This 590-room five-star beauty is Sydney’s first luxury hotel built in the CBD since 1999. The high-rise sits next to the International Convention Centre, towering above the surrounding buildings.
There are four bars, including a Champagne bar with an impressive selection of wine by the glass, plus an onsite French restaurant called Atelier, which transforms into a decadent breakfast buffet each morning, complete with three stations and just about every breakfast food you can think of. And you’ll want to spend some time in the infinity pool, which juts out dramatically over Darling Harbour and has its own bar for waterside cocktails.
The decor in each room is simple and very chic – no need to overdo things when most rooms have views of the city or the ANZAC Bridge through a floor-to-ceiling window – and plenty of consideration has been given to visitor comfort. There’s a handy control panel next to each bed where you can set the lighting and adjust the air conditioning. Even basic things like the placement of power sockets and the selection of Lanvin toiletries have been properly thought through, and the Sofitel MyBed in each room is exactly what you want from a bed: a little cushioning comfort but properly supportive.
But if you want to really soak up Sydney without getting one of the 34 suites, splash out a little on one of the corner rooms with a view of Darling Harbour. The bedroom has a long wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, but the bathroom has one of the best views in Sydney with sheer glass on two sides. If you’re not too worried about peeping toms (and you really don’t have to be given how far away any other buildings are) enjoy a long soak while watching the city buzz by at its regular frantic pace.