Latest Reviews on TripAdvisor.com about Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour - August 2014

“FANTASTIC!!!!”

Reviewed 6 August 2014 by Bayholiday NEW

Girls weekend away and had a wonderful time the 1 bedroom loft apartment is spacious, clean, comfortable and had everything we required. The view is brilliant and so are the staff very helpful even carried bags down the stairs for us. The apartments are in easy walking to Darling Harbour, Paddys Markets, The Rocks & Circular Quay. Had a fantastic time!!! :)

• Stayed August 2014, travelled with friends
• Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g255060-d256600-r219942268-Metro_Apartments_On_Darling_Harbour-Sydney_New_South_Wale.html#UR219942268

Book your next stay at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/new-south-wales/metro-apartments-on-darling-harbour/hot-deals/
Location: 132-136 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia (close to Wynyard station)
Phone: 02 9199 - 2517

How To Have a Stress-Free Family Day Out For Less Than $100

The weather’s warming up, and the kids are keen to get out and explore. But sometimes fun for the kids can mean stress for mums and dads, and a strain for their wallets.

So we’ve taken the stress and the expense out of the family day out. Here’s how to do Darling Harbour – stress-free, without breaking the budget.

Play

The Children’s Playground at Darling Quarter is completely free, and it’s a great place for the kids to spend some time. And the more time the better, as the huge playground has 16 separate features, including the Balance Ropes, an 18.7m rope course and the first of its kind in Australia; the Big Slide, the largest in the whole playground at over 3m high and 8m long; the 21m Flying Fox; the Giant Ring, a 3D swing experience that lets kids go up, down, side to side and around in circles; the Octanet, a climbing course that rises 10m into the air and uses 83m of rope; and the Pump Station, a cool water play feature with 26 water jets! Or just hang out in the sandpit, or chill out under the Shade Zone.

Mums and dads can grab a coffee from one of Darling Quarter’s great cafes, and take a load off on one of the playground’s many benches while the kids play.

Head over from the playground to Kingpin Bowling in the Harbourside Shopping Centre. It’s $40 for a family pass (two adults and two children), which includes one game of bowling per person and two free soft drinks.

On the way, stop off at the Carousel in Palm Grove and take a ride for only $4. Thought to be the second oldest carousel in Australia, and one of only a handful of surviving 19th century carousels, this carousel is a slice of super fun history. It’s driven by a steam engine that was made by Tidmans of Norwich (England) in 1892, and the horses were expertly carved by G & J Lines and Co, London in around 1895. It reached Australia in 1894, and has been enjoyed by roughly six generations of children!

Experience

Located in Australia’s first purpose built theatre dedicated to work for young people, Monkey Baa Theatre Company in Darling Quarter adapts the very best of Australian children’s literature to the stage. With a mission statement to “[create] exceptional theatre experiences for young people by bringing to life uniquely Australian stories”, at Monkey Baa your little monkeys will be entertained and inspired. Tickets are between $20-$25 depending on the show. Keep an eye on their website for new shows.

Enjoy a ride and a movie all at once at Harbourside Shopping Centre’s 9D Action Cinema. Melding 3D animated movies with surround sound, ‘active motion’ seats, and dramatic touch effects like rain, snow, and wind, it’s a cinematic experience like no other. Rides run all day and you don’t even have to book ahead. Just rock up; a family ticket for one ride is only $35.

Families can check out all permanent galleries at the Australian National Maritime Museum for only $17.50, or for an exciting and educational experience to cap off a weekend, check out their Family Fun Sundays. It’s $8.50 per child, $3.50 for the first adult and $7 for each additional adult, plus all day parking for only $13 (have your ticket stamped at the musuem). Every Sunday during the school term, the kids can get up to lots of maritime-themed activities, like making a long ship, or a viking helmet!

