lesia

My husband & I are traveling from NY to Australia for 16 days (including flights)from mid to end of November. We have booked the flights and should have 5 days in Sydney then flying to Cairns for a 9 day stay. Our son is in school at Univ of Sydney for the semester and will then be traveling with us to the reef. Our main interests are to check out the beaches, but of course, while in Sydney, would check out the opera house and probably the Blue Mountains and anything else someone may suggest in the area.
We are leaning toward staying in middle of town where public transportation is accessible. Are there any must see beaches or sights where we would need a car in Sydney area? Any suggestions as to hotels or area of Sydney to stay? Does not have to be too elaborate, since price is a factor.

On to Cairns, since we have 9 days there, we're thinking that maybe we should try to stay at 2 different places. My husband & I were scuba certified 15 years ago, but haven't gone almost since then. Our son is not certified, so we may just do some resort dives and mostly snorkeling. Should we stay in Cairns or also stay in Port Douglas or elsewhere? Any suggestions for places to stay or any particular islands (like Dunk,Heron, or Hamilton). Assume we should rent a car in Cairns. Also wouldn't mind a place with a kitchenette, if that is reasonable, so that we don't have to go out for every meal. Any advice would be appreciated.

chimani

A car in Sydney is a liability. If you do stay close to the centre of the city then you won't need one. Public tranport will get you to all the usual "must sees" and there is a good value commuter travel pass you can buy that gives unlimited access on buses, trains and ferries. It works on zones and you can get more info here:

http://www.131500.com.au/ticketandfa...ravel_pass.asp

Sydney's public transport system causes much gnashing of teeth amongst residents but that is because most people don't live in the CBD. If you are starting your journey from the CBD then the system's quite good!!

As for Cairns. Please be aware, if you aren't already, that if you are thinking of Hamilton Island (high rise, developed, resort land) or Heron (quite the opposite) in combination with FNQ you need to look closely at how you are going to get there, and the cost involved.

As for places to stay - please elaborate on what to you is not "too elaborate" - in other words, how much do you wish to spend, and what facilities must you have?


Cheers.

lesia

Chimani-
Thanks for your web link on Sydney transportation system. We plan to take advantage of the public transit system. As far as what I meant by "not too elaborate accomodations", I would prefer to spend something like $100/night per room (US) but,if I have to, would spend up to $200. As far as what we must have would be a place with a double or queen bed with our own bathroom. Also would prefer small fridge & small kitchen to help save on going out to eat. Would weigh expense of being center of town or at harbor versus being further but near public transportation. Please suggest a place or area of Sydney if you have any in mind.
As far as Cairns, prefer not to be in highrises, so I guess that rules out Hamilton. Maybe, at Cairns, we can stay in town part of time & do day snorkeling trips and then for the other 4 or 5 days stay on one of the islands. For those days, we wouldn't rent a car, since we would be on the beach. Does that sound reasonable or am I way off base as to my plans? Any suggestions of which island & places?

cheryllj

Sydney is very easy to get around using public transporation, and you can even take a ferry out to Manly or a bus to Bondi Beach. I would stay in or near the Rocks area, somewhere as close to Circular Quay as possible, because that is definitely the hub of the action and the easiest place to catch a bus or ferry to wherever you want to go.

I've never stayed there, but the Russell is a budget place in the Rocks that gets good reviews.

Saltuarius

In Cairns area I suggest one of the northern beaches would suit you and take day trips to the reef. for a second spot to stay I reckon that the Atherton Tablelands is great at that time of year. cooler than the coast, lakes for swimming, plenty of scenery and wildlife. Search this forum for information on places and tours.

lesia

Cheryllj-
Thanks, I'll check out the Russell. Staying so close to the harbour is definitely appealing to me.

chimani

Lesia,

You don't give exact dates, and if you will be in Sydney Fri/Sat it might make a difference (like it'll be booked up) but have you thought of staying at the YHA?

