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Perched amongst red brick apartment blocks, sturdy warehouses and cobbled streets in the heart of New York City’s trendy Tribeca, The Greenwich Hotel can proudly claim Robert de Niro as the mastermind behind its superior conception.
Opening its doors in 2008, de Niro’s first hotel venture created a buzz at the time, and today has matured into its reputation as a sophisticated, attentive and exclusive New York City hotel experience.
Somehow de Niro has pinpointed the perfect combination of old-world charm, modern convenience, and the kind of friendly service that extends to ‘you-name-it’ requests fulfilled with a smile. With its luxurious blend of multicultural influences – from Moroccan tiles to Tibetan silk rugs and English leather settees – the atmosphere is indulgent and serene, and discreetly exudes this ‘members club’ vibe that makes one feel special just lulling about the hallways and in the elevator.
The rooms
With 88 exquisite rooms and 13 suites across eight levels, it’s amazing to think that each is unique and unlike any other. Complemented by oak floors, sumptuous furniture and antique pieces, and all the classy finishing touches one would expect from an A-grade celebrity, The Greenwich Hotel's roomsare stylish and grand yet fitted with modern technology such as ipod docks, wireless internet and flat screen TVs. The complementary basket of goodies and jar of sweets, as well as an included fridge mini bar (except for alcohol), is just a bonus – especially for foreigners keen to try some Hershey’s and other local treats. Refreshingly, the high ceilings featuring beautiful hand-carved mouldings create a wonderful open and airy feeling of space within each room, and the heavy, motorised curtains are heavenly for an afternoon nap that feels more like night – perfect for jetlag recovery.
Choose from four room types, six different one and two-bedroom suites, and two styles of penthouses. The Fireplace Corner Suites are scrumptious.
The courtyard & drawing room
The Grenwich Hotel lobby is a guest-only retreat offering a drawing room decked out in classic upholstered and leather furniture pieces and garnished with stylish frames, decorative candle-holders, flowers, bookshelves and all kinds of other eye-catching ornamental items. Adjacent is a Tuscan-style outdoor courtyard, enclosed by tall city brick walls covered in crawling vines that reach up towards the blue sky above. Here, you can order a tasty dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or simply enjoy a coffee or wine and absorb the peace from the outside world.
The Shibui Spa & pool
Also exclusive to hotel guests, the Shibui Spa is infused with a calming Japanese influence, with the notion of ‘balance’ at its core. The indoor lantern-lit pool and lounge sit nestled under the roof of a 250-year old wood and bamboo Japanese farmhouse, whilst the adjoining bathrooms feature saunas. For professional spa treatments, there are four separate treatment rooms situated in their own peaceful sanctuary on the same level. Shibui Spa has a shiatsu room, a traditional Japanese bathing room with a large tub for bathing rituals and a tatami mat floor for massage, a wet room that includes a shower for wraps and scrubs, and a treatment room for massages and facials. The Shibui Spa menu is simply divine.
The Greenwich Hotel's other features: Concierge, Locanda Verde Italian tavern, in-house fitness centre located on Shibui Spa level.
Local Grooves
The Greenwich Hotel is nestled in Tribeca, close to Soho, offering easy access to all of the New York City downtown sights and neighbourhoods. In the late 80s the area was popular with artists trying to escape the hefty prices of Soho, but today the neighbourhood has a high profile of its own with great restaurants, classy boutiques and trendy bars to tout. Wander Tribeca’s cobblestone streets and you’ll notice it still hasn’t lost its calm, chilled-out vibe, and certainly hasn’t been overrun with tourists and the ultra-hype of other New York City neighbourhoods.
Greenwich Street 377, New York City, USA
Contact tel: 212.941.8900, fax: 212.941.8600
Services spa, swimming pool, fitness equipment, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, room service, internet access, concierge, air-conditioning
Useful links
Locanda Verde Restaurant
The Greenwich Hotel neighbourhood guide
The Greenwich Hotel website
Reviewed by Tijana Jaksic
Whether you’re a science-hound, a philosophy-queen or a master of literature, New York City’s unique Library Hotel will have not just a room to suit, but a bookcase that caters to your very taste.
