When I first arrived in Australia, I learned pretty quickly what was normal behaviour for the beach and what wasn’t.

Thankfully, I learned from watching locals and listening to Christina’s sage advice rather than making too many faux pas of my own.

But going to the beach in England or mainland Europe is a totally different experience to Australia, so it’s easy to get it wrong.

At best, you just look like a tourist or embarrass yourself. At worst, there are plenty of pretty serious dangers here that Poms like me wouldn’t have encountered before.

Yes, there are lots of creatures you can find at Australian beaches that are seemingly intent on killing you.

But there are other much more common hazards that don’t get nearly as much nor enough press.

1. Which beach?

The best thing about Aussie beaches is they’re all free. Almost all the coastline around places like Italy is privately owned and you need to pay to visit a beach club.

Places like the Amalfi Coast charge a fortune for loungers – over €120 for four chairs. And the beaches aren’t anything like the ones here. 

Here are 3 Sydney beaches only locals know about to give you some inspo.

2. What to bring to the beach

The first thing I noticed was how little you need when you go to the beach.

You can make do with just a towel – especially if you’re going to be swimming more than lying on the sand.

In fact, top tip: get yourself a Tesalate towel like this one that absorbs a huge amount of water but is also sand proof.

On the other side of it, people bring tents, bags, eskies full of food and drink – it all depends on how long you want to be there. And how much you want to lug around.

But probably the most important thing to bring (other than swimwear!) is sunscreen. There’s very little shade at the beach and the Australian sun is notoriously powerful.

3. What not to bring to the beach

Locals don’t usually bring a barbecue or cooking gear to the beach, and lighting fires on the beach is illegal in most places. Having said that, there are often coin-operated public barbecues you can use near the beach. Just remember to clean up when you’re done.

Big music systems – a little speaker if you’ve got some good tunes is okay, but the sound of the ocean’s much better.

Jewellery – Australian beaches are really low-key, so don’t dress up. Plus we’ve had a few friends lose their wedding rings in the surf, so be careful!

Booze – most Aussie beaches are alcohol-free zones. Having said that, if you’re discreet, a couple of beers won’t be a problem.

4. Swimming between the flags

Every patrolled beach in Australia – that means beaches with surf lifesavers manning the beach – uses the flag policy. The red and yellow flags you see at the water’s edge tell you where is safe to swim and the zone the lifeguards are patrolling.

If you swim outside the flags, you’re open to rips, sandbanks, rocks and surfers. The lifies will probably get annoyed with you too, which can be quite embarrassing.

If there are no flags, either the beach is not patrolled so you’re swimming at your own risk, it’s too late in the day and the patrol has gone home or conditions are too dangerous.

The closer the flags are together usually means the stronger the seas are.

5. Rips

Rips are strong currents that pull you away from the shore. They occur where waves drain back out to sea creating channels. These channels cause a lot of water to move very quickly away from the beach.

If you find yourself being pulled out to sea in a rip, don’t panic. Don’t try and swim directly back to shore, you’ll never make it.

You have two choices: either relax, let the current carry you until the rip dissipates then swim back to land or swim parallel to the beach across the rip and then make your way back to solid ground.

If you find yourself in a rip or in trouble in the water, hold one hand up in the air. This is the signal for the lifies to come and help. Splashing around won’t get their attention as quickly.

6. Dealing with big waves

There are a lot of big surf beaches in Australia. For a lot of visitors, it’s very confronting to have to deal with these giant waves for the first time. Getting hit by a wall of water isn’t fun, especially if it rolls you over and drags you along the sand.

When you see a big wave coming, you have three choices: over, with or under. If you think the wave is small enough, you can dive over it.

If you time it right, you can sprint swim towards the shore, catch the wave and body surf. This is awesome, but takes a bit of practice.

Diving through the wave or ducking under it is your best option. Make a shallow dive into the face of the wave and lie horizontal in the water until you feel the wave pass over your feet, then bob up to the surface. Easy.

Alternatively, pinch your nose and duck down under the breaker to avoid getting rolled.

7. Hazards

Poisonous octopus, poisonous jellyfish, poisonous snails, poisonous fish. Sharks, crocodiles, sea snakes… they all have the kit to take you out, but they’re not as common or as angry as they’re made out to be.

But there are dangers at the beach that are quite common that Aussies seem to know about innately.
Things like sandbanks that form around strong currents and rips shift and move very quickly. Avoid standing on or swimming near sandbanks. They can break up and leave you in deep water or strong currents.

