Jen "Meet Me by the Nacho Cart" H.

6/14/2016

Not much to say about this iconic hotel that hasn't already been stated. The service, the room, the views, the location, the amenities, the bars, the food, all worthy of your dollars for those of you who prefer an historic, luxe hotel option when you travel. Walk score is a gold star 10. I loved the classy welcome and ongoing, personalized service, including arranging the incredible Handa Opera tickets (holy cow, can you say 50 yard line seats in VIP box).

The one heads up I'd give you is beware of slow elevators. I hated the waits, so my advice is zen yourself, remember you're on vacation and just don't be careless in leaving, say, your rain jacket or SPF in the room, causing you to make multiple trips. Hypothetically speaking, not saying I did that on a couple occasions.

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  Desk area nook - I used it for the vanity area

  Desk area nook - I used it for the vanity area
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  Rain shower, separate from tub

  Rain shower, separate from tub
• See all photos from Jen H. for Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

6/14/2016

Took the top deck lunch cruise with window table. Staff is efficient and friendly, food was surprisingly good, wines by the glass selection was disappointingly uninspiring. The sparkling wines were... Just don't.

The cruise itself was fine, especially if you just want a vanilla, no fuss, no drama, no thought required boat ride on the Harbour with numerous opportunities to take photos. However, overall value of experience is touristy ok at best. There are way better value options for the Harbour experience. (For example, take the Manly ferry for much cheaper and equally beautiful views; and lots of great food choices once you get to Manly).

Bottom line: it's a safe, non-controversial, generic choice for the average tourist.

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  Tasmanian grilled salmon

  Tasmanian grilled salmon
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  Smoked ocean trout with fennel

  Smoked ocean trout with fennel
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  Mid-cruise yacht stop in Darling Harbour (round trip at Circular Quay)

  Mid-cruise yacht stop in Darling Harbour (round trip at Circular Quay)
• See all photos from Jen H. for Captain Cook Cruises

6/1/2016

We had a group of 7 in our party and wanted to get in at peak dinnertime on a Saturday evening. The staff was so nice, so accommodating and was able to seat us right away and honor our actual reservation time. As basic as this sounds, many restaurants - no matter the party size - will book your reservation and still not seat you on time, so considering the size of my party, I thought that was even more impressive.

The service was awesome, fast, friendly, made terrific share plate recommendations and our wine glasses were never empty. The variety on the menu, chill atmosphere and value pricing on entrees meant that everyone was happy and had a wonderful time. Note that they are beer & wine only, however, so satisfy your cocktail cravings elsewhere. Highly recommend this neighborhood gem!

4/26/2016

A tranquil, lovers getaway and/or just an overall escape from real life. This is a gorgeous resort with extremely private rooms (individual lodge bungalows), amazingly lush grounds filled with exotic nature and critters (birds, wallabies, lizards and who-knows-what-else), a huge private beach, 2 separate pool areas, endless photography viewpoints and a very well-executed restaurant/bar in the main lodge (the only place you can get wifi, BTW).

Absolutely get the daily breakfast spread in the main lodge vs. room service. The variety is great (hash browns were like crack browns, and I'm not a breakfast potatoes lover), including a phenomenal assortment of tropical fruits, all while you enjoy a breathtaking, front row view of the grounds and oceanfront. No other civilization in sight, just pure nature and the fellow guests.

Minus 1 star is really more for the room amenities. The A/C (a must in this tropical area) was a bit cranky and loud. There really were no usable TV channels, not that you'd be watching TV in paradise anyway, but I want a little news in the morning. And if you just completely have to get on the internet, you literally don't have an option but to go to the main lodge - depending on which room you're in, that could be a 5-10 min golf cart ride, so plan ahead. Needless to say, these are very minor gripes in the overall experience. One more heads up - if you're using a credit card (which, who wouldn't be for a hotel stay), expect a 2.5% surcharge on your bill. It was a bit annoying to feel nickel and dimed, so I want to give you a heads up. Overall, Thalia is incredible and I highly recommend this resort!

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  Apple is so awesome!

