REVIEW – Shangri-La Sydney

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Intro

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Given that we were arriving late into Sydney I decided to look for somewhere close to the Park Hyatt, where we’d be spending the following four nights, without breaking the bank.

Sydney is an interesting city for hotels. The area around the Opera House has a number of options around the 350AUD mark: a Four Seasons – which many say is the worst in the entire portfolio; an Intercontinental – which has a Club Lounge that is widely praised but also has some very basic looking rooms, and the hotel I decided on: The Shangri-La.

None of these hotels are particularly modern and none were going to be in the same league as the Park Hyatt, however my limited exposure to Shangri-La has been very positive. They have a beautiful property at the top of The Shard in London and the buffet at the Shang in Shanghai is the stuff of dreams. Quite possibly the single greatest display of food I have ever seen in my life. Even better than the Wynn in Vegas!

All three hotels offered similar benefits when booking via our portal, these offered remarkable value on a one night stay:

• $100 USD dining credit (effectively a 40% rebate)
• late checkout/ early check-in subject to availability
• room upgrade subject to availability
• free breakfast for two people

What swayed my choice the most is that WHEN BOOKING A SHANGRI-LA LUXURY CIRCLE RATE WITH US, THE ROOM UPGRADE AT THE SHANGRI-LA IS CONFIRMED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING (rather than being subject to availability). I could book a room one category below an Opera House view at the Shangri-La for cheaper than the equivalent room at the other two, the breakfast here looked to be the best and the in house bars and restaurants at the Shangri-La were more alluring places in which to spend the dining credit.

I also have Jade status with Shangri-La as a benefit of my Amex Platinum card and was hoping that this would stack with the Shangri-La Luxury Circle benefits to get me a double upgrade (Four Seasons doesn’t have a proper loyalty program and IHG… well you could argue that they don’t either)

However you look at it: 375AUD for a 5* hotel room with full harbour view, dinner for two and breakfast for two, is borderline larcenous.

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Booking

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Our clients are able to access Shangri-La Luxury Circle rates at Shangri-La Sydney.

Luxury Circle bookings always match the best available rate on the Shangri-La website, but ALSO offer extras:

• Upgrade of one category at the time of booking, based on availability.
• Daily breakfast for up to two in-room guests.
• $100 hotel credit
• VIP welcome amenity
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability.

You can book a Luxury Circle rate at Shangri-La Sydney for yourself by using our online booking portal:

BOOK SHANGRI-LA SYDNEY WITH LUXURY CIRCLE BENEFITS

If you’re booking with us for the first time, here’s a quick guide on how to use the booking portal:

HOTEL BOOKING GUIDE

If you are planning an itinerary involving multiple rooms or properties, please get in touch for immediate booking assistance:

EMAIL FOR BOOKING ENQUIRIES

 

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Arrival

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We took an Uber from Sydney airport which was quick, cheap and relatively simple. Uber has a designated parking lot area for pickups which is a 5 minute walk from International Arrivals.

The area immediately next to the check-in desks features modern furniture and cool carpets.

However the rest of the lobby is a bit dark, old fashioned and sterile.

Check-in was very quick and efficient, with a full list of our Luxury Circle benefits detailed to us. The front desk agent explained to us that the $100USD credit was good for whatever we wanted to charge to the room, other than tips and minibar expenses. He also explained that we had indeed received a double upgrade to a Deluxe Sydney Harbour Room. We were not escorted to the room but our bags did follow a couple of minutes after we settled in.

The hallways have interesting carpets and lights but the overall feel of the public spaces is rather beige, drab and tired. A little contrasting colour and some plants would go a long way here.

 

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Deluxe Grand Harbour View Room

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Our door opened straight out onto a wardrobe containing a pair of very fluffy dressing gowns and an iron.

I feel like the carpet really helped to liven the place up, moving the decor from stuffy to elegant. The bed was very comfortable, firm underneath with a softer upper layer. The large feather pillows held their shape well too. Despite the rather low ceiling, our room felt quite bright given the abundance of lamps, and benefited from two large windows for natural light during the day.

