1. I think we have been conned by the taxi driver that evening when we arrived at the Kingsford Smith International Airport. We saw a programme on TV a few days before titled "24 hrs in Sydney". From that programme we know that the taxi fare to Sydney should be around 30-35 AUD. We hailed the taxi at the official airport taxi stand and upon entering the taxi we were told that it costs us 50AUD to get to CBD. The taxi driver said that he could turn on the meter but the meter will cost us more. We did not want to stand any longer in the cold so we just agreed. It was unusually windy that night, something that we did not expect. And the worst thing was, the taxi did not drop us right in front of the hotel, instead he was too lazy to make a turn into the road where our hotel is situated and drop us further in front where we have to walk to our hotel. Our hotel is located at the windiest junction on earth! We had to battle the strong wind to get to the entrance of the hotel - we could barely push the stroller and our heavy luggage makes it much more difficult. hmphh..
2. Upon arrival at the Airport, just when you exit the customs, you will find a few cellular service provider booths. Vodaphone was already closed when we arrived at 9.00 pm. I walked further to the left and found Yes Optus. You can get a sim card with unlimited data for 1 week at AUD15! The guy at the counter was helpful and he will help you to replace the sim card and setup your phone. The reception was very good as well. Managed to get access to the internet 24/7 everywhere we go. Our daughter must have her daily dose of Oggy and Pingu so that really helps! (Apart from our daily dose of social media, ehem :P)
3. We have booked the Combo Ticket online a few weeks prior to our departure to Sydney. The Combo Ticket will give you access to 5 attractions in Sydney which are the Maddame Tussauds, The Sydney Eye Tower, Wildlife Sydney, Sydney Sealife Aquarium and Manly Sealife Sanctuary. Amazingly we were able to visit all the attractions which was really worth it! According to the website total price for all the listed attractions are AUD164 per adult. They are having a promotion now where it costs only AUD63 per adult. Children below 3 do not have to pay any entrance fees. I'm not sure on the duration of the promotion though. For more information please access this link (http://www.madametussauds.com/Sydney/BuyTickets/Default.aspx#tabs-combitickets)
4. Malaysians are required to apply for the ETA before entering Australia for tourism purposes. The price for obtaining an ETA from the official website is AUD20. However, you have an option to get travel agents to assist you in applying the ETA. I scouted around on the net and the cheapest rate that I got was RM20. Service was fast too. Do let me know if you want further information on this particular travel agent.
5. As usual, to save ourselves from the hassle of buying tickets every single time, we bought the transportation card. In Sydney they have the MyMulti card which could be used on different types of transportation. There are a few types of MyMultis and we bought the MyMulti3 card which enables us to use any mode of transport to anywhere which includes trains, busses, LRT / MRT and ferries.MyMulti3 will set you back at AUD61. If you plan to go out of Sydney, i.e. Blue Mountain, it's worth to buy this ticket. Children below 3 yo are not required to buy tickets. More information can be referred here (http://www.131500.com.au/tickets/fares/all-fares#mymulti)
6. On another note, I just realized that if you are traveling as a family, the best time to start to travel is when your children are between 1-3 years old. Flight tickets for children below 2 are minimal and children less than 3 years old normally do not have to pay for transportation tickets or entrance fees. They also do not require an extra bed in hotels as you can still sleep comfortably with them in the same bed.For those flying with AirAsia, you don't really have to book the Hot Seat. To save on budget, you can consider to book the seat just behind the Hot Seat row. It is normally located near to
the washroom which has a little bit of space where you can let your kids stretch out a bit should they get bored.
7. Sydney is very convenient for parents with strollers as the pavements are design to accomodate strollers. Most of the train stations have lifts, but some of them don't such as the Museum train station. Lots of opportunities to exercise your muscles there ;-) If you plan to travel a lot, you might want to invest in a more lightweight stroller.
