Who wouldn’t want to spend time in a city that is known as the sunniest capital in the world and that has a cool sea breeze blowing ashore during the afternoon? I certainly would, and since we’re talking about Perth, Australia, we’re talking about a city I have always wanted to see anyway. I was in New Zealand for a worldwide work conference when suddenly, an opportunity arose for me to go to Perth for 24 hours. The only challenge aside from containing my excitement long enough to think clearly was that I had to find a hotel room in Perth in minutes or I would lose my spot. I’ve never been a fan of booking last-minute hotel rooms for a lot of reasons, but for this I was willing to see if I could figure something out. I didn’t really know where to start, but I figured that there would be an app out there that could at least get me started.
I was totally wrong about that. I found an app called HotelTonight that not only helped get me started, but it also got me set up within a couple of minutes. I opened HotelTonight and searched for Perth hotels, and I was impressed not only by the quantity but also the quality of the choices available. I chose one and booked it in a few swipes. It was fantastic – no hassle, no stress and no time-wasting steps – I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I was going to Perth for a 24-hour adventure. All I had to do now was grab my things and of course put together a list of areas in Perth that I would visit so I could leave feeling like I had gotten to know it a bit.
I like to start learning about a new city in the middle of it, so City Center in Perth made a lot of sense as a starting point. This is a part of town where the modern seems to meet the past. There are buildings from the 19th Century here mixed directly in with buildings that seem barely weeks old. I walked through town and found a path along the Swan River near King’s Park – which is actually bigger than Central Park – and took in breathtaking views of the city’s skyline and surrounding landscape. It was a different kind of downtown from what I had seen in the past, but it was very interesting.
My next stop was just north of City Center, in a place called Northbridge. This seemed to me to be the part of town where a lot of the nightlife happened. I wasn’t interested in that, but was interested in the culture that was also found in Northbridge. I walked through a museum and an art gallery, both of which were extremely entertaining, before I realized that I could use a bit of an energy boost. I asked around and was pointed in the direction of a local cafe just around the corner. I sat and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and small treat while watching the people walk through their days. It was the perfect break in an already-fantastic day.
Subiaco was on the other side of King’s Park, and it was a bit different in vibe from the first two neighborhoods I had visited that day. There is more of a suburban feel to Subiaco than I had seen at that point in the day, but there were still a lot of things happening here. You could choose from any number of pubs, markets and art galleries in which to spend time. I wanted to know more about Subiaco’s restaurants, as it was the middle of the day and I was hungry. I was told that I should try a Greek place nearby, which sounded good. I did so and had a great lunch. It was time to move into my afternoon.
I took a short train ride to my next stop in Fremantle, and I was glad I did so as soon as I got out of my seat. There are certain things that seem familiar no matter where you are in the world, and Fremantle has that quality going for it. That’s because this was formerly a warehouse district that got restored relatively recently, and now it had the look of a classic port village. It also had some nice stores, which was great because I needed to get some things for the people in my life. I got that done and started to think about dinner.
I ended my day in Cottesloe and more specifically at Cottesloe Beach. Perth is known for its beaches, so I wanted to spend some time there. I did, and it was a beautiful beach that seemed to attract locals. I was also hungry again from all the walking, so I asked about a local restaurant. People all told me about a seafood place at the mouth of the river that was always great. I found it, ordered my dinner and realized that they were right as soon as it arrived. It was wonderful.
It was time to make my way back to my hotel. That was too bad as I was having a blast, but I was also ready to get some sleep. I looked forward to my comfortable hotel room that I had found with the help of HotelTonight. In fact, without this powerful app helping me find a hotel room in Perth so quickly, I may never have gotten here in the first place. I would definitely travel with HotelTonight in the future.
