Scoot SIN-MEL / SYD-SIN, VA MEL-SYD, & The Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel

[yflyer]

In September/October of this year, I made a quick, last minute work trip to Melbourne and Sydney.

I flew to Australia and back in Scoot in Economy. I don't have much new to say about Scoot, except that these days I fly Scoot to Australia quite regularly, as they are a fairly cheap option when trying to book seats at the last minute, and also because Scoot offers some Krisflyer Gold benefits, such as free seat selection, extra 5kg luggage, one-time free schedule change, priority check-in and priority boarding (Although lounge access is still not included), which slightly lessens the hardship of flying an LCC in Y.

I also got to fly Virgin Australia's 737-8 (The aircraft previously known as the 737 Max 8...) from Melbourne to Sydney.

There were two highlights on this trip:

- In Melbourne, I met up with fellow SQTalkers Kyo, SQ228, SQ218 and 9V-SIA for breakfast.

- In Sydney, I stayed at the Pier One Sydney Harbour hotel, which I found to be a very unique and impressive property, one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in recently.

[yflyer]

My outbound flight was TR24 SIN-MEL, operated by 9V-OJB "Barry", a 10 year old 787-9.



Two Scoot flights departing at 10am at Gates D33 and D34, right next to each other.



I am assuming no-one boarded their flight and found themselves heading to Phu Quoc rather than their intended destination Melbourne, or vice versa...



The economy cabin, laid out 3-3-3, was bright and airy.



After take-off, I was served my pre-ordered meal of Indian-style okra and lentils with rice. I found this to be quite tasty.



Scoot now serves Common Man Roasters coffee onboard. What I didn't realize till a future flight was that the dark blue sleeve entitles you to a free cup of coffee on the ground at any Common Man Roasters outlet in Singapore.



The sun was setting as we approached Melbourne Airport.



We were on track to land in MEL at 8.15pm in the evening.



The international arrivals area was not busy when we landed, and I breezed through the automated immigration lanes.

I was in the city and checked into the Victoria Hotel (Covered in previous TRs), in the Melbourne CBD, by 9.30pm that evening. Pretty quick!

[yflyer]

I was quite hungry after landing in Melbourne. After checking into the Victoria Hotel, I took a short stroll to the Apollo Inn for drinks and dinner.

The Apollo Inn is a wonderful, intimate bar, however apart from superb cocktails, they also have an excellent food menu...



I began with oysters and a martini.



...and then a beef tartare.



Later in the trip, I headed to the Apollo Inn once again, for dinner with fellow SQTalker 9V-SIA, who just happened to be on vacation in Melbourne at the same time. He was staying at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, just across the road from Apollo Inn at the time, so it was a no brainer to head there for drinks and dinner, together with Mrs 9V-SIA and a couple of their friends.



We sampled several dishes, including a delectable dish of smoked mussels with seaweed butter on rye bread.



While in Melbourne, 9V-SIA and I also had a memorable breakfast catch-up at Top Paddock with Kyo, SQ228 and SQ218...



Breakfast at Top Paddock was excellent...





It was great to catch up with our Melbourne based SQTalkers on a sunny Saturday morning.

[yflyer]

While in Melbourne, I headed to Hardware Lane on a couple of different occasions to get an Asian food fix...



My first port of call was Lulu's...



...for their superb Penang Char Koay Teow...



On another occasion, I headed to Pho Tin...



...for an outstanding bowl of Vietnamese Beef Pho...

[yflyer]

I managed just one run in Melbourne on this trip...



...along my favourite route by the Yarra River...



A very satisfying, and scenic, 8 km route in beautiful weather.

[yflyer]

I flew Virgin Australia from Melbourne to Sydney. My flight was VA803, an early morning 6am departure.

Boarding began on time, and I boarded through the rear exit. What I like about domestic flights in Australia is that most flights boarded from both front and rear exits simultaneously, which made for fairly quick boarding.



I only realized the plane was a 737-8 when I looked out the window and saw the distinctive Split Scimitar winglet...



