A quick break in Sydney

There was a communal sigh of relief when we unlocked our apartment at BreakFree On George, in Sydney's CBD.
Our day had started early at Auckland Airport and by the time we had crossed the ditch - lugging clothes and enough duty free shopping to keep three girls on holiday for a week in Sydney content - we were very tired.
BreakFree On George was easy to find, on George St in the middle of Chinatown - and conveniently located for visitors wanting to use the various forms of efficiently run public transport.
When we entered our spacious two-bedroom apartment on the 17th floor, we ditched the bags and checked out the view overlooking Paddy's Markets and across to Star City Casino.
Suddenly, we got our second wind and it was time to explore the beautiful city.
We started with looking for something to eat - beautiful cooking aromas spilled out on to the street as we wandered through Chinatown, so we settled on a Thai restaurant where we fuelled up for the day. We chose to have a look at some shops - so checked out Paddy's Markets - just two minutes over the road from BreakFree on George. If designer boutiques are more your thing, then Pitt St and the Queen Victoria Building are in close proximity.
Sydney Entertainment Centre is only two minutes' walk, while Darling Harbour, Circular Quay Star City Casino, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre are only five minutes' stroll from the hotel.
When we got back to the hotel after a day of shopping and taking in the sights, we relaxed on the balcony with a cold drink before deciding whether to cook in the kitchenette, eat at the Shanghai Tang Restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel or venture further afield to the host of bars, clubs and eateries surrounding the apartment.
My two friends had drawn the short straw at bedtime, and took the room with two single beds, while I felt like a queen in my double bed with en suite, which had a bath.
Waking up refreshed, I enjoyed a coffee on the balcony - an ideal spot to watch the city get moving again.
BreakFree on George was a little sanctuary in the middle of a busy city - a place to escape to when you needed to, and close enough to the hustle and bustle when you felt like joining in.
It is only a 35-minute drive to Sydney's domestic and international
airports, and the modern hotel offers ideal accommodation for both business and leisure travellers.
We enjoyed staying in an air-conditioned apartment.
BreakFree on George has 160 studios, plus one bedroom apartments, all with high-speed broadband access, pay-to-view movies and selected Foxtel channels. There is also the convenience of an onsite restaurant, open seven days from 7am until 10pm serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It features a 24-hour reception, a foreign exchange desk, daily housekeeping, same-day laundry service, baby-sitting service and has facilities for the disabled.
BreakFree on George rates: All rates are in A$UD and are per room, per night: studio apartment from $191; one-bedroom apartment from $226; open-plan two-bedroom apartment From $261; open-plan two-bedroom / two-bathroom from $281; two-bedroom apartment from $356.
Michelle stayed in Sydney courtesy of the BreakFree on George. www.breakfree.com.au/on-george