Monthly Archives: June 2018

Jun 29 2018

Novotel Sydney Darling Square

This sleek, refurbished establishment relaxes you instantly with its incredible spacious feeling. Enhanced by the fabulous floor to ceiling windows and giant sized bar shelves, the lobby and restaurant/bar areas are quite welcoming.

Our room was nicely appointed, with all the comforts of home. No balconies, but this is Sydney. We were here to explore and enjoy so in all honestly, we never would have had time to sit on a balcony and watch the world go by.

We had stopped in for a couple of nights to indulge in the delights of Vivid Sydney. As a loyal Accor Plus member, it was an absolute delight to have not only complimentary water delivered to the room, but a personalised tin of sweets as well. A nice, simple, yet welcoming touch.

That extra little step you take to make your loyalty guest feel welcome makes the recipient feel quite special. Well done 👍.

Buffet for breakfast was more than adequate. A selection of hot and cold foods, including pastries and delightful little bottles of yoghurts and muesli. Don’t forget the surprising bread and butter pudding included in the usual hot range! Enjoyable, as well as adding an interesting flavour to breakfast.

The other dining choice for lunch and dinner is The Pump House. On this damp weekend, we did not even have to get wet, just head down the hallway that connects the two venues, and you have an awesome pub atmosphere complete with massive chairs and beautiful fire. Guess where we ended each evening!

The locality of this hotel was simply perfect. With Darling Harbour restaurant and retail complex, Paddy’s Markets and the Chinese Gardens a mere few minutes traffic free stroll from your door, you really don’t want for much.

Facilities have all been revamped, with a very nice, comfortable indoor pool area and sparkling gym. Towels are provided at the pool, you don’t need to pack your own towel, even better when you’re travelling.

Any future visit to Sydney, we would not hesitate to stop in here. Staff, and I mean all staff, went above and beyond to make us welcome. Thank you Novotel Sydney Darling Square (ex Rockford), we hope to return someday!

Check Dine Live Travel on facebook for more photos on this trip!

Jun 17 2018

Cyren Bar Grill & Seafood – Darling Harbour, Sydney

This expansive corner restaurant dominates the Darling Harbour frontage. Choose your ambiance with generous comfortable booths outside, or dining space with an elevated view on the verandah above. Plenty of room inside with stunningly designed interiors, should you prefer. There is plenty space around the tables, nice not to be crowded against your neighbours. We always prefer places where you are not banging chairs against other patrons. Added to which, even on a dull day, there is still plenty to see.

With plenty of helpful, friendly staff on site, the operation ran like clockwork.

Enjoy a coffee or drink whilst you soak in the atmosphere and peruse the menu choice.

Lunch options included a $35 menu, consisting of entree, main and certain beverages.These two entrees were filling enough on their own! Team them with the following two mains and you have a very substantial meal.All of these dishes were quite simply delicious. The soft meat simply melted in the mouth and I’m told the crispy skin salmon was also a winner.Lobster Mornay was another delicious dish today. Soft, mornay lobster flesh dominated the plate and I’m told was a beautiful meal.

We visited for lunch, however if, you have an opportunity to stop by in the evening, I’m sure the lights of the city and harbour would be mesmerising. Particularly if Vivid Sydney is on from mid May to mid June each year. Darling Harbour has its share of intriguing lighting to light up your night.

Definitely consider Cyren whilst you are in the Darling Harbour area, it’s definitely worth a visit! There’s always something happening in this area of the city.

Jun 14 2018

Sea Sydney Harbour – (Cruise) Sydney NSW

Visiting Sydney Vivid is well worth the trip. And, once there, make it even more worthwhile with a harbour cruise. We pre-booked an enticing sounding cruise, Sea Sydney Harbour. Limited to about 30 people on each catamaran, you really should give this company a go! Pickup is from Millers Point Wharf, so you avoid the hustle & bustle of Circular Quay, yet in no time at all you are bobbing around under Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Frank & Ty were our crew on board the Kirralee, happy to assist in any way they could. Even the persistent rain showers couldn’t dampen the enthusiastic ripples of excitement wafting over tonight’s customers.

Anticipating the switching on of the lights, we waited below the imposing steel of the worlds tallest steel arch bridge and the sixth longest spanning single arch bridge, as the wash lapped gently against our boat. Once those lights started, the incredible display began, with an array of colours lighting up the night sky.

The level of imagination behind the displays is awe inspiring. My particular favourite, the droplets of water depicted over the Sydney Opera house sails. Surrounded by an ever changing, moving canvas, it can be hard to know where to look.

No problems if you’re feeling peckish, this crew will make sure you have an enticing platter to nibble away at, as well as a soft drink or water to wash it down. Alternatively, take your own alcohol, there are no corkage fees here – bonus!

Frank & Ty did everything they could to get us as close to the action as possible. Their attention to looking after their patrons was above and beyond expected. Added to which their knowledge of the area was fantastic. So good you didn’t even notice the rain which was trying hard to interrupt proceeding. As the boys pointed out, the rain created beautiful glitter sparkling through the light rays. Hard to capture on camera but trust me, it was there!

