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YOU can’t help but fall instantly in love with Sydney. After being cooped up on an achingly long flight from just about anywhere in the world, the city’s fresh sea air and wide open spaces feel especially good. Add the dazzling sunshine, free-spirited locals, and buzzing cafes and you may start to contemplate cashing in that return ticket.
One of the best views greets visitors banking high over Sydney on approach to Kingsford Smith airport. There’s the iconic iron ‘coat hanger’ – the widest and heaviest arch bridge ever built; the famous sails of the Opera House seemingly billowing in the sea breeze; surf foaming white against the sandstone coastal cliffs; and the diamond-flecked waterways running inland like varicose veins around sheltered coves and sophisticated residential enclaves. On then to our guide to the best Sydney business hotels for urbane pin-stripers, cosy boutique hotels, heritage digs, and yards of fun from beaches and bods to beer and bubbly.
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Sydney guide - first at the airport
Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport was opened in 1920 making it one of the oldest continuously operating airports in the world. A huge upgrade and expansion of the international and domestic terminals was completed prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The airport is situated at Botany Bay – where Captain Cook first landed in 1770 – just nine kilometres from the city centre. Due to this close proximity a passenger jet curfew is imposed daily from 11pm to 6am creating a high morning arrival peak of long-haul international airlines 7am-10am.
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| View from Four Seasons/ photo: hotel |
Swing by Downtown Duty Free on your way through customs where you may purchase up to 1,125ml of low-cost alcohol without having to declare. The Sydney Visitor Centre in the arrivals area provides free maps and information and can help you book discounted accommodation. There are also several foreign exchange counters, a Vodafone booth where you can rent pre-paid mobile phones, and sunny cafes selling good Aussie coffee.
Rail stations are accessible from the arrivals level of both international and domestic terminals. Airport Link trains run every 10 minutes or so, taking 15 minutes to the Central Business District (CBD). Alight at Central station for connections to the suburbs and further afield. Passengers can transfer between terminals for a cost of A$4.50. There are also direct bus services to Darling Harbour, King’s Cross and the city. Taxis from the airport to downtown cost approximately A$25.
Central Sydney offers many attractive accommodation options, the best of which involve funky refits of heritage-listed properties – from 19th-century state buildings to old warehouse jetties – and stunning harbour views. The hotels listed in this guide are located in three main areas: The CBD – convenient to businesses, museums, Darling Harbour and great shopping (check out the Strand Arcade for top Australian designers, the Queen Victoria Building, and David Jones department stores). The Rocks – site of Sydney’s first settlement in 1788, this area is close to the bridge, Opera House and Circular Quay and has a great Saturday market, pubs and souvenir stores. And the trendy eastern suburbs along Oxford Street, alive with charming Victorian terrace houses, antique stores, galleries, boutiques and bohemian cafes. Unless specified, all hotels offer regular conveniences, broadband Internet access and cable TV. So just pick your vibe and view.
Sydney heritage hotels and top-drawer dining
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| Sydney InterContinental/ photo: hotel |
On to our pick of Sydney business hotels, heritage hideaways and grand addresses. With the 1851 Treasury Building at its heart, the InterContinental Sydney combines the colonial pomp of sandstone arcades with a modern urban feel and facilities benefited from an A$30 million revamp in 2004. The airy rooms in smooth chocolate and cafe latte tones, come with high-speed Internet access, BOSE sound systems and cushioned window seats from where you can take in bird’s-eye views of the harbour, Botanic Gardens and Circular Quay. It’s well worth splashing out A$120 per couple for Executive Club privileges. The rooftop Club InterContinental Lounge is the epitome of corporate cool with 360-degree city views visible through glass walls, all-day refreshments, a library and outdoor timber deck. Don’t miss the high tea and historic ambience under the glass cupola of The Cortile in the lobby or an expertly-mixed lychee martini at the funky Mint Bar and Dining (mintbaranddining.com.au), where Sydney’s social set hang out on low-slung lounges basking in the glow of crystal curtains and chandeliers.