  Apple is so awesome!
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  View down to lobby entrance

  View down to lobby entrance
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  Apple likes sweet potatoes

  Apple likes sweet potatoes
• See all photos from Jen H. for Thala Beach Lodge

4/26/2016

Brunch queues along Hardware restos are crazy-making, but Hash had room at the community table right away with no wait. Score! Looking around at what seemed like a dining room full of regulars, everyone was enjoying the famous hot chocolate and some sort of tartine, which is apparently called hash... means something different in my vocabulary, but when in Australia, I go with the Aussie way. The smashed avo with goat cheese and lemon was divine (divine!), and oddly, I didn't miss having some type of meat or egg in my first meal of the day. Minus 1 star for the very sporadic service (though, they were certainly nice when they did actually attend to the table); otherwise, this is a repeater for when I'm back in Melbourne.

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  Smashed avo tartine with goat cheese

  Smashed avo tartine with goat cheese
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4/21/2016

Despite being open for several years, the shop looks brand new, is impeccably merchandised and wonderfully edited to showcase a variety of great, global wines. I was invited to a sausage sizzle (*giggle*) and wanted to bring a gift for the host, who has a sophisticated wine palate. The store owner helped me pick out a 45 AUD selection, a sauvignon blanc blend from Victoria, and it turned out to be a big hit with the host. Great shop, great location.

4/21/2016

Wanna Get Away? Ah, no wonder the head concierge at my hotel reco'd this fabulous wine bar and cafe as his own favorite. Tram or walk to it, still in CBD but away from the tourists. Great wine selection and tasty food in a bustling atmosphere, yet you can still score a table with laid back, friendly service while reading a book or watching the government peeps make deals.

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  House olives

  House olives
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  Menu is handwritten, awesome and old school.

  Menu is handwritten, awesome and old school.
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  Rich, flavorful and perfectly poached eggs on bene

  Rich, flavorful and perfectly poached eggs on bene
• See all photos from Jen H. for The European

4/21/2016

Three stars for food, rounding up to 4 stars for overall experience to factor in for nice staff and entertaining people watching. I was immediately disappointed at my server's lack of familiarity with the wine list (I wanted local only), but being the solutions-oriented professional she is, she recognized that and poured me generous tastes of a number of wines - score!

This is a nice choice if you want to get a little bit away from the immediate tourist areas, enjoy nice dining atmosphere along a great pier, have live entertainment (aka people hustle/bustle watching) and eat get your Aussie meat sweats on! PS the chef's favorite cut, med rare, is what I got and it didn't disappoint.

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  Angus flat iron steak (chef's favorite cut)

  Angus flat iron steak (chef's favorite cut)
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  Iceberg, radish, blue cheese salad

  Iceberg, radish, blue cheese salad
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  4 naked, 1 Kilpatrick (front left), 1 chili-coriander (front right)

  4 naked, 1 Kilpatrick (front left), 1 chili-coriander (front right)

4/19/2016

If you're used to other airport lounges, this one will disappoint you. And this is for sure no Centurion Lounge. Unless you want free food no matter what, it's not really worth using, especially if your departure gate isn't immediately next to it.

First, it's really small, which is weird, considering the size of SYD airport. Why you'd care is because it's really crowded, so there's not much that makes it feel like an oasis from the common traveler. Don't deny it - you like airport lounges so you don't have to deal with amateur travelers, bathroom queues or fights for plugs. Not the case here. Every seat was taken, even at the community dining table. There are only 2 toilets (1 man, 1 woman). There's a guaranteed queue.

Second, they have a weird, highly inefficient set up at the beverage station: no self-service, even for basic tea or coffee. You have to queue up to put in your order with the barista ("uh, just black coffee for me"), then they ask you where you're sitting (which, given how crowded it is, you hope to have a seat), and then they don't even note your name, only a general vicinity. 25 minutes later (nope, not exaggerating), I heard the server ask 3 other people if they ordered a black coffee before he found me.

But, I'm still giving 3 stars because the staff were all nice, there was a solid breakfast spread and I recognize these gripes are trivial, First World issues. I can't wait to return to fabulous Sydney again, but I will likely just pony up the 20 AUD for an immediate coffee & brekkie sando, followed by no queue in the "public" bathroom.

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  Dyson cordless stick in action. Fancy.

  Dyson cordless stick in action. Fancy.
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  Small lounge. Crowded.

  Small lounge. Crowded.

4/19/2016

Believe the hype! Came here for the first time, no clue what I was doing, overwhelmed by the endless choices and needed a housewarming gift STAT.

One of the awesome staff members listened to my budget, made some suggestions accordingly, helped me pick out a gorgeous, ceramic pot and replanted my pick at the potting bench - all inside of 15 minutes. No judgments, just love and support from him. And needless to say, the gift was a huge hit. Thank you for the full service, Flora Grubb!