8. Sydney's main attraction is concentrated in one area and if you choose the right place to stay, you can practically reach everywhere on foot. We were very happy with the the place we stayed in Sydney. It's in a quiet area but still in the center of the tourist attractions, except that as I have said before, it's located in the windiest junction of earth. To validate this, you can have a visit to the trash bin around the area and you will see a lot of umbrellas Resting In Peace there.... I Will blog more about our accomodation later.
I will continue with our Sydney Stories when I have the time.. Till then, have a "fabulous" Monday!
2. Upon arrival at the Airport, just when you exit the customs, you will find a few cellular service provider booths. Vodaphone was already closed when we arrived at 9.00 pm. I walked further to the left and found Yes Optus. You can get a sim card with unlimited data for 1 week at AUD15! The guy at the counter was helpful and he will help you to replace the sim card and setup your phone. The reception was very good as well. Managed to get access to the internet 24/7 everywhere we go. Our daughter must have her daily dose of Oggy and Pingu so that really helps! (Apart from our daily dose of social media, ehem :P)
3. We have booked the Combo Ticket online a few weeks prior to our departure to Sydney. The Combo Ticket will give you access to 5 attractions in Sydney which are the Maddame Tussauds, The Sydney Eye Tower, Wildlife Sydney, Sydney Sealife Aquarium and Manly Sealife Sanctuary. Amazingly we were able to visit all the attractions which was really worth it! According to the website total price for all the listed attractions are AUD164 per adult. They are having a promotion now where it costs only AUD63 per adult. Children below 3 do not have to pay any entrance fees. I'm not sure on the duration of the promotion though. For more information please access this link (http://www.madametussauds.com/Sydney/BuyTickets/Default.aspx#tabs-combitickets)
4. Malaysians are required to apply for the ETA before entering Australia for tourism purposes. The price for obtaining an ETA from the official website is AUD20. However, you have an option to get travel agents to assist you in applying the ETA. I scouted around on the net and the cheapest rate that I got was RM20. Service was fast too. Do let me know if you want further information on this particular travel agent.
5. As usual, to save ourselves from the hassle of buying tickets every single time, we bought the transportation card. In Sydney they have the MyMulti card which could be used on different types of transportation. There are a few types of MyMultis and we bought the MyMulti3 card which enables us to use any mode of transport to anywhere which includes trains, busses, LRT / MRT and ferries.MyMulti3 will set you back at AUD61. If you plan to go out of Sydney, i.e. Blue Mountain, it's worth to buy this ticket. Children below 3 yo are not required to buy tickets. More information can be referred here (http://www.131500.com.au/tickets/fares/all-fares#mymulti)
6. On another note, I just realized that if you are traveling as a family, the best time to start to travel is when your children are between 1-3 years old. Flight tickets for children below 2 are minimal and children less than 3 years old normally do not have to pay for transportation tickets or entrance fees. They also do not require an extra bed in hotels as you can still sleep comfortably with them in the same bed.For those flying with AirAsia, you don't really have to book the Hot Seat. To save on budget, you can consider to book the seat just behind the Hot Seat row. It is normally located near to
the washroom which has a little bit of space where you can let your kids stretch out a bit should they get bored.
7. Sydney is very convenient for parents with strollers as the pavements are design to accomodate strollers. Most of the train stations have lifts, but some of them don't such as the Museum train station. Lots of opportunities to exercise your muscles there ;-) If you plan to travel a lot, you might want to invest in a more lightweight stroller.
8. Sydney's main attraction is concentrated in one area and if you choose the right place to stay, you can practically reach everywhere on foot. We were very happy with the the place we stayed in Sydney. It's in a quiet area but still in the center of the tourist attractions, except that as I have said before, it's located in the windiest junction of earth. To validate this, you can have a visit to the trash bin around the area and you will see a lot of umbrellas Resting In Peace there.... I Will blog more about our accomodation later.
I will continue with our Sydney Stories when I have the time.. Till then, have a "fabulous" Monday!
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