Swimming between the flags will usually keep you safe.

For more tips on beach safety and tricks of the trade, check out our interview with Harries from Bondi Rescue.

8. Leaving

When it’s time to go, make sure you take everything with you. The beaches are public so leave your part of the beach the same way you left it. Please don’t leave cigarette butts in the sand. They’re gross and can harm sea life if they get washed into the ocean.

If the beach is busy, don’t shake your towel off too hard or you’ll cover people in sand. Pick your towel up, fold it sandy side in then give it a couple of careful shakes.

The majority of Australian beaches will have either a shower or foot tap (or both) to rinse off any sand and salt. Feel free to use them!

9. Wearing flip-flops at the beach

This is more of a pet peeve than anything.

I understand that the sand can get hot. But when it’s not, please don’t wear flip-flops when you’re walking on the beach.

As you walk, you flick sand up behind you all up the backs of your legs and also all over the people you’re walking past. It’s really annoying.

Don’t wear sneakers to the beach. My brother moved to Queensland in 2009. I think he still wears socks and trainers to the beach. Believe me – it looks weird. So pull off your footwear and get your toes in the sand.

The most important thing to remember when you’re at an Australian beach is to have fun! We’re blessed with some of the most incredible beaches in the world and we’re proud to be able to share them!

What are your top tips for getting in some beach time in Australia?

The post Australian Beach Rules – 9 tips on hitting the beach like a local appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

I dream of those hot summer days, where the sky is a blue that carries on forever. That first sight of the beach as you come to the coast.

The squeak of the sand and the smell of the sea, the sound of the surf and the salt on the breeze. It’s the poetry of the beach; the stanzas of summer.

But in spite of its beauty and your own excitement, you have to remember that even the beach isn’t without its hazards.

Christina and I love spending time at the beach, so we thought we’d share some of our favourite ways we make the most of our time there.

We’ve also got some tips and advice from Bondi life-saver Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll of Bondi Rescue fame.

Best beach tips – how to ace the beach and stay safe

Sand doesn’t have to get everywhere

It’s the one of the pitfalls of beach days: the ubiquitous sand pit when you’re home post-beach visit. No matter how hard you shake that towel off, there’s always some left lurking in crevices unseen.

But Tesalate’s techy towel has put an end to all that for us. Sand slips off this towel’s surface like Teflon, but it’s still incredibly absorbent. In fact, the manufacturers reckon it can soak up over a litre of water!

It’s also compact and folds away small, and it’s light-weight too… when it’s not full of a litre of the sea. Impressed? We are.

The towels come in a range of colours and designs. Our favourite – this one – is called The Swell.

You don’t need a bigger boat

With seemingly more shark attacks happening around Australia than ever, I think it’s pretty normal to wonder how safe you are in the ocean. In reality, the odds are very much in your favour.

But for real peace of mind, you need a Sharkbanz.

Strap one of these amazing shark deterrents to your ankle or wrist and swim safe in the knowledge you have cutting-edge tech on your side.

They work by sending out a strong magnetic frequency that makes proximity to you very unpleasant for those sensitive little apex predators. Disrupting the electromagnetic environment sharks use to hunt and navigate, Sharkbanz create a forcefield around you.

If you don’t believe me, check out the tests that have been carried out here.

And the thing we like about Sharkbanz most of all – apart from saving us from becoming bait food – is how sustainable they are. Sharkbanz are non-polluting, don’t harm the sharks or other sealife and don’t even need recharging, so their carbon footprint is almost non-existent.

Keep cool and hydrated

I’ve always hated lugging big heavy ice boxes and eskies around, but over-heating and dehydration can ruin a beautiful day out. We love how portable cooler bags are, and there are some winners on the market now.

They’re lightweight and fold flat when not in use, so they’re even easier to get back in the car at the end of your day at the beach.

Something like this cooler bag from BagBoy, which fits a dozen drink cans, is ideal for a day at the beach. Of course, you can put other things in it than drinks. I was just trying to give you some scale.

Even better, the 30-litre cooler bag from Overboard is 100% waterproof and keeps ice as ice intended for up to 24 hours, so cool drinks and fresh food should be a walk in the park… let alone a day at the beach.

The key to a good day

That hollow, sickly feeling inside when you realise your keys are missing shreds happy moods like a Banksy picture frame. And the futility of digging around in the sand at the end of a day out just adds to the misery.