Would love to do a New Years Eve cruise with Sea Sydney Harbour, that one has been on the bucket list for a long time! However, if you are contemplating any sort of cruise in the city of Sydney, check with Sea Sydney Harbour. As long as you enjoy life, you will love their attitudes!

Jun 3 2018

Snapshot on Nelson – NZ South Island

In Queensland, you do not have the pleasure of going out for breakfast with a view of snow capped mountains peaking over the shopping centre roof. With beautiful days, I enjoyed this short break to the Tasman area, top of the South Island.

A short 1.5 hour flight from Auckland, the area has so much to offer and well worth the visit. Nelson sprawls across a huge area at the top of the Island, hugged closely by mountains and sea. From here you can easily access New Zealand’s rugged West Coast or the inviting Marlborough region.

My first night arriving, was a quick pickup at the airport, before being whisked off for dinner at Harbour Light Bistro. Overlooking the sea, this beautiful old home has been transformed into a restaurant on Wakefield Quay. Here you can sit near the enveloping picture framing windows and watch the harbour activity.

Staff were friendly and we were seated upstairs, not near the windows on this occasion, however you could still see the scenery framed beautifully through the expansive windows.

This homemade bread entree was a great way to start the meal, whilst nibbling away and catching up. I chose the incredibly soft, flavoursome beef fillet with roasted carrots as my main. For this weary traveller, the meal was a massive hit. Also pictured is the lamb rack, which I did consider, and Im told was most enjoyable. You need to follow a meal like this with a delectable dessert. Plus one for a special occasion, hence the choice of an enticing Creme Brûlée with turmeric and citrus salad.

Quite happy with the dessert choice. It was devine!

Be warned, food in New Zealand is an experience in itself. Fresh, with tastes most likely stronger than what you are used to, this omelette at Columbus Coffee, Richmond, provided an awesome kickstart to the day. Packed full of fresh produce, the colours lit up the table. This is also the venue providing the snow capped backdrop from earlier.

After brekky, it was off to check out the markets. Nelson city has markets which have operated for years. There’s a lot to choose from, even clothing made from possum fur.

How beautifully warm and snuggly this looked, now if I didnt come from Queensland…

When you’re on a short break, why cook? Well, on this particular trip, we were booked into one of Nelsons best restaurants, The Tides, located at the Trailways. For some this was a surprise, me, I was along for the ride, and to enjoy the look of surprise!

Bar staff were above and beyond, in fact I had a couple of wonderful conversations with the bar staff here, which was much appreciated.

Food, yes that was definitely good. Our set menu gave many choices, quite impressive given most venues with a set menu have only 2-3 mains. This one, 6 mains to choose from. Well done. I for one am tiring of the alternate drops and limited menus when you have a large group and loved this venue for many reasons, but this one was a definite plus.

Colourful bread selection started the meal, followed by mains and dessert. My choice for mains, was the salmon.

Fabulously soft, the salmon was one of the most flavoursome dishes I have enjoyed recently. Now for dessert! Again, an impressive four choices. Where are these menus when we have functions? Moving on, I chose the Salted Carmel Cheesecake. This would be the best cheesecake I have ever tasted. Soft, more akin to a mousse than a cheesecake, this was a delightful dessert to finish the meal.

Highly recommend a visit to The Tides if you are in Nelson. Their expansive restaurant caters for everything. Even impressed by the bathrooms with separate clean washrooms.

For this visit, I was lucky to be staying on a local farm. Relaxing scenery all round. Even the night sky was mesmerising, with a moon clearer and enticing, peeking through the cloud.Consider Nelson when travelling to NZ, this area has a lot to offer. There are many areas to choose from within the Tasman region, and the next blog, will cover Mapua. In the meantime, Ill leave you with another delectable meal from Columbus Coffee. Enjoy your visit to Nelson!

Jun 1 2018

The Square Restaurant- Novotel Auckland Airport

Sometimes transit times can be dull. But, should you be on flights which transit through Auckland, then take some time to dine or stay, at Novotel Auckland Airport. The Square Restaurant will not disappoint. Here there are comfy booths or stand alone dining settings, all situated under the massively high ceiling with a living wall sprouting from the bar..Delightful melt in the mouth fish made for a fantastically filling, yet light on the stomach meal, for this late evening traveller.

Room service is 24 hours, if you are looking for some peace and quiet. Or stop on in the restaurant, the friendly, professional staff will do all they can to make your meal enjoyable.Mind you the view from your room at night might be quite enticing!

Lunch was also an enjoyable meal, again with fantastic staff.

I really enjoyed this Calamari. Tender enough to chew, with a crispy exterior.

However, check out the brilliant colour on this NZ salmon bagel! The eye catching pop of colour gave a hint of how tasty this fish was.

Or, continuing on the fish theme, how about a hearty fish and chop meal? Impressively large this lunch was another tasty dish.Even the children’s meals are enticing..On a couple of occasions now we have stopped by this restaurant. Never yet have been disappointed. Stop by, the staff will look after you!