The location here is great, located in downtown Sydney about a 10-15 min walk to Darling Harbour and the Sydney Convention center. Darling Harbour is a very touristy area so it’s nice to be close to the restaurants and activities without having to be stuck right in the middle of it.
The overall feel of the Hilton is very contemporary. The lobby has a coffee shop and access to several restaurants and bars located within the hotel. The Glass Brasserie restaurant and Zeta Bar are both worth a visit.
The rooms are clean and adequate but a bit boxy and small. I was there for a 5 night stay and was very glad to have access to the Executive Lounge (floor 36), otherwise my room would have begun to feel very claustrophobic. A few other challenges of the room – 1.) there is little to no room in the sink area of the bathroom to place any toiletries or cosmetics. I had to keep these in my suitcase and pull them out as needed to use in the bathroom. 2.) I’m not sure if this was an issue with my room (but I’ve had the same issue on 2 different stays with 2 different rooms). The electric plug in the bathroom does not accommodate a hair dryer or curling iron. To use a hair dryer/curling iron you must use a plug in the bedroom and perform acrobatics to actually see yourself in the mirror. It’s doable but not exactly convenient or easy. 3.) The room is dark – some more functional lighting would be really nice. 4.) Upgrade the Crabtree and Evelyn products provided. Nothing wrong with Crabtree and Evelyn, but for such a contemporary hotel – the scent is reminiscent of an old man – think ‘Old Spice’.
Ok – enough of the challenges, this is actually a very nice hotel. The beds are luscious, filled with wonderful fluffy pillows. My rate included breakfast and the buffet provided was outstanding – healthy and international options available along with all the traditional breakfast foods. I had a completely different breakfast each day I was there and still didn’t exhaust all the options. The Executive lounge is one of the best I’ve visitied. The US Hiltons could learn a thing or two from the Hiltons in Australia – in the evening, the Executive Lounge provided complimentary drinks, with partial bar, crudite, dips, soup, crackers and cheese, and a variety of appetizers. In the morning, they hosted a continental breakfast – which looked very good. And all day long there were sweets, coffee, and tea available.
With all the great food – visits to the fitness center were mandatory. The hotel has an arrangement with a full fitness center and spa located in the basement of the hotel building. There are plenty of cardio, weights, classes, and a lap pool available to please even the most diligent fitness enthusiast.
The staff at the Hilton is wonderfully trained, they are courteous, friendly, and helpful. Kudos to this team at the Hilton.
I have stayed here before and would stay again because of the following benefits: the fabulous breakfast, access to the Exec Lounge, and free access to the fitness center and spa.