The Westin Sydney at No 1 Martin Place boasts an enviable location right in the heart of the city – indeed, the point from which all points in Sydney were originally measured. Sprouting from the old General Post Office, this crisp Sydney business hotel combines heritage and high-tech all within steps of the city’s best shopping. Most of the 416 guestrooms are in the 31-storey modern tower. These are comfortable, if not particularly memorable, furnished in neutral shades and pale woods with big bathrooms and Heavenly Beds. The rooms to get are the ones in the Heritage Wing, carved from the original three-floor building, with high ceilings, antique window fittings and fireplaces. The Heritage Long Suite even has the original GPO postmaster's writing desk. Add an extra A$60 for access to the Executive Lounge which offers complimentary continental breakfast and refreshments and free use of the Health Club next door (otherwise it’s an exorbitant A$20 per visit). The light-filled atrium formed from the 1874 colonnaded façade is home to one-hat restaurant Mosaic. Well-known Post and Prime restaurants are located in the basement, along with a sushi train, oyster bar, cellar and cheese room. Westin Sydney recently became a smoke-free hotel.
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| Blue, on the wharf/ photo: hotel |
Originally a W Hotel and now owned by top-drawer Indian chain Taj, Blue is about as ‘Sydney’ as it gets – jutting right into Sydney Harbour. The heritage-listed Wooloomooloo finger wharf by the navy docks has been converted into a luxury marina, apartment complex, and ultra-contemporary design hotel with low lighting and glass walkways. A range of different rooms – from Rafter Rooms to Ultra Lofts – are decked out in clean lines and hues of muted taupe and electric blue, with lush touches like coffee plungers and cordless phones. We love the Loft Rooms, split-level apartments with a king-size bed and en suite overlooking the lounge and work area. The Water Bar, in the cavernous lobby, is a favourite Sydney drinking venue – just made even better with an updated design by Cate Young featuring sexy silver banquets and Swarovski crystal curtains. Beware the killer cocktails. This is a Sydney heritage hotel with class.
A clutch of top restaurants (including Aki’s and Otto) line the wharf outside. Or better still, join the sailors, soaks and society-types at the window of Harry’s Café de Wheels which has been parked by the dock and serving up the world’s best pie and mushy peas since 1945. For lunch, duck up toward King’s Cross to popular diner Fratelli Paradiso (12-16 Challis Ave, Potts Point, Tel: 9357-1744), which has a daily blackboard menu written in Italian and brooding Roman waiters. Around the corner, funky cafe Yellow (57 Macleay St, Potts Point, Tel: 9357-3400) serves gourmet homemade salads, sandwiches and pastries to go, as well as a short but serious menu of excellent mod Oz dishes and desserts.
Designed from the heritage canvas of the 1890 George Patterson House opposite the Australian Stock Exchange, Sydney boutique hotel The Establishment is one of the city’s most happening locales, incorporating 33 guestrooms and two penthouse suites, along with several dining, drinking and dancing outlets. Choose your room’s colour scheme – dark and sleek, or milky white with soft accents. All come with DVD, CD and large screen TVs, pure cotton bed linens, limestone bathrooms and BVLGARI amenities. Guests get keycard access from the private alley entrance.
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| The Grace Hotel/ photo: hotel |
Peter Doyle’s Est. on the first floor serves three-hat modern Australian cuisine in an elegant creamy dining room majestically lined with cast iron columns and chandeliers. The ground-floor saloon sees cool corporate types propping up the 42 metre-long marble bar, while exotic Moroccan-inspired Hemmesphere cocktail lounge and Tank nightclub both kick on late.