There are several tech options around like this Water Droplet Smart Finder that clips to your keys and lets you track it via your phone’s Bluetooth. It can also act as a remote for your phone’s camera, which is a nice touch.

The next step up is this wireless location tag from TruFob that uses a proprietary tracking app via your phone. The app can support up to 5 different fobs with different alerts for each.

But for the ultimate peace of mind with your keys, I love the Keysmart Pro, which has an inbuilt GPS tracker that works through the free Tile app. It means you can go straight to your keys without sifting sand like some crazy gold-panner.

The Keysmart Pro can also hold up to 10 keys and comes with a bottle opener accessory, an LED flash light and a function that can also help you find your phone, which is a clever symbiotic touch, isn’t it?

And if all this doesn’t make your beach time awesome…

We asked ‘Harries’ Carroll of Bondi Rescue fame a few questions on beach safety, and – as he’s the ambassador for Sharkbanz – some tips on skipping meals where you’re to be the first course.

What should you do if you get caught in a rip?

Stay calm, float on your back, raise your hand if someone is around and call for help to a board rider or someone with a flotation device. Never swim at an un-patrolled beach.

What’s the biggest mistake you see people making at Bondi?

People not putting sunscreen on, and people swimming in rips or rough conditions when they aren’t strong or educated swimmers.

Is there one thing you wish people would do more on the beach to keep themselves safe?

For them to take responsibly for their own actions.

What’s your favourite feature of Sharkbanz? When’s the best time to wear one?

Favourite feature is that it is so easy to use – it’s a part of me. I use it 90% of the time I’m in the water. If you have one you should wear it at all times.

If you enjoyed this story, you should also check out our story on how to look like a local at the beach in Australia and this one about 3 Sydney beaches only locals know about.

What are your tips for making the most of your time at the beach? Tell us in the comments!

The post How to ace the beach and stay safe this summer appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

A key element to life in Sydney is its beaches. We’re lucky enough to have some of the best in the country – if not the world – right on our doorstep.

TV shows like Bondi Rescue and Bondi Vet have made this fashionable spot in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney even more famous, and the surf, suntan and sexy culture of Bondi makes this one of the best people-watching spots to come to in the whole city.

But is there enough to do here for a whole day? Taking up the challenge, we’ve put together our guide to spending 24 hours in Bondi.

24 hours in Bondi

Breakfast:

Trio Café
Right on Campbell Parade at the south end of Bondi Beach, this is the perfect spot to soak up the view whilst munching down some of the delicious Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food they serve here.

If you’re feeling super hungry, go for the corn fritters. They’re enormous and delicious.

After breakfast:

Surf School 
As the old saying goes, ‘when in Bondi, surf.’ And if you’re a newbie to the coolest looking sport there is, why not learn how at the coolest beach?

Let’s Go Surfing is based at North Bondi – the much more laid back and local end of the beach and will have you taking to the waves before you know it. If you’ve got longer to spend at Bondi, you can even book a tour with these guys to get to know this cool suburb a bit better.

Lunch:

Bondi Icebergs Club 
A real local icon, Icebergs is a classic local hangout. The club bar looks out over the beach from the south end, and its saltwater pool on the water is one of the most photographed sights of the beach.

The club is very laidback, but the food and service are as good as the view. If you want to go more up-market, the restaurant and bar upstairs is slick and has a price point to prove it. But it delivers to the highest standards. Definitely an alternative option for dinner if you’re here for a special occasion.

After lunch:

Bondi coastal walk
The coastline around Bondi is striking and dramatic, and perfect for a post-meal stroll. You can walk all the way to Coogee Beach if you want to, though I’d probably stop at Bronte before turning back.

Once a year Sculpture by The Sea takes over this coastal walk and crowds of people flock to see the creativity lining the rocks. It’s an amazing sight so if you time it right, this is definitely something not to miss.

Shopping:

Bondi has some great shops right on Campbell Parade. Plus there’s a market here every weekend.

Make sure you don’t miss Aquabumps Gallery at 151 Curlewis St. These guys have been giving surfers the heads-up on the swell since 1999 and their shots of the beach are superb.

Dinner:

Bondi Hardware
Tucked away down Hall Street, Bondi’s busiest street for restaurants, Bondi Hardware is dark and moody, and serves up treat after treat in with industrial chic. It does get pretty busy here though, so make sure you book.

