KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Four. Aged 52, 49, 14 and 11.

floppy wrote:

novels wrote:
total 6 pax. will check on thrifty and hertz. Have you tried Apex before, is it good? thanks

Since you asked (and now I remember)... yes I have
And yes, I would highly recommend them as well.

I booked a Hyundai Elantra (definitely smaller than what you are looking at but you can consider their Carnival that seats 8) from Apex Rental for my trip in Cairns more than a year ago. The price they offered me then:

Vehicle Hire Package
1 x Mid Size Sedan Auto (The Works) $82.00 per day $246.00
1 x Zero Excess $0.00 per day $0.00
1 x Unlimited KMs $0.00 per day $0.00
1 x GPS Navigation $0.00 per day $0.00
Optional Extras
1 x Child Seats $0.00 each $0.00
1 x Booster Seats $0.00 each $0.00
Total Cost: $246.00

No brainer given competitive pricing, zero excess, unlimited km, GPS navigation (which I didn't even bother to take out from the box as I was using Google / Apple map app). The child seat and booster seat were a plus as well (but don't expect those to be in tip-top or brand new condition).

P/S: I recommend The Works for peace of mind (zero excess, unlimited km).

thanks Flobby!

jacsplace wrote:Hi, thinking of going to Sydney late Oct / early Nov. We don't drive so will be relying on public transport. Any advice / recommendations for hotels or Airbnb much appreciated. TIA :-)

Hi jacsplace, I booked Meriton Apartment World Tower near Darling Harbour, we are not planning to drive in the city and wanted to stay in apartment, so far this is the best choice although a bit pricey. Only can let you know whether is it good after my trip heehee..

novels wrote:

floppy wrote:

novels wrote:
total 6 pax. will check on thrifty and hertz. Have you tried Apex before, is it good? thanks

Since you asked (and now I remember)... yes I have
And yes, I would highly recommend them as well.

I booked a Hyundai Elantra (definitely smaller than what you are looking at but you can consider their Carnival that seats 8) from Apex Rental for my trip in Cairns more than a year ago. The price they offered me then:

Vehicle Hire Package
1 x Mid Size Sedan Auto (The Works) $82.00 per day $246.00
1 x Zero Excess $0.00 per day $0.00
1 x Unlimited KMs $0.00 per day $0.00
1 x GPS Navigation $0.00 per day $0.00
Optional Extras
1 x Child Seats $0.00 each $0.00
1 x Booster Seats $0.00 each $0.00
Total Cost: $246.00

No brainer given competitive pricing, zero excess, unlimited km, GPS navigation (which I didn't even bother to take out from the box as I was using Google / Apple map app). The child seat and booster seat were a plus as well (but don't expect those to be in tip-top or brand new condition).

P/S: I recommend The Works for peace of mind (zero excess, unlimited km).

thanks Flobby!

Hi Flobby, just to update you that Apex is really not bad. I confirmed the car almost 3 months before my trip for 8 seater people mover for 11 days at A$900. And a few days before my trip cos I need to extract some info from the website before my trip and happened to know that their price dropped, 8 seater people mover for 11 days became A$700+. I email them immediately and they adjusted the price for me, so happy heehee...
The pick up was easy too, when out from immigration, I borrowed phone from airport information counter and called Apex, less than 15 mins, the pick up van arrived to pick us up. Paper work done within 15 mins. When returned car at city, my husband said it was easy, settled less than 5 mins.

Thanks for your assurance that made me confirmed the booking with apex .

novels wrote:

jacsplace wrote:Hi, thinking of going to Sydney late Oct / early Nov. We don't drive so will be relying on public transport. Any advice / recommendations for hotels or Airbnb much appreciated. TIA :-)

Hi jacsplace, I booked Meriton Apartment World Tower near Darling Harbour, we are not planning to drive in the city and wanted to stay in apartment, so far this is the best choice although a bit pricey. Only can let you know whether is it good after my trip heehee..

Hi jacsplace, meriton apartment world tower is good although a bit pricey. downside is their car park so hard to locate that we turned in twice to wrong car park. So they "compensated" by upgraded us to oceanview corner unit (very big) and late check out. There are so many shops and eating places around, Coles at downstairs, Chinatown just 5 mins walk. But 2 train stops away from Opera house and a few tram stops away from Sydney Fish Market (about 10 mins journey?). The public transport there is not cheap, buy the opal card you will save more on the trip.

Jmum2 wrote:Going to Sydney, any recommendations for good child-friendly activities (more for younger kids, 7 years and below)

If you prefer the outdoors:
1. Beaches - Bondi and Manly, as well as many others. The ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly is worth the effort as it offers an opportunity to view Sydney Harbour from a water level.
2. Blaxland Riverside Park at Sydney Olympic Park - swings, slides, flying foxes, Viking ships... and best of all, it's free!

Touristy-ish spots:
1. Taronga Zoo - fantastic zoo with spectacular views of the harbor. I highly recommend using the ferry from Circular Quay to get there. Ticket prices to the zoo are cheaper if you buy online from agent / reseller.
2. Head underwater without getting wet at the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium at Darling Harbour. Again, ticket prices are cheaper if you buy online from agent / reseller.
3. If you are driving to the Blue Mountains, you can stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park enroute. If you must see koala, kangaroo, wombat, Tasmanian Devil, etc, to consider a visit to Australia as complete, this is the place to be. Usually packaged as part of a day tour to Blue Mountains (which typically includes Scenic World, Echo Point and Leura Village), you can also visit it on your own (if you are going to DIY your visit to the Blue Mountains.

Jmum2, if you are planning to go port stephens, pls look for accommodation at Fishersman Bay with ocean view, we stayed there for 4 nights and spotted dolphins and whales from the house. Another activity we enjoyed a lot is camel riding at Anna Bay, a few mins drive from Fishersman Bay, you can have sand dune activities there too. My kids quite enjoyed Irukandji Shark and Ray Aquarium too, although the place is small but we got to touch and feed the sharks and sting rays.

Anyone done Quad Bike in Sydney before? Besides Port Stephen, any other area can do Quad Biking?

Hi all, can anyone share roughly what is considered an "ok" price for air ticket to sydney? looking at the prices now but SQ is around 1.3k which I think is high.

snggy wrote:Hi all, can anyone share roughly what is considered an "ok" price for air ticket to sydney? looking at the prices now but SQ is around 1.3k which I think is high.

I have read somewhere that base on every one hr flight = $100, so now I always base on this calculation to aga aga. I went Sydney last June, took SQ cost about $630, that was really good price cos they got some promo that when I booked my 6 tickets, the fares went up to $800+. And yes, $1.3k is really high.