The Grace Hotel building was designed to be the jewel in the crown of the Grace Bros retail empire, and the impressive art deco property – regarded as one of Australia’s best examples of pre-war architecture – has been sensitively, if modestly, refurbished into a four-star Sydney heritage hotel. You can feel the history. When opened in 1930, the Grace was considered the city’s most modern office block, with carpets, radiators and high-speed lifts. It was later requisitioned during the second world war for use as allied headquarters, at which time an air raid shelter was installed in the basement. The original art deco light fittings, main door, pressed metal awnings, terrazzo floors and stained glass GB insignias are all beautifully preserved. The simple, modern rooms are done in earthy tones and come equipped with broadband Internet. The Grace is a popular conference venue and leisure travellers can often score good deals on weekends. It’s also well placed to city shopping, King Street Wharf and Darling Harbour.
Down at the Rocks, in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, another Federation-era wharf warehouse has been converted into a contemporary-chic retreat. The Sebel Pier One’s waterside setting, unique design features and competitive rates make this a great choice (for non-smokers that is – this is a 100 per cent smoke-free hotel). A stylish nautical theme runs throughout the property, incorporating many of the original heritage fixtures like exposed wooden beams, iron hooks and pulleys once used to haul freight from ships. The Walsh Bay Suites are particularly pleasant, with navy day beds and a telescope looking out over the bay. There’s also broadband Internet in rooms, Wireless in the lobby and a pier-side pontoon allowing you to rock up in a water taxi or private boat.
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| The Russell Hotel/ photo: hotel |
With its 1887 ancestry intact and proudly evident in the antique bedroom headboards and pine dressers, The Russell Hotel in the heart of the Rocks has a charming, homey atmosphere and rooftop garden looking out to Circular Quay – all at budget prices. Sir Stamford at Circular Quay is a highly regarded Sydney heritage hotel with a hoary pedigree, generous servings of Louis XV furniture and Georgian bric-a-brac, and a splendid location right next to the Botanical Gardens and the Opera House.
More Sydney business hotels and luxury digs
Located right opposite the Queen Victoria Building in the heart of the CBD, the Hilton Sydney benefited from a three-year, A$200 million reconstruction in 2005, making it one of the most modern and centrally located Sydney business hotels. The Hilton has 577 rooms, including 31 ‘Relaxation Rooms’ offering three distinct zones – an open ‘bath zone’ with a hydra-spa tub, wall mounted LCD TV screen, body-jet shower and holistic relaxation kit; a ‘work zone’ equipped with glass desk, adjustable lighting, and colour touch screen IP telephony; and a ‘relaxation zone’ with comfy bedding, chaise lounges, flat-screen plasma TV and library of books and DVDs. High speed Broadband Internet can be accessed throughout the hotel, and the health club, across an entire floor, offers the trendy resistance-based training system, Kinesis.
Helping to drive the buzz at the Hilton is its drinking and dining scene. The 1893 Marble Bar – which was hermetically sealed throughout the renovations and has been declared a national monument for its stained glass doors and ceilings, carved mahogany bars and 14 Julian Ashton paintings– has been joined by two new Sydney landmarks. Glass is an antipodean answer to a classic French brasserie. Named after the dazzling floor-to-ceiling glass panes framing the neoclassical façade of the Queen Victoria Building across the street, the restaurant features a 30-metre wine wall, crustacean bar, and Luke Mangan’s award-winning cuisine. Sexy Zeta Bar on the fourth floor is all sleek oak woods, leather ottomans and curtained enclaves with a fabulous alfresco terrace. Be prepared to queue on weekends.
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| Sydney Hilton/ photo: hotel |
Just around the corner is the Swissotel Sydney. This elegant Sydney business hotel, which begins on the eighth floor, feels worlds away from windswept Market Street below. The 359 rooms are tastefully subdued with high-speed Internet access, ergonomically designed workstations and Yukata Japanese robes. Special Kid’s Rooms come equipped with child-size desks, fun bed linen, toys and a select DVD menu. There is also a heated outdoor swimming pool, well-equipped fitness centre and Amrita Spa. Shopping paradise – the Queen Victoria Building, Pitt Street Mall and Strand Arcade – is right at your doorstep.
