I am a fantatic for fine hotels. This hotel has marched itself to the top of my 'best' list . . . in some darn tough company! Why? Although it is a large, big city hotel, the service is personal, friendly, and excellent. When you arrive, you are greeted on the driveway and your luggage vanishes to reappear in your room. The check in is fast and easy (check out also). I checked in and out of this hotel three times as I toured and went on a cruise while in Australia. Each time I had a different catagory of room from standard to delux to a suite. The basics in every room were the same. A fantastically comfortable bed with the best bed linens and pillows I've ever experienced, full tea and coffee service with high quality tea and coffee. The bath soaps, shampoos and etc. also extremely fine. The towels are smooth as silk. Every room had two terry robes for our use while there.
The views! Sydney Harbour view gives you the Opera House and often the Bridge. The city views are long strings of office buildings and street (also less expensive). The Darling Harbour views are excellent from the upper floors. This is the hotel I will recommend to my best friend! The lobby is beautiful, the location perfect and the atmosphere quiet and restful. The best cure for jetlag. You can tell these are my own photos as I usually leave some of my own things on view.
Location: 5 minute walk to the Circular Quay transportation hub (trains, ferries and buses), 10 minutes to the heart of the Rocks district for history, shopping and restaurants, 20 minutes uphill to the Queen Victoria Building and other major shopping on George Street and well located for Darling Harbour. The view from the hotel's heated pool is outstanding both the Bridge and the Harbour. For location in Sydney, you can't really do better than this hotel.