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

[yflyer]

Thanks for another TR yflyer! I am so impressed how you are still able to vigorously work out during your trips. As for myself, I haven't been to Sydney in a while, though probably don't see myself going to Australia in the near future.

Thanks for reading, RedEyeflight!

Actually I wish I had both the time and discipline to run more than I actually did while there! I suffered a couple of minor injuries in the last year (one on the knee, and one in the lower back) that prevented me from running as much as I would have liked, and as a result I agained a few kg of weight over the past year.

No doubt all the good food I ate during the year porobably had something to do with it as well...

In any case, with the new year comes a fresh start and the opportunity to try to regain some fitness, and lose some weight!

If you do head to Sydney, I would highly recommend Margaret, Neil Perry's new restaurant in Double Bay, just a short car ride from the Sydney CBD, and as written in the TR, the Pier One hotel is well worth checking out too!

[RedEyeflight]

Thanks for another TR yflyer! I am so impressed how you are still able to vigorously work out during your trips. As for myself, I haven't been to Sydney in a while, though probably don't see myself going to Australia in the near future.

[yflyer]

Final reflections...

Melbourne and Sydney are both wonderful places to visit. Whether I am there for work or holiday, I always have a wonderful time. The F&B scene there is great, and I've seldom had a bad meal in either of these cities.

On this trip, it was a real bonus to catch up with 9V-SIA, Kyo, SQ228 and SQ218. With everyone always so busy, it isn't easy to get dates to align, so we were all very glad that on this occasion, the date, time and place worked out for everyone.

This was my first time staying at the Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel, and I was really glad I did. It is a unique property, very different from other hotels, and it elevated my stay in Sydney to something quite special.

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I slept through most of it and woke up just as the pilot announced top of descent.



We landed in T1 at 3.35am, just 25 minutes behind schedule despite departing over an hour later than scheduled. Total flight time was just under 8 hours.



Overall this was a comfortable flight. I slept reasonably well despite it being a full economy flight, and I enjoyed my admittedly basic inflight meal as well. I guess flying an LCC is all about expectations. I knew what to expect on Scoot, and they delivered based on those expectations.

[yflyer]

Scoot TR23 was a 9.25pm departure from Sydney, arriving in Singapore at 3.10am.



"Big Yella Fella" was the aircraft operating this sector today...



I was glad to be eligible for "BoardMeFirst" pre-boarding...this was a pretty full flight...



Departure today was slightly delayed. We only began boarding at 9.45pm...



My seat was an aisle seat near the rear of the aircraft.



When flying Scoot Economy, my preferred seat was an aisle seat near the rear, as this was the spot most likely for me to have an empty seat next to me. However today's flight was completely full.



Seat recline was ok -- about what you would expect for a medium/long haul Y seat on any carrier.



After take-off, a pre-ordered meal of dhall curry and rice...



...washed down with Tiger Beer.



The meal also came with a chocolate brownie snack.



There were, of course, many other F&B options available in the Scoot Cafe menu...



I had originally wanted to purchase a can of G&T, however this had recently been discontinued and replaced by a Limoncello Spritz, which I wasn't too keen on, which was why I had ordered Tiger instead.

[yflyer]

I checked out of my room l in the afternoon, but as my flight home was in the late evening, I headed to the hotel lobby and parked myself at one of the tables there to do a bit of work before heading to the airport.



Just before 6pm a waiter from the restaurant came by to offer me a complimentary canape...



What a great way to delight a guest!

I headed outside for a last drink along the pier before heading to the airport...



What a superb hotel this was. I would highly recommend Pier One to anyone visiting Sydney for a holiday. Room, location and staff were all excellent, as was the F&B. If possible, get a room on the 3rd floor.

[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.

[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 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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...