Sydney, Australia: Hotels and ?

[Boston Guy]

There's a small but growing chance that I'll be in Sydney for a few days soon. I know nothing about Sydney, really, and will of course do some research on my own. But I was hoping that someone familiar with the city could help answer a few questions or point toward a good place for information.

 

1. If I go, and it seems likely now, I'll be there for a very short period of time, just a few days. But I'll have almost all of that time free. So, in a short visit, what are some of things that might be fun to do?

 

2. What's gay life like in Sydney? Anything particular to look for? Anything or any place to be careful of or watch out for?

 

3. It's a big city. Is there some area I should think about staying? It doesn't have to be a gay ghetto but being reasonably close to gay venues might be fun.

 

4. I will need a hotel with high-speed access to the Internet. Any recommendations?

 

5. I might be interested in meeting an escort or two. I tend to favor 20s (23+/- a few years), blond, fun. Any recommendations?

 

Thanks! I appreciate any information anyone cares to share.

 

Regards,

BG

[Steven_Draker]

BG,

For hotels I used http://www.wotif.com.au/ when I visited Sydney last month (local site-local rates-only last minute reservations are allowed).

You may consider the CBD (Central business district) or Hyde Park which is equally close to Circular key, the Opera House and Darling Harbour (although I stayed at the “W” in Woolloomooloo Bay). Almost all four and five star hotels are equipped with high-speed Internet access.

 

The Gay area is around Oxford street and Kings Cross. Sydney hosts the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in late February which attracts many tourists and is the world’s largest gay celebration.

 

Things to do: Attraction number one is of course the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I had so much fun climbing the bridge in a sunny day (wonderful view from up there) http://www.bridgeclimb.com.au/

 

Other attractions: Darling Harbour, Chinese Gardens, The Sydney Tower, Bondi Beach, Manly (by ferry from Circular Key), Blue Mountains

 

Enjoy Sydney and the aussies :-)

 

Steven Draker ~

[+ Charlie]

I have never done anything sexual in Sydney, and yet I have always had a wonderful time on my visits because it is such a beautiful place. Do the standard tourist things: take a boat tour of Sydney harbor, walk around neighborhoods like the Rocks and Darling Harbor, take a tour of the Opera House if can't get in to actually see a performance, climb the Harbor Bridge if you are feeling really adventurous (there are guided tours), take the ferry to Manly, go to Taronga Zoo or Bondi Beach, etc. The one drawback to getting around is that Sydney does not have a public transport system worthy of such a major city. I find myself walking miles every day, but luckily the weather usually makes that possible.

 

The gay scene is mostly along Oxford Street, but I can't recommend anything specific. It's a very gay-friendly city, and escorts are supposed to be easy to find, unlike Melbourne, which seems much more conservative.

 

Since I don't take a computer, I can't tell you anything about hotel facilities. My favorite hotel used to be the Regent (which is now something else), but now it is the Sheraton on the Park.

[Guest alanm]

BG: I spent a lot of time in Sydney in the 1990s. You will love the city; it's beautiful and very easy to make instance friends. My stays were longer than what you plan so I usually rented an apartment, but did stay twice at the Chateau Sydney in Elizabeth Bay, near Kings Cross.

 

The hotel rooms at the Chateau facing the bay have amazing views, the rates are cheaper than near the Circular Key. However, for a short visit, I would select a hotel nearer the Opera House and the Circular Key. The beach at Manly is just a short ferry ride from the Key.

 

I enjoyed the nude beaches a lot. The bars on Oxgord Street are constantly changing, so don't know which is the most popular --- but that's easy to find out when you get there. The houses of boys are constantly changing also. On my first visit in '94, they served wine as each boy came out for a short conversation. It was difficult to pick just one, so I went back many times. It could not have been a very friendly space, with cheap prices. On subsequent trips ('95,'98), the scene changed considerably. The boys were not as good looking and it was much less friendly and more businesslike. Give it a try, I have great memories of that first visit, a fantasy come true for anyone who enjoys hiring escorts.

 

Have a great time.

 

Alan

[Rick Munroe]

>There's a small but growing chance that I'll be in Sydney for

>a few days soon.

 

That Sydney must be some amazing power bottom.

[swallows22]

Sorry, Munroe, Aussie humour leaves you for dead.

 

BG, I am currently in the US and will return to Sydney 25 November. Please e-mail me with any direct queries.

 

I am at a loss to understand the comments re the public transport system in Sydney. Since the Olympics, you can go anywhere on a train, bus or plane. Mind you, if you are in the Outback, different story.

 

As Steve Draker says, lots of 5-star hotels. Where he stayed is a great hotel, but a bit off the track for public transport.

 

Go to http://www.gaydar.com.au to have a look at escorts. I like mine over 30, so no recommendations. OOOPs! There is also http://www.rentboyaustralia.com

 

The weather will be great and the natives friendly. Welcome to my city. Hope it is all you hope for. Cheers! Richard.

[Boston Guy]

Thanks to all who replied. My trip is definitely on and I'm in the process of determining how to best spend a few days.

 

Generally, when traveling to a new place, I don't try to do and see everything. Instead, I try to do enough to get a real sense of the place and a feel for it, while still allowing time for relaxation. Then, if I like it, I'll go back and spend more time. Right now, I still haven't determined where I want to stay. But some of the things I'm considering as activities include:

 

* The Bridge Climb; but I'm quite disappointed that you can't take your own camera with you. An alternative might be the Sydney Tower, but that doesn't sound nearly as much fun.

 

* The Aquarium; I love aquariums and this sounds like a great one.

 

* The Opera House; I've looked at the schedule and there's nothing on while I'm there that I'm dying to see. So, given my limited time, I'll probably just take a guided tour.