Bill’s
Another Sydney institution, Bill Granger’s mini-chain of great café restaurants is an easy choice. The Bondi venue (there are 2 others in Sydney and several other iterations internationally) is bright, clean-cut and sophisticatedly simple.

Dessert:

If you’ve still got room after dinner or you’ve saved a space for sweets, here are two options to finish your night off with a sugar hit.

Gelato Messina 
First opening in Darlinghurst in 2002, this ice-creamery now has over a dozen venues in Sydney, across the country and internationally. Pick your favourite flavour, choose a cup or a cone and stroll down to the beach to see the ocean in the moonlight.

Papa’s
Pasticceria Papa – or Papa’s to locals – has been going since the Haberfield store opened in 1988. The delicious Italian cakes, pastries, pies and biscuits to eat here are awesome. I just want to smash my face into their baked ricotta cake every time I see it!

Where to stay:

QT Bondi
Opening in December 2015 on the sight of the old Swiss Grand in North Bondi is the QT Bondi. True to form, this sexy limb of the QT brand is beautifully designed and very cute indeed.

The rooms are spacious and generously appointed, and they’ve nailed attention to detail – as always with QT. As the front of the building has been turned into residential apartments, the hotel rooms don’t face the ocean, but the balconies and detail inside the rooms keeps your attention.

The next day:

Power Living, Bondi
Make up for all the overindulging the day before with morning yoga with Power Living. The yoga studios here are spacious only a minute or two from the beach. Check the schedule for heated and non-heated yoga options.

Breakfast:

Porch and Parlour
You can’t get much more Bondi than this place. Very easy-going, the essence of beachy and staff who make being cool look easy. The food at this tiny North Bondi café is excellent – plus you’re guaranteed to find a healthy option here if you’re still full from the night before.

They also serve lunch and dinner here, which is something to keep in mind for other meals while you’re here. This is our favourite café in Bondi, so don’t miss it.

If you’ve got longer in Sydney or you want to see more than just Bondi, check out our guide to 24 hours in Sydney.

Do you have any other tips for visiting Bondi? Do you have a favourite beach you go to? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance using an OM-D E-M5 mark II Olympus camera. As part of our recent stay in Bondi, we were guests of Destination NSW.

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Bondi, Coogee and Bronte – the Big Three in terms of popular Sydney city beaches – are always busy for a reason. They’ve got pretty good public transport links, they’ve got big waves and they’re spectacular.

They’ve got it all… or do they? Perhaps the reason not all locals join the throngs is because there are better beaches around.

3 beaches that only locals go to

Gordons Bay

Sandwiched between Coogee and another local sweetheart Tamarama Beach, Gordons Bay’s beauty lies in its understated modesty.

To the casual observer, the racks of little boats, the rocky cliffs and the small sandy section that makes up the beach doesn’t seem to hold much appeal.

However, the rocky cliffs offer comfortable and secluded seating options and shade, the small sandy beach continues into the protected waters of the bay, and the racks of boats add a quaint European fishing village feel to the place. It’s really quite lovely here.

To get to Gordons Bay, you can park at Clovelly and walk down from Victory St. Alternatively, do part of the coastal walk between Coogee Beach and Clovelly Beach to get there.

Milk Beach

Tucked away from all but those in the know, Milk Beach is a tiny sandy bay we found by accident one day walking along the harbour foreshore from Double Bay all the way to Watsons Bay in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

The tiny beach is out the front of historic Strickland House – a 3-storey Victorian sandstone villa, which adds to the unusual feel to the place.

The big draw card to Milk Beach – apart from it being a great example of a secluded harbour beach that only locals visit – is the view of the city from here. It’s just stunning.

Get to Milk Beach in Vaucluse via Vaucluse Road off New South Head Road then going to the end of Carrara Road to a walking track. Alternatively, walk from Double Bay! There’s a bus – the 325 – that stops outside Strickland House.

Redleaf Pool (Murray Rose Pool)

A real local favourite is Murray Rose Pool – or Redleaf Pool as the locals still call it. It’s just down the road from Milk Beach but is quite a bit bigger and even has a café where you can buy a snack or a coffee.

But the thing that brings the locals here is the swimming. Ordinarily, swimming in the harbour is not a good idea. The water’s clean enough it’s just there are quite a few sharks here.

