My First Class Suite Experience to Sydney from 2 to 8 Jul 2023

This is yet another bucket list check-off, flying first class suite on board super jumbo jet A380 aircraft. You bet, I am certainly excited about this long-awaited anticipated trip.

I have heard much and read about it, but nothing beats a personal experience, so here I am now.

Why Sydney? Main reason being, there isn’t much super jumbo jet A380 aircraft flies to for medium haul as the majority of it is used for long haul flight. In addition, my last trip to Australia was more than 15 years ago, and this would definitely be a good time to fulfil 2 tasks at one go. Back then, all my memories were on photo film, so this time round, my memories can now be digitalized. 😊

As usual, excitement can only be “real” after stepping through the departure hall. 😀

Wow, you will arrive in style and check in at Terminal 3 First Class Departure Hall, and there will be a dedicated immigration clearance gate that will lead you directly to the SilverKris first class lounge.

For Suite Class Passenger, you will be invited and ushered to The Private Room to enjoy the lounge facility.

This is where the private dining experience will commence.

The lounge is indeed very exclusive to the selected few. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to experience so.

**The Private Room Dinner Starters Menu**

**Smoked Duck Pastrami Salad with Tomatoes on Vine**

**Chicken Wellington with Red Wine Sauce**

**Kasundi Murgh Tikka with Pepper Korma Sauce and Tadka Pulao**

All the hot foods are freshly prepared upon placing order. Thus, it is advisable to arrive way in advance so that you have sufficient time to enjoy your meals. I have tried to savour most of the items in the menu, if not all, to the best of my ability. 😀

The foods are deliciously prepared and of standard without a doubt. 👍

Freshen up with a good shower prior to boarding. The shower room is really huge and roomy.

Cheers to good health! 👍

I love the spacious Suite cabin. This is definitely luxurious. Hope I will not be spoilt with such a luxurious treatment. 😀

The toilet is equally spacious too and comes with a vanity corner. 😲

If you would like to convert both suites into one and have a double bed option, remember to book seats 1A and 2A or 1F and 2F as not all suites can be converted. 🙂

Time to sleep for now. Good night. 💤

Enjoying breakfast prior to arrival.

Thin egg noodles in a light and flavourful pork-based broth, served with marinated minced pork, meatballs, and plump juicy handmade wontons. Acclaimed by various local food critics, mainstream news and media outlets as one of the best Bak Chor Mee in Singapore.

Japanese style grilled eel with Kabayaki sauce on steamed rice garnished with shredded omelette and vegetables served with Japanese assorted pickled vegetables.

Beautiful view of Sydney City while descending into Sydney airport.

Upon custom clearance and baggage collection, head off to the train station to get into city.

It is really convenient and economical to travel via train to city than using private transport which is way more expensive.

You can take the city train using line T8 at Platform 1 to Sydney city, which is between 15 mins to half an hour, depending on your stop.

Here I am at Town Hall Station after 20 mins’ ride.

The hotel that I am staying in is 2 blocks away from Town Hall Station Exit #4.

I will be staying over at YEHS Hotel Sydney Harbour Suites for the next 6 nights.

Thanks to Booking.com, they have given me an upgrade to the Deluxe One Bedroom Suite being a Genius Level 3 member. The room is spacious and comes with a kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

In addition, there is a washer and dryer being provided too, and that will take care of the laundry which usually becomes a nightmare when home. 😊

Wow! The hotel even comes equipped with an indoor swimming pool.

After check-in, headed over to Darling Harbour which is a short walk away from the hotel.

Sydney’s Darling Harbour is a mecca for entertainment and waterfront dining in the city centre.

It is made up of a large recreational and pedestrain precinct that is situated on the western outskirts of Sydney’s Central Business District.

The precinct is alive with activity and plays host to Sydney’s top attractions including the Sea Life Aquarium, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Wild Life Sydney Zoo and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The Pyrmont Bridge, a heritage-listed swing bridge across Cockle Bay Wharf, is located in Darling Harbour, part of Port Jackson, west of the central business district.

Sydney Tower is the tallest structure in Sydney, Australia, and the second-tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere. It is located at Market Street.

Sydney Tower Eye takes you to the highest point above Sydney for breathtaking and eye-opening 360-degree views. You can discover the exciting city of Sydney from the Observation Deck, situated 250 meters above street level.

Cockle Bay is one of the bays in Darling Harbour, which opens into the much larger Sydney Harbour.

