Just finished another staycation at the PHS.

I booked through my Privé agent SojournsOf and this time decided on a Harbour View confirmed into an Opera View. With national borders still being closed and Queensland still yet to confirm access to residents of Sydney we're planning on monthly staycations until further notice.

We arrived at 11AM and upon arrival the bellmen recognised us as return guests and welcomed both of us by name. Check in was swift, they acknowledged the occasion and asked when we would like the bottle of Champers sent up. The occasion was the following day so we agreed for it to be delivered then.

Room

We specifically requested a third floor room and were allocated room 333. I walked in expecting to see the Sydney Opera House (an icon I know intimately through my work) as we opened the door. I was immediately deflated as you could only see the House from the balcony or standing against the glass sliding doors.

I should have recitifed the issue then, but decided to head up to the pool to take advantage of the great weather. I know the curvature affects the view of the rooms and their orientation. I'm often on the Harbour view side of the hotel and realise the rooms towards Campbell Cove actually get less direct sunlight and also far less wind because they are shielded by the buildings and Cove.

I did later call and guest services offered to give us a tour of two rooms to check, but I simply asked for the furtherst toward the Cove and they moved our luggage. The new room was what I had expected.

Pool

We were blessed with three great days of Sun and we had planned to spend as much time by the pool as possible. As this was a mid week stay the pool wasn't busy and there were no kids during out entire stay.

There really is nowhere in the city that feels as exeptional as sitting between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House watching the ferries of Circular Quay while swimming in the gorgeous pool or spa.

(Our last stay had children whose parents would leave them by the pool unattended).

Service

As the best hotel in Sydney, IMHO, the PH is extremely Covid safe. Every precaution is taken with all staff wearing masks and strong procedures for F&B.

We were spoilt with a bottle of Vueve (not Chandon), complimentary cocktails by the pool and even a cute gift to mark our occasion.

Dining

Breakfast has returned daily to The Dining Room, minus the buffet. The a la carte menu features the usual mines and sides. The Eggs Benedict, Coffees and Watermelon juice were very good.

We ordered room service by the pool twice which we ate in the cabana seating area.

Overall

Overall, we had another great stay at our home away from home.

I highly reccomend mid week stays because weekends are just too busy at my liking. The current rates appear heavily discounted until February. We're planning to return shortly.

I should add we booked Bennlong Ensembles with the SSO and ACO for dinner and it was a perfect addition to stay.

Booking

Stay from 5/01/2021 - 6/01/2021 (1 night)

This was a room that was booked through the Amex Travel portal, using a travel credit associated with the Explorer credit card. There was an additional Amex offer at the time of booking, which was to spend $250, get $50 back. The room price per night (for harbour view) at booking was $895, including breakfast for all occupants in the room. With the $400 credit and $50 discount offer, this brought the room cost to $435. Note that this booking was not a Fine Hotels & Resorts one, as that would not be eligible for travel credit or the portal offer. The price increased to $1135 about 3 weeks before the stay. All prices in AUD.

Check In

We arrived at the hotel for check in around 11:30 am, through the entrance on Hickson Road (as the front pier/boardwalk entrance in front of the hotel had been closed due to the pandemic). Check in was efficient, and the front desk was friendly. The associate had confirmed an upper level room, but our room was not ready, which was OK as the check in time is 3pm. The hotel collected our small suitcase, which would be later delivered to our room. We left the hotel with our phone number, so they could call us back when the room was ready.

Hotel exterior

View out towards the boardwalk, and the Sydney Opera House

Room

We were assigned room 316. After receiving the keycards, we proceeded through the elevator to Level 3, before turning left towards our room.

Hotel hallway

Room 316

When first entering, the first impression was that the room was quite spacious, considering the hotel did not look that large from the outside. To the left was the bathroom, which was presented with all the sliding doors open. The bathroom had dual vanity sinks, plenty of towels, and at the end was a combined shower/bathtub space, separated with a swinging glass door.

Dual vanity sinks

Robes next to the shower

Separate handheld and rainforest shower

Bathtub

A separate toilet (powder room) was next to the shower. The toilet itself was notable, as it was a TOTO washlet, with heated seat and bidet.

Amenities were by Le Labo, and had a modern scent to them (Bergamote 22).

An appreciated feature is the bench between the beds and the bathroom with the sliding door, which was a great place to put any items of clothing, towels, robes etc.

To the right of the bathroom were some cabinets, with one having the safe and extra chest drawers. There was a large cabinet with a long bench to place a full size travel suitcase (for international travellers when that was a thing before the pandemic). Just like how there was a provided international travel adapter, which was certainly not needed. A tea set, kettle, iron, two bottles of water, and minibar were also provided, with fancy drinks and snacks (including a $250 bottle of 375mL Krug Grande Cuvee Brut!). We had the cashew nuts in a jar, which were satisfying and of high quality. All the cabinets in the room had a dark brown wooden texture, and fitted in very well with the rest of the room. There were also some very nice welcome chocolates (3) provided with the water.

The beds themselves were in a twin configuration, with 2 single beds plus an extra rollaway one in our case.

They were comfortable to sleep in, with sealed duvets between the bedsheets/linen, which I think is much more hygienic than having the sheets loose. The mattresses of the two main beds were quite firm, but the rollaway bed mattress was quite soft. The pillows ranged from soft to hard. They faced the TV (Samsung HD) and some low cabinets.

There were multiple flat control panels next to the beds, which controlled various in room lighting functions, such as the master switch and reading lights. The blinds of the room are electronically controlled, with separate arrows for both blackout and sheer blinds.

