Tag: sydney

I am a big fan of wax museums. I always have fun and learn a few different things while visiting.

We had the chance to visit the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Sydney Australia on a trip this past winter. I went with the whole family as I feel this is a good family activity to do.

We did the entire exhibit in about 1 hour. I thought it was kind of short compared to other wax museums I have been to before (even the defunct one in Victoria, BC).

One of the things I like about a wax museum vs a regular museum is that they have these fun props where you can dress up next to the statues and have some fun!

They had many Aussie actors and celebs (Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, the various cricket stars I had no idea who they were), so it was a lot of fun to see some different statues. They do an amazing job making them look authentic.

I recommend paying for the pass to see multiple attractions (Skywalk, aquarium, etc) for one low price as this one attraction’s price may be too high for some larger families.

It was a fun afternoon and how many people can say they sang next to Lady Gaga!

I loved our stay in Sydney and our trip to the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium was very interesting.

It is conveniently located in Darling Harbour just north of the Pyrmont Bridge. My wife and my 2 kids went in. A child is considered 4 – 15 years. 3s and under enter SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium free of charge (great policy).

It was very well designed for kids as many tanks were eye level and easy for them to experience (my daughter will never forget the shark tank!

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here. The walkways through the shark enclosure is just amazing and if I lived there I would get an annual pass.

I think my favourite exhibit was the shark tank (I have been to many aquariums around the world) and it made up for the previous disappointing tanks. The following exhibits for the Great Barrier reef really showcased the area well and the guides were very knowledgeable.

Tickets can cost as low as $25 (online) and remember that kids under 3 are free!

Early in 2015, I took several months parental leave and enjoyed a trip with my family to Australia/New Zealand.

We stayed for 10 nights at the Four Points by Sheraton (almost felt like we moved in) and had an amazing time.

The location is perfect (close to Darling Harbour, Pyrmont Bridge, and about 40 minute walk to the Opera House, close to City Center where you can take a bus almost anywhere).

We had an amazing 12th floor view of the Pyrmont bridge where we saw a fireworks show (Friday nights) and had an amazing view everyday!

Here are some highlights:

This hotel stay was amazing  and having 2 little ones we were pleased with the service and the black-out blinds.

We didn’t eat at the hotel but we had a small mini-bar fridge and coffee (Australian instant coffee).

I used my Starwood SPG points and used the Nights and Flights and saved 20,000 points by staying 2 different times (I transferred the miles to my Alaska account after).

If you are looking to save your miles for a special trip I recommend using the Starwood points here. Hotels like this usually go for at least $300 – $400 a night (we went in March and the weather was still +30 C).