If you’ve ever dreamt of eating blue cheese in a fluffy white robe on top of a gigantic white bed that looks out over the glittering expanse of Sydney Harbour, you’re in for a bloody treat. Enter: the Pullman Quay Grand, luxury hotel and all-round glamour-pad that’s situated smack-bang in the middle of Circular Quay. Gasp.
The Pullman Quay blends seamlessly into the shiny borderland of Circular Quay, marrying classic hotel luxury with an unbeatable centralised location. With 70 rooms on offer, a resident bar, restaurant, jacuzzi, sauna, gym and heated indoor swimming pool, this luxe hotel is all about levelling up your Sydney stay to new, hyper-glam heights. You get the choice of balcony suite rooms facing the harbour (the bougiest, and arguably the best) or garden view suites that look out onto the Royal Botanic Gardens. Either way, the view is delightful.
We stayed in the deluxe one bedroom harbour view suite, where a series of flashy open-plan rooms opened up to floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour. Following the muted colour tones and metallic finishes seen throughout the hotel, the veneer of luxury was definitely the bottom-line here. Our room was fit out with a marble corner spa-bath, a shiny chrome kitchen, huge apartment style lounge and sitting area, two flat screen TVs (a lack of streaming services were a bit of throwback to 2007), a dining room, and a mammoth white bed from which you could see all the wild lights of the harbour city twinkling into the night.
At first glance, the rooms are incredibly impressive, which is expected, given the price tag they carry. The one-bedroom garden view suites clock in from $429 a night, while the two-bedders land from $900 per night. The harbour view suites are more pricey, with a one bedroom setting you back $549, while a two bedroom comes in from $1,100. This certainly ain’t cheap, but for a one-off luxurious staycation – or even as a spanky traveller’s launchpad to the most famous bit of Sydney city, it does make sense. This being said, it should be noted that some aspects of the room were a tiny bit tired, with the wear and tear of the years evident in the marble tiling in the bathroom and a loose door knob in a cupboard – but, of course, these things are expected for a hotel that has been in business for so long, and I didn’t lose sleep over it in my fluffy king-sized bed. Life goes on.
Another big plus is the proximity of Hyde Hacienda, an open bar jutting out over Circular Quay. Filled with velvety pink chairs and extremely friendly staff, this is an excellent and nifty place for guests to swig back exotic and well-mixed cocktails (including one doused in dramatic flames) and snaffle a variety of juicy salty bar snacks, including fresh oysters and chargrilled octopus skewers. A great place to kick off your night, this bar is well worth a visit if you want some quality booze and food before throwing yourself out of your hotel sanctuary into the wilds of Sydney town.
At the end of the day, (in the immortal catch cry of the real estate agent from The Castle), the Pullman is all about location, location, location. Compounded with the many glossy touches, insane harbour views and all-round glittery escapism, you can bet your bottom dollar that a stay here is one that you won’t forget in a hurry.
