SYDNEY - Vivid + Taronga Zoo
The Sydney Harbour Bridge in all its glory
Back in late 2021 when we were trying for another baby, I made it a goal to spend our last year as a party of 3 really savouring the moments with Finn and making an effort to make new and lasting memories.
Instead of being proactive about holidays, what we normally do is wait until we're exhausted and desperate for one and then book one at the last minute. I do not recommend 🙅♀️.
So this time I decided to plan out our year in advance, decide on 4 destinations (domestic), and book them all in at once. Which turned out to be the best decision. Telling Finn and having him count down the days (like, every day 🤣) was so joyful living out that excitement together. And I really feel like it lifted our spirits throughout the year, always having something to look forward to.
As a family, our preference for the warmer months is to always stay close to home as we really make use of the beautiful local beaches here in Port Stephens or Newcastle so we decided to do most of our 2022 travelling in Autumn and Winter.
Given Sydney comes alive during winter with Vivid, we decided that was the perfect time to visit the Big Smoke. We decided to do it the tourist way and catch the train from Newcastle to Sydney, because:
a) Finn had never been on a train before
b) We knew we weren't going to use our car in Sydney so no point taking it down there for a sleepover.
Which turned out to be another great decision. So much easier and adventurous.
While we were there we also did Taronga Zoo and went to the Australian Museum for the Jurassic World Lego Exhibition.
This was such a fun weekend away, Finn loved being in the big city and I loved doing what I love with the people I love most. Oh, and the weather was divine! Chilly, but so sunny ☀️
Definitely a #CoreMemory for our little fam 🥰
The majestic Sydney Opera House
We decided to prioritise location and convenience above price, but even the price was reasonable for a 5-star hotel when compared to others such as the Sofitel.
The location was absolutely perfect in my opinion.
We hopped off the train at Town Hall and walked to the Hyatt just 5 minutes away on foot.
Located at Darling Harbour with rear door access, it's just a quick scurry across the road and you're right there on the steps of Darling Harbour, in front of the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium.
A 10-minute walk down to Barangaroo will take you straight to the ferry wharf, where we jumped on board for the service to Circular Quay and then onto Taronga Zoo.
It was the staff though that really made our stay special. Everyone from reception to dining staff was so friendly and helpful. Patrick from the buffet breakfast went above and beyond and in particular.
If staying at the Hyatt, I recommend joining their "World of Hyatt" loyalty program to receive 10% off their participating hotels.
Alternatively, you can book through Qantas Holidays using points and pay and receive bonus Qantas points during promo periods.
Or if using an online booking agent such as Booking.com, don't forget to have your Shopback Chrome plug-in switched 'on' for bonus cashback offers.
If you are thinking about planning a trip to Vivid next year or the zoo anytime soon, I have left some of my travel tips in the comments sections below ✌🏼
4 things I learnt from our Taronga Zoo + Vivid Sydney getaway 🐼⛵️🌃
3 things I learnt doing Taronga:
👉 Purchase your tickets online to receive 20% off
👉 The cafeteria food is pretty crap tbh. If you can pick up a few freshly made sandwiches or subs from elsewhere and take some snacks you can avoid the huge lines and scrappy food at the zoo.
👉 At Taronga Zoo we hired a Baby Jogger City Mini stroller for Finn. We were doing so much walking and the zoo was a big day so this was yet another winning decision.
1 thing I learnt doing Vivid:
👉 Pre-book your dinners in advance. We were extremely lucky to book a table last minute but everywhere you go (especially Darling Harbour) is packed out. With young kids, you're often on borrowed time so knowing you have a 5-5:30pm table already reserved for the duration of your stay is both a relief and a luxury.
FOR MORE TRAVEL REVIEWS + TIPS from an ex-Tavel Agent, follow this hashtag 👉 #TravelWithHOM
