doston1899

Never been to Australia and start cruise on 4/15/2012 from Sydney. We are budget travelers and hope not to pay more than $100.00 a night for the 6 nights in Sydney. Want to stay near Public travel and see as much as possible without spending a fortune. We are mulling the Y Hotel South on Cleveland Street---Merton on Pitt Street---Adina on Crown St---Travelodge in or on Wynard. We are not fussy. Are they all near the incoming train from the airport?? Is there a middle class restaurant chain in or near the above lodging choices? What attractions do you recommend? We like museums.
Thanks for the help!!!!

Susan7

Definitely serve the Y on Cleveland st. Of the ones you mention Travelodge at Wynard would be closest to the train station from the airport. Adina on Crown is great if you are into restaurants but it isn't close to a station. Merton on Pitt is a couple of blocks from Town Hall Station.

I'm not sure what you mean by a middle class restaurant chains. But reasonably priced restaurant chains in central Sydney include:

Ichi Ban Boshi www.ichibanboshi.com.au/
Wagamama www.wagamama.com.au/
Chat Thai www.chatthai.com.au

For Sydney attractions, look at the free city guide to Sydney on this website.

Susan7

Whoops, sorry that should be "swerve" Y on Cleveland--meaning avoid.

Bokhara2

You'll be here over the Easter holidays (Easter Sunday is 8th April)- nice time to be in Sydney, but prices can be a little higher than usual.

Have a look at www.wotif.com.au and if you see a property you like in an acceptable price range, I'd suggest you contact them direct & see if you can do a deal for 6 days.

Not sure, but I think $100/night may be a little tight for other than hostel accommodation within the CBD. However, public transport in & around the city & close suburbs is good, so Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Newtown, Waterloo or Kirribilli, on the north shore, would still allow you to see the sights.


I agree with Susan7 - avoid the Y on Cleveland.

We're not huge on chain restaurants here; lots of good value individual cafes, bistros & restaurants though. In the CBD, the new Westfield shopping mall has an excellent Food Hall on Level 5 and Chinatown, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and inner Western suburbs like Ultimo, Newtown, Marrickville & Enmore are bristling with good value, interesting food.

AlanJG

Maria and I recently stayed at the Wynyard Travelodge. They have an online booking service which allows significant price reductions if you book and pay in advance but there is no flexibility after that. The lifts at Wynyard Station are not easily found but they are there. In frustration I put the case over my head and strode up the stairs along with the peak hour commuters.

We enjoyed Teras Bali in Watson Bay so much that we went back for a second feed and were not disappointed. Many inexpensive, by Australian standards, restaurants in Darling Harbour.

di2315

Travelodge have a number of special offers listed on their website www.travelodge.com.au
e.g Stay for 2 nights or more at selected Travelodge Hotels and save up to 30% off your nightly room rate. Plus other advance purchase offers.

For ideas of what to do and see, take a look at the Fordors ideas at http://tinyurl.com/7or7njt - an interesting way to spend the day exploring the harbour environs! Di

cathies

http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/sy...ydney-harbour/

This is slightly over budget at $145 per night for a room with ensuite, but worth considering. Great location and views of the Harbour from the rooftop.

marg

We had a week in Sydney earlier this year staying in a cabin in the caravan park in Lane Cove National Park. I think we paid about $80 per night for a self-contained cabin with bedroom, living area, kitchen and bathroom. The caravan park is ten minutes walk to the railway station and then about 15 minutes to the CBD.
Probably not what you are looking for but a reasonable alternative.

cathies

That's quite a good alternative marg. The train trip from there is a nice run with very pretty gardens etc along the way and a view of the Opera House as the train crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge on its way into the city.

MountTaylor

We have stayed with our children at the Lane Cove National Park some years ago and we all thought it excellent for this type of accommodation, especially one can get into the city easily. Incidentally, wherever you stay, you are likely to take public transport - train, bus or ferry. As a senior you can get a ticket (a senior day excursion) (e.g. at the train station) for $2.50, which you can use for the remainder of that day until midnight, on any of the government-run trains, buses and ferries. My wife and I had 14 weeks in Sydney last year and we loved just how much we could do for just $2.50!!! We also loved being able to sit on ferries, enjoying the view and relaxing as we did so.

di2315

That's interesting, Mount Taylor, that you were able to buy a Senior's ticket; I understood that you had to show an Australian Senior's or pension card to be able to purchase those concession tickets. Is this not the case? Di

Pelligrina

Welcome to Sydney Doston. Below is a link to Mary Mackillop Place which is run by the Josephite sisters. I think you'll find it hard to find accomodation at this price so close to the city.Here's the link:
http://www.marymackillopplace.org.au...tion/index.asp

They have accomodation open to all. To get there take the train to North Sydney Station, 2 trains stops away from Wynard Station on the other side of the Harbour Bridge. The Lodge is about 2 blocks away from the station. A short cut is to go through the shopping centre and just keep taking the escalators until you get to the traffic lights where the post office is.

It is all uphill to the Lodge but I've seen 80 year old nuns with a loaded shopping trolley walk uphill no problem. During work days there are plenty of food courts open.Meals range from a substantial sandwich for $4.00 to meals for $8 to $10.The sisters will look after you, just ask them for the cheapest places. If you pop me a line I might join you for lunch one day.




You're right Di, normally you do but there are some nice ticket officers around so you may be able to get away with it, couldn't hurt to ask.

doston1899

Thanks for all the replies to date. I am looking for a 2 bedroom motel/suite/apartment in Sydney for about $125.00 or less for the 6 nights we will be in Sydney. My sister-in-law is coming with us. We would like something close to bus routes/train. Will our Stateside ATM debit card work in your Australia ATM machines and what our the service fees if they do??
Are we better off using travelers checks and are they accepted in most restaurants etc??
The Senior travel pass sounds good if they are available to non-Australian tourists.

cathies

Ask your bank about the ATM fee question. My cards worked in US machines so I don't see why yours won't work here. I don't think travelers cheques are used very much at all these days.

That price for accommodation is very low and you have already been given good options for that price range, so I'm not sure what else you want us to tell you??

di2315

I'd also recommend checking with your bank about your debit card working in Australia - you need to have the correct number of digits in your PIN. The same with the fees - they seem to be set between individual banks, so if you use a machine outside that supported by your bank, you may be charged a higher fee.

Generally it's only the larger hotels that now accept traveller's cheques - with the ease of credit and debit cards, most other places refuse to accept them.

I second the Lane Cove National Park accommodation recommended above - it's very convenient to transport, and would give you the extra experience of being outside the main city area. So often travel to far away places becomes focused on the large cities, yet just a few Ks outside that area life is so different - and in this case, quite tranquil, as a contrast! Di