Rich

Hi Alan &amp; Liz,<BR>I tried to get some info on the harbourside at McMahon's point (funny thing my surname is McMahon, ).<BR>But they were not set up for the dates yet,I sent them a mail but no reply yet I will try again later.<BR>Yes you are correct Liz, I live in Wales, in Cardiff in fact, you may remember the Millenium Stadium where you Aussies seem to win every rugby match lol.<BR>We were in Australia in Oct 2001,. we had only 4 days in Sydney last time and we stayed in Palm Cove Queensland and Tangalooma Wild dolphin resort on Moreton Island off Brissie, it was a lovely holiday and we promised ourselves that as soon as we can muster up enough &pound;&pound;&pound; we would return.<BR>So we are grateful for the advice on saving a $ or 2.<BR>The hotel you told us about Alan has already been recommended to a friend who is strolling around Sydney, so I guess she will pay them a visit at some point.<BR>Liz was the hotel on the park called Sheraton on the park? I remember seeing something once as we trawled through brochures.<BR>So far we are booked into the Waldorf with a view to picking up a car somewhere like Parramatta and heading outside for some trips. But NY most definately will be with the other million or so people at the harbour.<BR>The fireworks last week were fantastic bye the way.<BR>I really enjoy eating in the places the locals eat...I don't go too much for tourist type restaurants, over priced stuff usually, so any suggestions of non tourist places in Sydney ( they must be somewhere !! lol)to visit and eat at would be appreciated. What about Balmour?? <BR>I will investigate your suggestions (Hawkesbury River, Bowral or Mittagong) to visit Liz and I am sure we will talk again<BR>Thanks both <BR>Cheers <BR><BR>Rich

Rich

Hi again,<BR>I have received a reply from the Harbourside and they won't price for New years eve until April.I will try again but meanwhile I will stick with the Waldorf as WMR had a good report.<BR>Thanks WMR can I ask for the specific room now or when we arrive?<BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Rich

Kate

I stayed at the Quay Grand Suites in East Circular Quay (not to be confused with Quay West) for part of my honeymoon in a suite with a view of the Harbour Bridge. http://www.mirvac.com.au/hotelv3/hotelhomepage/default.cfm?HotelID=13<BR><BR>It's an all-suite hotel so it's like an apartment - the kitchen is even stocked with the basics. You get a kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, and balcony.<BR><BR>Of course, it was August when I was there so I don't know what the rates will be for NYE. I was able to get a special rate of US$150/night. I've seen normal rates go for US$200/night. Remember, taxes are included in Australian hotel rates. The location is excellent and half of the hotel faces the Harbour Bridge. Best of luck!

Lynn

First thanks to all the posters..a wealth of information! My husband, 17 yr.old son and I are coming to Oz in March to visit our daughter attending Univ NSW. She has an apt. in Coogee and we are looking for a 1 or 2 bdrm apt. nearby. Does anyone have a recommendation for the Medina Classic Randwick or Coogee Sands Hotel and Apts?? Looking for clean but economy priced accom. so as to have more $$ left to &quot;experience&quot; all Oz has to offer. BTW, any other ideas for itinerary welcomed. We'll be in Sydney on March 2 and return to LA on March 17th. Plan to do GBR for sure but day(s) trips from Sydney while daughter's in class would be considered. Thanks again for all the great advice I've already picked up! Lynn

Prue

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Alan

Hi, Rich!<BR>Early in this thread I replied to say that I didn't know anything about the Waldorf Hotel, but that it seemed like a pretty good deal. Yesterday I decided to walk down that way and check it out, and not only do I stand by my original opinion that it seems like good value for the time period, but I will give the hotel an apology for &quot;locating&quot; it right down the bottom of Liverpool in Chinatown. It's at least a block further &quot;up&quot; (towards George St) than I gave it credit for.... a tiny front (no wonder I missed it in the past), but up near the junction of Liverpool and Kent St -- still close to Chinatown, but actually in the cluster of shops around the Spanish Club, so there are a few nice Spanish restaurants (plus the Italian Mamma's Kitchen) around it. And that &quot;uphill walk&quot; I spoke of is negligible... close to flat at this point. <BR>One of the things I liked about it (from the outside) is that, while it is quite a tall building, it is flanked by very old, short buildings: on the Darling Harbour side, five storeys, and on the George St side, just three storeys. This means that you might actually get a view that doesn't look straight into the windows of the building next door. This is far better than, say, the Novotel in Chinatown, which boasts for its view either the side wall of the Entertainment centre (one of the ugliest structures in Sydney, built in that great architectural era, the seventies) or, if you're lucky, the five-storey concrete carpark adjacent to same. In short, from my look at the outside and from the encouraging posts above from people who have stayed there, I think the Waldorf is going to be a hotel I will recommend often in future.

Mucky

Hi Alan,<BR>Its Rich, just changed my name for the log in.Thanks for the information about the waldorf, I read in the thread a reply from WMR which said to request a &quot;high floor on north side of building&quot; this I have done , so with this good advice and your first hand view I hope to have a great view from the top.<BR>One question though; what is &quot;the spanish club&quot;?<BR>Thanks<BR><BR>Rich

Alan

Hi, Mucky!<BR>The Spanish Club is just that... a club for Spanish expatriates or people of Spanish descent who want to keep in touch with their culture... or the rest of us who want to sample it! Sydney is full of ethnic clubs -- more than twenty of them -- Italian, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Assyrian, Croatian, Dutch, Portuguese... all have a restaurant with authentic food, card tables or games rooms, and lounges where the old men can sit and reminisce with fellow countrymen. All are open to visitors, so you don't have to be a member to sample the food in the bistro. The Spanish Club is perhaps the best-situated of all the clubs, being right in the heart of the city (most are WAY out where their clientele lives), and it has had grow up around it a cluster of Spanish-type restaurants. The Waldorf is right there.<BR>The advice to choose a high north-facing room is exactly right; in fact, to generalise now for other posters seeking other hotels, it will be nearly always true that in Sydney you should request a high room facing north, and avoid a west-facing room, which will look straight into the afternoon sun and is unlikely to show you any water more scenic than Darling Harbour.<BR>Have a great trip... and thanks for telling me about the Waldorf!

Mucky

Hi Alan,<BR>No worries mate !!<BR>(Hows my aussie coming along??)<BR>Big thanks to you and all other posters this site is full of such good information !!<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Rich/Mucky

Mucky

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Mucky

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Mucky

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Alan

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Rweiner45

Try the Mercure Grand at Darling Harbour. Right at the monorail stop. Don't know the prices for the time you are going. We had a very nice apartment there in August. Two bedroom, two bath. Walking distance to Imax, Aquarium, Maritime Museum.

Alan

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clairdesol

Just a note on the Waldorf Apartment Hotel on Liverpool St. We had a confirmed reservation guaranteed with a credit card, but were turned away when we showed up at 5 PM on a very busy Saturday night.

Alan

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Mucky

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