Once again, team Soars is off on another adventure. This time, we are checking out Greece, Italy and Spain with a stopover in the UAE (Dubai) for extra fun.
4 countries, 4 weeks, 2 people (though we will also have a guest spot for another Team Soars associate we will be meeting in Greece) and unlimited good times.
This journey has definitely started on the right foot. Preparing for this trip was so easy, I actually felt nervous that I must have forgotten something, but so far, it seems like all the necessities have been accounted for.
After Nick make a breakfast for us that I like to call “fridge bingo” (our last home cooked meal for possibly some time!) we honestly aimlessly wondered around the house, marking time until it was time to leave. We were THAT prepared. We were READY.
For something a little different, Nick and I caught the Skybus from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station to the Airport. A few small savings at the start of the day which will no doubt translate into extra beers for Nick by the end of the day. Everyone is a winner. The Skybus was actually quite good. Cost effective, clean and a who doesn’t love the novelty of travelling on a double-decker bus?
We arrived at the airport in no time and aside from a small mishap where we went through security, went looking for our gate and realised we walked into the wrong gate section of the terminal (we had to exit and go through security again, unlucky!) we were killing it on time and relaxation and everything was going apples.
This continued into boarding, take-off and landing with our Virgin Airlines flight from Melbourne to Sydney, which was only really broken up with the inhalation of a weirdly massive “sticky date pudding” snack which we were served on-board.
I feel Nick was very happy about the snack.
That face says: Sticky date pudding? I’ll take 2.
Once at Sydney, it was a breeze exiting the airport, thought the warmer weather I was expecting was not in evidence sadly. With our carry-on already firmly in hand it was just a short 10min walk to our stay for the night, the Felix Hotel, where we very luckily received a complimentary upgrade to a “premium economy” room.
The Felix Hotel, while an airport hotel through-and-through, is new (opened in February 2018), quirky and modern. There is very much a “Golden Era of Travel” theme permeating the scene here and I have to say, I really love the aesthetic. With kitsch posters and atomic decorations spotted impishly around, there is a very playful, relaxed feel to the place. I really enjoyed that all the rooms were named after flight classes. Just fun.
The Premium Economy room is compact but clean and bright with a cheeky 60s vibe with a really spiffy bathroom design (rainfall shower head for the win!) and some sweet copper and matte black accents.
But aside from the cute room, there is a very cool “Penthouse” bar and dining area where Nick and I retired to shortly after checking-in to relax and decompress. There’s a 24-hour food bar and several seating/lounge areas which had vintage mint telescopes you could use to check out the planes landing and taking off from the nearby airport. There is also an abundance of greenery and massive ceiling to floor windows.
Amusingly, there is also a rooftop cinema here (the only hotel rooftop cinema in Sydney they claim). It wasn’t running any shows while we were checking it out, but there was an extremely kitschy photo cut-out board which I couldn’t resist clowning around with.
As we have a very early start tomorrow, our plan is to have a very early dinner followed by turning in very early. We decided to go slightly further afield to source food, both to save a little cash and also to get a little more variety than what the hotel offers.
Being close to the airport, there wasn’t a lot of quality options to pursue, but we did find a colourful little Turkish eatery. “Mascot Kebabs”. Look, I wasn’t expecting much honestly. I picked an option that would give me SOME salad/greenery to eat but was served with a veritable mountain of meat and rice as well. Nick did help me polish off my plate as well as his own kebab. Always coming to the rescue. Especially when food is involved.
After this, we headed back to the hotel to re-group and get ready for the next day. Its going to be a rough, early start but getting to try First Class travel for the first time is going to make it all worth it! Stay tuned!
Km’s walked: 11.0
Flights complete: 1/10
Tomorrow: Sydney to Dubai
Soars: Above the Clouds 