Boasting over 6,000 books, each and every volume is organised across the sixty unique rooms spread across ten floors by the Dewey Decimal System.
With a separate floor dedicated to each of the ten classifications of knowledge, first choose your forte or interest between Social Sciences, Literature, Languages, History, Math & Science, General Knowledge, Technology, Philosophy, The Arts or Religion for your stay. Then, narrow it down. Each room is purely dedicated to its theme, adorned in art and a personal library of the topic you choose – whether it’s Poetry, Fairy Tales, Astronomy, Germanic Language, Medicine, New Age, Oceanography or even Money that you fancy.
But whilst this idea to fashion an age-old reference system into a themed hotel is unique, don’t think it’s nerdy. It’s not the slightest bit odd to be a part of. Wandering down the hall reading reference numbers to find one’s room proffers much more mystery and surprise than the average hotel experience, that’s for sure.
The Library Hotel has been created with much class and care in its transformation from a landmark 1900 brick and terra cotta building. Beautifully restored, the boutique hotel now lodged in its remains oozes sophistication, is modern and attracts a broad clientele. After all, whether you experience the Library Hotel once or up to 60 times, you can be guaranteed every stay will be unique.
The rooms
Social Sciences, 3rd floor - Law, Money, World Culture, Economics, Political Science, Communication
Language, 4th floor - Ancient Language, Middle Eastern Language, Asian Language, Germanic Language, Romance Language, Slavic Language.
Math and Science, 5th floor - Astronomy, Dinosaurs, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Mathematics.
Technology, 6th floor - Health and Beauty, Computers, Medicine, Management, Manufacturing, Advertising
The Arts, 7th floor - Fashion Design, Music, Photography, Architecture, Performing Arts, Paintings.
Literature, 8th floor - Mystery, Fairy Tales, Dramatic Literature, Poetry, Classic Fiction, Erotic Literature.
History, 9th floor - Biography, Geography and Travel, Asian History, Oceanography, Ancient History, 20th Century History.
General Knowledge, 10th floor - New Media, Journalism, Museums, Encyclopedic Works, Almanacs, Libraries.
Philosophy, 11th floor - Love, Paranormal, Psychology, Philosophy, Ethics, Logic.
Religion, 12th floor - Ancient Religion (Mythology), Native American Religion, Germanic Religion, New Age, African Religion, Eastern Religion.
Across these rooms, there are still three different room types – Petite Room Full, Deluxe Room Queen, and Junior Suite King with Sofabed. All rooms feature a flat screen TV with 48 digital channels, mini bar, safe, 100% Egyptian cotton linen, MP3 dock, phone lines and high-speed wireless internet access.
The Reading Room
All Library Hotel guests have access to the second-floor Reading Room, lined with a wall-to-wall bookshelf hosting a variety of books on one side, and glass windows overlooking the New York street life below on the other. Open 24-hours, you can come here to sit and read, bring your laptop to do some work, or enjoy the complimentary tea and coffee facilities, cookies and fruits available. A European-style continental breakfast is served in the Reading Room each morning, and each evening from 5.00 – 8.00pm a wine and cheese reception is held for all guests.
The Writer’s Den & Poetry Garden
If these exclusive retreats aren’t booked out for private use, retreat here with your book or your work by day. By night, this 14th floor area transforms intoBoomarks Lounge, an intimate Manhattan Rooftop Bar open to the public. Serving cocktails alongside a full premium bar list, the bar is relaxed but upbeat and operates every night except Sundays.
Midtown Manhatten Local grooves
The Library Hotel is located in Midtown Manhatten, on Madison Avenue nad 41st Street. Fittingly, this is also known as Library Way, with the majestic New York Public Library just around the corner. The Pierpont Morgan Libarary, Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal and the Times Square Theatre District are all not far away either.