Seat pitch on this aircraft was ok.



USB charging on the seat back.



MEL-SYD was one of the busiest air routes in the world. This flight was completely full. And this was an ungodly 6am departure!



Wifi was available on this flight.



There were several paid internet plans available...



...along with movies/TV.



The rear bathrooms on this aircraft had a compact layout I had not encountered before on a 737.



What a tiny sink.



We took off in just as the sun was rising. By the time we were in cruise, it was bright outside.



Just a short 1 hour hop to Sydney. We land one minute behind schedule at 7.26am.

[yflyer]

From the airport, I took the train to Circular Quay, then took a 15 minute walk from Circular Quay station to the hotel.

It was quite a distance to walk with rollerboard luggage, about 1.2km, but the weather was beautiful that morning, and the views along the way were great.

I walked from Circular Quay to Dawes Point near the Rocks, where the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was. On the eastern side of Dawes Point was the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel...



The Marriott Autograph Collection Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel was on the other, western-facing side of Dawes Point.



What an amazing property this was. This was a working cargo and passenger builiding along the wharf, which had been converted to a hotel.



While the rooms and building retained many structural features of the original building, the interior had been completely re-imagined and the result was very beautiful.



What a beautiful place to stay...



...with warm, top-notch staff and service to match.

At check-in, I was offered a glass of juice while check-in formalities were completed.



I headed to my room. The corridors leading to the rooms had exposed beams from the original structure.



My room was on the 3rd and topmost floor, which was the best floor to be because of the exposed beams and high ceiling...




...which gave the room a very spacious feel.



There was a large king bed...



...and open wardrobe...



...as well as a separate enclosed wardrobe, with safe.



The bathroom...

[yflyer]

There was no desk or counter top in the room, however the small coffee table was just large enough for me to use my laptop.



The minibar was well stocked...

[yflyer]

The room had views of the water...



I spent a long time just looking out the window watching the boats go by...



...and watching the comings and goings along the waterfront walkway down below...



While staring out the window, it occured to me that the room carpeting perfectly captured the look and feel of the sunlight playing on the water outside...

[yflyer]

The best part of the hotel was direct access to the waterfront from the hotel lobby and public areas...



What a beautful place to spend time during the day, or in the evenings...



I sat by the waterfront and enjoyed salt and pepper calamari for lunch...this was absolutely idyllic...



In the evening, the Sunset views from the hotel were great...

[yflyer]

In the evening, I took the opportunity to head out for a run...



I headed under the Harbour Bridge towards the Opera House.



It was a very nice time to be out...



The sun was setting and the light changed by the minute.



By the time I reached the Opera House, the sky had turned orange, and towards the east the sky had taken on a purplish hue...



From the Opera House, I headed towards the Royal Botanic Gardens...



The gates were still open...



I headed in and ran along the waterfront...



...before turning around and retracing my steps...



...back under the Harbour Bridge...



...to the hotel.



This was a wonderful route, 2.5km each way for a total of just over 5km.

[yflyer]

After my run, I showered and headed back down to the lobby for drinks and dinner.

As Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, I was given 2 drink vouchers...



...redeemable at the hotel lobby bar.



I asked for a Prosecco and headed outside to enjoy the drink...



...and the view. What a wonderful place to spend time!

[yflyer]

The hotel restaurant had just launched a new menu.



A Happy Meal? With a Moreton Bay Bug and Perrier-Jouet? Who could resist that!



The restaurant had nice views of the water. Outdoor seating by the pier was available, but I decided to sit inside.



A few minutes later, I was presented with Happy Meal, complete with a glass of Perrier-Jouet Champagne...



Wow. This was both whimsical and delicious. I loved how this was presented.



This meal did make me happy!

[yflyer]

Back in my hotel room that evening, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a small welcome gift of cake...



What a nice treat.

[yflyer]

The hotel breakfast buffet was very impressive.



I sat inside first, but when seats freed up outside, I moved to an outside table to enjoy the beautiful weather.