Once a celebrity magnet, the iconic Sofitel Wentworth Sydney near Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens has received a much-needed makeover since being acquired by the Sofitel group. The hotel is now attracting a new generation of luxury travellers with classy Club Sofitel facilities, patisserie master Mark Stone’s elegant Lenotre afternoon teas, and a revamped Garden Court restaurant featuring sophisticated French fare by Jess Ong. Guests also get access to the adjacent Elix’r health club and Lattouf Aveda Day Spa.
The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney enjoys a convenient location within walking distance to the Rocks, Museum of Contemporary Art, Opera House, and business district. The 25-year-old property (formerly a Regent) underwent an upgrade prior to the 2000 Olympics. The grandiose cantilevered atrium is impressive, however the large rooms come across tired and uninspired. There’s a big, outdoor pool and spa and great harbour and city views, but this Four Seasons generally fails to live up to the brand’s reputation.
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| Shangri-La Hotel Sydney/ photo: hotel |
Asian luxury hotel giant Shangri-La Hotel Sydney made an impressive entrance into Australia in 2005 with an A$37 million top-to-toe makeover of the old ANA. The 36-storey Shangri-La Sydney features the brand’s trademark elegance, efficient service and excellent F&B selection. It also reflects its antipodean environment with tones of earthy brown, cream and eucalyptus green, and a fresh, contemporary air.
Situated in The Rocks district, looking down the tongue of the bridge, there are harbour views from all 593 rooms, big marble bathrooms stocked with Aigner products, high speed broadband and a safe the size of a bar fridge. Blu Horizon Bar, a sophisticated cocktail lounge on the top floor, is a destination in itself. Here, a sparkling crowd is outshone by the sparkling city views from five-metre floor-to-ceiling windows. Mark this Sydney business hotel in your diary.
The fabulously flowery five-star Observatory Hotel down by the water in the Rocks is from the Orient Express stable. A favourite of visiting celebs, the Victorian-style guestrooms feature wood-panelled walls, tapestry curtains and marble bathrooms. Mod cons like stereo TV, CD, DVD and high speed Broadband are tucked away in polished mahogany armoires. Standards of service are exemplary throughout, and the day spa – one of Sydney’s first five-star hotel spas when it opened in 1993 – is still one of its best, with an excellent selection of treatments using La Prairie and Dermalogica products. The heated subterranean pool has a galaxy of twinkling lights overhead – a continuation of the stargazing theme that runs throughout the hotel. Hardcore stargazers can name their very own star at the nearby Sydney Observatory.
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| Observatory pool/ photo: hotel |
The low-rise sandstone Park Hyatt elegantly blends into the historic Rocks area and offers a sanctuary of privacy and refinement for those who can afford the city’s most expensive lodging. Right on the foreshore, opposite the Opera House, all hotel guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling harbour views, many with private balconies over the water. Get an Opera Room for direct views across to the Opera House from your bed. Decorated in French navy, stainless steel and creamy leathers, the 158 spacious rooms also come with king-size tubs and rain showers, high speed Internet and 24-hour butler service. This Sydney luxury hotel offers a rooftop pool and garden, a branch of the exclusive Iluka Spa by Australian organic skincare specialists Jurlique, and pierside mod Oz dining at harbourkitchen&bar. Excellent, stylish digs.
Sporting the tagline “hotels with personality”, Vibe Hotels has three colourful Sydney locations – the CBD, North Sydney and the eastern harbourside suburb of Rushcutters Bay. The hotels appeal to a younger corporate clientele with bright, modern decor, Vibe Out areas, mood CDs and a myspace page. Each hotel is equipped with full conference and event facilities. The Sydney Marriott Hotel is a brisk business hotel with high-speed Internet access, large rooms with microwave oven and toaster and a downtown location near Hyde Park. Sister hotel the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel is also centrally located within walking distance of The Rocks and Circular Quay.
The popular 557-room Sheraton on the Park has been a favoured choice of executive travellers for years. Directly fronting the soothing green expanse of Hyde Park, the hotel offers a pool and spa, a smart executive club and extensive conference facilities making this a strong Sydney conference hotel choice. Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour, is a large affair, close by shops and entertainment venues.
