The infinity pool at Crown Sydney, the only hotel infinity pool in the city. Photo / Supplied
The infinity pool at Crown Sydney, the only hotel infinity pool in the city. Photo / Supplied
Stephanie Holmes checks into Crown Sydney ... and wishes she could stay forever
Location: Barangaroo. This area used to be a disused container terminal but, in a multimillion-dollar project sponsored by the NSW Government, has been transformed into a 22ha waterfront precinct full of public open space accessible to everyone. Are you reading, Mayor Brown?
Style: Skyscraper ultra-luxe mega hotel with wow factor
Price: From $1000 per night
Perfect for: Splashing out for a special occasion at a hotel you won’t want to leave.
First impressions: I’ve stayed at Crown hotels in Perth and Melbourne, so I had some idea of what to expect but I was still wowed from the moment I stepped through the revolving doors into the lobby of this 271m hotel. It’s the tallest building in Sydney and it certainly stands out on the skyline, with its curved tower of reflective glass stretching to the heavens.
I was visiting during World Pride and the hotel was showing its support - the modern chandelier in the lobby was lit up in rainbow colours, as were the row of floral arrangements behind the reception desks.
I was about three hours too early for the midday check-in time, so the doormen (dressed in tailored uniforms and hats) stored my bags for me . . . and didn’t end up going outside again until check-out the next day.
Rooms: I’m lucky enough to have stayed in many hotels with a wow factor but the view from my Opera King Room was definitely one for the top 10 list. On the 22nd floor, the floor-to-ceiling windows looked out to some of Sydney’s most famous sights - the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, Luna Park, Fort Dennison and beyond.
At 55sq m, it felt more like an apartment than a hotel room, with a chaise longue-style sofa, dining table and chairs, wall-mounted TV and stylish shelving unit, and a colour palette of creams and grey complemented by splashes of ocean blues in the artworks. The king bed was draped with luxury linen from historic Italian brand Frette.
The dressing area is behind the bedhead, with a space divider making it feel like a separate room, leading to the opulent bathroom (see below).
You could easily spend your whole stay in a room like this - get room service delivered, put on your sumptuous Frette robe, drink champagne and let yourself get captivated by that view.
An Opera View room at Crown Sydney has spectacular views of the city's most famous landmarks. Photo / Supplied
Bathroom: Modern and elegant, dominated by an egg-shaped free-standing bathtub under in-built TV. Fluffy white towels are strategically placed just where you need them, and the toilet and shower are hidden neatly away behind two mirrored doors. When you’re behind them, you can see out so you don’t miss a moment of that view.
Grown Alchemist toiletries and a drawer of amenities like dental, shaving and sewing kits, shoe polishers, emery boards, are complimentary, and the twin basins mean you won’t be jostling for space with your plus-one.
Be prepared that the toilet is very high-tech - it’s a Toto Washlet, a Japanese brand with many features that could surprise a first-time user, including a lid that lifts automatically when you open the door, a pre-warmed toilet seat, various wands that delicately pump out streams of water to keep you clean with minimal effort, and a dryer. Your home toilet will never feel quite the same again.
Food and drink: People come from far and wide to try the big-name celebrity chef restaurants at this hotel, including new opening Oncore by Clare Smyth, a British chef whose UK restaurant Core holds three Michelin stars.
Reservations are released monthly for two months in advance - get in quick because they don’t last long. On level two you’ll find Nobu, the Sydney outpost of highly influential Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa who has 47 locations around the world. Visit on a Sunday for a Nobu breakfast - only a few of his restaurants serve it.
Book at table at Cirq, the hotel’s rooftop bar on level 26 for sunset views and beautiful people, or go for dinner and/or drinks at TWR (The Waiting Room) or Woodcut in the lobby.
I ate at a’Mare, a fantastic Italian restaurant with an interesting cocktail and wine list, where the service is as much a part of the experience as the food. Order the pesto pasta, and the pesto will be prepared at your table in a huge mortar and pestle, then mixed into the freshly cooked pasta in front of your eyes. Tiramisu will be brought over in a giant tray and cut to order.
The breakfast buffet at Epicurean is colourful and expansive, with every type of breakfast food you can possibly dream of - whether that’s a standard bacon and eggs, a healthy juice and fruit plate, Nutella doughnuts dipped in free-flowing chocolate, or a scoop of ice cream and rainbow sprinkles. Go hungry, stay a while.
Facilities: There’s the usual trimmings for a luxury hotel - free Wi-Fi, valet parking, high-tech gym, spa, and concierge service - but Crown takes it up a notch with luxury shops in the lobby (Paspaley, Watches of Switzerland, Cellar & Co.), as well as a full-size tennis court, members-only casino, and the hotel’s crowing glory, a two-level infinity pool with views out to Darling Harbour, Balmain, and beyond.
The main pool on level 5 is for hotel guests (with a smaller counterpart on level 6 for those who live in the Crown Residences), and it has a mix of sunloungers, plush day beds and secluded cabanas - the latter of which need to be reserved and cost from A$500 per session (9am-2.30pm, or 3pm-8.30pm) or from A$750 for the whole day. The cost includes bottled water, non-alcoholic minibar and either a fruit platter or cheese platter.
All guests, wherever you choose to lay your towel, can order food, cocktails and wines, which will be delivered by pool attendants. It’s not necessarily going to be a place you can relax and get some rest - when I visited a DJ was on the decks for the afternoon and the music was LOUD.
In the neighbourhood: Walk through Barangaroo reserve, all along the waterfront to Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens, or head the other way to Darling Harbour. But with so much to do in the hotel, you could easily not set foot outside.
Family friendly: Kids will go wild at the breakfast buffet and pool, although note that the latter is adults-only after 6pm. Lifeguards are on duty all day and babysitting services are available on demand. Book a public tour up to the Sky Deck, 83 floors above the city.
Accessibility: The property has accessible rooms in King or Suite configuration on most floors, featuring lowered basins, and spacious roll-in showers with dual showerheads and marble shower seats. There is a pool hoist available for guests to enjoy the pool and spa facilities.
Sustainability: Crown Sydney was designed with high-efficiency cooling and lighting, solar energy, water efficiency measures including rainwater collection and recycled water. Sustainable materials were used in the building process and the hotel is working to waste reduction targets.
All this is not to say the hotel is perfect - my room featured single-use plastic toiletries, bar soap, and amenities wrapped in plastic, however there were only glass bottles in the minibar.
