We took our last two days in Sydney slow and easy. Not like the rest of the trip wasn’t but during these two days, there was no sightseeing and no plans. We basically spent our time chilling out in the CBD, stopped when we were hungry and shopped when we felt like it. This is the life :)

I was in the middle of the last book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy so I was very glad whenever we had a chance to sit down so I could continue reading. Haha. (I managed to finish the book before the trip ended.) L had no objections since he was only too happy he could play the tower defence games on his iPad. How geeky were we.

Some places we parked at include a restaurant at the Queen Victoria Building and a quaint little café at The Rocks.

On our second last night, we had dinner at I’m Angus Steak House for the second time – they do really good steaks! – and went away with big, satisfied bellies :)

Another visit to The Rocks Markets

Quaint Café at The Rocks

Hanging out in QVB and dinner at I’m Angus

And on the morning we flew off, we had another round of thick, buttery pancakes.

All in all, it was every bit the holiday we expected. I loved the fresh air, the big blue skies, open spaces and beautiful weather – all the things we went to Sydney for.

I came back feeling refreshed and, believe it or not, ready to head back to work!
 

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10

Bright and early, we hired the hotel limo service to take us to Circular Quay. We were planning to get a pair of Sydney Explorer Bus tickets for the day and the bus departs from the bus stop on Alfred Street, right behind the quay.

We decided there was time to grab a light breakfast before the next bus leaves and settled ourselves into a nearby café.

For A$35, you get a 24-hour pass which covers both the Sydney CBD and Bondi routes. We boarded the Sydney route and did a transfer to the Bondi route bus near Hyde Park for our first stop – Bondi Beach.

And we’re off to explore Sydney city!

Even before we reached the bus stop, the view of the stretch of sand and blue waters were visible. It was a beautiful sight. The winds were blowing at full blast, even the seagulls couldn’t fly steadily.

I slipped out of my flats and sank my feet into the soft, talcum-like sand.

We were very amazed that with those winds and in cold winter, there were still people surfing and swimming!

We strolled from one end of the beach to the other and back, and stopped over at a seaside café for lunch. I was very traumatised by two pigeons waltzing in and out of the café and one even parked itself under our table throughout the meal! L told me to just “treat them like stray cats at the coffee shop”. I couldn’t obviously, knowing these bloody things can FLY into my face/food! It was on my mind all through lunch, I wish I could cull them. Urgh. Luckily, it walked away as we were finishing up. I hate birds.

Anyway, after lunch, we hopped on again for the rest of the tour and I was totally not prepared for the sights that awaited at the exclusive suburban estates of Rose Bay and Double Bay. The houses in this area are really pricey because of the view (some people call it ‘Double Pay’).

But imagine walking out onto a balcony to the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Le sigh.

We wanted to stay out until it was time for dinner but for some reason, I felt really sleepy so we alighted near The Rocks and headed back to the hotel for a nap.

Ah, I felt so much better after some rest. We got changed and went out for dinner at Fish at The Rocks, just across the street from where we stayed.

We took a leisurely stroll to The Wharf Theatre, a 10-minute walk away, just in time for Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness.

It was a whimsical production, brilliantly put together, although we did feel quite uncomfortable during the last 15 minutes of the play. I thought the main actor played his role very well. It must not be easy having to memorise all those lines and delivering it in front of a live audience.

We really enjoyed ourselves and I found myself wishing we could catch another play but alas, there wasn’t anything much going on at the Opera House and Mary Poppins (which was showing at the Capitol Theatre) was fully booked. Nevertheless, I’m glad we got to check out The Wharf Theatre because it was so arty, it had so much character. You’ll know what I mean when you’re there :)

I will be combining the last two days in one entry, coming up!
 

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10

We spent our last day in the countryside in the most relaxed possible way.

It started with a breakfast within the compounds of our apartment, doing winery visits on our own and hitting the roads leading back to the city.

Breakfast at The Vintage (didn’t realise we were posing the same way)

After breakfast, we went onto Pokolbin Mountains Road while trying to locate a vineyard and found ourselves driving round and round, higher and higher, up a mountain and ending up driving precariously at the top of the mountain!

Here’s a video of us making our way down quite slowwwly, with the view of the cliff on the left and edging past two oncoming vehicles on the right. Yikes!

We visited two more cellar doors:

Robyn Drayton – We finally found the vineyard that led us on that scary but fun adventure. (I really liked the dessert wine we bought on our last trip so this was a must-visit for us.)

