Australia can be an expensive city to visit, but your accommodation doesn't have to be. Big Hostel…read moreis an example of a spot where you can come and crash while still getting the full Sydney experience on a relative budget. The hostel stands solid compared to the competition. It's located in a very good location next to train stations and (30 min) walking distance to a lot of the attractions in the northern part of Sydney. The staff are extremely friendly and offer up some great advice on where to go and the best method of getting there. There is an open kitchen and lounge area with wifi where you can cook up a meal and meet other travelers around town. The dorms themselves are a bit aged, but they get the job done. I opted to stay in an 8-person dorm which looked like they had some longer-term guests hanging around. Shared bathrooms were okay too- make sure you bring your own towel and toiletries because this is a no frills hostel. Overall, good place to stay, but don't expect too much else. They do offer a A$15 shuttle to the airport at whatever time you want, so take advantage as it'll end up being more expensive if you take the train or taxi yourself.

This place is pretty great. The train station is down the street. Plenty of bus stops near by as…read morewell. You're right next to Chinatown and they have a lot of places that are open late when you get the munchies. They have an open kitchen and a big ass fridge if you want to get some groceries. The lounge area has some comfortable couches although maybe they can get new one because some are getting worn down. There's two large cafeteria style tables to eat on. The rooms is what you generally get at hostel so no complaints there. They have a cute little roof top lounge area which is actually pretty relaxing at night time. The staff was wonderful, kind and really helpful. Thanks for the free parking tip! Faith, if you're reading this your smile was heaven

The first ship of the Edge class from Celebrity Cruises, the Celebrity Edge was delivered on 2018,…read morelater joined by three other ships, with the final fifth ship (Celebrity Xcel) set to launch in 2025. Royal Caribbean Group was formed with the merger of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean in 1997, adding their top luxury line, Silversea in 2018. My brother and I got to sail on 12 night New Zealand cruise in April 2025, sailing roundtrip from Sydney, Australia. Fast Facts: 129,500 GRT; 1,004 feet long; 128 feet wide. 2,818 passengers at double occupancy. 3,373 max with 1,467 staterooms. We got to stay in the very front of Deck 8, with nice window views of the horizon as we sailed forward. Embarkation from the Sydney Cruise port was very simple and fast, and we got on the boat really quickly. Celebrity allows you to go to your room as soon as you get on the boat to drop off your bags, if you carried them on yourself. The room might not be ready, but it's a nice feature, not having to drag around your carry-on. Some notables of the ship: -- Magic Carpet - first of its kind, it is perched on the starboard side of the ship, it's primary purpose is to facilitate the use of tenders for those ports that can not accommodate a ship of this size. But it is also used as an outdoor bar/restaurant that can move from decks 2,3, 14, and 16. -- Elevators are modern with no preset buttons. Like many other cruise ships, it has no Deck 13 (though some ships so, like the NCL Escape). -- Rooftop Garden - provides an actual living lawn on top of the boat, to host garden parties and barbeques. Actual gas grills are used to cook: the burgers did taste quite a bit better because of it. -- Duty free shopping and casinos are smaller on this ship. There are very high-end dedicated shops like Cartier and Bvlgari. Free drinks are available for anybody actively gambling. Blackjack had a 10 dollar minimum with 6:5 blackjack payout, increasing to the standard 3:2 for the 15 min tables. Room: -- Fairly large with a big window facing the front. Compared to the RC boat we had just taken a week before, I did miss having a electric kettle to boil water for hot tea. But the bathrooms were a lot bigger, with very good shower pressure. The sink is wide but very shallow, making it a bit difficult to do handwash laundry. -- Small lockable fridge, but full of soda and alcohol. -- Electrical box (with the the three different international sockets located at the desk. So having a portable extension cord was very useful. They do have USB-A outlets near the beds. -- Decent sized wall mounted tv. Channels: 24 channels. ESPN, two Australian news, CNBC, MSNBC, FoxNews, BBC News, BBC, NatGeo, and Celebrity specific. One nice thing is that the video on demand movies (one that are currently available at home to rent) are all free. Decks: -- Cabins on deck 3 (along with a few desks like guest relations). -- Decks 6 - 12 are dedicated to cabins. -- No Deck 13! -- Deck 14 has the Spa, Solarium in front and the Buffet in back. -- Deck 15 has Fitness Center in front, table tennis (3 tables) in middle, with rooftop garden in back (along with rooftop garden grill which costs money). -- Also had unique jogging track that is two levels, on decks 15 (middle) and deck 16 (front) with gradual incline. Many people took advantage of this. -- Deck 16 has the exclusive retreat. Daylights savings time activated while on the cruise...so we actually got one hour less than we would have. Also because we had to miss the Sounds in New Zealand, we got refunded $71.31 USD: so it looks like even going certain bodies of water causes all passengers to be charged port fees, even though not an actual port.

