With School holidays in Sydney but no big travel plans we decided on a Sydney Staycation. Mr OTC had signed up to do the virtual London Marathon. As we couldn’t be in London, he thought he might make the run a bit more Scenic by running around central Sydney. To be a great support crew the rest of us agreed to stay at a hotel in Sydney’s CBD.
Table of Contents
Before the race
We arrived at the hotel on Saturday afternoon. The check-in had changed since we last stayed there about 5 years ago. Now with Covid there were screens in front of the desks and temperature checks. The staff were still friendly and we found out as a bonus that the pool passed its covid check and was reopened only the day before. Luckily we had packed our swimmers just in case.
We caught the lift up to the 7th floor and reached our double double room with views over Circular Quay. The Stamford rooms are very spacious and the marble bathroom with chandeliers was bigger than some rooms we stayed in NYC pre kids.
It is not a budget hotel, however none of the hotels at this end of town are. Thanks to our budgeting and lack of travelling we felt we could splash out.
Exploring the Harbour
After putting our bags down and getting changed we popped down to level 5 to check out the pool and then headed out for a walk to the Opera House. Walking around Sydney Harbour on a sunny afternoon is a wonderful way to spend the time. It is wonderful to live in such a beautiful city. I know it is a cliché but seeing the Opera House and Bridge with the sun shining off the Harbour always makes me smile.
There were no cruise ships obviously but we could still watch the Manly Ferry coming in and out of the heads and smaller ships sailing around. The girls had a great time walking up and down the steps of the Opera House. Counting the steps and checking on the way down.
The lights started to come on so it was time to walk back towards Circular Quay to find something for dinner.
Where to eat
Some of the usual places we like to eat were closed still from Covid. We went into the Gateway dining centre which has a huge range of restaurants on Alfred street right opposite Qircular Quay train station.
We have previously taken the girls to Hero Sushi train but it was closed. As we were all in the mood for Japanese food we gave Tokyo Laundry a try on the third floor. It seems like forever since we have had Japanese food and this was the first time we have eaten in a restaurant since February this year. It was also 18 months since we were in Japan. The girls were behaving like we never feed them and ordered so many dishes from the menu including Sushi Tacos, Edamame, Gyoza and Popcorn Shrimp. I ordered tempura vegetables and Broccolini from the grill and Mr OTC who was carb loading for the marathon ordered Ramen.
All the dishes we had were so delicious and the girls agreed finishing everything they ordered and trying some of our dishes too. Tokyo Laundry also has an extensive cocktail menu so I ordered Ramune marble Pineapple with Sake. It was a very refreshing drink and the bottle had a fun marble in it for entertainment at the table.
Our dinner cost more than it would have in Japan, but was very delicious so we will definitely go back. We rounded off dinner with dessert from Messina Gelato at the bottom of the centre. An extravagant but delicious treat. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel so everyone could get to sleep.
Enjoying the hotel
After a snack in the room for breakfast we headed to the pool to try it out whilst MR OTC prepared for his run. He had to run it London time so couldn’t set off as early as he would have liked. With the change to daylight savings happening at the same time he wasn’t able to leave until 10am. Once he left on his run we went back to the pool which we had to ourselves to enjoy the sunshine.
We had arranged a late checkout to 1pm ( usually 11am) because we knew we would have a long day waiting for Mr OTC. This meant we were able to stay in the pool until just before our High tea.
High Tea
On weekends the Sir Stamford is currently offering High Tea in their Highlander Whisky Bar. We prebooked via email and then had to check in on our phones when we arrived. We booked 2 Children’s high tea that included juice or hot chocolate with a tray of treats. The adults attending ordered from the A la Carte menu which was also online via QR code reader.
The Highlander Whisky Bar is quite elegant like the rest of the Stamford but is still welcoming to children. The treats on the high tea appealed to our children and even fussy Miss 7 tried a little bit of all of them.
The service was quite fast and the French Martini I ordered from the extensive drinks menu was delicious. They are currently running cashless and as we hadn’t checked out yet I was able to charge the High Tea to our room.
Activities during the day
After checking out we were looking around the city for activities to keep the kids amused until Mr OTC was finished. We had hoped to visit the Police and Justice Museum which was around the corner from the hotel but it remains closed due to Covid.
State Library of NSW
Knowing that walking long distances around the city on a hot day was probably not going to be popular with Miss 7 and Miss 10 we headed back up Macquarie street to the Mitchel Library/ State Library of NSW. We all love to read and so we thought this would be a good option.
We had to scan into the library for contact tracing and then headed through the grand reading room. Miss 7 wanted to know why if it was a reading room, why was everyone on their computers?
Downstairs there was an exhibition about the Pandemic which used the Spanish flu pandemic to show the similarities to 2020. There was also a picture of a Statutory Declaration which reminded me a lot of the QR code check ins we need to do these days. I found this interesting but the kids not so much.
They discovered the Children’s library and so we spent a relaxing few hours reading through the huge variety of children’s books available.
To keep this Covid safe they had tubs to place the books you had looked at so they could be quarantined. We might have filled that tub as we all found so much to look at. As the afternoon progressed we left the Children’s library to explore the rest of the library before going to meet Mr OTC.
More exhibitions
As we were heading to the door we found an upstairs section. There were a few exhibitions up here. We started with “Paintings from the collection”. This included many historical figures from Australia’s past as well as different landscape paintings.
The girls found another room that housed an exhibit of “Eight days in Kamay”. This discussed the discovery of Botany Bay and had information from the explorers as well as the local aboriginal people. There was also an area where they could draw some of the plants on display. To keep this covid safe the children had to take the pencils and paper with them. This kept them occupied for quite a while. My mum was with us and watched them while I popped around the corner to check out the World press Photo exhibition 2020.
The marathon is completed
Mr OTC was reaching the end of his run so we agreed to meet him at the Opera House. Giving him a scenic finish line. We walked back down Macquarie street so we would be able to cheer him to the finish. Mr OTC enjoys running and virtual events have given him goals to reach, the atmosphere is not the same. At least some iconic Sydney landmarks make the run a bit more interesting.
Surprisingly after 5 hours running in about 25 degrees heat he still finished the race smiling. After some more water and a chance to get his breath back we headed back to the hotel to collect the car and head home.
Where we stayed
Sir Stamford Circular Quay
We booked the Sir Stamford Circular Quay as we used to stay here when the girls were young. It is a very historical hotel and not a high rise hotel. Of the hotels at the Opera House end of town it has a slightly lower price tag at the moment. Despite its large rooms, marble bathrooms and chandeliers everywhere they are very welcoming to kids. There are family friendly accommodation packages and Morris the wombat is the hotel mascot.
We booked only a few days before we arrived and our rate included overnight parking on site. As we booked directly with the hotel we were also given a $20 credit for use in the Highlander bar. We didn’t have breakfast as we knew we were going to be having the high tea. On previous visits we have really enjoyed their buffet breakfast option.
The hotel has a covid safety policy with screens and temperature checks on arrival. They are now also cashless and had sterilised pens for check in and hand sanitiser all around the hotel.
Staying in the Sydney CBD is not a cheap option. As a treat for our staycation this was definitely the best option. Being able to enjoy free entertainment at the library during the day balanced out the costs.
Do you have a favourite place you like to visit for a “staycation”? We love visiting libraries around the world. Do you have a favourite library you have been on your travels? Do you check out the books, the atmosphere or the exhibits?
