Watsons Bay and lunch at Doyles?

[woodley]

I have been told that a really nice place to go to while in Sydney is Watson bay and stop at Doyles for lunch or dinner. I have also been told to go to Manley bay and eat there. I do not have enough days in Sydney to do both. Opinions Please?

[moyaroo]

Manly is not really a bay, but a beach destination across the bay. Food in Manly is good not great by and large and much as I love it for its charm, you may be better looking at your other alternative.

[room010]

You can do both destinations comfortably in one day?

 

Take a ferry to Manly from Circular Quay in downtown Sydney. Services run every 30 mins starting 6.30am and the trip takes approx 30 mins each way. Manly has a great surf beach a 15min stroll from the ferry terminal and it's a nice little place to wander around but I wouldn't bother to eat there. The Manly ferry is by far the best and cheapest way to see Sydney Harbour IMO although you can take a Captain Cook's waterbus tour, again from Circular Quay.

 

You can also catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay (trip approx 15 mins each way) and Doyles fish restaurant is definitely worth it. If time really doesn't permit a visit to both places then there's another Doyles in the Rocks district of Sydney, tucked just by the bridge and an easy walk from the cruiseships.

 

Here's the Sydney ferries website with all the info and timetables you'll need.

http://www.sydneyferries.info/

[The_Big_M]

I agree both are feasible, although you only need to eat at one :-)

 

I'd suggest heading to Manly first, then to Watson's bay for afternoon lunch (with the ferries as mentioned by room010).

 

If you really had to choose one though, I'd suggest the Manly trip is more interesting but no problem doing both if you wish to.

[moyaroo]

there you go eat at Doyles, but save some room for hot chocolate at the manly pier, The shop is IIRC the fat man's (?)

[stanc61]

I agree with the Manly trip and walk down the Corso to the beach; however I wouldn't waste my time going to Watsons Bay, the Doyles Restaurant at Circular Quay at the far end of the Overseas Passenger terminal on the ground floor is the same price and similar menu. http://www.doyleatthequay.com.au/ I occasionally go into the harbour by myself and like nothing better than a Tasting Plate – king prawns with Thai dressing, pepper crusted salmon, nori roll, salmon tartare, Sydney rock oysters with chardonnay vinaigrette and follow that with Whole Grilled Snapper – with chilli, ginger and coriander glaze, with pilaf rice and washed down with a chilled bottle of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.

[Goldygolfer]

Just my tuppence worth - As a former NSW person who has been living in Qld for 12 years, I visited with a friend in Sydney earlier this year and we did the ferry to Watsons Bay and lunch at Doyles. IMHO this is a great way to spend a day in Sydney. What could be better?

A lovely fery ride across the harbour and lunch (with great views) at a Sydney "icon" restaurant. This is definitely one of my favourite ways to spend a day in Sydney.

If you want to do it on the cheap, then the pub next door to the restuarant is also owned by the Doyle family and is OK, but not as good as the restaurant. It's all about $$$$.

Enjoy your time in Aus.

[woodley]

Thanks for all your advice, I have looked at the menu for Doyles and now have another dilema... what should I order it all sounds so good?

[paul929207]

We spent 17 days in Australia in 1989. At the time there was a Visa credit card commercial on TV in the US to the effect that at Boyle's they took Visa but not American Express. We had a wonderful lunch there.

[Goldygolfer]

Thanks for all your advice, I have looked at the menu for Doyles and now have another dilema... what should I order it all sounds so good?

 

You're quite right - everything on the menu looks good and it IS good.

You'll enjoy whatever you order. Have fun.

 

A comment re Paul's post - Quite a number of businesses in Australia are not keen to accept American Express cards as they have to pay a much higher percentage fee on AE cards than they do on most other credit cards. I'm not sure of the actual fee, but it's something like 3% on Visa, Mastercard, etc and something like 8% on American Express.