From the wide verandah in front of the cellar door is a majestic view of the mountain range across the vineyard. Really, really beautiful. (We actually did the tasting session on the verandah on our last trip.)

We bought a port and a sweet white called “Foreplay” and described on the bottle as “an orgasm in a bottle”. Hehehe ;)

Golden Grape Estate – Sadly, this winery is no longer in existence. When we visited, our tasting host informed us that they would be bought over in ten days so everything was on clearance.

L bought Dragons Breath Chilli Schnapps (this won Golden Grape some awards but I think it tastes vile) and two tin wine buckets for picnics/parties at home.

I had a light lunch at the estate before we set off for the city. From where we were seated, we got a great view of the rows and rows of vines that stretched for acres. If only we could do this everyday.

Even as we were driving out, I felt like I missed Hunter Valley already. Told L about it and he surprised me by stopping by the side of the road to allow me some time to savour the last of our countryside trip and take pictures. So sweet :)

Loving the countryside

Four days is much too short. We will be back!

And then we set off on our almost four-hour drive back into the city. I fell asleep once the car came to a constant speed on the freeway. (Thanks for driving, darling!)

Hello, Sydney city (again)!

For our last leg, we stayed at The Observatory Hotel, located near The Rocks.

Luxury is luxury, but it is by far, the most thoughtful hotel I’ve stayed in. Upon checking in, you get a card informing you that a hotel manager will be gathered with all the new guests in the evening for a meet-and-greet (we didn’t turn up, LOL).

What impressed us was their “turn down service”. This means when you return to your room every night, not only will your room be neatly packed and dusted (that’s the norm), your curtains would have been drawn, coffee/tea bags and flask would be brought out and there would be a bottle of water on each side of the bed. There would also be a little note placed on your bed to inform you that the hotel staff (with name included) has been to your room to wind it down. It’s a little gesture but makes a world of difference!

We were congratulating ourselves (really shaking hands) for scoring a good deal whilst unpacking and freshening up. Hahaha.

Love the spacious, elegant rooms

We took the railway to Martin Place and hung out in the CBD until we felt like we needed to stop to eat.

I didn’t have any craving and L wasn’t hungry so we took another train to Circular Quay and strolled up The Rocks, where we had dinner at Caminetto.

Dining al fresco. Thank goodness for heaters!

And once again, we had a swim in the luxurious indoor pool before turning in.

Goodnight, Sydney

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10

The winter cold makes you wanna curl under the covers and hibernate. So even though we had planned to get the show on the road early, we slept in for a bit. Okay, a lot. Had a quick breakfast in the apartment (cup noodles) before setting off for Port Stephens.

Passing rolling fields en route to Port Stephens

Once at Nelson Bay, we headed to the visitor’s centre to book our whale-watching cruise. There wasn’t enough time to check out the sand dunes before the cruise started but just as well ‘cos we were told by a lady who made our bookings that the gale-force winds (going at full blast then) would have caused us to be sand blasted. Not good.

So we spent our time having a nice brunch by the bay and exploring instead!

Lovely sights at Nelson Bay

Brunching by the bay

Exploring the quaint streets of Victoria Parade

I bought an Australian literature from a precious second-hand bookshop and am reading the book now :)

Finally, it was time to board!

It was a perfect sunny day to be out at sea and the winds were really strong and chilly.

These whale watching cruises are only available from May to November every year – when the humpbacks make their migration journey south (past Port Stephens) so do plan your trip around this time if you’re intending to catch a cruise.

Trying to spot them humpbacks in the vast ocean

For more than an hour, we got really excited just seeing them spew water from their blow holes. Every single time we saw water flying from the water we ooh-ed and ahh-ed.

The highlight of the cruise was catching sight of a playful humpback BREACHING and OH MY GOD, I was so awed. IT WAS SPECTACULAR.

I kept asking L, “Did you see that? DID YOU SEE THAT?!”

(Believe it or not, my camera chose the moment right before the breaching to die on me. Seriously, right?)

This is an entirely natural phenomenon and many a times, people are more or less satisfied seeing water from the blow holes. A refund is also offered if no whales are sighted (it happens). So can you imagine our luck? We saw breaching. *hyperventilates*

Even though we don’t have a video of the whales (or a decent picture for that matter), L managed to spot some playful dolphins on our way back to the port. Unlike whales, dolphins are really attention-seeking so they tend to swim near moving boats :)

I felt so small and humbled in the magnificence of nature. It was quite an amazing experience. No photo or video could do it justice.

