Australia, Travel

A Fun Staycation in Sydney with Nuffnang

sydney-love

Thanks to Nuffnang, Destination NSW, Qantas and Rydges

I’ve been living in Sydney for over 20 years now and must admit sometimes it’s a little too easy to take this gorgeous city for granted. So what’s the answer? A staycation of course!

My fellow Bloggerati bloggers and the Nuffnang team were coming to Sydney to launch the new Nuffnang Sydney office and I was so looking forward to a weekend of hotel breakfasts, brainstorming and friends.

Where to Stay

I stayed at the Rydges North Sydney which was an adventure in itself. I was going over the bridge! (As a longtime inner-city resident, this is a big deal). The Rydges is located in an area filled with beautiful old houses, spacious parks and it’s quiet and peaceful on weekends. I used to work in North Sydney many moons ago and was surprised how much it has changed!

The rooms were generously sized, with a big and comfy bed.

rydges-room

There was a sweet personal touch of wine, chocolates and Delicious magazine. They sure know the way to my heart!

rydges-gifts

And I LOVED the breakfast. There was crispy bacon and hash browns, Sonoma muesli, and most importantly, Nutella filled donuts.

rydges-breakfast

 Where to Eat

Burger Project

I was thrilled to discover that Qantas had organised lunch for us at Burger Project. For those unfamiliar with this restaurant, it’s owned by Neil Perry (of Rockpool and Spice Temple fame) and it’s been on my “to eat” list for ages.

burger-project

Located in World Square, they are famous for their burgers which use beef that is cut, minced and rolled into patties by hand daily.

We started with a classic cheeseburger. You could really taste the difference with regards to the quality of ingredients.

burger-project-cheeseburger

I was already getting full! Then followed a fried chicken burger, a salted caramel milkshake, fries and wings!

burger-project-food

Everything was delicious and I waddled out very satisfied.

Spice Temple

I didn’t think we could top lunch, but the lovely people at Qantas booked us at Spice Temple for dinner! I’ve been lucky enough to visit Spice Temple twice already, and the high-end Chinese cuisine is second to none.

I had a bit of a fangirl moment when I met Neil Perry!

swah-neil-perry

An example of a typical blogger meal – we’re always either taking photos or checking our phones ;)

spice-temple-typical-bloggers

We were served a pant-stretching amount of 10 courses! Highlights included a Zodiac inspired cocktail, fried squid (Hong Kong Typhoon Style, Dongebi style steaming lamb buns with salted chilli and Kung Pao chicken. My mouth was on fire in the best way possible.

spice-temple-food

Things to Do

The undisputed king of Sydney has to be the harbour and it’s gorgeous views. Despite it being Winter, we were treated to moderate temperatures and bright blue skies.

Have a cocktail at ECQ Bar

We had the Nuffnang launch party at ECQ Bar thanks to Destination NSW and were treated to amazing cocktails, impeccable service and stellar views of the Harbour Bridge.

nuffnang-launchecq-bar-nuffnangecq-bar
ecq-bar-dj

(Photo Credit: Alexander Kesselaar of alexkess photography)

Go sailing on Sydney Harbour

I had the best time sailing with East Sail thanks to Destination NSW. Seeing the Opera House from the other side, gliding underneath the Harbour Bridge and waving to the patrons at Luna Park is definitely best experienced by boat!

Our skipper George was funny, talented and even let us drive the boat!

swah-boat
east-sail-boat water-viewsharbour-bridgeluna-park

The Conference

We were fortunate enough to have our Bloggerati Conference in the Macquarie Room at the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney. I’ve been to many a conference in my life and the small touches like constantly refreshed sparkling and still water bottles and a delicious range of breakfast and lunch options was greatly appreciated.

pullman-food

Oh and I gave a talk at the conference on tech and design!

conference-talk

And that view? Well, you just can’t beat it!

sydney-harbour

A huge thanks to Nuffnang, my Bloggerati team, Destination NSW, Rydges and Qantas for making this an unforgettable weekend!

love_swah_sig

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14 Comments

  • Reply Nuffnang Australia | Asia Pacific’s First Blog Advertising Community » Bloggerati Sydney Getaway 2015 July 27, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    […] Girl Sesame Ellis Be A Fun Mum Love Swah  My Poppet The Life […]

  • Reply Kate Lloyd July 28, 2015 at 10:49 am

    Looks like you guys had an amazing time! Hope to meet you at the next Bloggerati catch up Sarah.

    • Reply Swah July 28, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      I can’t wait to meet you at our next catchup Kate!

  • Reply Imogen Lamport July 28, 2015 at 10:51 am

    So lovely to see you again in Sydney! It’s a great city and oh my the food we ate was great!

    • Reply Swah July 28, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      So lovely to see you too! And what a decadent feast we had :)

  • Reply cinti July 28, 2015 at 10:54 am

    so jealous you can go back and have burger project chicken wings when ever you want. I was so full I couldn’t even squeeze one in.

    • Reply Swah July 28, 2015 at 3:21 pm

      They were such good wings, I’m disappointed in myself I could only fit in 1/2! I must return (and I am pretty sure he said a BP was coming to Melbourne!)

  • Reply Chelsea July 28, 2015 at 11:08 am

    What a lovely Staycation, and such a good idea! It’s so easy to take our own city for granted… so many beautiful places to go in Sydney, as well!

    • Reply Swah July 28, 2015 at 3:20 pm

      It really is, isn’t it Chelsea! It was lovely to meet you xx

  • Reply Lucy @ Bake Play Smile July 28, 2015 at 6:14 pm

    Hahahaha I love that sailing photo of you!!! So cute! It was absolutely fantastic to finally meet you in person. I have so many ideas after your presentation! Cant wait to catch up again! xxx

    • Reply Swah August 3, 2015 at 11:39 am

      Thanks Lucy! It was so lovely to finally meet you and I can’t wait to catch up again and plan lots of fun projects! xx

  • Reply Helen Edwards July 28, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    Gorgeous shots!! Loved meeting you so much and can not wait to work with you more, love your blog x

    • Reply Swah August 3, 2015 at 11:11 am

      I loved meeting you too Helen, can’t wait to team up on future projects! x

  • Reply Nina September 6, 2016 at 8:45 am

    Sydney is so awesome!!!!

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