Madison Avenue 299, New York City, USA
Contact tel: 212.983.4500, fax: 212.499.9099
Services hotel restaurant, room service, internet access, concierge, air-conditioning
Useful links
Library Hotel website
Reviewed by Tijana Jaksic
Easy breezy lazy days in Sydney are too easy when the city boasts so many coastal towns..
It’s the year 1888 and a wool storage facility is built in the working class suburb of Pyrmont. In the same year, Kodak launch their first box and roll camera, making selfies accessible to the masses. Today, after two years and $30m worth of developments, the 'world’s first Instagrammable hotel' opens in this very building by boutique hotel operator 8 hotels. Yes, Instagrammable is an adjective now – deal with it.
This is a hotel for the hip 20-something who has opinions on architecture, those who took a design subject at uni or the peeps who know their Hefe from their Hudson. Your mum would probably not approve of the exposed brick and splintery pillars in the tiny rooms or the staff dressed in denim – but your mum probably wouldn't stay here.
A tour takes us to the hotel’s pièce de résistance- the ‘007 Williamson’ room, which offers its own private entrance. This suite is pimped out with its own bar, a bespoke piece from the 1950s and you can even hire a bartender if you aren’t capable of shaking your own martini. The furniture is eclectic with vintage pieces and modern leather sofas side by side and much of the original building is still on show. “We want the building to do the talking,” says General Manager Roberto Russo.
Indeed, if these walls could talk – the round bath is built big enough for three – perfect for when that soirée turns into another popular French expression.
The junior suites are more than adequate with big windows allowing natural light, reclaimed iron bark pillars, exposed brick and bench tops made from the atrium’s original wood.
For the rest of you, the self-aware ‘shoebox’ rooms are deceptively spacious with high ceilings and a bathroom that doesn’t feel like a closet. Yet, starting at $179 a night, does seem a bit steep for something that actually describes itself as cell-block size.
Dining in the hotel is minimal with no room service, a mini bar stocked with healthy, organic snacks and a bar that only serves antipasto plates. The drinking man’s diet might not satisfy everyone but we noticed staff were more than happy to let guests BYO their own takeaway pizza. They do, however, allow you to start the day well – the continental breakfast has all the trimmings, made from locally sourced produce, and a barista who knows his beans.
So why is the year 1888 so important to 8 Hotels?
“The building was opened in 1888 so we thought, ‘what happened in that year that’s relevant today,’” explains Russo. “Taking the Kodak theme, we created the Picture Perfect Package, where guests are treated to free wifi, an antipasto plate with two glasses of wine and breakfast the next day for $239 a night.”
Showing off holiday photos is nothing new, our parents had slide shows in the 80s, so in a way, 8 Hotels are cleverly letting the guests do their marketing. There’s even a gilt frame hanging from the ceiling at reception where you're encouraged to get in on the picture. A true Instagrammer would know that for a perfect fit the frame should be square, not an oversized rectangle, but whatever. There are free iPads and wifi in the rooms so you can lo-fi to your heart’s content, and popular social media fiends with over 10,000 followers are given a free night’s stay. But will it work?
Only time, and the kids, will tell.
“We want guests to become part of the project,” explains Russo. When we point out that you can buy your own followers, their PR company are quick to tell us that you could also buy a night in the hotel for around the same price. Snap. Veruca Salt, they don’t want your money!
If you don’t have 10k worth of followers, you still have the chance to win a free night if you’re really creative with the filtering of your photos. So get in there, relax, recharge the batteries (on your smart phone) and start spreading the news.
Where: 139 Murray St, Pyrmont NSW
Rooms: Start at $179/night
BOOK NOW
Photos by Justin Steinlauf
It’s not hard to see why Melbourne gets a reputation for being a hipster’s paradise, the city reinvents itself like an aging pop star. When one thing has its day, another springs up. Urban Scrawl conduct daily tours of Melbourne’s CBD, showing you the latest in its ‘underground’ street art culture.
