AustralianGourmetTraveller-June2018

176 GOURMET TRAVELLER

The service at The Langham

is second to none, whether

it’s the concierge ofering to use his

contacts to secure a last-minute dinner

reservation, the appearance of

children’s bathrobes or the civilised

midday check-out.

A hotel dedicated to The

Langham “experience” has

a gift shop par excellence, drenched

in signature pink. Will you take home

a bed and linen, an embossed pet

collar, or the hotel’s signature ginger

flower-scented oil as a memento?

The Melba will convert the

biggest bufet snob with its

multicultural breakfasts ($40), and an

impressive selection of shellfish and

culturally diverse cooking stations at

lunch and dinner. You can even have

the hotel’s popular Wedgwood high

tea delivered to your room.

Though busy, Aria bar lacks

X-factor and city views, and

there are many better options nearby.

Swing by at 7.05pm, however, for a

complimentary Peach Melba cocktail.

WHERESouthbank.COSTFrom $280, without breakfast.AT A GLANCE388 rooms

and suites, adjoining rooms; bar, restaurant, pool, day spa, health centre, sauna,

paid valet parking.IN ROOMFree WiFi, smart TV, bath, some balconies and cofee

machines, pillow menu, Chuan Spa toiletries.BEST ROOMFancy moving in for an

extended stay? The Residence suite on the 10th floor has a butler’s kitchen and

dining room, two king bedrooms and a laundry.

THE LANGHAM

MELBOURNE

The Langham is proudly

analogue in a digital age. The

lavish marble lobby with tiered

fountains is a time capsule from

an earlier century, a calling card

continued somewhat less

impressively in the rooms with

their heavy wooden furniture

and floral carpets. The secret

to The Langham’s success is

simple: know thy customer.

Old-fashioned ritual and service

prevail – just ask the dressed-to-

impress crowd enjoying the daily

high tea, the stay-cationers

lazing near the riverfront pool,

or the genteel throng at Melba

Restaurant, where bufet dining

is anything but abject. And

what’s not to love about a crack

team of concierges with the

secrets of Melbourne at their

fingertips?1 Southgate Ave,

Southbank, (03) 8696 8888,

langhamhotels.com

The lobby is a congenial

spot worth lingering in. The

championship-sized billiards table, set

in an open room full of Walter Lindrum

memorabilia, practically has its own fan

club, and there’s a chess set and library

of cofee-table books within striking

range of the bar.

Post-Netflix, we might have

reached the point where a

DVD library feels a little old school,

but that surely is part of the appeal.

Pedants might realise that Felt,

the hotel’s restaurant, takes its

name from the wrong cloth – billiard

tables use baize – but finding other

faults is more diicult. Breakfast

($38) is a light Continental spread

with breads by Sonoma, and inventive

à la carte options such as rösti with

Padre cofee-cured trout.

The Back Bar bar is small (it

doubles as the far end of the

front desk) but still finds room for a

fireplace and leather armchairs, perfect

spots in which to spend time with the

Lindrum’s signature Espresso Martini.

WHERECBD.COST

From $295, without

breakfast.AT A GLANCE

59 studios, rooms and

suites; bar, restaurant,

café, billiards, paid

self-parking.IN ROOM

Free WiFi, iPad, smart

TV, DVD library, some

baths, pillow menu,

Appelles toiletries.

BEST ROOMSThe

eight deluxe rooms at

the front of the hotel

overlook Flinders

Street’s plane trees to

the green belt beyond.

HOTEL LINDRUM

One of Melbourne’s favourite boutique hotels strikes

a comforting balance between old and new. And while

some of the more modern elements are charmingly

out of date (the DVD library is a case in point), the circa

1900 tea store and billiards hall, once run by the aunt of

champion cue-man Walter Lindrum, is ageing gracefully.

Interiors were refurbished in 2015 and heritage features,

including high ceilings and recycled floorboards, lend

rich character. Most rooms don’t have views to speak

of, but the styling and eicient use of space make them

seem roomy and indulgent at the same time. The staf are

friendly and attentive and know the city inside out, ensuring

an intimate and relaxing stay.26 Flinders St, Melbourne,

(03) 9668 1111, hotellindrum.com.au

Hotel Lindrum

lobby.

Melbourne

Pool and terrace.