Small lunch cruise with own private table for 2 . Lunch buffet my husband made a good point the…read morettheres no sheild guard. Gross saw someone sneeze around the food. Ugh.

Magistic Cruise provides exceptional and contemporary dinner cruises that will surely leave you…read moreawe-inspired. The quality of their service is impeccable since their food is only prepared on board so you're rest assured that you're not getting any stale food that might upset your stomach while in the sea. The various choice of menu also leaves you a lot of options to enjoy your food. Choose from a 3-meal course, networking menu or buffet. Definitely try out their serious chocolate cake. As the name suggests, the taste gives you an in-depth sweetness that's not too overpowering but still lingers enough to leave you wanting more.

This was a 14 days ocean cruise, Sydney to Melbourne, then Tasman Sea to New Zealand aboard the…read moreViking Venus. I just want to give anyone going on this cruise to be aware if the toxic level of chemicals in the hot tub water, back of ship by the infinity pool. So toxic, the water removed the blue color from my brand new swimsuit and turned the white part yellow, in 30 minutes. There is a sign posted, #10 on the list by the hot tub says "chlorine may cause swimsuits and treated hair to discolor". Of course, I did not see this until after my suit was ruined. This was pointed out to me by guest services, after I showed them my suit. They were unwilling to accept any responsibility. I must say I have spent lots of time in swimming pools in my lifetime and never once had the color removed from a swimsuit. This concerns me because A The level of chemical toxicity in the water is way above normal standards. B The toxins can get into your skin and affect your internal organs. I had gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, for about a week after this event. C The only warning was listed on a small sign, #10 on the list. Viking sends out countless emails, texts and phone calls with information about your voyage, prior to boarding their ship. They also leave daily bulletins in your stateroom and make announcements over the P.A. every morning. There was never a mention about the toxicity of the hot tub. I have written a letter to Viking and have yet to receive any response.

Chill blue hostel is cheap and staff was very nice and friendly and helpful and my private room…read morewas nice and clean and I had a bar fridge and air conditioning and the bed is big and I will stay here again coles and Woolworth is and king cross is close and easy to get to places and there cafes andore to see

I only stayed the weekend of August 14th in ChiliBlue, but it was very enjoyable. The location is…read moregreat (a 25 minute walk to the Opera House, and a 20 minute walk to George+Liverpool nightlife area), the staff was friendly and the guests were outgoing and easy to get along with. They have a cute patio area on which people hang out and socialize, and on Friday night they had a bbq which was awesome (free burgers). Good vibes all around. At 10pm the party moves indoors to the secluded kitchen area which is really great for people who wanted to go to bed and not be disturbed. They have a good system going. The beds were very comfortable. Nice blankets, comfortable pillows, and a perfect mattress. I had a better night's sleep than I do in my own bed :/ .They offer a decent free breakfast every day from 7:30am-9:30am. After I left Sydney, I realized that I'd forgotten something really important in my room, and Steve helped me tremendously. He has a great attitude and great zeal. He put in the effort to personally mail me my item and was just overall very helpful. I sincerely appreciated his efforts. (Thanks, Steve!!) A+ experience all around. Definitely staying at ChiliBlue next time I'm in town. Cheers!

Thank you to the staff at the Aspire Hotel. You assisted me with surprising my daughter for her…read more25th birthday after she checked into her room. She was very surprised and thankful for the champagne, wine and chocolates. I appreciate the responsiveness and follow-through in assisting me with the surprise. She's a long way from home and you have helped make her stay in Sydney even more memorable. Regina, USA

Cons: THERE IS NO WIFI…read more No wifi in the rooms, and the wifi in the lobby is choppy at best. I'm sitting in the lobby right now typing this, but I couldn't even open google with a supposedly strong signal. The hotel is clearly old, chipped doors and furniture here and there. But I don't particularly care for that; others might. They say they're updating it so (hopefully) by this time next year there will be wifi available in the rooms. Maybe 2 decades ago this was fine, but in 2016, internet access is necessary, especially for tourists. We stayed at a dingy motel in Cairns that had better internet connection. No airport-hotel shuttle. Pros: The room looked fine, and clean. The bed is comfortable. The rooms are BIG. We were surprised to find a double bed and 2 twin beds in our "standard premium" room. We had a private balcony. The staff is friendly and helpful. It was quiet, tranquil area, despite being in the central business district and 20 min walk away from the harbor. This was a plus, as the first hotel we stayed in our first night and the motel in Cairns were ridiculously loud and you could hear everything. Not the case at the aspire hotel. It's walking distance from central station, Chinatown, and the harbor. So if absolutely no Wifi is not a problem for you, then go ahead and stay here. But if you need 21st century connection, then don't be lured by the price.