Free Executive Suite Upgrade at the Westin Sydney

After my flight on Virgin Australia to Cairns and great time scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, it was time for the main portion of our journey: New Zealand

Just to round out this portion of my trip report, here are some travel related photos from my trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

yes, thats electrical tape on landing gear....scary, but I'm here to tell the story

The first leg of the diving trip was a flight on a Cessna Caravan from Cairns to Lizard Island where I got on the dive boat.  It was a very scenic hour-long flight, with lots of great views of the north Queensland coast and portions of the reef.

Not your typical view upon approach!

After this somewhat adventurous flight, I spent 4 days diving on the Spirit of Freedom.

Not a bad home for a few days

 

Once the diving was over, I flew back to Sydney where my wife and I met up for a short stay at the Westin Sydney before we departed for New Zealand.

I booked a night at the Westin Sydney since it seemed like a convenient location, and was well-regarded in reviews.  Plus, we stayed at the Four Points Sheraton in Darling Harbour on our last visit to Sydney, so I wanted to mix it up a bit.  The daily rate was a bit pricey, and there were no Cash and Points rooms available, so I booked it for 12,000 Starwood points.  Maybe not the best value, but I was happy with the quality of the hotel, and in particular the room.  

Promotional image of the exterior of the Westin Sydney

 The hotel is built around the historic General Post Office building, with most rooms in the tower behind the old facade.  The public areas are clean and modern, decorated in typical Westin style.  We received a nice upgrade to an "Executive Suite" thanks to my Starwood Platinum status.

 

Entry hallway, with a half bathroom in the foreground

Upon entry into the room, I could see that the room was quite nice, and unfortunately I didn't do much in my brief time there other than sleep.  

living room with foldaway couch, some chairs and a flatscreen TV, CD/radio and DVD player

 

Executive suite bedroom with windows on 2 sides

the bathroom had a seperate bath...

...and and excellent (ahem, 'Heavenly') shower

As well as a walk in closet

In all, it was a very nice room, and a good, if too short stay at this hotel.  Due to the late arrival and early departure in the morning, I didn't get to explore any of the other facilities the hotel offers such as the fitness center, restaurants, or the Executive Club. 

First thing the next morning we had to head back to the Sydney airport to continue our journey onward to New Zealand.  Due to the early hour, we took a cab, which only took about 15 minutes to get to the airport.  We were flying Virgin Australia from Sydney to Auckland via Melbourne.