Speaking of which, the view during the day is quite something:

 

Universal power sockets and well labelled light switches next to the bed. We arrived after turndown, where bottled water was provided

The side furthest from the window didn’t have an easily accessible power socket (is it just me or do hotel designers do things like this just to see if they can cause arguments over who gets the ‘best side’??)

In addition to measuring 45-50m2 the deluxe rooms also feature a small sitting area, which moves them more towards the realms of a junior suite.

On the other side of the bed we had a make up/ vanity area as well as the minibar.

Thankfully the vanity area had ample power supply for hair dryers etc.

The minibar selection was on the lower end. I can’t remember the last time I stayed in a 5* hotel that didn’t stock champagne in the room. Although to be fair I also can’t think of a time I’ve ever taken champagne from a hotel minibar…

The TV seemed a little undersized and low res for a modern hotel, the HDMI port was easily accessible though, which for me is a must when travelling with my laptop and Netflix.

The bathroom was quite compact and only featured a single sink. I have to say I’m not  a fan of having a separate hot and cold tap, it just seems pointlessly inconvenient since the technology has now been invented to achieve your desired temperature from a single tap.

The fixtures were quite high-end though and actually rather reminiscent of an English countryside hotel. I particularly appreciated having a separate bath and shower. The shower had a high pressure but was not without problems of its own. The temperature oscillated seemingly at random between scalding hot and ice cold. A millimetric turn of the tap would only exacerbate things…

A wide range of L’Occitane toiletries were provided. I like when things like toothbrushes are readily available in the room, rather than having to call for them late at night.

 

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Food and Drink

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Dinner

Our first port of call after settling into our room was the hotel’s casual dining option: Café Mix, located on the 1st floor. This is also the location of the morning breakfast buffet.

The room was a little depressing, with few tables occupied, but the service was sincere and friendly. The food was the typical Pan Asian fare although some effort had been made with regards to the presentation. The Som Tam (Papaya Salad) came in a bag labeled ‘Shake Me’ but was woefully under-spiced for what is usually one of the more ferocious staples of Northern Thai cuisine. The Pork ribs were chewy but the pork neck kurobata was excellent.

The bill came to around 100AUD, which left us with 40 AUD of credit still to spend.

Breakfast

We went to breakfast at around 9am and didn’t find it to be overly busy. There was an area by the entrance providing complimentary take away coffee and fruit for people who didn’t have time to sit down to a full meal.

Our server escorted us over to a table by the window and handed us a menu each. I find it needlessly disruptive when you are forced to line up at a buffet ‘cooking station’, it wastes your time and creates an unnecessary blockage to the flow of people. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to see a variety of a la carte options offered via table service. I can’t say I was overly tempted by the $9 juice though…

The buffet breakfast was very good – better than what you see in most European 5* hotels. A lot of items were freshly prepared in house, rather than being brought in mass produced. I particularly liked the range on offer, there were multiple options within each category of breakfast food: cold cuts, fruit, cereal etc.

A wide variety of cereals, including a freshly made bircher muesli. The house cured salmon was delicious and came with a variety of garnishes including my favourite giant caper berries.

Make your own porridge.

Miso Soup and Spring Rolls.

Eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes. Be warned though, this is English style lean back bacon not the crispy US variety.

You’re not fooling anybody. This is pizza and burgers for breakfast… and I like it!

Carb festival.

Fresh fruit, cheese and honey.

I tried to keep things as healthy as possible but couldn’t resist the papaya juice and the hash brown. The strong flat white was excellent and a refill was offered very quickly after I finished my first.

Lunch

After a morning spent strolling around the botanical gardens we returned to the hotel to check-out. With around 40AUD of credit still to spend, we ordered some salads to enjoy on the Lobby Lounge’s outdoor terrace.

The salads were super fresh and bursting with flavour, easily as good as what you’d find in one of Sydney’s many third wave coffee shops.

 

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Conclusion

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Book online with Luxury Circle benefits

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