The Observatory Hotel - Sydney, Australia 

Not the best of locations, but the hotel's charm more than makes up for this.... Genuinely pleasant staff welcome you like you are royalty - and everyone deserves that treatment. Unlike other five star hotels The Observatory realises that just because someone may be wearing jeans it doesn't mean they aren't 'worthy' of the same attention as a middle aged business man in a suit. In fact, The Observatory staff probably realise that the person in jeans may just earn more than the business man, or may even be a slightly younger business man on vacation.....either way this is the only hotel I've ever been to where hey treat everyone the same. It's a refreshing change.... The rooms are to die for - pure luxury. We stayed in a junior suite and were suitably impressed at the size of the room (we usualy stay in full suites but this more than matched any we have stayed in for quite some years). The indoor pool is pure relaxation, the restaurant food is bliss.... I could go on but it's important people considering Sydney as a holiday destination be told the truth: this is truly the most luxurious hotel in Australia, do not consider the chains at all - the Shangri La, in particular, isn't a patch on this. You haven't holidayed until you have stayed at The Observatory.

It had been several years between visits, but we found The Observatory Hotel as lovely as ever. The service was highly personal and helpful, and our wedding anniversary was very thoughtfully acknowledged. When booking we were worried, as some reviews have suggested that the hotel is 'tired'. This was not our experience at all. It is certainly not a modern design hotel - it is a traditional establishment furnished in tasteful, classic style. The room was fresh with clotted cream carpets and walls, and beds and windows generously swathed with elegant floral prints and silks. Our executive suite featured a pretty dressing table, a deliciously long and deep bath, and l'occitane products. TVs still live in mahogony armoires, rather than the latest flat screen, but there was a bose i-pod docking station. It is very much the kind of room you would find in a fine European hotel, and offers something quite different from other 5 star Sydney hotels. If it is spectacular harbour views that you seek, The Observatory is not for you. We don't mind this at all, as we have visited Sydney many times, and we enjoyed our 'water view' room, looking out the large window, over some of Sydney's oldest houses and a shipping dock, to the ferries and other harbour traffic tootling to and from Darling Harbour, and the Balmain Peninsula. I also think that the streetscape from the rooms along the front of the hotel is quite pleasant - the street is relatively quiet, tree-lined, and a taste of authentic inner-city Sydney life. Actually, it is lovely to stroll around the neighbourhood - The Rocks is Sydney's historic centre, with a jumble of terrace houses, stone pubs, and the nether regions of the city's famous bridge. It is not exactly in the thick of the CBD, but handy enough, and only a short cab ride or leisurely stroll from the city's commercial heart. I have stayed at lots of Sydney hotels, and The Observatory stands out for its charm and hospitality.