Sydney Bondi Beach – Stay and Sights

Wonderful stay at QT Bondi and soaking in the sun at Bondi Beach (15 - 17 Mar 2016)

In March this year, Y and I made our way to Sydney with our buddies CG and WT for some chillax week in Sydney, the main reason coming here was for Madonna’s final leg of her Rebel Heart World Tour, but it was nice to come visit Syndey with our friends who used to call this sunny place Down Under their home when they studied here.

For a refreshing change which is quite untypical of Y and I, CG suggested to stay in Bondi Beach area for the first part of the week which the rest of us didn’t mind, as we have never really explored this area thoroughly in the past when I last came here in early 2005 with Y.

Familiar sights of the promenade along Bondi.

QT Bondi, a newish boutique hotel located off the main promenade in front of Bondi Beach was our lovely rest stop for the next 3 days. The space is a chic answer for all the beach lovers and offers 69 large spacious rooms and suites. A revamp of the old Swiss Hotel, this refurbishment, styled by Australia stylist – Nic Graham, gives off a nice cheerful, fun ambience perfect for this part of Sydney known for its surfers and beach. As we drove up to the entrance, in a slip road off the main promenade, we were welcomed with a bright entrance, and a lobby area, with a wall mural with rendered images representing the essence of that local Sydney beach vibe. It set the mood for the hotel perfectly, and the youthful staff at the front desk looked pretty cool too in their uniforms – the girls especially in white trainers, fitted short blue dresses with an oversized navy cardigan.

Front entrance of QT Bondi.

Sinking into the sofa in the lobby of QT Bondi.

Bicycle for rent.

Cool digital murals in the lobby.

The interiors especially the common corridor has a palette of pastel colors, and loved especially the green shade on our front door. The only thing I would say is the general headroom of this place is super low, and anyone who was 1.8 m and above will really feel it. The staff told me this was the limitation the building had to deal with since it was a restoration from the original Swiss Hotel and not a complete rebuild.

Colorful common corridor.

Front door of our bedroom.

I was surprised by the size of the room, it was really huge, and looked more like a mini apartment with a kitchenette, dishwasher, oven and stove plus even washing machine. The floors had a light white oak coloring with a colorful rug to set the mood in the living area, and pastel shade chairs. It had a nice airy feel. Our room like most of the rooms here looked into the central courtyard, probably the only bummer if you are expecting to get a beach view here. But no biggie to me, since the beach was just a 5 minutes stroll down. And the mini bar was well stocked, complete with own beach slippers (which they love to call “thong” here) that one could purchase for AUD 24. The large toilet with double sink, plus toiletries from Maelin + Goetz, was another brownie point for me in addition to the washing machine.

Facilities wise, this isn’t like the traditional hotel which comes with their own restaurant, there’s none here, as the hotel’s philosophy is for you to go out and explore the neighbourhood of Bondi, which any of the staff is ready to point you in the right direction. One of my favourite spots thanks to CG’s recommendation is Sonoma Cafe, a well known Sydney establishment that has a little open air coffee shop in Bondi. They serve great coffee, the loveliest breads especially the hot cross bun is just delicious!

If you wanna cook something up in the room, there’s also a supermarket in the ground floor plus a wonderful health store – called Scoop Wholefoods, which sells the most amazing selection of flours, nuts, honey here. Be sure to buy back some, especially their cream honey is just the best!

A peak at what’s in Scoop.

All flours, nuts purchased by weight.

In terms of fitness, don’t worry, as they have an affiliation with the nearby Beach Bondi gym, a 2 minute stroll from the hotel, just need to let the concierge know and remember to bring your own towel. Otherwise, the best is to enjoy the great outdoors and walk along the beach. You can even go swimming there in the iconic rockpools located at both extreme north and south ends of Bondi Beach. On one of the days, we walked along the beach to the South end where Icebergs restaurant is located, to enjoy the view and have a leisurely lunch.

Icebergs Restaurant and part of the rockpools below it.

Admiring the lovely sea view and digging into some mussels for lunch.

Don’t forget your sunblock when venturing out around Bondi Beach as the sun can be especially unforgiving, but it’s really worth strolling around here, and we were glad CG egged us on to do the walk which covers Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches, with super spectacular views of not only the sea but even the beautiful beach front houses we couldn’t help but admire and do some day dreaming we could maybe own one of those one day. Given that the terrain can be steep and gravel-ly at some parts, it’s best to wear proper walking shoes to enjoy the walk at your best.