The Darling

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This was published 11 years ago

The Darling

By Jane Cadzow
The Darling.

The Darling.

80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont, NSW
phone: 1800 800 830
web: thedarling.com.au

The location The Darling is part of The Star casino complex. It is in the inner-Sydney precinct of Pyrmont, but actually that is almost irrelevant. Once inside the casino's network of bars, restaurants, shops and, of course, gaming tables, the city views might as well be painted backdrops. This is a glittering, temperature-controlled world unto itself. It's winter outside? Who knew?

The place The hotel, which opened late last year, has 171 rooms and suites. The fittings are deluxe, the systems high-tech - touch-buttons open and close blinds, adjust lighting and so on. The decor in the standard room is at once glamorous and gloomy: dark carpet, dark walls and black marble in the bathroom. The interior of the wardrobe is black. Even the ironing board is black. For the punter wanting to catch some sleep after an all-night blackjack session, this is the perfect haven.

The experience The Star is essentially an adult fun park. When you're not playing baccarat, roulette or Caribbean stud poker, there are plenty of other amusing ways to get rid of your money. Boutiques offering high-priced merchandise include Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo. Among the 20 drinking and eating places are a tequila bar, a vodka bar, another specialising in Italian aperitivi, and restaurants operated by big-name chefs Stefano Manfredi and Luke Nguyen, not to mention New York City hotshot David Chang's Momofuku Seiobo. At The Darling itself is the Sokyo restaurant, complete with sake sommelier.

Don't miss … After a few hours hunched over the craps table, how better to relax those tense neck muscles than with a massage? The Spa at The Darling offers everything from a traditional Thai massage ($185) to something called a Granite Hot Stones Muscle Melt ($190). To avoid gamblers' pallor, you might also consider a body polish ($110) followed by a spray tan ($45).

Cost: from $279 a night for a standard room.

Distance: about 1km (15 minutes' walk) from Town Hall station in the Sydney CBD.

- Good Weekend

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