With an average annual household income of $266,381, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) lists Double Bay as Australia’s highest-earning postcode. It truly lives up to its “Double Bay, Double Pay” moniker.
Known around the country as the land of the $8 latte and the $16 sourdough loaf, I was on a mission to discover what life’s like in the bubble among Sydney’s rich and famous. Would I find a bottle of wine for less than $80? Can you drink the tap water? My plan to spend a weekend amongst the top-earning individuals in the country had to start at the most luxurious hotel—InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
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Now, I can’t afford to spend two minutes in this town on my own, so I’ll give a special shoutout to IHG Hotels, who invited us to attend a game of The Bledisloe Cup between the Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks (how private school of me). They’ve come on board as one of the team’s major sponsors, and to ease the impending loss, they kindly put me in the same hotel as the Kiwis and offered two nights of accommodation in a King Classic room at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay—thanks!
There was no private Rolls-Royce transfer to Olympic Park for the game, but I survived.
With rooms that start from around AUD$800 per night and suites that cost upwards of AUD$2,000 per night, this is the place you want to stay to fully immerse yourself in the life of the rich and famous in Double Bay. However, before I tell you about my ‘money can’t buy experience’ at the game and my AUD$1,000 per night room, let’s eat.
The choice for dinner on the first night was ‘Next Door’ by Neil Perry, which is literally next door to his famous ‘Margaret’ restaurant. It’s a step down in price from Margaret and features a 12-hour lunch-to-dinner menu filled with seafood-led entrees, delicious Italian-inspired mains, and a few of his famous Aussie classics. None of which were more important to us on the night than the famous Perry hamburger ($25).
This is one of Sydney’s best burgers. The star is the 160-gram CopperTree Farm beef patty, which is squashed (not smashed) for a crunchy, caramelised exterior that keeps the inside of the patty juicy. It’s paired with a side of lettuce and tomato, which lets you choose your adventure alongside rose mayo, onion, and pickles.
What better way to start my weekend in Double Bay than with a $25 burger? Thankfully, it more than lived up to expectations.
Back at the hotel for the night, I could experience the King Classic Balcony Bayside room. Priced from around $1,100 per night (depending on dates), this 140-room hotel is one of the nicer places I’ve stayed in Sydney and comes with a list of standard features as long as my arm. Here are some highlights:
- 35 SqM Room
- Large TV with Foxtel Business IQ TV
- iPad
- Separate Bath
- Walk in Shower
- Daybed
- Pet Friendly
I’ve heard the rooftop is meant to be particularly picturesque, with an infinity pool, private bar, and lounge area. Still, with a bay view room and limited time at the hotel, I never felt the need to indulge myself.
I’m an absolute fiend for a hotel buffet breakfast, and InterContinental Double Bay might have one of the best in Sydney. There’s barista-made coffee to order, fresh croissants, a DIY juice station, and you can even order an omelette on the house. If it’s not on the menu at breakfast, it’s probably not worth eating.
We quickly rolled ourselves out of the buffet on Saturday because we had a game to attend, and Sydney Olympic Park is not close to Double Bay. I was going to leave the bubble!
The Wallabies were facing the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup. IHG hooked us up to experience one of their coveted Bledisloe Cup packages available to those on the IHG One Rewards Access platform.
Typically, these packages sell out within minutes as you can bid for them with points accumulated, but this time, we had special access. The top tier included the following experiences:
- 2x Category A Tickets to the Bledisloe Cup at Sydney Olympic Park
- Exclusive pre-game Field of Play experience for two
- 2x Wallabies scarves to wear on match day
- A two-night stay for two guests at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, including:
- Daily breakfast for two
- Complimentary welcome drink for two at The Bar
I wasn’t expecting a win, but I also wasn’t expecting a close game. The All Blacks won 31-28 against the Wallabies, and besides the game, which ended up being surprisingly exciting, the highlight was the pre-game Field of Play experience, where we got to watch the team warm up. You can see some photos I took from the experience above.
We made it back to the bubble. Now, the task was to find another restaurant in Double Bay that didn’t break the bank. Having spent a fair amount of time here, I believe the best value-for-money spot is Arte Bianca.
It’s a pizza restaurant with some of the best wood-fired pizzas I’ve had in Sydney, but they also serve plenty of house-made pasta so that you can carb-load like a footy player. Start with some Arancini Mushrooms, House-Baked Bread, and Antipasto Burrata before some mains. I highly recommend the Hot Salami with truffle honey and the Pappardelle Lamb Ragu, which always hits the spot with slow-cooked goodness.
Finally, in true Double Bay style, we sat there and people-watched for a good hour and a half. It was a chance to think about some of Double Bay’s biggest myths and whether or not they’re true. Here are three that we wanted to address:
- It’s only for the ultra-wealthy: This is not true. While you can spend a million dollars on dinner at a fancy restaurant, there are plenty of places for normal people to eat. You just have to know where to look, and with the cost of living putting pressure on everyone, even Neil Perry has opened a fairly priced restaurant to accommodate most budgets.
- It’s inaccessible and exclusive: This is not true. You can visit Double Bay from all parts of Sydney to enjoy the great breakfast spots, the shopping destinations, and the top-tier vibe.
- It’s a retirement village for the elderly: This is partly true. With a relaxed atmosphere and village feel, an older, retired community lives here. However, we also loved watching the footy on the TV at the Royal Oak Hotel on Friday night, and this was far from a retirement village.
Still, one of the highlights of the weekend was the person who couldn’t find a parking spot in their Lamborghini Huracan STO and ended up parking halfway in the ‘Mail Zone’ and the middle of the street. Ahh, Double Day never change.
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