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| Park Hyatt view/ photo: hotel |
The Accor stable of mid-priced business hotels has a strong presence in Sydney – set to become even stronger in 2008. Aside from the top-end Sofitel Wentworth, there are five Novotels including two in Darling Harbour and one in the beachside hamlet of Manly, the Grand Mercure Apartments One Darling Harbour, and four-star The Menzies Hotel overlooking Wynyard Park, hailing distance from The Rocks. Accor will also launch its new five-star Pullman brand in Australia with the Pullman Sydney Olympic Park that opens late 2008. A new-build Ibis at trendy King Street Wharf is set to follow shortly after. At the other end of Darling Harbour, the heritage-listed Holiday Inn Darling Harbour is a short stroll from the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the monorail, light rail, ferries, and buses all close at hand.
A clutch of Sydney boutique hotels
The Medusa transformed a two-storey Victorian terrace into a boutique hacienda with 18 quirky rooms around a peaceful internal courtyard. Painted a provocative shade of fuchsia and furnished with style and humour, this well-priced glamour-pad attracts advertising, film, fashion and design buffs, with nice touches like fresh flowers, Aveda amenities and Lindt chocolates. The Business Room with iMac computer, high-speed Internet access, colour printer, ensuite and kitchenette, can be hired on an hourly or daily basis.
A short walk from infamous Oxford Street, the neighbourhood is chock full of alternate cafes, bars, boutiques and bookshops. Don’t miss Stephen Hodges’ Fish Face (132 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, Tel: 9332-4803) where “it’s all about fish – how it’s caught, killed, stored (in a specially designed refrigerator) and cooked”. Expect to queue at this minnow-sized restaurant with an open kitchen and cocktail style seating on tall bar stools. A good plan is to leave your mobile number at the door, go for a beer down the road at smoky Darlo Bar and the staff will ring when a table is free. It’s worth the wait for the simply sensational tuna carpaccio or more traditional beer battered fish and chips served in a tall paper cone.
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| Boutique Diamant/ photo: hotel |
Tune in to your inner rock star at Sydney’s most exclusive property. The one-suite Moog Hotel in Surry Hills features a two-storey apartment with WiFi throughout, alongside a fully-equipped digital recording studio, private gym and heated pool with a DVD projector and underwater speakers. No children allowed; pets can stay upon request. Out front, the tiny, lipstick-red Emmilou (Tel: 9360-6991) is equally out there, serving esoteric tapas and wines. And don’t leave Surry Hills without stopping in to Billy Kwong (3/355 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Tel: 9332-3300) for celebrity chef Kylie Kwong’s special brand of modern Chinese cooking using organic produce, like the signature crisp-skinned duck with fresh blood orange sauce.
Situated in the quirky heart of Darlinghurst, The Kirketon is a popular choice for its designer touches, reasonable rates and friendly vibe. Its 40 rooms come with bright blue or red Irish goat hair carpets, Dedece cane chairs, mohair throws and Aveda toiletries. A 2008 renovation will add plasma screens and iPod docks. The lobby bar is a great place to begin your Sydney orientation. The adjoining restaurant has been through several management changes – but you’ll hardly go hungry in this area. Or take a short taxi ride to Bistro Moncur (corner Queen St and Moncur St, Woollahra, Tel: 9363-2519), attached to the Woollahra Hotel, for Damien Pignolet’s memorable French onion soup, pure pork sausages or blue swimmer omelettes.
The Kirketon’s flashier sibling The Diamant opened just down the road, bordering infamous Kings Cross, at the end of 2007. Billed as the first contemporary boutique hotel to open in Sydney in a decade, its 77 rooms feature sleek lines and chocolaty tones along with all the latest mod cons, like 42-inch Internet-enabled flat screen TVs, iPod docks, and meltingly good beds. Second-floor rooms are the ones to get – with big walled terraces and cane outdoor lounges. The Diamant scores particularly well on the style to price ratio.
