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Guest reviewer - Joan Kyriazis
My Rocks experience - Summer 2011
Guest reviewer Joan Kyriazis and her 12-year-old daughter Angelique made the most of a special mother-daughter weekend away in The Rocks.
The heritage listed Old Sydney Holiday Inn is truly one of Sydney's little secrets located right in the heart of The Rocks - anywhere you want to get to is only seconds away.
We were given a warm reception by all hotel staff we encountered over the weekend. Our room was on the top floor and had a lovely view of the Harbour Bridge. The bedroom furnishings had a welcoming feel and the towels, robes and slippers were all indulgent.
Apart from its location, one of the best things about the Old Sydney Holiday Inn is its rooftop pool which was perfect for a relaxing afternoon swim after our many walks around The Rocks. Angelique and I also chose to start our Sunday morning with an early morning swim at 7am, enjoying the view of Sydney before the city wakes up.
From the rooftop were able to admire the view of The Rocks, the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The panoramic view was spectacular by day and brilliant by night. We even got to watch a magnificent cruise liner leaving the harbour.
La Renaissance Cafe in Argyle Street is the place to go if you think dessert is the best meal of the day. At this tiny French patisserie, the only decision you have to make is whether to try the delicious cakes FIRST or the buttery croissants and pies straight from the oven.
We loved the atmosphere of La Renaissance with its heritage style terrace building and the casual courtyard under frangipani trees. From our cosy table in the courtyard we could just see the pastry cooks in the back of the kitchen creating those delicate cakes.
Angelique and I chose a beef burgundy pie and quiche for lunch then moved on to sample some of the many desserts. Why stop at one? Before we knew it we had eaten our way through a chocolate éclair, tiramisu and a mousse Picasso with its layers of white and dark chocolate mousse wrapped in folds of milk chocolate. Then we moved on to the macarons. We settled on four-how could we resist? We sliced them each down the middle and savoured the delicate jasmine, the rich valrhona, pistachio and cherry and the chocolate which tasted just like Bounty.
La Renaissance Cafe is truly a wonderful place for brunch or afternoon tea-the staff were lovely and the patisserie delights are to die for! You won't be able to stop at one!
Susannah Place Museum is a terrace of four brick houses including a corner grocer's store that was built in 1844. It has a continuous history of occupancy by working class families from 1844 right up until 1990-up to 100 different families have lived in theses four houses.
Angelique and I had our very own guide who took us through the houses giving us a brief history about some of the occupants of Susannah Place at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries. We discovered that at number 60, one of the occupants from the 1930s was a Greek immigrant called Dorothea Sarantides. Angelique and I have a Greek background and we were surprised to learn about Dorothea and her family living right in The Rocks more than 80 years ago.
We enjoyed walking through these historic houses finding out just how people lived, where they cooked and washed their clothes and just how hard life was back then.
Pancakes at The Rocks on Hickson Road was buzzing with families and groups having an early dinner. The restaurant has been around for more than 35 years so generations have been enjoying their pancakes.
Angelique and I managed to eat our way through three courses starting off with margherita bread crusts and calamari, moving on to chicken and mushroom crepes and rib-eye steak and wedges and finally on to dessert but what to choose? Angelique settled on vanilla and chocolate surprise: buttermilk and chocolate pancakes with chocolate and vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. I decided on the ultimate: crepes filled with cream cheese and sultanas served with raspberry coulis and ice cream.
The staff did an amazing job and our waitress was attentive and helpful, as were the team of staff working from their open kitchen.
Pancakes at The Rocks is a great place to share a meal with family. You can even buy some of their special pancake mixture to make at home!
Our guide on The Rocks Ghost Tours arrived promptly dressed all in black masked by a mysterious black cape and hat. He opened his black case and proceeded to distribute torches, lanterns and a prop for everyone booked on the tour. He explained that we would have to participate!
Angelique was chosen to be a policewoman and I was to be the ghost of Elizabeth Cadman. The Rocks Ghost Tours starts at Cadman Cottage, the site of a gruesome axe murder back in 1844 and the site of Elizabeth Cadman's ghost. For the next two hours we stumbled down nooks, crannies and dark laneways while our guide stayed in character, all the while reciting tales of murder, hangings and haunting.
An exciting way to spend Saturday evening!
Ever find yourself with 15 minutes to spare? Fancy a unique way of seeing the harbour and Sydney sights? Why not try something out of the ordinary-a ride on the back of a Harley with Easyrider Tours.
Angelique and I did exactly that when we booked in for one of their Bridge Blitz tours. We were each fitted for a leather jacket and helmet and our belongings were safely tucked away behind the bright red Harley trike.
We were in for the ride of our lives as we rode across the Harbour Bridge all the way to Milsons Point and back into town through the Cahill Expressway. Each location gave us a different but equally spectacular view of the harbour and Opera House. Before we knew it our 15 minutes were up and we were back where we started from-right at The Rocks Markets.
The Harley ride was exhilarating! We definitely recommend this tour and will be back to try this again with the rest of the family. Tip: Need to wear long pants and enclosed shoes.
A must in The Rocks for anyone young and old, is the fascinating Sticky lolly shop in The Rocks Centre, just off Kendall Lane.
At Sticky, the entire handmade lolly making process is on show and the confectioner becomes not only a chef but a sculptor and entertainer as well drawing in passersby! Angelique and I had never thought about just how intricate lolly-making could be until we came to watch. We could not resist the many flavours available and ended up buying a packet each of our favourite: banana, pineapple, blueberry, watermelon, orange and rainbow for the whole family to try.
Ever wanted to try your hand at something creative? The Bead Bar in Metcalfe Arcade is the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon discovering your creative self.
Angelique and I picked up a gorgeous blue/green long beaded necklace that was on display and equipped with little trays, set about adding beads that caught our eye to make our very own creations. We were dazzled by the huge variety of beads-with more than 2,000 different types of beads to choose from, we spent an hour just searching for the right coloured and shaped beads for our necklaces. The staff were on hand giving us advice and lots of clever tips.
The Rocks Markets is an eclectic collection of market stalls selling a variety of arts and crafts, jewellery, clothing and locally made condiments. It is buzzing with tourists and locals every weekend. It's also a place just to stop and watch artists making unique works using spray paint or hand blowing glass.
Our hotel was located at the entrance of the markets, so we found ourselves browsing through the many stalls more than a few times during the weekend to decide on something special to buy that would always remind us of our special trip.
We were attracted to a stall displaying some beautifully presented prints mounted on wood with a Mediterranean theme. We stopped to speak to Verity, the stallholder and photographer, who told us that she and her partner also a photographer, took the photos over a number of years while living in the Mediterranean. We ended up picking out a whole series of these wood mounted prints to take home that we thought would look perfect in our dining room.
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