By Craig Platt
The relaxation room at the Hilton Sydney.
THE LOCATION
Right in the heart of Sydney on George Street, with many of the city's highlights just a short walk away. Sydney's CBD has experienced a resurgence in recent years, with hidden bars to be discovered down alleyways and in basements and the Hilton puts you close to some great spots.
THE SPACE
Top class: The Glass Brasserie restaurant.
The Hilton Sydney underwent a renovation in 2005 and a major part of that was the redesigned lobby, which became a vast, light-filled space with limestone floors and walls giving a sense of the grandiose upon entry, completed by a huge aluminium sculpture by artist Bronwyn Oliver. Luke Mangan's popular Glass restaurant sits above the lobby, with the equally popular Marble Bar located underneath.
Also downstairs is the Alysium spa, which offers a wide range of relaxation and beauty treatments, though the space - part of the hotel's large LivingWell Health Club - feels a little like a converted office.
COMFORT
There are 577 rooms in the hotel in eight different styles. I stay in one of 15 "relaxation suites" - a large room that features an "open spa bathroom zone". The design gives the large spa bath the feel of being a centrepiece to the room, a good space for relaxation or romance (though two large sliding glass doors can be pulled across to separate the bathroom from the bed and living area if desired).
There's a huge flatscreen TV (and a smaller second one in the bathroom), DVD player and sizeable lounge area with a couch, coffee table and desk. The bed is enormous and there's a pillow menu that lets you select the level of firmness you'd like. The blackout screens make a long sleep-in easy.
The minibar and walk-in closet are in an alcove by the door.
The only black marks here are for the electronic minibar, which sees you charged automatically if you remove any item from the fridge or tray, even if you don't consume it (it makes me feel like the hotel doesn't trust its guests) and the in-room Wi-Fi, which is $29 for 24 hours or $14.95 an hour.
FOOD
The Hilton is home to Mangan's Glass Brasserie, a hatted restaurant in the 2014 Good Food Guide and a popular choice for hotel guests and the general public alike. It's a large space with an open kitchen. We dine on a selection of tapas - zucchini flowers with goat's cheese, scallops with lemon curd, leek, bacon and horseradish, along with fresh oysters and thinly sliced kingfish sashimi. After all that, I can't face a main and instead opt for an entree signature dish - an omelette of snow crab, mushroom and herb salad in a miso mustard broth. It's rich and more than enough - in fact I'm unable to finish it.
GOING OUT
You need not step out far to enter the Marble Bar off George Street, located beneath the hotel. The historic, heritage-listed bar, originally built in 1893 and moved to its current location in the '70s, is filled with, as the name suggests, 35 varieties of marble. Combined with the stained-glass ceiling features, the Julian Ashton paintings and the restored fireplaces, this is a classy venue to enjoy a drink and some live music.
Nearby, down an alley and staircase behind 152 Clarence Street, you'll find the tucked-away Baxter Inn, a terrific whisky bar offering a huge selection of single malts and a wide variety of cocktails. The hipster bar staff, dressed like escapees from the set of a Wild West movie, know their stuff.
THE VERDICT
Hilton Worldwide is offering special packages for weekend stays as part of its "Be a Weekender" campaign (hiltonweekends.com.au). With its central location and comfort-focused Relaxation Rooms, Hilton Sydney makes an excellent base to experience a weekend in our largest city.
ESSENTIALS
King guestrooms start from $239 a night, while relaxation rooms start at $509 a night.
See hiltonsydney.com.au.
The writer stayed as a guest of Hilton Sydney.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.