Explore the Chinese Garden of Friendship with the Emperor’s Quest smartphone app (available from Google Play and the iTunes App Store), which educates kids about the Chinese zodiac, known as ‘Sheng Xiao’ or ‘birth sign’. Fun clues and the history of each of the animals of the zodiac are hidden throughout the gardens on the way to the 12 hidden animal sculptures, and it’s up to the kids to find them! Once they’re all unlocked, a special surprise will be revealed…

Eat

There are so many great kids menus at Darling Harbour! Blackbird Cafe offers a $14.90 main with a free dessert and free colouring in, and for an extra $3 you can take home a limited edition wobble-bobble ice-cream-head.

Authentic Italian can be found at Vesta ($10), while at Adria, all kids meals are $12.50 including soft drink and dessert. On Saturdays and Sundays at Stacks, kids can get a pizza and unlimited soft drink for $5. Kamikaze offers a selection of Japanese meals for kids for $14.90 each plus a free red lemonade, and desserts for $6.50. Pontoon has a family friendly menu, with ten dishes under $10.

For kids under 12, Passello has a selection of mains for $8.50, and a scoop of free ice cream. Zaaffran has yummy Indian starters and mains for kids, ranging from $7.50 – $15.00. It may seem like a restaurant made entirely for big kids, but Pancakes on the Rocks has a kids menu too, ranging from $2.95 – $7.95.

Plan

Book ahead and you can get discounted all day parking at various Darling Harbour locations with Wilson Parking’s Book A Bay.

All Darling Quarter public amenities have baby change facilities, and Cockle Bay Wharf has a parents’ room and baby change facility.

Enjoy!

Source: http://www.hashtagdarlingharbour.com/stress-free-family-day-less-100/

Need affordable accommodation near Darling Harbour?

Stay at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour and be conveniently located to all the major attractions in the article above.

Check out Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour's latest accommodation specials: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/new-south-wales/metro-apartments-on-darling-harbour/hot-deals/

Location: 132-136 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia (walking distance from Wynyard station)

Phone: 02 9199 - 2517

The fastest way to fitness: running

Photo: istock

Running is simply the best medicine, writes Clive Hopkins.

CITY2SURF EVENT GUIDE: www.city2surf.com.au

'Humans really are born to run," says Sydney-based personal trainer Mike Moore. "It's a very simple form of exercise - it's low cost, and you can do it anywhere, anytime."

Moore's clients range from complete novices, right up to the kind of elite athletes who will run The Sun-Herald City 2 Surf presented by Westpac in under an hour.

Moore believes that when people start running training, they notice an improvement in their fitness very quickly, more quickly than they would in other forms of exercise. "Your body already knows how to do it, which is the opposite of something like swimming."

And while there are techniques involved in running, it's not necessary to go down the technical path to get something from the activity.

For anyone taking up running for the first time, Moore advises getting some correct footwear (which doesn't have to cost $300), before setting achievable goals for yourself.

"I'm big on getting a sense of achievement from exercise. For the first time ever, this might just be running from one lamp post to the next lamp post."

The rule of thumb for those starting out is that you should be able to talk while jogging. "You should be comfortable, so that at the end of a run, you feel you could have done a bit more."

Even those who resist the idea of running can get a lot out of it.

Moore recalls one client saying to him, 'if you ever make me run, I'll leave'.

"She'd been made to run at school, and got no enjoyment out of it. Now, though, she's done several 10-kilometre races."

For Moore, one of the most striking benefits of running is the potential for weight loss. "I'll stick my neck out and say that, in my experience, if someone starts running two or three times a week, their body will change for the better."

Moore's reluctant runner client lost an incredible 20 kilograms, essentially, he believes, just from running.

"In contrast to something like cycling, running is a whole-body exercise that uses upper and lower body muscles," says Dr Rhonda Orr, senior lecturer in exercise and sports science at The University of Sydney.

"The changes [adaptations] brought about by aerobic exercise like running are very beneficial."

What lay people refer to as an increased fitness or aerobic capacity, health professionals refer to as an improved VO2 max score.

Orr says there are two components to VO2 max - an essential component to do with your heart, and a peripheral component to do with capillary (small blood vessel) density and mitochondria (the "energy storehouses" of the body), and associated enzyme action.