One thing to improve would be to allow the blinds to be stopped at any point vertically, as they had to either be fully open or closed. This made it really dark at night (pitch black) with the blinds fully lowered, and we left the toilet light on all night to give a little light to the room. Pressing the arrow in the opposite direction reversed the direction of travel instead of stopping the blind. 

The room was decorated in the typical Park Hyatt style, with brown wooden panels, flush room control buttons, and light olive green carpets, which changed texture between the sleeping area and the living area. Since the hotel’s renovation in 2012, these could be replaced, but seemed free of any signs of wear and tear. The desk was to the right of the room, and was spacious. Inputs for the TV were also here.

There were two large lounge chairs, with a cushioned table in the middle to place drinks, food, or anything else.

Now, to the interesting part. The balcony of the room was quite gorgeous, albeit a little small. There were two lounge chairs and a faux leather stool in the middle. The view was lovely, with Circular Quay, the Rocks, and the Overseas Passenger Terminal visible.

If you stuck your head out to the left a little, you could see the Opera House with the white sails in all its glory.

The balcony was sealed with a heavy door, which had an airlock when secured in the locked position. The double glazing in the windows was very effective at keeping the noise and weather out (hot and humid). 

The air quality in the room was quite nice, with the air conditioning/thermostat keeping the room cool and fresh. It was never too hot or cold in the room. The cleanliness of the room was excellent, as expected at any Park Hyatt (or Grand/Regency). No spot was left untouched, no crumbs/garbage, and everything was spotless. All in all, the room was fantastic.

Service

Other than the check in and check out experiences, we did not interact much with the staff at the hotel. Housekeeping was nice, with a turn down service being performed after we came back from dinner. The beds were remade up after we relaxed in them during the afternoon, our bottles of water were set up with glasses for the night, the shower/bathtub area totally cleaned, and amenities replenished (with a new bar of Le Labo soap). The concierge greeted us every time we left or entered the hotel. It was raining with sun showers before dinner, so before heading out to Circular Quay (the opposite side of the hotel in the Rocks area), we borrowed a Park Hyatt branded umbrella (in signature black colour), which I thought was a nice touch. The umbrella was comfortable, should I say?

The restaurant staff in The Dining Room were friendly and efficient at breakfast, with orders taken quickly and items being served elegantly. More on that later. 

Dining

During our stay, the Dining Room was only open for breakfast, as the restaurant was only open for lunch and dinner Thursday to Sunday. We stayed on a Tuesday night.

The Dining Room (when it was closed)

The breakfast was quite enjoyable, with direct views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The food was of high quality, but the three egg omelette could have been thicker.

Breakfast pastries

Three egg omelette

The fruit was tasty, but some items like the pineapple were not as good as the others.

The buttermilk pancakes were presented very well.

View from the Dining Room for breakfast

Unfortunately, there was no buffet service due to the pandemic, so all items like coffee, juice and pastries were ordered family style with a waiter and delivered to the table.

Pool and Rooftop Terrace

The pool and rooftop terrace was one of the highlights of this hotel, with two ways to access it. One way is through the hotel gym, while the other was through the elevator to Level 4, and through the lobby for the four specialty suites.

Level 4 lobby

Entrance to rooftop terrace/pool

Entryway to the four specialty suites

The pool was certainly not large, but the terrace did feel exclusive.

The pool was busy, and it was hard to swim around due to many kids, including a family who was just visiting another who was staying there to use the pool.

A whirlpool spa was also on the terrace, which had views of the Opera House if you looked to the left.

Food and drink can be ordered up to the terrace, including 4 mini cabanas which were all being used. The space has views of Sydney Harbour as well, and the green plants and grass add a nice natural touch to the environment which is landscaped very well.

Gym

The gym is equipped by Technogym, and has your standard equipment, such as treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes etc.

The gym had views of the Harbour Bridge and Hickson Road. There was also yoga equipment such as balls and yoga mats, along with weights.

There are well equipped change rooms/showers, with a stair to the rooftop pool and terrace, along with lockers and a steam room.

Location

The hotel is located in the Rocks District of Sydney, and right along the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. It is one of the best hotels for tourists looking to stay in Sydney, and the discerning business traveller, who wants the finest in luxury for their experience. There are many nearby attractions, such as Circular Quay. Some travellers may find this hotel slightly away/isolated from the city centre, which is where many corporate offices and shops (Sydney Westfield) are located. These can be reached within 20 minutes by walking, or by taking the recently opened light rail service, which extends all the way to Randwick or Kingsford in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Trains are also available, along with buses and ferries to other parts of Sydney, along with the Overseas Passenger Terminal for cruise ship passengers. There are plenty of dining options around the hotel, such as the many historic bars in the Rocks, Quay Restaurant in the Terminal, and many other restaurants. We had dinner at Eastbank Bar and Pizzeria, in Circular Quay, which is an Italian restaurant.

Overall

The Park Hyatt Sydney is truly one of the finest hotels, if not the finest and most luxurious in Australia. The room was incredible, with the decor striking the perfect balance between luxurious and intimate. The views were breathtaking, along with great service, a convenient and iconic location on Sydney Harbour, and great amenities like the rooftop terrace. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a luxury experience in Sydney, assuming that the budget for the stay is there. If you ever get the chance, definitely book a room here, ideally with a harbour or opera view, as this is one of the best Hyatt hotels out there which will be part of a trip that you will remember forever.