Sweet special occasions – or – Can I touch your taser?

Guest blogger - Susie from Auckland

Gail is an expert at planning ‘special occasions travel’ for her customers: honeymoons, wedding anniversaries, family reunions…

She didn’t plan the occasion I attended this weekend in Sydney but I am going to tell you about it anyway. Why? Because it might inspire you to do the same with people you love in places that are special. It is worth it and will leave you with a smile on your face, your voice hoarse from laughing and singing, your heart warmed through and some priceless memories.

The A320
I started my journey as most do – in an aeroplane – at the tail end of a summer thunderstorm. The A320 was new, black seats, two aisles, 27 rows. To me, this is a small plane. I don’t like small planes. However, it delivered me safely to Sydney Airport, which is all I ask, and we had an uneventful taxi ride to – of all places  –  the new YHA in The Rocks.

New YHA rocks

What a fantastic place to stay! In the heart of The Rocks, with a view of the harbour and the Opera House, this 'hostelle' is a real find. It’s in Cumberland St right next to the Shangri –La. Of course three adults can stay in the Shangri-La for $363 a night, which isn’t bad, but we were on a budget. We paid $352 total for two nights in a clean, spacious, comfortable family room with its own bathroom. Magic!
(Photo courtesy YHA Sydney)


The Kazbah
Three 50-somethings schlepped off to Darling Harbour for dinner. We were to meet three 20-somethings, my daughter, her fiancé and their bridesmaid-to-be, at the Kazbah (The Promenade, Harbourside Shopping Centre) for mezze and a few beers. This restaurant is just down from the Novotel and used to be Sumac. There is a sister restaurant in Balmain and it's very popular.

We sat down in the balmy Sydney warmth and ordered barbecued quail in pomegranate sauce, chorizo-stuffed squid, deep-fried cauliflower florets on a bed of spicy aubergine, prawns encased in crispy batter with a blow-your-mouth-off dipping sauce, spicy lamb koftas and an array of exotic breads and dips.

Add a Kauri Estate (Matakana) pinot gris and the night drifted off into happy conversation and excitement over plans for the next evening – my daughter’s Big Fat Gypsy Wedding-themed hen’s night for the girls and a Casino sleep-over for the boys.

Shopping at Meyer, beer secrets
Next day there was compulsory shopping for me and my friend - photos too disturbing to print, those changing room lights are harsh aren't they? Man whisked away by boy to “fill suitcases with bottles of beer” ? ? ?


Eating ward-winning dumplings
While shopping, we got hungry. You simply must go to the new Pitt St Mall Level 6 and eat made to order  xiaolongbao dumplings at Din Tai Fung. My favourite is filled with pork and chili oil – mind,  they are hot, and can spit onto your trousers.

Prep at the Suisse Hotel

Another great spot to stay right in the heart of the CBD on top of Meyer is Suisse Hotel ($200 a night via Wotif) complete with pool, where my girl was being turned into a Big Fat Gypsy Bride.

Bubbles, nibbles, false eye lashes, fake nails, glue gun, orange fake tan, say no more….

Then it was off to the first watering hole...

The Ivy, George St
The Ivy pool bar is like being in the tropics – or perhaps the Playboy Mansion – you must try the Palm cocktail. To die for. Strange men are starting to kiss my daughter. Unnerving.

Jamie’s Italian with planks of good food and odd wine

Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant in Pitt St serves some VERY odd wine - one a blend of every white grape known to man (yuck) - so Prosecco bubbles for us. Very funky spot, though, and you have to book.

We started with 'planks' – large wooden boards held up by tins of tomatoes and serving up buffalo mozzarella in lemon and mint, crunchy shaved root veg, green Gaeta olives,wagyu bresaola, finocchio and capocollo, caper berries, aubergine caponata, San Daniele prosciutto and more! Followed for me by truffle risotto.

More indiscriminate (and embarrassing) kissing of a fireman, waiter, tattooed man, bald man, hairy man...

(Photo courtesy of Jamie's website)

Retro Club - fist pumping (activity part of trip!)
Okay at this point my friend and I realize we may not be welcome, but we braved it anyway. Thankfully the bridesmaid had said no to Puppetry of the Penis and just booked the bar and the disco. Daughter bites button off some poor man’s shirt. Daughter asks policeman if she can touch his taser. He’s amused but declines.

Mother is past embarrassment, dishevelled, covered in sauvignon blanc, has glow in the dark wristbands on both arms, sore feet and can no longer see or hear anything. We decide to leave the kids and walk home to the Y at 1.15am. We lose 40 minutes of our lives.

Regardless, I now know that I may be an old chook but I can still strut my stuff as good as the next chick - or rooster for that matter!

Meanwhile, back at the Casino
Two suitcase cases of beer, a pallet of bourbon, four topless waitresses, two $900 suites, one broken picture frame, a security raid and 24 men later – outcome? New movie, Hangover III, out soon!

The Boeing 777-300 
If you haven’t flown on Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 777-300 yet, I hope like me you will love it! This is a BIG plane and in row 45 I am still nowhere near the back of it. Lots of leg room, pleasant staff, cute “books” in the dunny. Long haul wouldn't be tooo bad.

The Kiwi birds greet me in the arrival hall, I get lovely customs people, my friend’s family is waiting with a huge welcome home banner (perhaps they didn’t expect us to make it back?) and our car is waiting for us under cover and paid for ($39).

Sweet.