"If we look at the heart, running training over time will lead to a decrease in the resting heart rate, as well as a decrease in the sub-maximal heart rate for any activity," says Orr. "This is good adaptation.

"There is also an increase in the heart's 'stroke volume', that is, how much blood is ejected from the heart during every cardiac cycle. The heart is pumping more effectively, leading to improved circulation."

Aside from the benefits to the heart, running requires the whole body to work together in unison, to deliver more oxygen to the working muscle. Increased mitochondria and enzyme action leads to improved fat mobilisation.

"The increased capacity to transport fats leads to an improved fat utilisation during exercise," says Orr. "By doing this, you spare your glucose or your glycogen stores, which your body uses for short bursts of energy.
"When you train well, you're not only training your muscles and endurance - you're training your body to use optimal energy stores."

It's this better fat utilisation that can result in weight loss.

Running training can also lead to better blood glucose control.

"This is also good for our general health," says Orr.

"If we improve our glucose kinetics, we can help retard, not just the onset of type-2 diabetes, but potentially also the onset of metabolic syndrome. This is a cluster of conditions: high blood pressure, high glucose, high cholesterol, and excess body fat around the waist, which are all connected with cardio-vascular disease."

For those who already have type-2 diabetes, running is a good adjunct to their medication, and running can also help reduce blood pressure in mildly hypertensive patients.

Moore, though, believes that running is good for you in ways that go far beyond the physical. "I feel it's also a great benefit for mental health - something you can enjoy by being by yourself, or as part of a group.

"The great attraction of running is being able to do it anywhere, whether it's a city or the Sinai desert," he says.

"I've actually used running to explore New York City. You see people and places you wouldn't see if you were in a car, because you're amongst it."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/the-fastest-way-to-fitness-20140723-3cf2b.html

ISBI 2014 Pre-Congress Workshop Sydney

Theme: Caring for the Burn-Injured Patient – Beyond 48 Hours
Date: Sunday 12 October 2014
Location: Sydney Hilton (Room to be confirmed)
Time: 0900 – 1700
Fee: Registration is free and open to all members of the Burn Care Team (lunch and breaks provided)

Course Description

The course aims to provide fundamentals of burn care beyond the first 48 hours from injury and is intended for those who care for burn-injured patients in developing countries.

Course Format

Morning didactic sessions will provide the fundamental principles of burn care across the continuum of care for the multidisciplinary burn team.  Topics include nursing, rehabilitation, respiratory care, pain management, and nutrition.

Afternoon hands-on sessions will provide opportunities to demonstrate and practice splinting, patient positioning, dressing application, and mobility/exercise.  Participants may choose to attend any or all of these sessions.

Course Content:  The course is in the developmental stage and we welcome any suggestions for content that you feel should be included. Please contact Gretchen Carrougher (carrough@uw.edu); Michael Serghiou (mserghiou@shrinenet.org) or Elisabeth Greenfield (lizals@tgti.net).

Didactic Sessions:

1. Burn wound assessment across the care continuum
   a)  Assessment for size (extent) and depth of injury
   b)  Wound assessments: healing, donor sites, infection, contractures
2. Basic wound care principles and techniques
   a)  Wound healing processes
   b)  Excision and autografting
   c)  Basic wound care
   d)  Infection control practices
3. Scar  contracture prevention
4. Pain and anxiety management
5. Nutrition
6. Respiratory system
7. Scar management (pressure therapy, inserts, massage, modalities)
8. Patient and family education

Hands-on Sessions:

1. Practice assessment for TBSA calculations using Rule of Nines and Palmar method
2. Demonstrate correct positioning techniques for the recumbent and sitting patient to prevent  scar contracture formation, improve lung function, decrease dependent edema formation
3. Demonstrate and discuss splint fabrication  techniques in developing countries utilizing locally available materials
4. Demonstrate and discuss various pressure therapy techniques in developing countries (use of country available resources in maximizing scar management)
5. Discuss case studies (demonstrates application of learned knowledge)

View the Official ISBI 2014 Website

Metro Hotel on Pitt offers nearby Conference and Event Accommodation on Pitt St Sydney