lechar

Extensive research done, still needing help regarding a few things. We are in our late 20's, traveling in June/July, looking for accomodations in Sydney. Would like to be within walking distance to Darling Harbor and the trains.
Looking for nice, yet reasonably priced at least 3 star. Fiji, need accomodations for 6 days. Looking for the true island experience, not a fancy resort. Great snorkeling, good food, and nice sleeping quarters. Prefer a peaceful setting as we will be unwinding after 20 days travel throughout Australia and NZ.

fuzzylogic

Sorry can't help with Fiji - too long since I was last there.

Re Sydney - what is your budget? And what sort of place do you like? Is old building/pub OK? How about hostels providing twin/double? En suite a must?

Or are you after a chain hotel? (not sure there will be many of these of the 3 star variety in the location you prefer).

There are many accommodation options in Sydney - and June/July is a quiet time - may one ask why Darling Harbour is a determining factor?

Cheers.

MietteMeg

Navini in Fiji is nice, we went there twice and loved it. Very small and peaceful island (you don't get any day-trippers)and the snorkelling off the beach is excellent.
http://www.navinifiji.com.fj/

lechar

We only have three days in Sydney. We plan on going to the blue mountains, opera house, zoo, and probably the bridge walk. Not sure if we want to stay in a hostel. Excuse our ignorane but does en suite mean in a hotel? We want to stay somewhere that is nice, clean, private(no shared facilities) sleeping quarters that are centrally located and near the things we want to see. We're fine with chain hotels since we're only there for three days. We heard that Darling Harbor is near many things we want to see. Our budget is no more than
US$120 a night.

Thank you both for your quick responses

Abby43

Try the Travelodge in Sydney on Wentworth Street. I stayed there about 5 years ago and it was fine. It was built for the 2000 Olympics so it's not that old and the location is excellent.

Neil_Oz

"En suite" means private (not shared) bathroom.

Sydney CBD (central business district) is pretty compact and the area of interest is only about 2 km x 1 km. Darling Harbour is roughly the western boundary of the CBD and is a branch of Sydney Harbour. It's OK, but personally I can't think of a compelling reason to go there, so I wouldn't let that determine your choice of hotel at all.

The most popular tourist area is around Circular Quay, at the northern end of the city - The Rocks, Harbour Bridge approach, ferry terminus, Opera House and Botanic Gardens. This of course has an effect on price. As far as location is concerned, you're unlikely to be very far from a bus stop or underground train station.

Fora start, look up the discount site wotif.com and under "Advanced search" specify a maximum rate of $160 per night, which is close enough to US$120. If you move the cursor over the hotel name it will display the address, which you can cross-check against a street map (sorry, offhand I don't have the web address of a good map, but you shouldn't have much trouble finding one). Don't ignore apartments such as the Oakford and Medina chains, which are often good value.

fuzzylogic

Hello again - wotif always a great option, but only if you are comfortable with finding somewhere max 2 weeks before you arrive.

$120 - is that USD or AUD?

If AUD then it's budget level (hurrah) and your best bet probably would be a pub or a hostel.

Maybe you misunderstood my original post, and maybe your definition of a hostel and mine are different. But there are several good youth hostels/backpackers in central Sydney that have twin/doubles with their own bathroom.

If I was looking for somewhere on your budget then that is where I would go.

Abby43

Out of curiosity I looked up the Travelodge and it was like $96 USD a night. Trust me-it's a decent place to stay and is only 6 years old. The location is excellent as well. In Fiji I stayed at the Sheraton which I loved. However, it is a resort and not a true island experience as I could see that resort anywhere.

lechar

Thank you for all your advice! We were looking to spend US$120 per night. We will wait two weeks before and try to book through wotif.com.
In Fiji we are going to check into Octopus resort on Waya island. Anyone have any recent reports on this island?

Thanks!

eliza3

We stayed at Octopus last year and a number of friends have stayed there. I doubt that you would get accomm there in those months - it is booked up way ahead. However, the pluses - the beach is lovely, the food nice, atmosphere is good, interesting range of people. The minuses - the bures are very very basic, you cannot keep any food in them as you will get mice and rats, and the staff are rude. There are communal tables for meals which is a plus or a minus depending on what you want. That said it has recently changed owners I think and also has a lovely pool built since we were there. If you want to read some (mostly rave)reviews of it look on Lonely Planet. The other similar to Octopus is Oarsmans in the Northern Yasawas. I really think your main problem will be that most places will be booked - July in particular is peak season - winter in Aust and NZ and school holidays. Good luck.