You could get a double en suite for $100 (aud) a night. Fridges and kitchen are communal. But, hey, if you want somewhere good to sleep without spending a lot of money - that would be my pick. Not in the Rocks, but amazingly well placed for transport with the railway stn practically next door, and you could walk to a bus stop for pretty much anywhere you wanted to go in 10 mins. Or with that travel pass, save your legs, and hop on a bus down George St that will take you to bus stop central, or circular quay for ferries galore.

Staying in the Rocks area would be a trip, but I doubt you'd find anywhere budget with kitchen facilities.

The Russell's rooms with ensuite are $240 according to their website.

I would suggest the Harbour Rocks Hotel where friends once stayed and enjoyed although the room was small, and definitely no kitchen (don't know about the fridge). But that's about the same (240 aud).

So I know what I would do. If you can avoid Fri and Sat check out:

www.yha.com.au

lesia

Chimani-
Thanks. I checked out the link for YHA & I guess it would be a good possibility & the price seems right. Our arrival date into Sydney is Mon 11/12 & departing Sat 11/17th. The Russell was fully booked for our dates. I realize a small kitchen is a plus, but not a big deal if we don't have it,since our son said he would cook for us a night or two.
I found a bunch of other places on the web that were in the $110-145 range. I haven't looked on the map yet to see where situated, but if any comments, please let me know. They are: Sir Stamford Double Bayon 22 Knox St., Best Western Unilodge on corner of Broadway & Bay St., Crowne Plaza Hotel Coogee Beach, Coogee Sands Hotel & Apts. on 161-167 Dolphin St.
Thanks for all the input.

cheryllj

I don't know about the other two, but Coogee Beach is far, very far from the main central tourist area of Sydney. (It's even farther than Bondi, iirc, and that's pretty far.)

Imho, it doesn't really make sense to save a few dollars staying far away from the city if you are going to waste a lot of time and money on transport back into the city to sightsee.

cheryllj

Have you checked out the Chelsea or the Victoria Court? They are probably booked, but it never hurts to check.

Betsy

For good hotel pricing, go to wotif.com. You can book 28 days before your trip, often at significantly lower rates. Make sure you understand the cancellation policy of the hotel(s) you are considering. This is a highly reliable site.

heathy

Hi Lesia
I've just arrived home from a fantastic relaxing family holiday in Port Douglas. We were able to swim in the ocean - but we saw there were notices on the beach warning people to avoid swimming in the summer months due to "marine stingers ", ? Box Jellyfish.
Port Douglas is a beautiful spot with a huge range of accommodation options. Well worth seeing.

farrermog

Also check out the Travelodge Wynyard York Street - very well priced for Sydney CBD - usually has good deals on Wotif (some facade upgrading work at the moment and even better deals for those rooms affected by scaffolding)- great Sydney city location, a short walk to the The Rocks, Circular Quay ferries, Bridge, Opera House, main Sydney city shopping etc. Starbucks across the road and late night convenience stores nearby. My family, which knows Sydney very well, stayed there January and would have been back this week had there been vacancies (staying instead at the nearby Menzies).

chimani

I'd probably skip Coogee unless being close to the beach appeals - transport to the city via bus only, and takes a while. I know where the Best Western is corner Broadway and Bay - excellent transport to the city as tons of buses pass down broadway on their way to Circular Quay and it shd take no more than 25 mins to get there (less outside of rush hour). The same buses pass Central stn (5 mins).

As for Sir Stamford, Double Bay. DB is the posh end of town. Brilliant as an upmarket shopping enclave. The hotel is a couple of mins from the main road, and buses head along that toward the city (20-25 mins maybe) and Watsons Bay.

Personally I'd rather stay in the YHA than in Best Western. I'm not sure what you'd get extra for the money, and Broadway is a pretty dead area for eating out. The YHA is 5 mins away from Sydney's Chinatown.

The Sir Stamford is a proper hotel, and if you can get it cheap would not be a bad choice.

farrermog

Yes, Coogee, with a sheltered beach, nice coastal walk to the north (towards Bondi), and a good direct bus to the city, is a lovely spot for family beachgoers during the day, but nights can be marred by noise and drunken young backpackers.