Bali is 4,600km (a 6 and a quarter hour flight) from Sydney. But I recently found a way to have a tropical getaway-esque experience right here in Sydney.
In the same way that betting companies sometimes message problem gamblers with credit, I recently got a message from a travel company, reminding me I had $250 credit, which would expire in a matter of weeks.
I did what any impulsive person would do, and booked a trip. Not having time to go too far, I chose to go on a staycation in Sydney – something I had previously sneered at.
However, though I stand by my stance that staycations are boring, I discovered a holiday hack during mine that I feel compelled to share. That revelation? If you book a staycation in Sydney during a La Nina year (La Nina being the climate system giving us all this rain) in a hotel that has a rooftop pool, then you could end up feeling like you’re in Bali (just without the 6 and a quarter hour flight).
The key to lending an ~urban oasis~ feel to your trip is to arrive at the hotel late, during a rainy day, and head to the pool in your slippers and gown (naturally) forty minutes or so before the pool’s closing time (in my case this was at about 7:20pm). If you have any luck, it will be empty, and you can enjoy feeling like you’re in an urban jungle, spending a good half an hour or so in the heated spa while the rain pounds your head and the humidity rises off the tiles.
Priceless. Oh, and I’m not alone in enjoying a rooftop pool experience in Sydney, with various social media users taking to the platform to show their good times off, too (see: the above and below images).
Now, obviously, there is a lot more to Bali than chilling in a pool with a drink (or 10). But let’s be honest: that’s quite a big reason a lot of us go there (maybe that’s why we have a reputation as Bali’s worst tourists). So, if you’re feeling jealous of your friends’ Bali or Europe pictures right now, I can recommend giving this a try. I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, but there are many other hotels in Sydney where you can give this holiday hack a go, from Sofitel Darling Harbour to The Old Clare Hotel and The Holiday Inn Sydney.
Happy swimming.
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