned one hat (an Australian version of a michelin star) thanks to its chic culinary experience. The produce is sourced locally and each delicious dish is the epitome of what fine dining should look and taste like. We enjoyed espresso martinis at The Pier One bar beforehand and velvety red wines throughout dinner. I was in a food and booze heaven!
The adrenalin hit
The next morning we enjoyed a lay in before strolling down to a beautiful French patisserie called
. It was the cutest little French-inspired café, we munched on croissants and leisurely
sipped
on coffee in their quaint courtyard. Fuelled for the day we were onto the next surprise… a speedboat...! I obviously shit myself and freaked out about potential sea sickness, which looking back, was ridiculous as it was a bloody speedboat. The speedboat tour was with
and it was absolutely brilliant. We got soaked but luckily was instructed to wear a waterproof blanket thing, it was the most funnest thing ever and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Your driver also doubles up as a tour guide so they take you on a tour around the harbour, perfect to perv on its amazing views and soak up a bit of its history.
The drinks
Once the speedboat was over we hopped off and headed back to the hotel as we were soaked. Luckily our digs weren’t too far to walk and we were knackered, we had a cheeky afternoon of robe and chill (with the addition of an uber eats delivery) – those dressing gowns were so soft I would have just given the hotel a 5 * rating just based on them. The surprises kept on coming and Matt had organised a big night out with our friends in the city and it was THEEE nicest surprise when I turned up to
to pals, champers and a cake. #BoyDidGood. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur and as per I got carried away resulting in a banging headache the following morning. I. Will. Never. Learn.
The sightseeing... walk over the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
We ordered ANOTHER uber eats (don’t judge) as we needed the salt and sugar hit to cure the cocktail hangover and we needed it fast! It worked, phew, and we were ready to attack Sunday with a mega touristy day, starting with a mammoth walk over The Harbour Bridge. I had never done it and Matt had clearly remembered my need to tick it off the list before I go, it was HUGE and a tiny bit scary (I am a number one wuss, so not scary for normal people FYI) it was an impressive way to see the city and we were so lucky with the picturesque blue skies that day. Once we had crossed the bridge we strolled around Milson’s Point, a suburb of the lower North shore of Sydney and home to - in my opinion - the most spectacular views of the harbour. There is a cute little café called Ripples and the popular retro-looking theme park, Luna Park - all very Instagrammable. Once the roaming was done we had to hotfoot it back to the other side of the bridge but this time, took the ferry. Again another beautiful way to take in the views. The next part of the surprise was more eating and drinking and Matt had booked a table at the cool rooftop bar,
, we devoured more wine and a tasty cheese platter – YUM. They sadly weren’t serving dinner after 4pm which was a tad annoying as he had booked the table hoping to sample their dining menu but hey, the views and wine were enough to keep us entertained for a while. Cheese and crackers would not suffice as a dinner though, so we headed off in search of some pub grub, and we were in luck, The
is a Sydney institution and we filled our bellies on the most tastiest fish and chips (and more wine, obvs). It was the perfect Sunday; strolling, exploring and eating!
A night under the stars
The final part to the 48 hours in our very own city was spent at the
. It was fascinating, I had never been in an observatory before and to get the chance to use some of Australia’s oldest telescopes (and newest) was very special. Sadly it was a tad cloudy but still, a super gorgeous way to end a lovely birthday weekend.
Turning 32 wasn't so bad after all.