You can’t really call it an underground movement anymore, it’s as present as day and continually changing and growing as the artists populate and evolve.
Starting in Degraves Street in the heart of Melbourne’s city, and pretty much the epitome of its famous café culture, we queue up for lattes and get to know our guide, Zoe, a part-time street artist (of the stencil variety) and passionate lover of the city’s outdoor galleries. Along the way we learn about the different sub-cultures of street art from stickering, to paste-ups to mosaics, to larger than life murals.
“It’s so common now,” Zoe says, “that it’s actually becoming mainstream.” She explains that it’s not uncommon for a bride and groom to shimmy down the lanes to have their wedding photographs taken.
My favourite pieces are the pop culture references, everyone from Michael Jackson to Biggie Smalls and even ex-Prime Minister John Howard and Ned Kelly. “Street artists are the bushrangers of this century,” says Zoe. Which, if you look at a lot of the art, seems true. They have this ‘stick it to the man’ feel. Or perhaps they just all want to be like Banksy, who has famously made Melbourne walls his canvas in 2003.
We learn that there’s even a subversive rivalry between artists, Zoe tells us how disrespectful is can be to go over other’s work. Although you’d be hard-pressed to find a blank space on the walls, so naturally this happens constantly. Some of the detail is astonishing, as are the heights these artists get to, usually in the dead of the night to create their work.
Hosier Lane is one of the most famous spots for street art and it’s here that we get to see an artist at work, because (unlike other cities) it is actually legal in some areas. Armed with a permit and their paint, they go to work in front of the public. It’s like a living, breathing exhibition. Never has watching paint dry been so fascinating.
Tours cost $AUD25 urbanscrawl.com.au
The Museum of New and Old Art, or MONA, as it is affectionately known, is a weird and wonderful place, where ancient Egyptian mummies are placed next to an overweight Lamborghini and intrigue lingers with you, long after you’ve left the gallery.
I flew down to Hobart hot on the tails of their Lonely Planet accolade (the city was crowned number 7 in the guide book’s top destinations for 2013) with no doubt in my mind that the newest museum in the country had something to do with this.
The first thing I noticed as I walked into the hillside monolithic museum was the smell. Everybody around me could smell it. They looked at each other perplexed. It was worse than any zoo I'd visited. People in museums are inherently polite, but you could hear whispers of disbelief as they furiously checked their guidebooks for clarification. I checked the walls for plaques, but nothing could define this smell.
I decided I had to question an official-looking woman. With nostrils of steel, she answered, without even flinching: "Oh, it's the excrement machine, it mimics the human intestinal system." I had heard that MONA is famous for its shock-factor. But I was expecting a few phallic shaped sculptures and some wild pubic hair brush-strokes - not this.
"We feed it twice a day and it poos daily. You've just missed the 2pm release of faeces, but you can see it over there on the conveyor belt." And there it was - a prize dump, fresh and still steaming before my very eyes. There was a row of machines representing the digestive system, breaking down the food, churning it around like soiled washing machines. "You never know what you're going to get. Yesterday it was runny," I overheard the guide.
We were lucky to see this solid, chorizo-shaped poo. The Mona Lisa of shits. My guidebook, which is actually an iPhone-like device, tells me this is ‘Cloaca Professional’, by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, part of the museum’s Monanism exhibition. The closer you got, the more horrid the smell. And yet, now that my brain has registered this healthy looking shit, the smell was kind of intriguing. Just one more whiff before I go. If this was the ground level, what else was I in for?
MONA is the brainchild of Hobart-born David Walsh, a self-made millionaire, professional gambler, university drop-out and all-round eccentric. He owns the museum and everything in it, therefore he has this I-can-do-whatever-the-fuck-I-want attitude, which is exactly what I love about this museum. This subterranean collection of art could inspire even the most terrified of art-phobics. In fact, the first exhibition is a bar, which we all know helps you digest the experience. (Pun intentional.)