 

You can use American Express, but quite often you might be asked whether you have another card you can use instead.

[moyaroo]

You are often asked to pay a 3% surcharge for using AMEX in OZ. I generally use my Capital One card as it does not ding me on my side for the "foreign money transaction fee" that generally adds a percent or 2 to the price of doing business.

[room010]

Many retailers are very reluctant to accept Amex here thanks to the higher fees they are required to pay and some refuse to take them at all. Visa and Mastercard are almost universally accepted.

[Globaliser]

Can I offer a (rather different) visitor's perspective on Amex in Australia?

 

Personally, I have had very few problems having Amex accepted in Sydney and Canberra (my usual destinations), and have never encountered a special surcharge for using Amex.

 

It may be that many everyday places are more reluctant to take Amex, but I think it is easy to overstate the difficulty for a visitor. My number two card is a Mastercard, but looking through my past statements I see very few occasions on which I've had to use it in Oz.

[moyaroo]

Not even in hotels? On my last trip both Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains and the Sir Stamford in Sydney had surcharges for AMEX.

[Globaliser]

Not even in hotels? On my last trip both Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains and the Sir Stamford in Sydney had surcharges for AMEX.

Nope! Although I don't often stay in hotels. But I don't see this in shops, restaurants, airlines, etc.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have been told that a really nice place to go to while in Sydney is Watson bay and stop at Doyles for lunch or dinner. I have also been told to go to Manley bay and eat there. I do not have enough days in Sydney to do both. Opinions Please?

 

 

 

We fly over from NZ to either join, or end a cruise there , so sometimes find ourselves with just a day in Sydney.

 

From what we have found ,the 2 best value , self tours in Sydney are.

 

1. The Bondi Explorer

2. The Manly Ferry..

 

Both leave from Circular Quay, and you can do both in the one day.

Bondi Explorer is a Hop on Hop off bus. We stayed on and only got off at Watsons Bay and Bondi. It offers great views on the way.At Watsons Bay you can wander up to the cliffs at the Entrance to Sydney Harbour and then relax at Doyles if you wish.

The Manly Ferry is a great harbour cruise, running every 20 minutes. We usually wander down the Main Street there, think its called the Corso, and have a seafood lunch at the World Famous Steyne Hotel.

 

[MargoK]

We fly over from NZ to either join, or end a cruise there , so sometimes find ourselves with just a day in Sydney.

 

From what we have found ,the 2 best value , self tours in Sydney are.

 

1. The Bondi Explorer

2. The Manly Ferry..

 

Both leave from Circular Quay, and you can do both in the one day.

Bondi Explorer is a Hop on Hop off bus. We stayed on and only got off at Watsons Bay and Bondi. It offers great views on the way.At Watsons Bay you can wander up to the cliffs at the Entrance to Sydney Harbour and then relax at Doyles if you wish.

The Manly Ferry is a great harbour cruise, running every 20 minutes. We usually wander down the Main Street there, think its called the Corso, and have a seafood lunch at the World Famous Steyne Hotel.

 

 

How wheelchair is the Bondi Explorer? I assume the Ferries will all be accessible.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

How wheelchair is the Bondi Explorer? I assume the Ferries will all be accessible.

 

Oh you have got me there.

Seem to recall the entry was low, but dont know if the bus "kneels".

Perhaps a local could answer that.

The ferry.... again you have to go up a ramp to board and would have to stay on the lower level , as the stairs to the upper deck are quite steep.

 

 

Hi again Margo....editing to add I just googled Bondi Explorer and found this..

 

Bondi Explorer

Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing bus taking in 19 of Sydney's most picturesque harbour and beach locations.

 

The air-conditioned, wheelchair accessible ‘blue’ Bondi Explorer stops at 19 of Sydney's most picturesque harbour locations and surf beaches. Travelling along a 30km circuit through Sydney’s affluent Eastern suburbs, including cosmopolitan Double Bay, Watson's Bay and Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.