You see Redleaf has an ocean pool. It’s a netted area that you can swim safely without the worry of becoming lunch. The pool also has a walkway around its edge. From the sandy beach you can walk right out over the harbour.

Get to Redleaf Pool from New South Head Road in Double Bay or walk round from the Double Bay ferry wharf.

Quick pronunciation guide

Bondi, Coogee and Bronte are Sydney’s most famous beaches – but they’re also the most mispronounced.

Bondi: we hear “bondee” we say “bond-eye”
Coogee: we hear “coo-ghee” we say “could-jee”
Bronte: we hear “bront-ay” we say “bront-ee”

Do you have a favourite secret Sydney spot you’re willing to share? Where do you go that makes you feel like a local in your hometown? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance, and courtesy of Sydney.com and Google maps.

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Uluwatu sits on the Bukit Peninsula on the southernmost tip of Bali. Previously it was only known to surfers as it’s home to some of the top surfing breaks on the island. Now it’s a popular spot for travellers looking for the best Bali has to offer.

My friends – Carly and Kate – headed to Uluwatu to chill for the day at Single Fin. Perched on the cliff high above the beach, you spoilt with views across the ocean and of the surfers out on the reef.

Single Fin opens up around 11 in the morning and is the kind of place you can spend all day. Start with a fresh juice, then move on to a beer at lunch and stay to watch the sun go down.

Sunday Sunset Sessions can get crowded here so arrive early to get a good spot.

Single Fin doesn’t have any accommodation, but if you want a true coastal escape in Bali, this part of the island is the place to stay. Uluwatu offers a range of luxury accommodation such as the Bulgari resort and Karma Kanandra. You can also rent private villas or stay as part of a retreat.

Uluwatu itself is not very developed, and while you’ll find a few stalls selling souvenirs, this isn’t the area to come for shopping. Instead, just relax and watch the waves roll in.

Most of the surf breaks here are for advanced surfers only.

As we stayed in Seminyak, we had a car take us the 45-minute journey there. It’s a good idea to book your driver for the day, as it can be hard to get transport back at the end of the day.

Having a driver also lets you explore the peninsula more, and you can stop off at nearby beaches like Padang Padang.

This island is so romantic I can’t wait to bring Mr Romance back here soon.

Have you been to Bali? Where do you go for a dose of ocean breeze? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance using an Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera.

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Potato Head Beach Club is the kind of place you could spend all day – swimming in the pool, walk on the beach, sunset cocktail, dinner. The family crowd in the day slowly merges with the party crowd as the night progresses.

Leaving Mr Romance behind to hold the fort, I had a recent sortie to Bali with a few girlfriends on a kind of blog retreat. The time we spent here at the PHBC was a highlight for sure.

Even the entrance to this place is enchanting. You walk through curved walls of shutters to get in. They call it the ‘Colosseum’ and all the shutters are 18th Century vintage teak collected from across Indonesia.

Once inside it opens up into an enormous beach club. There’s a massive lawn, and there are two bars and two separate restaurants.

Hot tip:

Head there at least an hour or two before sunset to grab the best spots to watch the sun go down over the Indian Ocean.

Our pick of the pozzies was a big daybed for our group to relax, though there are tables if you prefer. You can’t reserve a daybed, just try to time it right or put your name down when you arrive. There’s a minimum spend but if you’re staying for dinner & drinks, it’s not hard to reach.

As in the rest Bali, wine is more expensive than cocktails. We didn’t mind that though – especially as the cocktail menu at Potato Head is pretty impressive. My pick was the Triple Berry Margarita which is long and refreshing.

The prohibition Iced Tea is fun, served in a teapot.

They know the Australian crowd well and the Kookaburra is also a favourite, made with lemongrass infused gin.

The dress code still has a beachy feel, but is encourages a bit of effort at the same time. You can still wear flip-flops but they have a rule on no alcohol branded clothing (Bintang T-shirts are strictly prohibited).

Dinner was delicious. The Beach Club menu is more European whereas the restaurant Lilin features more Indonesian food. There are communal share tables at Lilin, which looks fun. Alternatively, if you manage to score on, you can just eat on your giant daybed like we did!

Potato Head Beach Club is an icon in Bali for a reason, and is one of the best spots to watch the sun go down.

With the views, the styling, the fun and friendly service, and the wealth of choices to eat and drink, it’s easy to see how it’s such a favourite.

Potato Head Beach Club

Open: Every day – 11am-2am.