Beautiful night view of Cockle Bay Wharf.

Settled for a quick dinner at Pontoon Bar in Cockle Bay Wharf before calling it a night.

Waking up to a chill and relaxed Day 2 morning. This trip is more to break away from the heat back home. Food wise, there is nothing much to anticipate and shout about as food typically in Sydney is expensive, especially compared to neighbouring Asian countries. Australian cuisine mainly hovers around sandwiches, burgers, salads, fish and chips, etc. you know what I mean. 🤦

Enjoying complimentary breakfast by courtesy of the hotel at Brew Bros, which is right beside the hotel. Typically I will book the room without breakfast option. Interestingly, the hotel receptionist informed me upon check-in yesterday that if full payment were to be made by cash, I would enjoy a further discount of AUD$84 in addition to the free breakfast that will be bundled in throughout my stay. This is definitely a no-brainer. Sadly, in Sydney, credit or debit card payment is not encouraged at all places, including restaurants and retail shops, as a surcharge of about 1.4% to 2% will be levied above the actual charge. 🤣

I can now imagine what I will be having for the next few mornings. 🤣

After breakfast, I did some casual sightseeing around Sydney city, this being a relaxing trip without a specific planned agenda.

Town Hall House is an office block in the city of Sydney and is famous for its Brutalist architectural style.

The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is a five level shopping centre located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. It is built as a monument to the long reigning monarch.

Statue of Queen Victoria right in front of QVB.

You will find fashion boutiques, jewellery shops and homewares, accompanied by delightful cafés and restaurants. From the lower ground level, it can also link directly to the Town Hall Station.

Instead of taking a light rail (3 stops) to Circular Quay, I decided to take a 30 mins leisure stroll from QVB.

The Circular Quay area is a popular neighbourhood for tourism and consists of walkways, pedestrian malls, parks, and restaurants. It hosts a number of ferry quays, bus stops, and a railway station. It is often referred to as the “gateway to Sydney”, the precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. It is one of the world’s greatest arch bridges.

The Sydney Opera House, located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. It is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.

These are the 2 key iconic landmarks when in Sydney.

Thereafter, proceeded to have a quick lunch at Oporto before making a visit to Bondi Beach.

***Quarter Chicken & Chips with 2 Crisp Strips***

How to go to Bondi Beach from Circular Quay?

You may hop on to Bus #333 at bus stand B right outside of Circular Quay and alight at Bondi Beach Stop, and the journey will take about 45 mins.

Iconic Bondi Beach, an Australian beach with the best sands and waves. Sun, sand and sea persona will love this for sure.

Enjoy the sound of the beautiful waves.

Ice skating fun at Bondi Festival.

After spending a fun time at the beach, it is time to head back to the city.

Taking a snack break at Lüneburger at the lower ground level of QVB.

Awesome view of the Sydney Town Hall at night.

Followed by a light dinner at KFC before ending the night. During winter, the sky turns dark quickly after 5pm and it just gives me a gloomy feel somehow. 😔

***1 Piece Original Chicken & 2 Piece Wings***

I remembered vividly that KFC in Australia is a must eat from my last trip 15 years ago. This is due to the chicken breed and quality that makes it deliciously good as far as my memory jotted down. 😊

Day 3 – waking up to a wet morning. It has been forecasted to rain for the entire day. 🤣

Since it will be raining for the whole of today, I guess there is nothing much I can do except staying indoors. There are a couple of shopping haven within the city to keep me occupied for today. 🫢

Settle for a quick bite at Toastie Smith at The Galeries. It bears some resemblance of Egg Slut to me.

Fluffy scrambled egg, American cheese, grilled garlic prawns, corn chips, sweet chilli sauce, signature yuzu mayo & roasted sesame flavoured slaw.

This is good stuff for sure. The buns are extremely soft. Yum yum.

Followed by tea break at Miles & Co. I couldn’t resist the pies staring hard at me. 🫢

Being a wet evening, I decided to have my dinner at Monster Sushi & Bar located right beside the hotel that I am in.

You need to set the expectations right when having Asian cuisines in Australia in general, as you will not get the same kind of expected quality from the food being served. To me, it seems that they place more emphasis & focus on food quantity than quality. 🤣

The food tasted bland, the curry sauce is diluted, and ramen broth has no substance and flavours as expected of what a ramen broth is like. How sad, but mind-boggling (to me), as how could their locals accept such food quality standards? Haiz! 🤦

Well, that brings Day 3 to an end.

