The view over Melbourne from a Premium King Parliament room at Le Méridien hotel. Photo / Supplied
The view over Melbourne from a Premium King Parliament room at Le Méridien hotel. Photo / Supplied
Neil Porten stays in the new luxury hotel Le Meridien in Melbourne’s inner city.
Location: This is the “Paris End” of the central city, known for its historic buildings, great shopping and street cafes. It’s a 10-minute walk down to the Yarra River, or 20 minutes to the MCG, where the All Blacks take on the Wallabies for the Bledisloe Cup in July, and the other venues of Melbourne Olympic Parks, including the Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open tennis grand slam.
Price: From NZ$375 a night.
Perfect for: Plays or politics. This is the theatre district - the Princess Theatre is on the same block, and from my window I could see the flags flapping atop Victoria’s Parliament House about 100m away.
First impressions: Le Meridien occupies a narrow site with a private porte-cochere driveway for an easy drop-off, featuring an impressive mural by local artist Stephen Baker. My bag is whisked away by one porter while another greets me and leads me to reception, a trio of bronze-fronted desks set before stage-like green velvet curtains. Check-in is friendly and quick. The lobby has a quiet seating area, a shiny black piano and a sculptural installation by Marta Figueiredo. When I get to my room my luggage is already there.
Style: Mid-century design behind an Art Deco facade. Opened in March, this 12-storey 235-room hotel combines cool neutral colours and custom joinery with bright local art. In my room, the cabinetry and furniture are dark wood with brass handles and fixtures. The carpet is a geometry of greys and blues, the drapes are grey and black matte industrial-style bedside lights dangle from the ceiling. A wire-grid artwork hangs above the bed. I’ve got a royal-blue daybed to lounge on by the window.
In the neighbourhood: Melbourne’s trams stop right outside and on the corner across the street is the Parliament train station. Next door to Parliament is the Treasury Gardens, venue for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s World’s Longest Lunch. Walk a few minutes north and you can visit Melbourne Museum, which focuses on natural history, in the expansive Carlton Gardens. It’s a short walk to top-end shopping on Collins St. Turn right out the door and before you get to the next set of lights you can browse two proper old-school bookshops, The Paperback Books and Hill of Content, with the original 1950s charm of iconic Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar sandwiched between them. It goes without saying there are countless places to eat and drink in every direction.
The Dolly restaurant is inspired by 1930s design. Photo / Supplied
Rooms: The best slice of view out the floor-to-ceiling window takes in Parliament and the three spires of St Patrick’s Cathedral. The firm bed has four large pillows, the whitest linen and a comfort layer for a touch of softness. A shelf above the desk has a few design books. There’s a full-length mirror and a sizable wardrobe with drawers. Via the big TV, you can access guest services and cast streaming apps from your cellphone. I loved the sound pumping out of the Marshall Bluetooth speaker. The mood lighting options were simple, thankfully, and the nightlight for the bathroom was immensely helpful. A capsule coffee machine and a kettle sit above the minibar fridge. Suites have premium Smeg appliances, oak board games, and Yamaha turntables with a selection of vinyl.
Bathroom: Long and large, with the deep bathtub and the shower separated off with a glass partition. You get both a ceiling and a wall-mounted showerhead and the controls are easy to operate, which is surprisingly rare. The bathroom walls and floor are light-grey marble and the single-sink vanity has a white marble top. There are two wall mirrors, plus a magnifying vanity mirror. The towels are very fluffy and if you like the bathrobe you can buy one to take home. Lotions are from Malin + Goetz, a New York company, and Australian brand Orana supplies the bath salts. Other amenities include a shaving kit, dental kit and mouthwash.
Food & drink: In a foodie Mecca like Melbourne, hotel offerings have to be great to compete, so it’s good to see Le Meridien has brought its A-game to the contest.
Down the spiral staircase from the lobby is the 1930s-styled Dolly restaurant. Deep red carpet, mulberry-coloured banquettes and booth seating, fluted chrome and distressed mirrors make for a moody spot for a pre-show drink at the bar, or dinner. You can choose from the a la carte or pre-theatre menus, or enjoy the three acts and encore of the signature menu as I did. French-trained executive chef Christian Graebner emphasises seasonal local ingredients. I loved the cured salmon roulade entree, visually and for taste, it was a delight. The beef Wellington is sophisticated comfort food for grown-ups. Flaming bombe Alaska, with salted caramel icecream, was a fitting theatrical finale. The wine list is packed with Victoria’s finest.
From early till late, lobby cafe Intermission serves good coffee, pastries and gelato anytime and sashays into a wine bar in the evenings. Le Splash poolside bar wasn’t open when I stayed, but its rooftop location just below the heated pool looks set to be a great hangout. All items in the minibar looked delicious and almost all of them, liquor included (Moondog lager, Everleigh liqueur), were from local artisan businesses. There’s an extensive room-service menu.
The view from Le Splash rooftop swimming pool. Photo / Supplied
Facilities: Everything is sparkling new, including the comprehensive fitness centre with its black fridge full of bottled water and alternatively, a bottle-filling station. I might have been the first person to use the sauna, tucked in an alcove near the gym. The rooftop swimming pool is a luxe resort of loungers and sun umbrellas overlooking tree-lined Bourke St. The free Wi-Fi functioned faultlessly everywhere in the hotel. There is valet parking and self-parking on-site and also electric-vehicle charging.
Family-friendly: You can book a two-bedroom suite or interconnecting rooms. Kids will love the pool and kids of all ages love gelato.
Sustainability: Opting out of housekeeping is encouraged. There are no single-use plastics. Refillable amenities bottles are used in the shower.
Accessibility: The main entrance and public spaces, including the restaurants, are accessible. There are accessible rooms with features including roll-in showers, bathtubs with grab rails and seats, toilet seats at wheelchair height, hearing-accessible rooms, lowered outlets, handles and furniture, and more. The swimming pool deck has lift access. Service animals are welcome.
