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The Suite Life - Sydney
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By: Ben Crawford, Issue 43 – Winter 2010
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(Park Hyatt, Fraiser Suites, Establishment- Sydney, Australia)
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WHETHER IT’S FOR ENTERTAINING BUSINESS COLLEAGUES OR FRIENDS, FOR ACCOMMODATING YOUR FAMILY, YOUR LUGGAGE OR JUST YOUR NEED FOR SPACE, BEN CRAWFORD TAKES THE PAIN OUT OF SOURCING THE RIGHT SUITE IN SYDNEY.
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There is debate among those who visit Sydney in grand style over which is the best hotel suite the city has to offer. Three worthy of their own in-field reports – the Park Hyatt’s top suites, the duplex penthouses at Establishment and Fraser Suites - are featured below.
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Other notable contenders include The Shangri La’s $5,000-a-night 34th floor Royal Suite, which offers birds-eye views of the Harbour as well as a contemporary approach to regal style inspired by their guest, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. The Four Seasons’ Presidential suite offers comparable views plus a second bedroom, dining room and kitchen for $5,500 per night.
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For visitors with a preference for history over scenery, Sydneysider favourite The Observatory Hotel offers The Observatory Suite at $3,040 per night. Filled with objets d’art, it is dressed in a combination of modern custom furniture and antiques, including a white marble fire place, a walnut writing desk and elegant mahogany dining table with Queen Anne chairs and a mahogany four poster bed. Alternatively, at $4,000 a night, the Westin’s Heritage Long Suite was the former postmaster’s Residence at Martin Place, combining an art deco feel with older accents such as the original Postmaster’s writing desk from 1874.
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When it comes to that comfortable territory between luxury hotels and the finest serviced apartments, Sydney’s best known and best value entry is Quay Grand Suites, situated adjacent to the infamous “Toaster” between Circular Quay and the Opera House. With one or two bedrooms and views over either the Botanical Gardens or the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the suites come equipped with kitchens, laundry facilities, dining tables, spa baths and balconies, and are available for as little as $595 per night for a one bedroom garden view, through to $899 for a two bedroom harbour view.
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Park Hyatt
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With its spectacular harbour views, world-class amenities, superlative service and location within walking distance of a dozen great restaurants, the Park Hyatt is clearly the best hotel in Sydney. And in a city of architect-designed apartments with stunning views, its Governor and Diplomatic suites rank among the most jaw-dropping. With one or two bedrooms, a lounge ample enough for entertaining (plus a kitchen and dining room in the Governor suite), they feature direct picture-window views of the Opera House – including from their grand spa baths. The bathrooms are immense and the dressing rooms are large and well-equipped enough to accommodate couples with significant luggage. The Park Hyatt has made a mission of those thoughtful touches that make the difference between a luxury hotel and a luxury experience. Breakfast is available from room service 24-hours a day – a Godsend for jetlagged travelers. Our butler researched, printed and delivered to our suite the menus of the restaurants we had mentioned an interest in. And without exception the staff knocked softly on our door, rather than ringing the bell, so as not to wake our baby daughter should she be napping.
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Fraiser Suites
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Fraser Suites Sydney are chic, fully-equipped serviced apartments with five star hotel features such as 24 hour porters, buffet and room service breakfast, daily maid service, concierge, gym, and a 20 metre heated lap pool cantilevered over the adjacent Regent Place shopping mall. And while they don’t offer an in-house restaurant, Fraser Suites do provide a catalogue of home delivery options, as well as being in easy walking distance from Sydney’s famous BBQ King and warehouse-scale Yum Cha restaurants, as well as leading fine dining venues, Tetsuya and Becasse.
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The 201 rooms are designed to be used as temporary residences, complete with galley kitchens, laundries, dining facilities and all the storage space you could want, as Fraser Suites’ traditional core customer base is corporations needing accommodation for executives on foreign assignment. However, leisure travelers have now discovered them too, as they provide an attractive and affordable alternative to hotel suite accommodation.
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The two and three bedroom duplex penthouse suites offer more contemporary style than most comparable suites, with tasteful leather furniture including a tempting chaise longue and massive windows in every room revealing unexpectedly spectacular westerly views over Darling Harbour – giving an unparalleled perspective on the fireworks displays. Other two bedroom suites comprise a one bedroom deluxe suite that interconnects with a studio deluxe room - providing maximum flexibility for families or those who need to have their PAs or security close at hand at all times.
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Establishment
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Occupying a converted warehouse in a backstreet of central Sydney, the boutique hotel Establishment is designed as a discreet hideaway where you can crash in comfort. It offers two duplex loft penthouses, one in a dark palette with exposed beams and timber flooring, the other in light colours to suit the office-block views. As part of Sydney’s Merivale hospitality conglomerate, Establishment offers the guests in its suites an exclusive concierge service guaranteeing great restaurant tables and VIP bar and club access, as well as a location in easy walking distance from these venues, making the trip back to the hotel painless no matter how late the hour.
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Foremost among the Merivale venues is Est. – routinely mentioned among the top five restaurants in Sydney and presided over by Peter Doyle, a founding father of Australian gastronomy. Other notable dining options where your table is guaranteed include sushi e, Mad Cow and Uccello, which overlooks the outdoor pool deck atop the fantastical Ivy nightlife complex. Even more prized than the dining offerings are the VIP entry into Sydney’s inner sanctum of lounges and clubs, including the Collette Dinnigan-designed Dom Perignon Lounge, the Chinese Laundry nightclub and of course the Pool Club where the beautiful people commune in swimwear and Changeroom, where the intimate cubicles offer both disco balls and showers.
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The Establishment Hotel’s penthouse suites seem designed for the after-party. They feature a comfortable lounge area, a generous open-planned bedroom, and massive marble bathrooms with feature tubs and Bulgari toiletries (the same as in the George V in Paris).
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