The beautiful Victorian houses in Sydney and the entrance to the Botanical Gardens right in centre of town.

At the Beach House Palm Beach

Bondi Beach, the Iceberg Pools and view from the Bondi, Bronte walk

My Byron Bay escape

Sydney is already way to far away, it’s been a week since I returned from my amazing Australia trip, and honestly I also needed pretty much a week to recover from the jet lag.

Visiting Australia had been a dream, and it was worth the 24 hours flight. After fashion week I only had another week, a short but nice time to explore a bit more. It was interrupted by an intense three day storm so I didn’t explore as much as I wanted, on the list for my next visit would by Manly Beach, Watson’s Bay and the Blue Mountains.

It’s funny, even after having traveled quite a lot, going to Australia felt a bit like visiting another planet and there is almost an element of surprise when you realize it’s a Modern world like anywhere else. Then again, it was Fall season in April with 23 degrees Celsius …

First thing to notice was the light ! Yes, you have to watch out not to get burned, but the intensity of the sun is so beautiful in Australia. Being a notoriously long sleeper, I was wide awake by 7am with the light coming through the windows, it just makes to want to go outside and explore.

My highlights on this trip were my little Bondi Beach getaway with the obligatory swim in the Iceberg Pools and the Bondi-Bronte-Coogee walk, a day trip to Palm beach and a few days in Byron bay. And well, maybe a bit of the shopping part too, I spent a lot of time at the Lover Shops, discovering my love for lace dresses.

Here is where I stayed:

The Meriton Apartments on Campbell Street: This is where I stayed right on arrival for a few nights and I loved it. It feels a bit corporate and is located right in CBD, not the prettiest part of town with a lot of pubs and noise but also a lot of great food options and just a convenient starting point to explore. The room was huge, basically a studio apartment and a very good deal for the price.

Make sure to get some of the best dumplings at Din Tai Fung, while in CBD.

The Pier One Harbour Hotel: My little pretty escape during Sydney fashion week, a five star hotel located right at the Harbour with all the romantic setting that comes with it. My room was pretty small and dark, if you go here definitely get a room with a view, it will be worth it.

Also the best breakfast I had in Sydney, just saying waffles and fresh berries. But please @pierone, you need to work on the coffee.

Bondi 38 Beach apartments: I stayed here for a few nights after fashion week, would definitely stay here again. Modern, well equipped serviced apartments (you can book these like a hotel room) right across the beach and only a few steps from the Iceberg Pools. A great coffee place right across.

Day escape: You can easily only stay in Sydney and hang out at Bondi. For someone who comes from a city, I didn’t understand at first why one would need to get out of Bondi to explore other beaches at all. But there is a difference to a city beach and a more relaxing getaway after all. Palm beach was one of those. About an hours north from Sydney, beautiful and more upscale, my favourite part of the day was lunch at the Boathouse, such a beautiful place right at the water.

Few days escape: Byron Bay. I already wrote about this, just a one hour flight north to tiny Ballina airport, and I found a gorgeous coast with perfect beach weather, just a little warmer than Sydney that time of the year. I stayed at ‘Julian’s apartments’ which was a bit more dated than my Sydney lodgings but perfectly located across the beach and trails.

So here you go, my short dream trip to Sydney, wish it wasn’t over.

And showing off my new Lover the Label dress, it’s the Rosebud lace dress, you can find similar ones here.