Michi Photostory

Among the hostels and hotels I listed, I booked at Hyde Park Inn even though it was over my budget. I read mixed reviews about this hotel; some were disappointed, and some were satisfied, but I still chose it because it has a mini kitchen, so we can prepare our own food, just like when we went to Copenhagen and Oslo. Don’t forget to register on their website to avail of the 5% discount, best rate guarantee, and free car parking. 

Hyde Park Inn is a 4-star hotel in Sydney's CBD. It is near the Museum Train Station, restaurants, Pitt St Mall, and tourist spots. The hotel offers different rooms, so it is ideal for families or big groups. Since we are just a family of three, I booked the Standard Studio. Full payment is due upon arrival at the hotel, and in case of a no-show, a penalty of one night will apply. For 5 nights, we paid AUD1470.60 = PHP54.380.93. 

One queen bed, one single bed, and an ensuite bathroom with a shower 

Split system air-conditioning 50-inch LED TV’s and DVD player 

Kitchenette with tea coffee making facilities, bar fridge, toaster, and convection microwave oven. 

Free, unlimited Wi-Fi for multiple devices is also provided 

Work desk, dining table with seating for 4, lounge, and armchair for relaxing 

Max occupancy on existing bedding is 3 people. Room size 36sqm 

Subject to availability, an additional rollaway bed for 4th person can be arranged at an extra cost Strictly non-smoking 

Hyde Park Inn offers a guest laundry facility which is available for 24 hours, just purchase your own washing powder at the reception. They have complimentary in-room entertainment where you can watch Movielink in-house movies, and read international magazines and newspapers using PressReader. In addition, they also provide complimentary Guest Changing Room and Luggage Storage Room so just in case you are arriving before the check-in time.

Check-in is from 1PM and check-out is before 10AM. We arrived at the hotel before 11AM so we just dropped our luggage so we could explore the area while waiting for our check-in. We were able to check in before 1PM and this was our room for 6 days. 

For toiletries, they only provide hand soap, head-to-toe wash, and tissues. 

The room has a kitchenette but there was no stove. But we were still happy because we had a fridge, kettle, toaster, and a convection microwave oven. 

The kitchenette has cutlery and crockery but it was incomplete so we asked for additional forks and teaspoons, yung iba hindi na namin nirequest. 

Hyde Park Inn has a Complimentary Continental Breakfast but guests have to prepare their own meal in their own room because they do not have a dining room or cafe. 

Bread 

Packets of assorted cereal 

Orange juice 

Fresh milk 

Pre-packaged fruit cup 

Assorted condiments (jam, peanut butter, marmalade, honey, Vegemite, butter) 

Tea & Coffee 

There are nearby groceries and convenience stores so we bought additional breakfast meals like bread, ham, bacon, sausage, etc. Tap water in Australia is safe to drink so we only bought juice and sodas. 

One thing I like about Hyde Park Inn is the location… 

1. It is near the train station and HOHO bus stop so we did not have a hard time commuting. 

2. It is near restaurants and Pitt St Mall so we can buy our own food before going back to the hotel. 

3. A Duty-Free Shop is also nearby so we can buy last-minute souvenirs or pasalubong. 

4. There are so many tourist spots within the area like Anzac Memorial, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Barracks, and St. Mary’s Cathedral. 

271 Elizabeth Street, 

2000, Sydney NSW, Australia

We were left with two choices which are Taiwan and Australia, but we took a risk with Australia even though we don’t have visas yet. My husband even called Mabuhay Miles while he was in Jakarta so we spent thousands on that international call because we had no idea about a toll-free number. But at the end of the day, we were still happy because even though we added the phone bill, mura pa rin yung airfare namin, kapresyo lang ito ng Davao trip ko.

After purchasing our plane ticket, I bought our travel insurance and started searching about “How to Apply for Australian Tourist Visa” in the Philippines. 

Two months before our flight, we booked our hotel and I chose Hyde Park Inn because of the good reviews, location and it has its own kitchen. 

When I applied for our visa, this is my submitted itinerary 

Day 1: Manila to Sydney Flight 

Day 2: Explore Chinatown 

Day 3: Sydney Tour 

Day 4: Bondi Tour 

Day 5: Blue Mountain 

Day 6: Taronga Zoo + Luna Park 

Day 7: Sydney to Manila 

But during our trip, there are a few changes. We did not go to Chinatown anymore because we discovered that there were few tourist spots that we could visit near our hotel. We no longer visited Luna Park because we were so tired already. 

On the day of our trip, our internet connection was fixed after one week of no connection so I was cramming. This was the only time that I purchased our tour tickets via Klook. I printed our vouchers and off we went to NAIA. We checked in, ate dinner, and waited for our flight. The flight is on time.

As of this writing, I couldn’t find the exact links of the activities I purchased and Klook is giving me these options. 

After 8 hours of traveling, we arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport; we went to immigration, got our luggage, and went to customs. Then we went straight to the Airport Train Station and purchased our Opal Card here. 

We went to Hyde Park Inn to drop our luggage, ate lunch, and went back to the hotel for check-in. We took a rest and started to explore the tourist spots near the hotel or Museum Station like Hyde Park, Anzac Memorial, Australian Museum, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and from afar, we can see the Sydney Tower. 

I purchased a Big Bus Tour Sydney Hop On Hop Off ticket via Klook. This tour has 2 routes, Sydney Route and Bondi Route so I bought the 48-hour ticket to cover the two routes. 

For Day 3, we traveled to Circular Quay via train, and from the train station we just walked to the Big Bus. The duration of the Sydney Tour is 1 hour and forty-five minutes so we enjoyed the view while listening to the pre-recorded commentary. 

Australia is the third continent that I have visited.