Sydney Bucket List

Last year I was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Aussie Blog Awards and surprisingly I won. I did write a blog post about it so I won't bore you with too much detail (you can read it read). At the awards there was an overall winner for 'Most Aussome blog' and the prize for this was a trip to Australia and basically this is why I was lucky enough to make the trip over.

Travelling to Oz was always somewhere I wanted to visit but I never thought I'd get the opportunity to go as it's so far away and quite expensive.

Basically, this trip wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the amazing following I have here on my blog. I owe everyone that takes the time out to read my little rants online a BIG thank you because none of this would have happened if I didn't receive the incredible support I get from you.

Honestly I had the time of my life in Oz, and it couldn't have come at a better time in my life. I brought my sister, Jess with me. We haven't been able to spend much time together at all over the past few years as we haven't lived near each other so this trip was well needed.

We decided to do 1 week in Sydney and 2 weeks in Melbourne, but honestly I wish we had an extra week in Sydney as there is just so much to do!

Typically, as I do before any trip I research things to do and places to eat so we had a very busy week. It may sound a bit intense for a holiday but that's how I like to travel, even if it did drive my sister a little bit crazy.

Thankfully we managed to fit in everything on my bucket list, here's what we got up to:

Coogee

When I was planning my trip to Oz, one of the decisions I had to make was to stay at either Coogee or Bondi. In the end I choose Coogee as I wanted somewhere less touristy and so many people recommended staying here. Plus, you'll get a nicer hotel for a cheaper price than Bondi.

We stayed in The Crowne Plaza, Coogee and it was absolutely perfect. The rooms are pretty basic, comfortable beds, very clean and basically has everything you need. The breakfast was so good too, we were spoilt for choice every morning.

The hotel is located directly across the road from Coogee beach which is such a lovely beach (picture above) and you've a choice of restaurants, bars and cute cafes in the area.

The view from Coogee, Crowne Plaza

One of the many courses I had for breakfast every morning - Coogee, Crowne Plaza

One of my favourite places to go for a drink was the Pavilion in Coogee. It's stunning from the outside and inside you have a range of different cuisines to choose from and of course an incredible roof top overlooking the sea, paradise!

Another place we liked to go for a drink at night was The Coogee Bay Hotel, which also looks like a great place to stay in Coogee. It was so lively every night, the atmosphere was so summery and the cocktails were pretty good too.

Pavilion, Coogee - How stunning is this building though?

The view from the rooftop at the Pavilion.

I really did fall in love in Coogee, it's definitely a place I could see myself living in. The people in the area were so friendly and Coogee is so close to everything. Bondi beach is a short bus ride away and Sydney city centre is so handy to get to by bus.

I must say the transport in Sydney was so efficient, I'd definitely recommend getting the bus whenever you can.

Sydney Opera House

Honestly, when I added The Opera House to my Bucket list I wasn't that excited about visiting it at all. I felt like it was something you have to do when you visit Sydney and we were just just doing it for the sake of it but really, it was SO impressive. It kind of felt a bit surreal to be standing outside it, especially when I've seen it a million times in photos and in movies.

I'm not a fan of the Opera so we didn't go to a show but it's definitely worth a trip just to view it from the outside.

Just outside the Opera House you have The Opera House Bar which you NEED to go to. Myself and my sister went twice because the views were just incredible, you have the opera house and harbour bridge on one side and on the other side you have Sydney's stunning skyline. I'd definitely recommend coming here at night just t see the city lit up and soak up the buzzing atmosphere.

Coogee to Bondi Walk

One of my favourite days of our entire trip would have to be this walk from Coogee to Bondi. We chose to go on a day where it wasn't too hot as January is the middle of summer in Oz. It was a bit over cast but still, the views along the walk were to die for!

There's loads of beaches along the way if you want to stop for a dip but we kept going until the end and spent the day at Bondi beach. You'll arrive at the world famous iceberg pools when you get to Bondi, which actually look a lot smaller in person compared to what you see in pictures, still cool though.

Tip: Wear comfortable trainers and don't forget to bring your water bottle, you can fill it up along the way too.

Also, there's a fab place to go for Fro-yo across the road from Bondi beach!

Daring Harbour

Day or night you have to visit Darling Harbour. Located directly in the city centre of Sydney where you will find an endless strip of restaurants and bars. Myself and Jess decided to spend the afternoon/night having drinks and listening to live music in one of their many bars. It's such a lively area and there's something for everyone, it's almost like a playground for both adults and kids.

Once it get's dark, I highly recommend that you go on the Ferris wheel to get the best views of Sydney's lit up skyscrapers. Maybe not the best idea for anyone afraid of heights, like my sister...

Ferry to Manly Beach

If you're trying to pack as much as possible into your trip to Sydney I recommend you catch the Ferry from Sydney to Manly. It's 2 minutes from the Opera House so you can visit this before or after your day at the beach.

The ferry takes just under 20 minutes and it's the most scenic Ferry I've ever been on. Plus, it's extremely breezy on the top deck which was ideal for the hot day we went on.

Manly beach was hands down my favourite beach in Sydney, I've never seen such crystal clear water in my life! The area is absolutely stunning too, it felt like I was on a movie set.

After a day at the beach we found a bar along the harbour for happy hour and then returned to The Opera House for a little night cap. It was the perfect day.

Happy hour!

There is nothing I would have done differently over our short week in Sydney. I do wish we were there for at least another week but all in all it was the most perfect week. I would love to go back one day, even to live there would be amazing.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Besos,

Zoe Elizabeth