 

* One of the harbor tours. I'm sort of leaning toward the OzJetBoat "Thrill Ride". But if I meet an interesting companion, a dinner cruise might be nice. Alternatively, or in addition, I might take a seaplane ride.

 

* Blue Mountain Wildlife Day Tour/River Cruise. This one's a real choice for me. I'd like to do it and think it would offer some very unique and interesting things to see. But it would use an entire day, so I have to decide if I want to spend a day that way. Right now, I'm kind of leaning that way.

 

Other than these things, I'll want to at least simply spend time walking about the city and getting a feel for it, visit the gay areas, visit at least one of the beaches, have some interesting meals, etc. Of course, I'll have to check out the local boys, one way or the other and see what some of the nightlife is like, too.

 

I do appreciate the advice already given. If anyone has any further info or recommendations, I appreciate whatever you care to share.

 

BG

[Guest LG320126]

All of the above advice is good. I stayed at the Park Hyatt in the Rocks area - right next to the bridge, the opera house, and within walking distance of a lot of the city. A cab or bus will get you to Kings Cross area (the main gay district)and also to Bondi Beach if you love speedo-clad hotties roaming the beach in abundance where speedos are the norm instead of the long board shorts worn here. A good day trip is to the zoo if you are so inclined. The people and the food are wonderful and the weather should be excellent. Enjoy mate!:-)

[+ Charlie]

If you are interested in wine, a day tour to the beautiful Hunter Valley north of Sydney is fun.

[Boston Guy]

Thanks, Charlie.

 

I am interested in wine and enjoy winery tours. But, since I only have a short time during this trip, I feel I can make at most one day trip. I compared the wine tours with the wildlife tour and decided that, since I've done a fair number of winery tours before but have never seen Australian wildlife up close and personal, the wildlife tour would be a better choice.

 

But thanks very much for the suggestion and also your previous advice.

 

I did, finally, choose a hotel: I'm going to stay at the Marriott adjacent to the Opera House. Seems like a good location and it meets my other criteria.

 

Enjoy your evening!

BG

[Steven_Draker]

Boston Guy, some thoughts …

 

Even though you’re not allowed to bring your own camera your climb guide will take four individual shots of each climber during the ascent and descent in addition to one group shot. The collage I have keeps me good memories of the climb. Also you have to complete an Alcohol Breath Test prior to the climb, so please no cocktails before Advance booking is highly recommended. http://www.bridgeclimb.com.au

 

A fast and easy way to explore the main attractions the first day would be the City Sightseeing Bus Tour

http://www.guidefriday.com/index2.htm

 

For escorts you can check out Knight Call http://www.knightcall.com.au

 

Don’t miss Bondi Beach: it’s a great place to hang out and watch gorgeous boys. Aussies are so warm and friendly seems like they are out of this world. And finally you’ll be arriving during a great time of the year … Sydney should be scenic.

 

Steven Draker ~

[cityguy]

Another website to check out is http://www.maleescortssydney.com

 

Have fun 'down under'.

 

cityguy

[KY_TOP]

>

>* The Bridge Climb; but I'm quite disappointed that you can't

>take your own camera with you. An alternative might be the

>Sydney Tower, but that doesn't sound nearly as much fun.

>

 

I did the Bridge Climb during my visit in August...Absolutely worth doing. Since your climbing above traffic on the bridge they can't risk that you would drop your camera, hit a car and cause a wreck.

 

Have a great time.

[marc anthony]

>5. I might be interested in meeting an escort or two. I tend

>to favor 20s (23+/- a few years), blond, fun. Any

>recommendations?

>

 

Well... if they look anything like my favorite Flirt4Free model, AJ, who is an Aussie temporarily transplanted in Canada(yes, hooboy, I access it through the link at the top of your website), then I am BIG fan of Australia.

 

http://www.flirt4free.com/models/bios/Aj/&mp_code=a3zf&source_code=&service=guys

[jakobsen]

5. I might be interested in meeting an escort or two. I tend to favor 20s (23+/- a few years), blond, fun. Any recommendations?

 

Early this year, I hooked up with an escort from wwww.knightcall.com.au by the name of Aden. He fits the profile you described above accent and all.

[fedssocr1]

You didn't mention what sort of budget you have for hotels. When I was in Sudney in 2002 I stayed in a nice large, relatively new apartment that was a short walk from the central train station. I think I paid about US$120/night for a 1 bedroom with a kitchenette. Some friends of mine stayed in a much nicer 2 bedroom with a full kitchen and washer/dryer for slightly more. I believe it was called the Pacific International Apartments, here's a link http://www.wotif.com/Pacific-International-Apartments-Sydney.html. One of the nice things about the big cities in Australia is that they have lots of short stay rental apartments available for about the same price as a good hotel. Of course if you need room service and that sort of thing you won't get it in these places, but I prefer the space and privacy.

 

I think everyone has covered the main things to do. I also am a sucker for the observation deck, and there's a good one at Centrepoint Tower (or whatver they're calling it these days). For sure you want to do a harbour cruise. I also took the ferry to Manly last time I was there and there are some hot lifeguards at that beach. If you like nature a little trip out to the Blue Mountains may be worthwhile. I went out to a koala park with a friend of mine and I thought it was worthwhile but it was hot most of the animals were passed out on the ground. You can pet a koala and a kangaroo there though.

 

Public transportation is very good and easy to use.

[Steven_Draker]

>Early this year, I hooked up with an escort from

>wwww.knightcall.com.au by the name of Aden. He fits the

>profile you described above accent and all.

 

 

Aden sent me a personal note today saying that he has left Knight Call and he's available now as independent.

Here's link to his Gaydar profile page:

 

http://www.gaydar.com.au/aussieboyaden