Good for: families, couples, groups of friends – the early opening, late close caters to everyone’s needs.

Jl. Petitenget 51B,
Seminyak,
Bali 80361
W: ptthead.com

Fb: @pttheadbeachclub
Ig: @pttheadbali

Have you been to Bali recently? Do you have any top tips of where to go for dinner or a drink? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance using an Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera.

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We were just finishing up with breakfast when Shedar came over to chat. Shedar’s one of the hosts of our beautiful little piece of paradise – the Casa de las Olas – a 5-suite beachfront eco-hotel.

“So if you want lunch somewhere that’s really perfect and just where locals go, you’ve got to go to Chamico’s down the road,” she told us. “You like ceviche? You’ve got to try the ceviche there.”

Our eyes must have lit up because soon we had explicit directions of how to get there. And thank goodness they were so detailed. Finding this place is harder than you’d think (how to get to Chamico’s is at the end of this post).

We hesitated when we first got out of the car. Then we recalled Shedar’s words to us:

“When you get there, you won’t find any signs or menus,” she warned us. “It’s nothing special to look at – just white plastic chairs and plastic tables, but the food there’s amazing and the people are really friendly.”

In fact as we approached, a waiter even found us an extra spot, grabbed a table and unstacked two of those white chairs for us. We were impressed.

He explained the menu to us in dodgy English and we tried to order in even dodgier Spanish. I went for the grilled shrimp and Mrs Romance, of course, ordered the ceviche.

What came out was way beyond what we were expecting. My grilled shrimp were in fact a pile of peeled king prawns served with refried beans, some tasty fish-stock baked rice, an avocado salad and a stack of flour tortillas.

The red habanero sauce went perfectly with this self-assembly prawn taco set!

Mrs Romance’s ceviche turned out to be a mixed ceviche platter for two of octopus, lobster and fish. There was also a small pile of grilled prawns on top and a bowl of baked tortilla chips on the side!

The best places are the ones where the locals treat you with a friendly curiosity rather than frowns and eye rolls – that’s what we’re always on the lookout for.

After we’d feasted, we sat back with our cold beers and watched the families and groups of friends enjoy their afternoon here. The soft murmur of voices you only get at a locals’ spot by the beach was so calming.

There was even a couple who’d taken temporary residence in one of the hammocks strung up between two palm trees.

Elsewhere, kids played in the shallows, old folk chatted and laughed with each other, couples romanced amidst the palms. It was a very memorable lunch.

Paying proved to be the hardest part of the meal. We asked for the bill a couple of times but in the end we approached the main shack where most of the wait staff seemed to gravitate towards.

That seemed to do the trick, but we were so chilled out and full, waiting didn’t seem to matter.

We were happy to take in the scenes of the beach and its radiant, sparkling aqua water. What a magnificent place to eat your meal!

How to get to Chamico’s, Soliman Bay, Mexico

From Tulum you head north back towards Cancun on the main road (there’s only one!). When you get to a sign for ‘Oscar & Lalo’s Restaurant’, turn off. If you miss the turn, which we did, don’t worry. There’s a U-turn bay ahead so you get a second go at it.

Drive down the unsealed road right to the end. And I mean right to the end. Go past all the hotels you’ll find there, nod and smile at the security guard halfway down, who’ll (slowly) unhitch the chain gate for you to continue.

When you come to what looks like a disused car park and an old wrecked ship pulled up on the shoreline, you’re there. You won’t see any signs but you should see the white of the chairs through the palm trees!

Remember it’s cash only, like most of Tulum.

Have you ever discovered a secret local spot while you’ve been away? What’s your top tip for someone visiting your neighbourhood to get that real-life feel of where you live? What do you look for in a local spot to really get to know a place? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.

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We both love going to the beach in the winter. For Mrs Romance it’s the lack of crowds and the way the ocean looks. She loves the crisp sunny days where the water sparkles but where she can still wear a coat.

I love it because it reminds me of going to the beach in England. At any time of the year! Actually it reminds me of getting out and about in the middle of winter. We’d all get a bit of cabin fever, and would pile into the car and drive to the beach and ‘get some fresh air!’

We’ve never really explored Coogee much before. We know it’s pronounced “could-jee” and that locals get upset when you get it wrong. We know there’s a lovely beach there. We know the island off the coast is called Wedding Cake Island and we know no one else knows why either.

We know there’s a reasonable fish and chip place at the north end, but other than that… why come to Coogee?