Day 4, starting the day early as I have signed up to join a full-day tour to Blue Mountains with Cruise. Thus, I have to make my own way to the scheduled location at Park Royal Darling Harbour (diagonally across YEHS Hotel) for the complimentary pick-up.

Thankfully, the weather for today is forecasted to be bright and sunny, ideally great for outdoor activity.

For now, I will just have to sit back, relax and enjoy the excursion from Sydney into the Blue Mountains.

First itinerary, paid a visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park and experience the amazing variety of Australian wildlife. Hand-feed kangaroos, see koalas and wombats as well as many more native Australian birds and wildlife.

Here we are after a 40-minute drive from the city.

You may choose to hand-feed them by purchasing the feeds if you like.

**Interesting Fact on the Koala Breeding Cycle**

They look so adorably cute and huggable.

This is how amazing motherly love is all about. She just cuddles up the little one. Feel with love and warmth.

After spending an enjoyable morning at Featherdale Wildlife Park, it’s time to bid farewell for the next destination, Leura Village, for lunch.

Leura Village is a picturesque suburb town in the city of Blue Mountains. A nice small town with cafés, restaurants and shops.

Went for a quick lunch break at Freudian Sip Café.

Oh! How I love the cozy country-style interior decor.

Chicken Mexican Pie served with salad drizzled with house made dressing. Wow, this pie is so so so good. Brightens up my day literally.

***Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream***

Another awesome dessert for sure. 👍😋😋😋

They serve pretty good coffee too. 😊

Lovely teapot museum and a nice little pinky church that I spotted.

From there, move on to the next itinerary.

Stop at Echo Point to enjoy splendid views of Jamison Valley and The 3 Sisters, a towering rock formation from the Dreamtime.

***What The Three Sisters is all about***

Taking in the scenic and paranomic views of The 3 Sisters, Jamison Valley & Orphan Rock.

Then, heading on next to Scenic World and have fun with 3 rides at Scenic World, cableway, skyway, and railway.

At a 52-degree incline, the scenic railway is the steepest passenger train in the world. You can be sure of a breathtaking ride! 😱

You may also walk on air on the scenic skyway’s glass floor as you glide between the cliff tops above the Jamison Valley. At 270 metres, it is the highest cable car in Australia.

Alternatively, you can choose to descend the 545 metres into the Jamison Valley using the scenic cableway.

View of The 3 Sisters while descending on the scenic cableway.

Last but not least, you can also go on a scenic walkway by strolling amongst ancient, temperate rainforest.

With a selection of walks totalling 2.4 km, the walkway is the longest elevated boardwalk in Australia.

Take a pit stop at Terrace Bar & Café at Scenic World for a snack brekkie.

Hotdog on a brioche bun with cheese & caramelised onions. 😋😋

More views of the Orphan Rock and The 3 Sisters taken from the café look-out point.

And also that of Jamison Valley.

Finally, it’s time to head back to Sydney via ferry cruise (after a good time at Scenic World) to bypass Sydney’s peak traffic and soak up the views along Parramatta River into Circular Quay.

Waiting to board the ferry at Parramatta Wharf.

Here we go, this ferry will take me back to Circular Quay.

Evening views on both sides of the Parramatta River.

Night view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge taken from the ferry deck.

Up close and personal before cruising past.

Mesmerising night views of the Sydney Opera House.

Docking in to the final stop, Circular Quay and taking in the night views of the CBD.

Followed by dinner at Betty’s Burger.

***Betty’s Classic & Beer Battered Onion Rings***

Beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and Betty’s special sauce. Their burger patty is really tasty, especially when the sides are slightly charred.

With this, it brings me to another day end.

Waking up to a bright and cheerie Day 5.

Had a change for breakfast with a healthy option with compliments from the hotel.

After a healthy meal, I went on for more sightseeing activities in the city.

Customs House, Sydney is a heritage-listed museum space, visitor attraction, commercial building and performance space located in the Circular Quay area.

From there, I took a slow leisure walk to Sydney Opera House to get up close and personal.

I still find it looks better from afar.

From here, you will be able to capture a beautiful view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge too.

Not to mention, a beautiful view of the CBD as well. 🙂

A bonus silhouette shot encompassing Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House with the bright shining sun. 😀

The State Library of New South Wales is a large reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia.

A UNESCO World Heritage Australian convict site in the heart of contemporary Sydney, the Hyde Park Barracks is an extraordinary record of the living legacy of colonial Australia.

