Heavenly holiday on Sydney Harbour

THE best of travel can be closer to home than you'd imagine. Brian Johnston rediscovers his Sydney home town.

ecq bar

I MUST confess I'm born again. This doesn't, however, involve praising the Lord or banging on cymbals.

Actually, it involves a cool cocktail (or two), a rooftop dinner and a rather comfortable bed. My eyes have been opened, and the light I see is sun on Sydney Harbour, semaphoring from water to winking windows. Pacific Ocean breezes stir on street corners and the shells of the Opera House gleam like mother-of-pearl.

I'm born again because, after too many years of overseas travel, I've realised pleasure is on my doorstep.

Yet when was the last time I actually strolled Circular Quay, slurping ice cream and sightseeing?

Now I'm joining the tourists whose enthusiasm for photo-snapping makes me appreciate what a great city I live in.

My first stop is the Botanic Gardens, where foreigners get excited about the ibis and love the lorikeets. I've taken these birds for granted for far too long. Now they're making me smile, too.

I've booked a lunch from the new The Sydney Picnic Company, delivered right to my picnic spot in a lovely hamper. It's packed with food from top Sydney providores, and soon I'm tucking into king prawns with Sichuan pepper, roast chicken and sourdough baguette.

Cockatoos screech overhead, the Manly ferry hoots and a bride poses in the shrubbery.

A lovely location and a Valrhona chocolate brownie to finish.

Hallelujah!

In the late afternoon, I check into the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.

If I'm going to be a tourist in my own town, where better to stay than a newly launched hotel right on Circular Quay?

Seagulls drift past my guestroom window and, across the harbour, the giant face of Luna Park grins back at me.

Pullman has become Australia's biggest 5-star hotel brand and will double the number of its hotels worldwide by the end of the decade.

Bring it on, I say. There are white roses on the bedside table and my espresso machine gurgles pleasantly as it delivers a much-needed coffee.

From my sliver of balcony I look down on a constant shuttle of ferries, while people parade under the palm trees towards the Opera House.

Later the hotel's ECQ Bar - an eyrie that twinkles at the twinkling lights of the harbour - is just the place for a cocktail of mango, rockmelon and a blend of liqueurs.

The bartender is coy about the contents, but calls it "an angelic mix", and I can't argue with that.

Next morning I awake to another fine day. The problem with the Pullman is that, while it has linger-worthy beds, its fabulous location draws you outside.

Soon I'm parading in the early morning sun past the Museum of Contemporary Art.

In The Rocks, sandstone buildings are prettier than I remember.

Buskers fiddle and juggle and I buy a photo of old Sydney at the street market.

For lunch, I seek out the newly revamped Glenmore Hotel, popular with Sydneysiders in the know, and overlooked by tourists.

I bag a table with a view right across roofs and quay to the Pullman and the Opera House.

The atmosphere is convivial as diners order big fat potato wedges, teriyaki salmon tacos and satisfying schnitzels.

As I tuck in, I realise I'm a true convert to the idea of a weekend away without going anywhere.

Forget those tropical paradises. Heaven is right here.

Brian Johnston was a guest of Accor Hotels and Destination NSW.

Follow his travel blog at www.thoughtfultravelwriter.com
 

Go2 - SYDNEY

Getting there: Virgin Australia has flights to Sydney from Albury, Canberra, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and Ballina Byron. Ph 13 67 89 or see virginaustralia.com.au

Staying there: Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour has one-bedroom garden suite rooms from $359 a night, twin share, and one-bedroom harbour-view suites from $389.

Ph 9256 4000 or see pullmanhotels.com/Australia

Eating there: The Glenmore, 96 Cumberland St, The Rocks. Ph 9247 4794 or see theglenmore.com.au

The Sydney Picnic Company. Ph 0420 943 670 or see sydneypicnic.com.au

More: Ph 9240 8788 or see sydney.com