Count the ways to take in
one of the best views in
town: from a cosy private window
seat, a chair at the bar, or a table
at Altitude Restaurant.
Ask the concierge to book a
table at one of Barangaroo’s
new spots (Cirrus, perhaps) and head
out to explore Sydney’s new style of
waterside dining.
From 6am daily, Café
Mix on level one serves
a globetrotting bufet breakfast
($42, $32 Continental) with eggs
to order, congee with condiments,
and all bases covered in between.
You’ll need a drink to steady
the senses at Blu Bar, where
sensational views come with inventive
house cocktails such as The Devil,
a startling blue concoction of
Belvedere, coconut syrup, lychee
juice and blue Curaçao. Minibars are
elevated by the presence of pre-mixed
cocktails from The Everleigh Bottling
Co; dial up for garnishes and ice, and
enjoy a Martini high above The Rocks.
WHERECBD.COST
From $295, without
breakfast.AT A GLANCE
565 rooms and suites,
adjoining rooms; bar,
restaurant, cafés, pool,
day spa, health centre,
sauna, paid valet
parking.IN ROOMFree
WiFi, bath, some cofee
machines, pillow menu,
L’Occitane toiletries.
BEST BEDSThe Royal
Suite captures harbour
panoramas fit for a
princess, particularly
one who also fancies
playing the grand piano.SHANGRI-LA SYDNEY
It’s a front-row seat to Sydney’s sparkling harbour at
Shangri-La Sydney, whether from a window seat in your
room or a velvet couch at Blu Bar on 36. Harbour vistas
are viewed from serene, uncommonly spacious rooms
finished in light timbers and neutral tones, with marble
bathrooms equipped with a tub and speakers. There’s
even deeper relaxation in store on the second floor, which
houses a modest indoor pool and a day spa. The carpet
patterning and splashes of glitzy gold seem a little dated.
The staf, however, are polished and en pointe; chief
concierge Colin Toomey is one of the best in the business
and sets the tone for exemplary service at this venerable
Sydney address.176 Cumberland St, The Rocks,
(02) 9250 6000, shangri-la.com/sydney
SydneyPremier Grand Harbour
View Room.Sheraton Club
Lounge.The rooftop health retreat is a
city oasis of glass-roofed pool
and hot tub, day spa, big gym, steam
room and sauna, but the standout
feature is the sun terrace with a
quintessential Sydney outlook across
parkland to sparkling blue harbour.
Weary guests will give thanks
for the small mercy of a single
bedside master switch that shuts of
all the lights at the press of a finger.
Breakfast, served in the
light and bright Feast
restaurant, is the full five-star afair
($44, $38 Continental). Highlights
include prosciutto freshly sliced of
the bone, granola ice-cream, and egg
and smoked salmon muins with
hollandaise. The seafood bufet
is popular at lunch and dinner.
If nothing appeals on the
tight, mostly domestic wine
list at the Conservatory bar, a pretty
glass atrium on the first floor, take a
Roadtrip to Mexico instead: tequila,
mezcal, agave and grapefruit.WHERECBD.COSTFrom $349, without breakfast.AT A GLANCE558 rooms and
suites, adjoining rooms; bar, restaurant, café, rooftop pool, day spa, health centre,
paid valet and self-parking.IN ROOMFree WiFi, smart TV, bath, some balconies,
cofee machine, walk-in wardrobe, pillow menu, Le Grandbain toiletries.BEST
ROOMSGrand Executive Suite rooms have access to the 21st-floor club lounge,
with views over Hyde Park and complimentary snacks and drinks.SHERATON ON THE PARK
Fresh from a $45 million head-to-
toe makeover, the grande dame
of Elizabeth Street once again
reigns over Hyde Park. This is
a proudly full-service five-star,
so expect porters to wrangle
luggage, superior housekeeping
and room service, and generous
meals in Feast restaurant,
where bigbreakfasts segue
into extravagant seafood bufets.
Expect, too, dazzling views over
the harbour and the Heads from
higher-floor rooms and suites,
the club lounge and rooftop pool,
but less impressive oice-tower
vignettes from “city side” rooms.
Plantation shutters cleverly
conceal such views, while
chaises longues and French
hangings lend a residential
feel that belies chain-hotel
expectations.161 Elizabeth
St, Sydney, (02) 9286 6000,
sheratonontheparksydney.comGOURMET TRAVELLER 163