This is why you should come to Coogee:

Where to stay

We were staying at the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach at the south end of the beach. When you book your room there, ask for one on the 6th floor. Just under the penthouse, these have the best ocean views and pretty awesome balconies too.

Throughout winter, Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach has got an offer on with up to 25% discount if you stay for 2 nights or more. Well worth a look, I’d say.

What to do in Coogee

It’s amazing how much you can fit into a stay-cation. From our balcony we watched the sun rise out of the ocean and a couple of crazy swimming groups head out for their dawn ocean swim.

Breakfast

There are quite a few good foodie options around Coogee these days. Of course there’s the room service breakfast at the Crowne Plaza, which we did one morning, otherwise head down the Coogee Bay Road for a hatful of café options.

Friends who live there recommended Black Pony, Tropicana and Gusto, but there are lots more to choose from.

Walks

After breakfast, we headed north and walked along the beach, then up onto the coastal walk. If you’re feeling fit, this walk will take you up as far as Bondi Beach. We weren’t feeling quite so energetic so we went to the next beach along; Gordons Bay.

It’s a bit of a hidden secret, is Gordons Bay. A real local haunt. In the summer the rocks are strewn with bakers (the sunworshipping kind not the bready kind) and the racks of little boats makes this feel like a little bit of Europe on our antipodean shores.

Sea pools and baths

Heading back to Coogee, we walked along the shoreline to the other end of the beach to explore the swimming baths. Coogee has four baths for the public to use, all filled with the waves of the ocean. The one at the north end is pretty much just a few rocks chucked in the sea to break up the waves, but the south end is a different story.

The Surf Lifesavers has one bath, and down the track a bit is McIver’s Baths, which is for women and kids only, and is very private.

Further south is Wylie’s, the biggest of the four. It’s open to the public by there is a small entrance fee. There’s a café snack bar there for refreshments and loads of seating if you just want somewhere to sit with a coffee and soak up the ocean views.

Lunch

The options down Coogee Bay Road are probably your best bet as far as range goes, but we decided to take another tip-off and head to Barzura. It’s a pretty big place on the corner right at the southern tip of the beach.

The food’s great, the atmosphere’s energetic and fun, and the views are unquestionable. Because of all these ticks in boxes, there’s usually a bit of a wait for lunch, so don’t go there ‘hangry’!

After lunch we headed back to the room and took advantage of the balcony view, and then went for another stroll along the beach.

We did consider going to the cinema in Randwick, one suburb over… but then we decided relaxing here was a much better option. The cinema – the Ritz – is a local icon. A beautiful art deco building, it’s been around since the ‘30s and still going strong. It’s well worth a visit – especially as its bar’s pretty good too!

Yoga

Mrs Romance managed to fit in a yoga session while we were in Coogee. The Livingroom’s studio is in a pretty unique spot. Right on the southern tip of Coogee Beach just above Barzura, the windows face the ocean. Perfect for finding that extra bit of piece mid-downward dog.

I’ve tried yoga but it’s not for me. I generally find myself in positions that remind me of being in a horrible car wreck. I’m not very flexible!

Drinks

On yet another tip, we went to Oceans Bar, which is actually part of the Crowne Plaza, for what are considered the best cocktails in Coogee. The ones we had – ‘Slaughtering the Slothman’ and the ‘Gin-ger Ninja’ – were so good. I also tried their gin martini, which also hit the spot!

Dinner

We decided to stay at Oceans Bar for a feed. The menu’s a bit of a mix. It’s got some great-looking pizzas on offer, and we tried to lamb cutlets with a miniature blue cheese fondu served in a cob roll. We couldn’t stop ourselves from ordering the giant king prawns on a lovely fresh green papaya salad.

On our brief walk back to our room, we stopped in at the bottle shop down the road. The Coogee Bay Hotel’s Liquor Barn has to be one of the cheapest grog shops in the city. The glass or two we had in our room made for the perfect end to a very relaxing day.

In brief

Where to stay

• Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach – don’t forget about their winter deal!

