The Park Hyatt Sydney Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
- Tokyo, Japan
- Melbourne, Australia
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Sydney, Australia
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Maldives
- Saigon, Vietnam
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Hong Kong
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Knysna, South Africa
- Durban, South Africa
- Mauritius
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Doha, Qatar
- New York, New York
- Helsinki, Finland
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting Here: From the website: Sydney domestic and international airports is approximately a 20-minute train trip in to the city, with an approximate cost of A$16 per person. The closest train station to Park Hyatt Sydney is Circular Quay.
You can’t miss it once you get to Circular Quay. It’s a short stroll around the harbor.
In December 2013 as part of my round the world itinerary, I visited Sydney, Australia. Like many tourists, my primary reason for going was to get a picture in front of the famous Sydney Opera House. The events that unfolded upon my arrival remain a mystery to this very day.
I arrived in Sydney after a few days in Wellington, New Zealand excited that I was staying at unquestionably the nicest hotel in all of Australia, the Park Hyatt Sydney. First, the Park Hyatt is my favorite hotel brand. The service can’t be beat, the locations are unmatched, and the complimentary pens are of top quality.
This was certainly case of the Park Hyatt Sydney. At check in the front desk was more than gracious and offered me a welcome glass of champagne. A member of the staff escorted me to my room that had a stunning bathroom, an incomparable king size bed, and the required espresso machine. Then I was shown the balcony which had a view of the Opera House. In fact, the hotel itself is directly situated in front of the Opera House giving credence to the claim that Park Hyatt’s are located in the top locations worldwide. Scribbling notes of where to go with my sparkling new Park Hyatt silver pen, I felt right at home.
My first stop was the Sydney Harbour Bridge where I passed on climbing the bridge from what the concierge told me was, “the best tourist experience in all of the world.” Even if he was right and the views climbing the bridge somehow rivaled climbing the Great Wall, there was no way I was going to pay $300 for that experience.
And this is where the mystery begins. At the gift shop, I purchased a Koala souvenir. We became immediately inseparable. We took pictures everywhere together.
I went out to dinner early in the evening leaving the koala in the room for some needed R&R. Upon my return, I saw the koala tucked in comfortably by housekeeping, spent from a day touring downtown Sydney.
The next morning I awoke to find the koala missing. I searched the bed, the bags, and the balcony for the koala but he was nowhere to be found. I called the front desk to report the missing koala and they assured me that they would do their best to locate him when the cleaned the room.
Dejected, I left the room for the beach hopeful that the koala would be waiting for me when I returned.
That was not the case and I never saw the koala again.
I am not sure what happened to him but am grateful for the time we spent together at the beautiful Park Hyatt Sydney.
I know that he is still somewhere exploring Australia as I get postcards of him every once in awhile.
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