Like you, we’re just girls who crave a Sydney trip every now and again with plenty of shopping and good food. While 48 hours always fly by in the company of new experiences (and most of the time, better weather), if you’re unsure where to start in your bid to get the girls together, or if you just need some recommendations from like-minded girls, we’ve got you. From where to stay, eat and shop, we had the perfect weekend away and now we’re sharing it with you.

STAY

The agenda was simple: find the perfect base for both CBD activities and Eastern suburb restaurants, so naturally, we stayed at Ovolo Woolloomooloo. Bringing the cosiness this winter, we chose the Hygge Package. Pronounced ‘Hue-guh’, it is a Danish practice of creating a calm, comfortable time with loved ones. Translating to accommodation, it included 20% off a min two-night stay, chic black fleecy slippers, 10% off purchases from Booktopia, and a free round of winter cocktails during their Social Hour. In true girls’ trip style, slippers and robes were on while we got ready for dinner and you bet we made use of the happy hour deal. Plus, we never had to take an Uber ride longer than 10 minutes, so it was a win-win situation.

EAT

While we direct majority of our attention to Canberra’s foodie scene, we still keep an eye out for what’s happening in Sydney in terms of new openings, the hottest restaurants and neighbourhood gems.

The sort of ‘if you know, you know’ kind of hole-in-the-wall, we went to South Dowling Sandwiches. We’re told it is a local institution, known for its unique sandwich combinations with one particular ingredient you wouldn’t normally expect – caramelised carrots. Going for the signature, we tried ‘The Jimmy’ – a fully loaded sandwich with chilli chicken, avo, cucumber, Spanish onion, lettuce, rocket, caramelised carrots and red pesto. A grab-and-go kind of vibe, while there might be a line out the door, the team are on it, and you can expect to walk away with this delicious goodie in no time.

A new venue that hasn’t flown quite so under the radar is Kuki. Popping up on our TikTok and Instagram, they specialise in a super sweet pairing – cookies and soft serves. With a really hard decision between six signature cookies, enjoy it alone or go all out and get it warmed up with vanilla or Earl Grey soft serve and finished off with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Trust us it is as good as it looks.

While there always seems to be a continuous line of new restaurants we add to our Sydney hit list, a newbie that opened earlier in the year really caught our eye for its unique fusion. Warm, bright and casual, the two-storey Surry Hills restaurant Ito combines Italian and Japanese cuisine and makes it effortlessly cool. From the signature Karai Margarita that uses iconic flavours of yuzu and Campari to prawn and scallop ravioli with Hotaru ika and tobiko, both cuisines are finessed in a refined and elegant way, and the result is delicious. A place you’ll want to sip on cocktails all night with your girlfriends, our only regret was that we were only two people and weren’t able to try more.

Also jumping on the strawberry matcha trend (duh), we ended our Sydney foodie experience at the iconic Bondi café, Harry’s for brekky. On a sunny Sunday, the vibes are pumping, with rounds of prawn omelettes, tempura prawn tacos and salmon bagels making the rounds. While you can order their signature iced matcha, with strawberry or mango coulis, order it on your way out and receive it signed and sealed in a can to take on a mid-morning beach walk.

SHOP

For our vintage girlies, we always find time to go to Sydney’s Glebe Markets in search of pre-loved gems for irresistible prices. Open every Saturday from 10am-4pm, there is a diverse mix of stalls from vintage clothing, local fashion designers, hand-made jewellery, crafts by local artisans, live music and international foods. There for the clothes, we wandered through the stalls and visited other like-minded fashion-lovers who are parting with pre-loved pieces. In winter we found heaps of authentic leather jackets, denim and quality coats. Plus, if you search hard enough, there is always a designer piece or two.

If you haven’t quite mastered the art of second-hand shopping, strolling through the beautiful boutique shops of Paddington is always a good idea. From Aje, Maison Essentiele, Sarah & Sebastian, and St Agni, it’s hard not to go a little crazy when we don’t have this kind of shopping in Canberra. However, what brought us to the area this time around was the new Henne store. Opening the weekend prior, the hype was still very much alive, with a line out the door and girls waiting patiently to try on the elevated basics. Operating as a showroom, we picked the pieces we wanted to try on and then they were added under our name and placed in the change room for us once we finished browsing.

For more weekend trip ideas from Canberra, visit our travel section.