Walsh is also fascinated with death, from the suicide machine, to the collection of funeral songs on a jukebox to the cinerarium where, for $75,000, you can put your ashes on display. I was enamored with the anal lipstick kisses that are prettily pressed on hotel paper. Don't ask. They are exactly as they sound, and perhaps a great idea for a Valentine's Day card, for those who have exhausted every other avenue. That didn't come out right. MONA has certainly perverted me.
Then there's the simple - the white library where the books and bookcases are all painted white. This is the calm before the storm. Outside you are met with 200 porcelain vagina moulds, like the anal kisses, each one tells a different story. Walsh doesn't call it the "subversive adult Disneyland" for nothing. It might not be for everyone but I can tell you there's nothing cheap about it. For a gallery full of shit and genitals it's surprisingly tasteful. Seriously, MONA makes the sex museum in Amsterdam look like a tacky hen's night.
See: mona.net.au
Avoca Beach, Sydney, Australia
Nicole Kidman knows the perfect Sydney city escape is a weekend at Avoca Beach, just an hour and half drive north of Sydney, she owns property in the beautiful sleepy surf town. Best place to surf, fish, wander endlessly along ocean-side rocks, and of course eat fish-n-chips!
Madame Tussauds waxworks on Sydney's Darling Harbour, is where you get to make friends with the stars..
It sounds like a dream. You're in a room full of celebrities who are all smiling and waiting to have their photo taken with you. Not one to disappoint, you oblige, placing an arm around each celebrity and smiling cheesily at your friend who is pointing their iphone in your direction, ready to shoot and upload straight to Instagram. Suddenly you realise Britney Spears, and in fact all the celebs, are actually made of wax. Quickly, you pinch yourself to wake up from the bizarre dream. Except it's not a dream, you are at Madame Tussauds waxworks, otherwise known as the closest you may ever be to placing your arm around Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Best make the most of it then.
Reviews International writers Autumn Mooney and Sarah Doran visited Madame Tussauds during a three month visit from Britney Spears and Beyonce Knowles (waxworks.) Madame Tussauds has waxwork studios all around the world, and occasionaly the statues travel to cities abroad. Of course, this meant Sarah got to shake her booty with beyonce, and Autumn got to hold Britney's MTV award. Followed by both immediatley social media posting to Facebook and Instagram, claiming to have new BFF's with the pics to prove..
Aside from the social media opportunities and pretending to be best friends with a re-incarnate Michael Jackson, Madame Tussauds offers a great 3D gauk at people you see images of in mainstream media all the time. Viewing a life-size waxwork lets you view details you often can't tell from a photograph. See how tiny Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga really are in comparison to yourself, or how teensy Olivia Newton John's waist really was back in the 1978 movie Grease. Remember what John Farnham looked like in his heydey, and see the extraodinary heights Justin Biebers fringe really does boof up to. The leaders room lets you pose in the office with Obama, contemplate with Nelson Mandela, Stand by Julie Gillard at the lectern, or sit on the royal throne by the queen.
Recommended - to people who love to social media, and celebrity stalkers - you will adore Madame Tussads
Feel on top of the Word with a 45 minute walk in the Sky, on the skywalk tour, Sydney Tower Eye.
Watching the lights turn on over the city of Sydney with a sunset Skywalk tour at Sydney Tower, aka Sydney’s iconic Centrepoint, is exactly how to feel on top of the world; because you are!
Smack-bang in the middle of Sydney city is an historic tower called Sydney tower (often referred to as Centrepoint) where tourists and locals dine at sky levels as the building and view rotate 360 degrees. For those not hungry and slightly more brave, there’s a sky high tour on the very outskirts of the building. Forget vertigo, this amazing view is worth 45 minutes of any height fear!