By the time the cruise was over, it was late afternoon so we packed some grilled fish and started on our two-hour drive back to Hunter Valley.

I fell asleep in the car and woke up to this…

Driving into the beautiful orange pink sunset

WHAT A DAY :)
 

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10

Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region and also one of the most revered. It is now into it’s fifth generation of winemaking families and there are also some, what they call, up and coming ‘young gun’ winemakers.

We spent three days in the country – a day on a guided tour, a day driving out to Port Stephens, and another exploring and visiting the cellar doors on our own.

Just like our last visit, we booked ourselves a wine tour and this time, made sure to confirm we’ll be visiting a different batch of wineries (since we were going with the same tour operator).

The best thing about spending nights in the country was not having to worry about driving back into the city on a drunken high if we had too much wine!

Rise and shine in Hunter Valley and waiting for our bus

Hunter Semillon and Shiraz is something not replicated in any other wine region
— Anthony Gismondi

Hunter Valley Semillon is Australia’s unique gift to the wine world
— Jancis Robinson MW

Hunter Valley is known for its Semillon and Shiraz (which I can’t appreciate cos I’m not a fan of reds). Even though we did discover some gems and tasted some not-so-good wines, I will not attempt to critic or review them because I’m most certainly not a wine connoisseur. Plus, all of them are very passionate about their trade and work very hard.

Through our visits to the cellar doors and wine-tasting experiences, I learnt a lot about the winemaking process, the skills and labour involved, and was very amazed by how the geography of a vineyard can affect the quality of wine it produces.

Here are some of the cellar doors and producers we visited during the guided tour:

Ivanhoe Wines – We’ve been here on our last visit but didn’t mind the re-visit because they do really good wines.

Blessed with owning one of the best soils in the Hunter, Ivanhoe is known for their cirsp Semillon, tropical Verdelho, soft oak Chardonnay, soft and smooth Chambourcin (this is one red I can take) and full bodied Shiraz.

They also do personalised wine bottles so it’ll definitely make a very special gift to a wine lover. I’m not sure about the timeline so if you’re planning to personalise a bottle, do visit their website and call in advance.

From the cellar door, you get a mesmeric view of their 25 hectares of 30-year-old vines.

We bought a bottle of Chambourcin because, like I said, it’s the only red I can take.

Blueberry Hill – This is a small boutique winery in the Pokolbin area. They grow six varieties of grapes: Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

They have a very simple cellar door which felt more like someone’s home. Our sampling host was this happy, chirpy lady who shared quite a bit with the group as she filled our glasses. She moved into the country because the pace in the city was too hectic and it made her easily frustrated. And I agree. How nice would it be to be able to take things slower.

I wouldn’t be able to survive the lack of internet connection and round-the-clock food stalls though. Heh.

Tintilla Estate – When we hopped off the bus, I was awed by the enticing cellar door, perched on the hilly grass, surrounded by flowers and trees. It is probably what my home would look like if I owned a place in the countryside. Hee. To complete the picture, there was even a dog sitting right where we alighted :)

Tintilla pioneered an Italian varietal, Sangiovese, which we tried and liked.

We also observed that a lot of winemakers like to name their creations after their children/grandchildren.

Bluetongue Brewery – This is not so much a winery but a brewery specialising in premium Australian beer.

Breaking for lunch

We had lunch at the casual restaurant beside the brewery. You could do beer tasting if you’d like (I’m pretty sure they do some good and smooth lager) but since L and myself are no fan of beers, we gave the beer tasting a miss and just had lunch.

Within the day tour group, there was a couple from Canberra who runs a restaurant business – i.e. they’re real foodies – and they were planning to visit Singapore so we gave them some tips on what to see, do and eat. We met some really nice people on this tour :)

Adina – Our first stop after lunch.

Located in Lovedale, Adina doesn’t only do great wines. They also grow local produce like olives and olive oils and offer accommodation.

Our tasting session was conducted by the owner and he spent a great deal of time educating us on the processes, the differences between French and Australian wines, pure wines and mixed varieties, etc. It was a very informative session.

He had a variety of wine made for his grandson’s 21st birthday and named it after the boy. How cool is this granddad?!

