Girls weekend in Sydney



Sparkly anyone???





A trip to Sydney with my daughter Angie is just what I needed. And travelling in style was a bonus. My daughter arranged everything through her work www.totaltravel.com which is owned by Yahoo7.

I flew from Adelaide and she came up from Byron Bay. We both had a rough flight due to strong winds but we arrived safely even though a bit late.



Our first treat was to be picked up at the airport by a limousine. Imagine my delight when there was a white stretch limo waiting outside. Angie said, "that is our ride". I said "no way". But yes it was. Courtesy of MC limousines www.mclimousines.com.au and driven by the owner Michael Kardoulias. Wow was all I could say because I had never been in one before. So as you can see by the photo it was luxurious and came with a bottle of bubbly. What more could we want to start off our weekend. It was a pleasant drive to our hotel, the 'Shangri La' near the rocks overlooking the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.




View from our room





On entering our room, directly in front was the best view. The harbor bridge on one side and the opera house on the other. As you can see we had a window seat and a small marble section to put our cups on. The room had two beds, a sitting area, a desk and a plasma TV screen. A bowl of fruit was on a small table alongside a small box of chocolates.

The bathroom is marble and the taps are silver and gold plated. Was very luxurious. It is a room that you could spend a nice relaxing day in, reading watching tv and admiring the view.

On arrival we had time to freshen up and get changed for dinner.

What can I say about dinner? The restaurant is called "Altitude" and it was located on the 36th floor. We were shown to our table which was situated at the floor to ceiling window overlooking the harbor. So many beautiful lights. I can't say what the restaurant looked like because it was dimly lit, but what I could see was nice. We had a 4 course meal and wine was suggested at each course. First they gave us a shot glass with flavoursome broth, so yummy, then Angie had oysters and I had a tomato terrine starter, then for entree, I had venison. We had a choice of different breads too. The main course was amazing. I ordered steak and Angie had lamb. That was the best steak I have ever had. It just melted in my mouth and had a tasty crust as well. Before dessert we had a delicious mango sorbet. Dessert was a lemon curd meringue and Angie a chocolate mousse and then we were very full.  We finished off with coffee/tea and chocolates. We could have had different wines with the courses but we opted for sparkly first then a nice glass of Chardonay. By the time we finished it was midnight, so off to bed and dream about the next adventure tomorrow.

We woke early and went for breakfast at the Rocks and a quick stroll around that area. Then it was back at the hotel for our Chi Spa appointments. We had a double appointment, Angie was having the rocks massage and I the full body massage. All in all one and half hours of relaxation. So nice, wish I could do that every week.



View from our Shangir La room



We could only stay one night here so it was off at 1pm to our next hotel, the "InterContinental", just a short 10 minute walk down the road. We were met at reception by the duty manager and he personally took us to our room. The entrance to the hotel was lovely because they have blended the old with the new.

Our room was very nice but once again it is the view. This time over the Gardens and the Opera house. Once again we had a window seat with cushions this time and it was so comfy we didn't want to move. The room wasn't as grand but still very nice. I liked the electronic blinds too, because you could totally black out the room if you wanted to nap during the day.

The manager gave Angie a letter inviting us to use the Club lounge and all its facilities. That meant we could have nibbles and refreshments. The lounge was on the top floor so at 2pm we went up to check it out. Wow what a view of the whole harbor. We had to meet Angies Aunty Jen there for drinks. Straight away we were given Moet and we stayed there til 7pm drinking Moet and eating light refreshments. So this is how the rich and famous live. Nice. The customer service was superb and we were impressed. Aunty Jen had to go at 6pm and she was replaced with a good friend Aya.



View from the club lounge InterContinental





Enjoying my Moet



China Lane restaurant with Aya and Angie



After 7pm it was off to dinner at a new restuarant 'China Lane' in Angel Place. A 15min walk down the road. Not good in heels, had a few blisters by the time we got back. It is Chinese food but the atmsophere isn't of your average Chinese restaurant. We started with a cocktail, and mine was delicious. Could be deadly having too many of these especially after drinking Moet all day. We asked the waiter to choose our banquet with the dishes he felt suited our tastes. It was really nice. Even though it was very noisey, we enjoyed the dinner. It was packed with patrons. I loved the entrance, hanging bird cages minus the birds in the lane. It was a brisk walk back to hotel and a bubble bath before bed. Nice.

The celebrity status continued the next morning. Off up to the Club lounge for a buffet style breakfast, then a brisk walk in the Govt House gardens, then back at 10am for High Tea. On sitting down we are told we are upgraded to Higher Tea. Not sure what that meant but we were given Moet again to start. (Is 10am too early for Moet???) The waiter explained each tier of food to us and what you drink with each. He showed us the menu with 12 different teas to choose from. So each had to be brewed and we weren't allowed to drink it til it was ready. Brewing time for mine was 1 minute and I think the waiter was watching to make sure I left it for a minute. Angie had Chai. I had a darjeeling tea with Jasmine. It was very nice but too much food. So the waiter boxed up the remainder cakes and I took them home for my husband to enjoy.



High tea at the InterContinental



The area we had High Tea in was a mixture of the old and the new. It looked fantastic.

After the Tea we had two hours to kill before setting off for the airport, so we hurried off to the Rocks Market to check it out. It was very busy with tourists and had a nice buzz to it. Then back to the hotel to check out and catch our stretch limo to the airport.



Old and the new combined

 Once we checked in we made our way to the Virgin lounge, where Angie had organised for us to wait for our plane. It was amazing as I was flying Jetstar but they were quite happy to have me. Angie had about 40mins before her flight and I had another couple of hours. So I enjoyed more sparkly, coffee, salad bar and nibbles. Watched a bit of TV and read the paper and magazines.

Then it was off home. Uneventful flight, just relaxed and read my book. What a great weekend. Thanks Angie. Thanks to the Shangri La, InterContinental, China Lane, Virgin and MC Limousines for giving me a weekend to remember.

Lets do it again sometime.



View from our room, InterContinental





View from Club lounge