Right across Hyde Park Barracks, you will come across St Mary’s Cathedral.

St Mary’s Cathedral is the spiritual home of Sydney’s Catholic community.

Look at the magnificent cathedral building structure. It’s really grand and beautiful.

Branching off to Sydney Paddy’s Market thereafter.

A large time-tested marketplace with an eclectic array of goods such as souvenirs, clothes & produce.

This is where you can pick up really cheap and good bargains, especially souvenirs, if you are intending to buy them. Equivalent to that of Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City.

You may be able to pick up fresh produce like fruits and vegetables from here too.

Stopping over for lunch at Haymarket Seafood inside Paddy’s Market.

Basa fillet fish battered with small chips. This is good stuff. Fish is succulently delicious.👍

Includes 2 fish cocktails, 2 prawn cutlet, 1 crab claw, 1 crab stick & 3 calamari rings. The fish cocktails, crab claw and calamari rings are good, but the prawn cutlet and crab stick are at best so-so.

Continue with more retail therapy at Market City, which is located above Paddy’s Market.

Swing by to Sydney’s Chinatown next, which is right across Market City.

Went for light dinner at Hungry Jack’s. I never seem to have so much fast food in my life! 😱

***Grilled Masters Pulled Pork & Augus***

Having said that, their burgers are solid. 👍

Spotted Pepper Lunch and popped in to have some hot meal.

This is heavenly! 🙏 With this, it brings a close to Day 5.

Day 6, final day in Sydney. Taking in a relaxed and slow day to enjoy the nice cool weather before home coming.

Spending my morning chilling out at Town Hall Square.

A nice, clean and spacious small shopping area with specialty shops and eateries joint.

It is also connected directly to the Town Hall Station as well.

Enjoying coffee break at Moon D’or café inside Town Hall Square.

The cheesecake and turmeric latte is really power. 💪

Followed by lunch at Suchai, also located inside Town Hall Square.

**Rice with Steam Fish & Mongolian Beef**

This is by far the most decent Asian meal that I have had in terms of value and quality. 😊

More shopping therapy at World Square and shop till our heart’s content.

World Square is a large shopping centre and urban development in the Sydney Central Business District.

Was lured in by the coffee aroma from Edition Roasters.

The coffee is aromatically fragrant.

Chanced upon Ippudo in World Square and there is no prize in guessing what will happen next. 🙂

You will never go wrong with Ippudo as the quality is almost guaranteed and consistent in all countries.

Since today is a Friday, I can make my way to Chinatown’s night market.

Chinatown’s famous Friday Night Markets is one of Sydney’s most popular late-night shopping hotspots. Showcasing amazing local designers, delicious Asian street food and unique products, these markets attract both locals and tourists, week in and week out. The Chinatown Night Markets offer its visitors the opportunity to taste their way through Asia without leaving the city.

The Markets also have more than 50 stalls operated by students, young designers and local artists with Asian heritage or whose designs refer to Asian cultures.

After spending a good time soaking in to the fun, move on for dinner at Don Don Korean Cuisine.

Another satisfying meal to bring an end to my final night here.

A beautiful night view taken from my hotel room to mark an end to my short stay in Sydney.

Day 7, homecoming day. It’s time to check out from the hotel and make my way to the airport. Time always flies whenever we are having a good time as expected.

I happen to read in the news that Lune Croissanterie is popping up in Sydney for three days this weekend starting Friday, 7 Jul 2023 and you will be able to get Lune’s world-famous croissants at a pop-up in QVB prior to the official opening later in the year in Sydney.

Lune Croissanterie has teamed up with Koko Black to unveil a limited-edition new croissant collaboration named The Belgian Truffle. Why? To celebrate World Chocolate Day on Friday, July 7.

This decadent creation takes Lune’s signature pastry and adds a gooey Koko Black cocoa frangipane and Guanaja fondant centre. It’s also topped with tempered chocolate shards, salted cookie crumb, mascarpone chantilly and Koko Black Belgian truffles.

OMG! Look at the queue! 😱 People in the world are queueing for Taylor Swift ticket, but here I am queueing for The Belgian Truffle Croissanterie. 😀

Yay! I got mine, too. 👏 Guess different people have different perspectives in life, and mine is clear. 😲

“This pastry is a classic for a reason. Our traditional croissant, elevated to celebrate Koko Black’s Belgian truffle. It’s the ultimate, decadent chocolate treat,” said Lune founder Kate Reid.