Introduction

As you may have noticed by now if you visit regularly, I’m a big fan of Australia in general, and especially of Sydney. It’s one of my favourite cities to visit. Its location on the water is just gorgeous, and the view of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House somehow just never gets old.

Location

The nice thing about Sydney is that everything is easily accessible on foot. And for what you can’t do walking, there’s usually a ferry. To reach the Sofitel from Sydney Airport, I take a train from Domestic arrivals to Central Station, which takes a little less than fifteen minutes. And then from Central it’s four stops by tram line 1 – what they call light rail here – to the convention centre, which is where the Sofitel is.

Check-In

I check in on the ground floor at the main reception area. By the time I reach the hotel following my severely delayed flight from Cairns, the dedicated Club Millésime check-in on the 35th floor is no longer available.

The Staff & Service

The service at the Sofitel Darling Harbour is attentive, especially in the Club Millésime Lounge on the 35th floor. However, they’re also much more formal than their colleagues in Adelaide, for example. It’s not that they’re rude or anything like that, they’re just reserved.

Junior Suite with Harbour View

I’m staying in a Junior Suite with Harbour View on the 33rd floor. The room is a good size and spacious. In the centre of the room is a large king double. The mattress is simply divine. It’s firm and provides stellar lumbar support. The duvet and pillow are soft and fluffy and smell of freshly laundered linen. On the bedside table the turn down service has placed a glass and a bottle of still water.

The room has a spacious walk-in wardrobe with plenty of storage space and, I should like to add, more than enough hangers. Very often in hotels there aren’t enough hangers available for a longer stay.

There’s also a dining table for two and behind it a chaise longue right up against the window to enjoy the view. And it really is a very grand view that you have up here from the 33rd floor, both by day and night.

The bathroom is a good size. There are twin sinks, a separate shower and a large bathtub that offers an excellent view of Darling Harbour from the full length window in the bathroom. The shower is heavenly, one of the best I’ve ever had. The pressure is great and the temperature is easily regulated. There is spillage, but the shower has been designed so that the overflow of water only goes in the direction of the bath. The cosmetics are by Diptyque, which specialises is light floral scents. In addition, the box with the bathroom amenities is fully stocked with shavers, toothbrushes, etc.

Amenities

The slippers are as floofy as the ones I had at the Sofitel Melbourne. The turn down service has already placed them by the side of the bed for me.

On the credenza there’s a Nespresso Virtuo machine. I used to have the same one at home, but eventually got rid of it after the first one was sent back because it didn’t work properly and the one I was given as replacement was honestly not much better. And by the looks of it, the machine in my room seems just as temperamental. There’s also a kettle and teas by TWG.

On the dining table when I arrive is another bottle of wine I likely won’t drink and a plate with three pralines and a chocolate square.

The Club Millésime Lounge

The Club Millésime Lounge is located on the 35th floor. It’s a fairly big lounge. During my stay I have the afternoon tea and breakfast in the lounge, both of which are rather nice. Obviously, in comparison to the main dining restaurant l’Atelier, on the third floor, the buffet spread in the lounge is slightly reduced, but still quite varied. The afternoon tea is also very nice.

Dining

Breakfast is served at l’Atelier on the third floor. For sure, the variety of choices for breakfast is impressive. However, the way it is organized, there are stations in different locations of the restaurant for food. As a result, there’s a lot of foot traffic from patrons aimlessly wandering around looking for a müsli, as well as from restaurant staff hurrying along and struggling to replenish empty dishes. The net result is that having breakfast at l’Atelier feels a lot as though you’re standing right in the middle of Grand Central Station at rush hour.

Conclusion

The Sydney CBD is very densely built up. As a result, many hotels in the city centre don’t really offer much of a view, unless of course, you’re staying at the Shangri-la. And that is the advantage of staying in Darling Harbour – it’s still close to the city, but the views are much better because they overlook both the harbour and the Sydney skyline.