ON ARRIVAL
On arrival you will check-in with friendly staff, and follow directions to take the lift. Not just any lift. It’s a tiny spacecraft vessel! As you realize the elevator is taking a little longer than normal, your ears will pop with the altitude. How high are you? Well, upon exit you can see for yourself, as 360 degrees of floor to ceiling glass window in the observation deck shows off the city of Sydney in all it’s glory. Sydney Tower escorts will direct you from here; first a breathaliser to test your alcohol limits, I’m guessing so you don’t drunkenly stumble, fall and dangle over the edge at any time, (!) then change into the signature blue wind protective clothing. Designed to catch any falling items from your own clothing underneath, the sexy attire may have you wanting to perfect those long lost 80’s hammertime dance moves, however you will definitely feel protected from the wind.
THE WALKOUT
Next, strap on the harness which attaches to a rail stretching along your walking path around the building. A friendly tour guide gives instruction and information along the way. Music blares as the special roller door rises. Revealed, is a staircase to pull your harness along, which makes a loud clanking noise to get the adrenalin pumping, while walking in single file with your group. Anyone a little nervous of heights will walk at the front and rear of the group, closest to the tour guides - who seemed to be experts at taking the mind off any worry with jokes and funny anecdotes. PHEW!
NOW YOU'RE WALKING IN THE SKY
The pathway wraps 360 degrees around the outskirts of centrepoint Sydney Tower, so stepping out to this view will kind of take your breath away. You are now standing on Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, at a height double the Sydney Harbour bridge, overlooking the entire city of Sydney at a birds eye view. You are standing above all the highrise buildings, looking down and through them via a transparent glass foothpath - people and cars below become like ants. If you’re lucky enough to book in for a sunset tour, the ambience is striking. As the city lights turn on, sun sets, and the world is an amazing place. Your tour guide points out viewing hotspots like the purple water haze of lavender bay, Hyde park’s fountain donated from the French, next to Australia’s largest cathedral illuminated in magnificent tungsten lighting, and the western suburbs as far out as the Olympic stadium and airport. This view is nothing short of amazing.
RECOMMENDED: To those who love a magnificent view, and are too afraid of Sydney's bridgeclimb, this is the tour for you. With my vertigo I found this tour has a safe sense of security, and enjoyed hearing interesting facts on the city.
RECOMMENDED: To those who love a magnificent view, and are too afraid of Sydney's bridgeclimb, this is the tour for you. With my vertigo I found this tour has a safe sense of security, and enjoyed hearing interesting facts on the city.
FINDING THE ENTRANCE:
First find the Westfield shopping mall entrance on the city’s busy Market St. Here, opposite David Jones. Here, there’s a lift to the left, take this to level 5. Turn left for Sydney Tower, which is right next door to Madame Tussauds.
DEETS
Tel: +61 2 9333 9222
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pricing:
From the suburban Brisbane street, Spicers Balfour Hotel evokes a tinge of mystery with its modern, bold design sprouting a distinctly Queenslander-style wraparound verandah. Swathed in moody indigo hues that shimmer beneath the lights by night, one can’t help but wonder what’s inside.
Originally a Queenslander house built in 1901, a three-year long overhaul transformed the building into a suave yet welcoming boutique hotel far from its airy timber origins. The newest addition to the luxury Spicers brand, it’s the only inner-city residence, yet still captures the same intimate escape. Stepping into the lobby and wandering upstairs to reception, the blues that captured me were met by chirpy purple tones, a sparkly chandelier suspended over the counter.
Although the feel is now more European than Queenslander, a few telltale signs hint at its 110-year heritage. A replica of the original front door leads onto the verandah, original mouldings and trims feature in the common area along with revamped exposed beams overhead, and leadlights have been switched around to create an interesting mix combined with the dramatic furnishings.
Standing at the reception counter, a wooden chessboard over to my left caught my attention, perched in the common lounge area by a congregation of velvety chairs, sidelined by a tall, dark bookcase offering anything from fiction to art history reads. My host, friendly and without the stiff smile, then showed me to my room down the dimmed hallway lined with colourful artworks by leading Australian artists.