So these were all the wineries we visited. The guided tour also included visiting the locally produced chocolate and cheese factories so we needed some time for that.

Hunter Valley Chocolate Company – This was no Willy Wonka’s factory but it was just as delightful with its wide selection of choco goodness. I couldn’t resist and bought some strawberry fondue as I browsed, and we left with a pack of chilli chocolate. (Yes, it’s spicy chocolate!)

Choco heaven

I’m not a sweet-tooth kinda girl but it still took a lot of self-restraint to not get everything because they were all packaged so nicely. I’m a sucker for pretty packaging.

Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop – The cheese shop had a vast array of local and international cheeses, condiments and delicacies.

It was our first cheese-tasting session and we reeked of cheese after the visit. Bought a bottle of fetta and lemony olive oil to share with the people back home.

The guided tour ended at about 5. We were dropped off at our apartment and managed to get in a nap before driving out in pitch dark (again) to the nearby Hermitage Lodge for dinner at their award-winning Italian restaurant, Il Cacciatore.

Gnocchi for L and linguine for me

L thought the food was bad but I liked mine. Methinks he ordered the wrong dish.

One thing we both agree though, is that the service was appalling. Our server was this fierce-looking lady who looked like she was chewing gum and ready to beat us to a pulp. She gave the widest, fakest smile whenever she was at our table which disappeared the moment she left. And it wasn’t just with us, she did this with every other table she served.

It was quite amusing so we just mimicked her fake smile and laughed it off but I can imagine other customers getting really pissed.

It was a really cold night so we bundled back into the car and whizzed back to our apartment.

Ahhh, nice and warm, watching the local cable in front of the fireplace

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10

It was day four of our holiday and also the day we would spend most of our time on the roads.

We woke up bright and early for breakfast at the YWCA hostel near our hotel.

After filling our tummies and catching up on the day’s headlines, we trooped to the railway station and headed to Kings Cross to collect our rental car.

I highly recommend Bayswater Car Rental, a family run business that operates only in Sydney and Perth. It is the second time we’re going to them instead of the global rental companies and we’ve been very happy with the experience both times. They are less expensive, reliable and very efficient.

This time, we added a GPS to the rental because I was too lazy to navigate. It was so convenient I couldn’t believe we survived without getting lost the last time.

“Survival instinct”, L says.

Before driving off, we stocked up on groceries from a nearby Coles outlet for the drive and our next few nights in the country.

Grocery shopping and car rental

It was so FUN, taking in the sights, snacking, singing to the iPod in crazy, loud voices and relaxing. (Well, I was relaxing, L had to drive. I didn’t even need to navigate! Whee! GPS rocks!)

I love road trips

We arrived in Hunter Valley Wine Country a couple of hours later. We knew we were nearing when acres and acres of greenery, vineyards, grazing cows and horses started whizzing us by.

Our first stop was the visitor centre because we wanted to book ourselves a wine tour and look for a place to grab a bite.

L found this really nice postcard at the visitor centre that says a certain Magpie Café within Gartelman Estate is open till 4. Since we were in the area, we thought we could get there in time to make their last orders but alas, it was winter so they closed early. So we squeezed in a mini wine-tasting session instead ;)

Before leaving the cellar doors, we were directed to Lynkeys, a whimsical and homely place which stayed opened a little later. Plonked ourselves within the gallery/café and enjoyed our freshly-barbecued hamburger with eggs and coffee. It was comfort food in the cold.

The start of wine-tasting and a late lunch at Lynkeys

We continued on our way from Lovedale to Pokolbin where Grand Mercure Apartments The Vintage was located. It would be our home for the next three nights.

(When we checked in, we found out we were upgraded to a sprawling two-bedroom apartment because they ran out of one-bedrooms. NUBBAD.)

Totally love the contemporary design of the apartments

So we settled in, turned on the fireplace and unpacked with the television on. I forgot if we squeezed in a nap.

At about 7, we ventured out to sSs BBQ Barns Steakhouse for dinner – another place we found from advertisements at the visitor centre.

Chilli bread, salad and steak

Our drive back to the apartment was both scary and exciting…

After a hot shower (shiokness), we watched some reality show on TV and winded down with a bottle we got during our wine-tasting at Gartelman.

Winding down with a glass of Verdelho

It felt SO NICE to snuggle under the covers on that cold winter’s night. I could just hibernate and sleep all day.
 

Read the rest of my Sydney travelogue:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Days 9 & 10