Where to have breakfast

• Room service breakfast, Crowne Plaza
• Black Pony
• Tropicana
• Gusto

What to do

• Coastal walk to Bondi (or maybe not so far!)
• The baths
• Walk along the beach
• Take a yoga class with a beach view at The Livingroom
• The Ritz Cinema

Lunch

• Barzura
• Dolphin Street Take Away for good fish and chips

Drinks

• Oceans Bar

Dinner

• Oceans Bar
• A Fish Called Coogee or other places along the Coogee Bay Road

We love going on stay-cation. Perhaps it’s exploring somewhere you’ve never really been to even though it’s on your doorstep. Perhaps it’s the confidence that you won’t get ripped off with tourist prices. Or perhaps it’s just being able to pop back home if you’ve forgotten something!

Here’s another stay-cation we’ve had in Hotel 1888 in Pyrmont, Sydney.

Do you have any tips for where to go and things to do in Coogee? Have you been on a stay-cation recently? Tell us about it in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance, video by Mr Romance.

We stayed as guests of Coogee Crowne Plaza.

The post Winter Escapes: a Coogee Beach stay-cation appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Thanks to an unintentional tip-off from a couple of friends of ours – Peter and Melissa – we found ourselves in Manly; the suburb on the northern jaws of the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

At the very southern end of Manly beach and under the Sebel Manly Beach Hotel is Manly Wine. Being on the southern end away from the main corso, you won’t be as bothered by tourists here.

Even so, it’s no one-off: Manly Wine is part of something much bigger (the Winery – Surry Hills, Bugalow 8 – King St Warf, The Rook – York St rooftop) but it’s got nothing but a local vibe in and out.

We were only there to take a photo for our friends, who now live back in the States and who miss the place. Before we knew it, we found ourselves sitting outside, swirling glasses of chilly whites and staring at the blue Pacific surf.

No, we didn’t mind. And when our food came, we minded even less. Mrs Romance’s chicken avocado salad was so full of chicken, it was almost like a chicken in a basket… just tasty. My Cheeseburger was also plentiful and delicious. The accompanying chips looked a bit pale – a bit like the backpackers on the beach we were looking at – but they were really very tasty. The chips, that is.

Our wine – specials from the enormous chalk board behind the bar – was perfect. Mrs R’s pinot grigio was dry, zingy and grassy. My riesling was refreshing but fuller-bodied than the pinot. The hot day was perfect for the white wine and our street-side seating.

Mind you, inside looked comfortable too. There were lots of different spaces to sit inside – an element very common with Key Stone venues. And along the biggest wall holds a wine wrack that James Halliday would be impressed with.

The main area also plays host to a dining area or you can even hire out the giant bird cage – a circular-seated cushioned affair big enough to fit 20, on the left as you look in from the front door.

But whether you’re seated inside on the benches or you’ve scored a sought-after street-side table, you’ve got a good chance of great service, a high chance of great food and drink and a guaranteed great time in Manly.

Manly Wine
8-13 South Steyne
Manly
8966 9000
Manly Wine on Instagram.
Manly Wine on Twitter.

Where are your top tips for a local’s perspective? Tell us about them in the comments below.

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post Manly Wine bar and eatery, Manly appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Can it get much better?

The Bucket List is open all year round, but of course it’s the summertime that you should be heading there. Sit in the sandy front garden on a long bench or a barrel stool, or head inside into the cool shade of the bar. Either way, she’ll be right, as the locals might say.

And that’s the great thing. Yes, Bondi is predictably touristy. Of course it is. But the Bucket List still manages to maintain a good local feel. Perhaps it’s the mercifully not-so-polished style of the place. In and out, you get the feeling of eating and drinking at a little beach shack bar miles from anywhere.

As you’d expect, the Bucket List is beach themed – it’d be weird if it weren’t – and so the food menu reflects that too. Try the Bucket List fish and chips or the crispy polenta, artichoke and asparagus salad.

As for drinks, the bar has a pretty good range of local and international beers on tap in off the neck. The wine list’s okay too, though a bit pricey. But I’d pay a lot more for a seat at the seaside and a view like this.

The Bucket List
The Bondi Pavilion
Queen Elizabeth Drive
Bondi Beach
Sydney
www.thebucketlistbondi.com

Open Monday to Sunday – 11am till late

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Bucket List pop-up bar

From 24th October to 10th November this year (2013) while Sculpture by the Sea is on, head to Marks Park between Tamarama Beach and Bondi Beach for the Bucket List’s pop-up bar.

It’s perfectly positioned for a mid-art tour beer stop.

We’ve been to Sculpture by the Sea on really hot days and we wish this little oasis had been there then!

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post Where to drink in Bondi – the Bucket List bar, Bondi Beach appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.