Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

118
CHAPTER 3 . SYDNEY
Ask hotel staff for ferry times and bus/ferry connection details from Taronga Zoo
and Mosman wharves. The taxi from the city is around A$25 (US$16). If you stay
here I highly recommend the Japanese restaurant, Kyushu, at Shop 5, 9–11
Grosvenor St., Neutral Bay (& 02/9953 8272), about 5 minutes away by taxi.
There’s a good fish and chip shop, a supermarket, bakeries, and more in the cluster
of shops next to the hotel.
76 Middle Head Rd., Mosman, NSW 2095. & 02/9969 7022. Fax 02/9968 2879. 13 units (5 doubles, 6 single,
1 twin, 1 family room), none with bathroom. A$75 (US$49) single; A$85 (US$55) double/twin; A$100
(US$65) family room. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Ferry: Taronga Zoo, then a 5-min.
bus ride. Bus: Taronga Zoo from Wynyard station. Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars. In room: TV.
AT THE AIRPORT
Stamford Sydney Airport This is the best airport hotel and the only
five-star airport hotel in Australia. Opened in 1992, it has the largest rooms of
all the airport hotels, each with a king-size bed or two doubles, access to airport
information, and a good-size bathroom with tub. It’s 7 minutes from the airport
via a free pickup service. Day-use rates for 2 to 4 hours cost A$85 (US$55) and
from 4 to 8 hours A$115 (US$75).
Corner of O’Riordan and Robey sts. (P.O. Box 353, Mascot, Sydney, NSW 2020). & 1300/301 391 in Australia,
or 02/9317 2200. Fax 02/9317 3855. www.stamford.com.au. 314 units. A$270 (US$176) double; from
A$370 (US$240) and up for suites. Extra person A$25 (US$16). Ask about discount packages and weekend
rates. Children under 17 stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, MC, V. A$5 (US$3.25) self-parking free for up to
10 days. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; good-size pool; fitness center; spa; sauna; concierge; business center;
24-hr. room service; babysitting; laundry service; currency exchange; nonsmoking rooms; executive rooms. In
room: A/C, TV, minibar, dataport, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron.
4 Where to Dine
Sydney is a gourmet paradise, with an abundance of fresh seafood, a vast range
of vegetables and fruit always in season, prime meats at inexpensive prices, and
top-quality chefs making an international name for themselves. You’ll find that
Value
What to Know About BYO
Most moderate and inexpensive restaurants in Sydney are BYO, as in
“bring your own” bottle, though some places may also have extensive
wine and beer lists. More moderately priced restaurants are introducing
“corkage” fees, which mean you pay anywhere from A$1 to A$4
(US65¢–US$2.60) per person for the privilege of the waiter opening
your own bottle of wine. Very expensive restaurants discourage BYO.
Sydney’s cheap eats are congregated in inner-city areas such as along
King Street in Newtown, Crown Street in Darlinghurst, and Glebe Point
Road in Glebe. There are also inexpensive joints scattered among the
more upscale restaurants in Kings Cross and along trendy Oxford Street.
I would avoid the takeout booths along the ferry wharves at Circular
Quay, after revelations showed that some of them harbored nasty bugs.
The fish-and-chip shop opposite the “bottle shop” (liquor store) is an
exception—it also has some of the best hot chips (french fries) in Sydney.
Smoking is banned in all Sydney restaurants, except if you’re eating
from sidewalk tables.