The How to Luxury Guide to Sydney on $85 a Day
Is Australia on your bucket list? Did you know that one of the most visited cities in Australia is Sydney? But Sydney can be expensive unless you know the secrets and tricks to doing Sydney on a budget. If you're planning a trip to Sydney, check out this How To Luxury Guide to Sydney on $85 a day.
The How to Luxury Guide to Sydney on $85 a Day
Australia is one of my favorite countries. Although I might be biased. I pretty much love each of the 33 countries I've visited.
But Australia has a special place in my heart.
Jeff and I first visited the Gold Coast and Brisbane, Australia for two weeks in 1994. And we seriously considered making it our home. The only thing that held us back was the uncertainty of being able to get jobs.
So to say that I love Australia is an understatement. Our last visit was a week in Sydney 2013. It was supposed to be a family trip but the kids were left at home. But that's a whole 'nother story.
Because the seasons are reversed, our spring is fall in Australia. Which means it's inexpensive to visit and you'll usually get good weather.
Here are a few tips, tricks, and secrets to enjoy a luxury vacation in Sydney for $85 a day.
We managed to fit in a lot of activities, way too many to list. You can read about all those activities and more in upcoming posts on Sydney, Australia.
Sydney Spring Vacation Costs for a Couple
You and your spouse, partner, friend, or family member can spend a spring vacation in Sydney for about $85 a day. Here's how we did it and how you can too.
1. Airfare
We got two First Class one-way tickets on Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to Sydney for less than the cost of 1 coach ticket.
A First Class one-way ticket on Qantas from Sydney to Los Angeles and a First Class one-way ticket on Hawaiian Airlines from Sydney to Honolulu and a First Class one-way ticket on American Airlines from Honolulu to Dallas and Dallas to San Diego.
These tickets were booked when American Airlines allowed international stopovers. So we got two vacations with one award ticket redemption: Hawaii and Australia.
The total cost for airfare: $208.30.
2. 7 Nights Lodging
You can stay at one hotel or bounce between several hotels like we did for our 7 nights lodging.
We booked our first night at the Best Western Plus Hotel Stellar using 20,000 Best Western points.
Then we spent 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel using 50,000 Radisson points. The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel was booked when Radisson still offered the second night free on award stays of two nights or more from the Club Carlson Premier card.
Our next 2 nights were spent at the Hilton Sydney Hotel using the 2 free nights from the Citi Hilton Reserve card. And our last 2 nights we stayed at the Park Hyatt Sydney using the free nights from the World of Hyatt credit card card.
The cost for accommodations: $0.
3. Transportation
Sydney is a walkable city so we didn't have much transportation costs.
You can walk everywhere and/or use the free CDB Shuttle Bus. If you don't want to walk, the buses are cheap. We hired a shuttle to get to the airport.
The total cost for transportation: $49.88.
4. Activities and Tours
There's so much to see and do in Sydney and thankfully, much of it is free. 🙂 You can see our entire itinerary in a future post.
- Round-trip Train to the Blue Mountains: $23.24
- Ferry to Manley: $29.09
- Round-trip public Bus to Bondi Beach: $31.51
Cost for activities and tours: $83.84
5. Food
You can spend a fortune on food in Sydney. But it's possible to eat cheaply in Sydney. By visiting local bars you can drink for cheap.
Food: $226.93
Conclusion
An Australia vacation doesn't have to be expensive. A couple can spend the spring in Sydney, Australia for $85 a day including airfare, hotel, activities, transportation and food. And without camping, backpacking, or staying in a hostel.
In the next post, I'll show you how to use miles and points to travel to Australia. Stay tuned for more posts on Sydney and reviews.
Read Our First Class Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu Sydney Flight for $63.
I'd love to hear your tips on doing Sydney on a budget, especially if you stayed in luxury hotels.
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Wow, what an amazing vacation for so little money! Must be wonderful to have all those travel points saved up! 🙂
Hi Tamara (Globe Guide),
Yeah, we had a great time. I like to see how far I can stretch my dollar. And when you use miles and points, that dollar stretches pretty far. 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions about earning a lot of points. Once you know how, it's easy to rack up points.
Debra, I was certainly intrigued when I saw the title of this post - as a resident of Sydney I am very familiar with the costs... I now see that through a clever use of loyalty points and international stopovers that you did actually manage to work to the advertised budget! I agree that there is so much you can see at a cheap price point - the major sites are very accessible by public transportation and are easy to DIY your visit.
Hi Anne Sutherland-Smith,
Glad you enjoyed the post. One of my favorite things about traveling is the planning and figuring how to visit each destination for cheap while not sacrificing or skimping.
Great run down of costs on your trip - and great that you could use your points on the accommodation!
Hi Vicki Louise,
Thanks. We were pretty happy too because it meant spending less. 🙂
My jaw dropped at that first class tickets for around $200! I really went to scroll back up top of the page to make sure I got it right hahaha. I totally envy you for scoring tickets at low low prices.
Hi Carla Abanes,
Yep, miles and points pay off. 🙂
If you don't have frequent flyer miles, you can get $450 round-trip tickets to Australia from the US on Virgin. It's coach but that's a great price.
Loyalty points definitely goes a long way it seems! I really need to get started on that. Australia is definitely on my list and this guide came right on time.
Hi Erica,
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the post. And yes, loyalty points are definitely worth it.
Thanks for you post, you are really good in planning your budget! 🙂 I envy you a little bit, because my biggest problem is always not controlling my budget when travelling, which often results in exceeding it heavily. Although I am a budget traveler, I like a little bit of comfort (maybe I'm getting old or something), so keeping price and comfort in balance is something I still need to learn 🙂
Hi Ibazela,
I'm right there with you. I like comfort too. That's why we stay at "fancy" hotels like Hyatt, etc. when we travel. And when you can use points, not only does it keep you in budget but you get your comfort too. 🙂
Australia is on the top of my travel list, and one of my concerns to travel there is the budget. My husband and I are used to travel on a "affordable luxury" style and after reading your post I think it might be possible to do Sydney on a tigh budget but with tons of fun!
Cheers,
Nat
Hi Natalie Deduck,
Thanks! Yep, Sydney is completely doable in affordable luxury on a tight budget. Hope you get to visit soon.
Wow! Honestly, I was shocked when saw the price you could travel to Sydney for! You definitely did your research and planned it well. Good for you for figuring out how to use your points and miles to make your budget go so far!!
Hi Dariece,
Thanks, glad you liked the post. 🙂
Having the points saved up for the accommodation sounds like it was a real life saver on that trip! I can only imagine how much it might have cost if you had paid for the exact same accommodation you stayed in! It obviously pays to accrue those points and spend them wisely!
Hi Dave Briggs,
It would have been pretty expensive for the same stay had we not used points, which you'll read about in upcoming posts. 🙂
I was wondering how one can manage in such a budget but your post came as a relief. 🙂 We also try to use our points of hotels and airlines.
Those are some useful tips on doing Sydney on a budget. Yes, it is very much possible.
Hi Nisha,
Thanks. 🙂
As someone who lives in Sydney I am a little sceptical about whether it is feasible to holiday here for so little. There are some great tips in here nevertheless.
Hi Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields,
That's the beauty of using frequent flier miles, hotel and credit card points. They make a lavish vacation incredibly affordable.
And as shown above for our week in Sydney, practically free. 🙂