Rooftop bar
After a poke around my room – comfortable yet stylish – to the sound of the smooth jazz radio beats left on for my arrival, I ditched my bags and head upstairs having arrived in perfect time for canapés at the rooftop bar, served daily between six and seven o'clock.
From cocktails to cognacs, liqueurs, beers, wines, port and vintage champagnes, the high-end class of the hotel is represented in the bar list. But there are plenty of options still priced at the same you’d find anywhere down the road in hip and happening New Farm. Whilst the small outdoor bar area would have been tempting if there were stars, I instead found refuge from the drizzly weather inside by the bi-fold windows.
Looking over and between the local tin rooftops and sturdy Jacaranda trees, the Story Bridge dominated the night skyline in front of the city, its peaks lit in lines of blue lights. Whether it was the view or the smooth latin beats that soon switched into jazz – amplified by the wondrous and free Friday night feel – my crisp drop of sauvignon blanc glided down ever-so-smoothly.
The rooms
After heading out and about until nearly midnight, returning to a warm towel rack was the deal-breaker that landed me in a hot bubble bath. Of the nine rooms, four have baths and deep ones at that, which are spread across the room types. The four Executive Rooms on the central level are great for short stays, whilst the one-off Terrace Suite boasts a well-sized private slice of the verandah overlooking the front garden.
On the bottom level, as well as a small room with some exercise equipment for guests, the Courtyard Rooms offer a little extra breathing space with a small courtyard lined by green bamboo plants. Bold and sleek inside, unique furniture pieces complete the style whilst laptop workstations come in surprisingly handy. And the LCD TV provided perfect Will and Kate royal wedding replay screening.
Local grooves
Located on the cusp of the city, in trendy New Farm, here you reap the benefits of being close to the city but without the sounds of traffic whirring below. Walk out the front and turn right, pace 300 metres, and you’ll discover a grassy cliff-top park with one of Brisbane’s quietest and nicest views down over the winding Brisbane River, through the Story Bridge and to the city. Otherwise turn left, pace 100m, and find yourself standing on Brunswick Street amongst the plethora of quality cafes, restaurants and bars. Try restaurants Ortiga, Dell’Ugo or Anise.
Room packages are inclusive of continental and à la carte breakfast, which can be enjoyed inside or out on the verandah speckled with rays. Also open to the public by reservation, chef Tyson Buchanan offers a great selection to start the day – from exotic jams and granola to French toast brioche and eggs how you like.
Asking the host for her opinion, I went with her favourite, Eggs Benedict, to accompany my cappuccino and freshly made pear, pineapple and ginger juice. Upon placing my reservation, Spicers Balfour confirmed any special dietary requirements, so my breakfast came perfectly on gluten-free bread as well.
With a flick of the paper and a gaze over the quiet street, it was time to pack my bags and say goodbye. This special spot may be more European than Queenslander these days, but the homely feel still lingers.
Hearty breakfasts
Room packages are inclusive of continental and à la carte breakfast, which can be enjoyed inside or out on the verandah speckled with rays. Also open to the public by reservation, chef Tyson Buchanan offers a great selection to start the day – from exotic jams and granola to French toast brioche and eggs how you like.
Asking the host for her opinion, I went with her favourite, Eggs Benedict, to accompany my cappuccino and freshly made pear, pineapple and ginger juice. Upon placing my reservation, Spicers Balfour confirmed any special dietary requirements, so my breakfast came perfectly on gluten-free bread as well.
With a flick of the paper and a gaze over the quiet street, it was time to pack my bags and say goodbye. This special spot may be more European than Queenslander these days, but the homely feel still lingers.
Guest book peek
There are no ‘good’s or even ‘great’s scribbled in here, it’s more like ‘wonderful’, ‘amazing’ and ‘fabulous’, as well as ‘homely’ and ‘welcoming’.
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