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| Four Seasons room/ photo: hotel |
Budget boutique Pensione down near Central Station and Chinatown, is a simple but beautifully maintained residence that was the King George Hotel way back in 1872. The Gothic Victorian architecture, plaster detailing and carved wooden staircase exist alongside a funky mint-green common room with kitchen, cane lounges, lockers and a couple of internet stations (no connection in rooms). Skinny corridors with polished wooden floorboards and carpet runners join 68 spotless single, double and family rooms for up to six people. Despite the reasonable price tag, all rooms come with mosaic-tiled ensuites, air-conditioning and cable TV. Behind the Pensione, the heart of Chinatown is a foodie’s Mecca. Two of the best options are the 20-year-old brusque but bustling Golden Century (393-399 Sussex St, Haymarket, Tel: 9212-3901), and Marigold Citymark for great yum cha (4-5/F, 683-689 George St, Haymarket, Tel: 9281-3388).
Sydney fun guide and shopping
The old warehouses of suburban Waterloo have become ‘industrial-chic’ and are home to art galleries, antique traders, cool cafes and one of the city’s best providores, Fratelli Fresh (7 Danks St, Waterloo, Tel: [61-2] 9699-3174). This produce heaven sells crusty slabs of sourdough, cheeses, homemade jams and the freshest organic fruit and vegetables. At Cafe Sopra – Italian for upstairs – chef Andy Bunn uses whatever is ripe and fabulous straight from the market shelves. Check the enormous blackboard menu for such delights as fresh oxheart tomatoes with aged balsamic and baby basil, and zucchini flowers stuffed with five Italian cheeses. This is a great spot to breakfast and stock up on picnic supplies for the day ahead.
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| Sir Stamford's plush interiors/ photo: hotel |
When the weather is fine – as it invariably is in Sydney – there is no better way to spend the day than by the harbour. Start at Coogee Beach with a Massage by the Sea (www.massagebythesea.com.au). Established in 1907 when Sydneysiders preferred to bathe in natural rock pools and sun themselves in deck chairs, Wylie’s Baths is the city’s only remaining turn-of-the-century bathing facility and is now listed by the National Trust. Soak in the history and salty sea air while enjoying a remedial massage by qualified therapists.
Set off from Coogee on a six-kilometre urban hike along the eastern suburbs shoreline. The paved cliff track passes sheltered beaches, aboriginal rock carvings, and Waverly Cemetery where many famous Australians are buried on prime real estate overlooking the ocean. For more Sydney fun and a munch, end up at Bondi just in time for lunch. Sydney icon Icebergs is located high on the cliffs and boasts knockout views of Australia’s most famous strip of sand. If you can peel your eyes away from the Pacific breakers and bronzed bods below, the views inside the long dining room can be just as glamorous. International celebrities can often be spotted enjoying the mod-Italian fare, like the signature salt-crusted rib eye with horseradish and lemon. (1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach, Tel: 9365-9000, www.idrb.com).
Get a unique perspective of the harbour from atop its most famous landmark, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. BridgeClimb (www.bridgeclimb.com) takes adventurous sightseers along secure walkways and up a few challenging ladders to the crest of the iron coat hanger, attached all the while to safety cables. Return to earth and toast your achievement with a ginger and saffron daiquiri at King Street Wharf. Lounge-style waterside cocktail bar, The Loft is an ideal spot to watch the blush blaze of sunset over Darling Harbour. (3 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Tel: 9299-4770).
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| Budget boutique Pensione/ photo: hotel |
Any Sydney shopping binge should start at the Paddington end of Oxford Street for the run of top Australian designers – like Collette Dinnigan, Allannah Hill, Scanlan and Theodore and Wayne Cooper – with plenty of good cafe stops along the way.
Pick up the odd vintage bargain at the Saturday Paddington flea market or try the Rocks market for trendy souvenirs, arts and crafts.
There are more fabulous boutiques as well as an antique jewellers and a great akubra hat shop in the Victorian-era Strand Arcade (www.strandarcade.com.au) on Pitt Street.
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