HotelChatter

The Park Hyatt Sydney

Check-In
After a long, 14 and 1/2 hour Qantas flight from LAX to Sydney, we arrived at the Park Hyatt at around midnight. We were without a doubt travel-weary but also excited. Here, we were...in Sydney...married...no longer living in sin...new members of the mile-high club! (Just kidding. Ralph Fiennes ruined that for all.) Anyways, check-in was a breeze and we were relieved that our Visa points, which paid for the room, were still valid. However, since we booked the room under our last name the hotel staff kept calling us Mr. and Mrs. Shallcross which made the husband mad. But now, we think he understands how hard it is to give up the only last name you have ever known for 28 years.

Room Reaction: Room 330
We were whisked away to room 330 which was a Harbour View room with a king-sized bed. By far, walking into our room was the best way to kick off the trip. That's because each Harbour View room has a little balcony for you to step out on and gaze directly at the iconic Sydney Opera House. Looking at the opera house is one of those surreal moments because you've spent countless times checking out the pictures and when it's right in front of you, it's hard to believe you're really there. After marveling on the balcony for a little bit, we hit the bed and passed out.

Room Amenities
The hotel's king bed was ultra-comfortable with four white fluffy pillows, meaning we didn't have to scour the closets for extras. The workspace was pretty snazzy with an ergonomic desk chair and another chair for your colleague (or spouse) to sit across from you. Another modern, white leather lounge chair was placed in the room in front of a floor to ceiling mirror so you can look at yourself while you read or watch the flat-screened TV.

There was also a partition that separated the room from the bathroom and served as the mini-bar with champagne and wine glasses for our use. Note to honeymooners:Always inform hotel ahead of time you are on your honeymoon. Complimentary champage is practically a guarantee.

The bathroom was large with both a bathtub and a shower and a range of toiletries from a dental kit to shampoo and condish to a vanity kit which is just some cottonballs and a nail file.

Dining
The Park Hyatt has two dining options the harbourkitchen&bar (yes, all lowercased and no spaces) and littlekitchen which is the more casual off-shoot of the former. There's also the Club Bar which is sort of what the name implies, a country club-type of bar where cognacs, whiskies and cuban cigars are served. The food is very tasty but expensive. However, we spied Billy Crystal at the table next to us during lunch and the daytime views of the opera house really cannot be beat. This is one of the best views in all of Sydney. Even the media event for American Chopper could not spoil it.

Pool & Spa
Our first disappointment came with the pool & spa area. First of all, the spa is tiny. Second, because it's tiny they were alway booked up. Not good since two of our toes had not yet regained feeling after spending the entire wedding weekend in ridiculously high heels. The pool is also tiny. We suggest no more than five people in there at a time because that's pretty crowded. But it is a rooftop pool and in a big city like Sydney that's a treat. Plus you can get room service delivered up there. Finally, props to the workout center for being more than just a bike machine and a treadmill but we were hoping for an elliptical in there instead of every nautilus equipment ever made.

WiFi
This is where our next disappointment with the hotel came. There is no WiFi. Just ethernet. For $29 AUD a day. Booo.

Cost
This place is pricey. We snagged our mid-week rooms for about $500 AUD a night. However, when we inquired about booking a room for our last night in Australia which was on a Friday, they quoted a room at $700 AUD. Thank god for the Visa points.

Would We Stay Here Again?
Absolutely, if we have the cash. Aside from amazing harbour views, the hotel is close to the Circular Quay (pronounced "key") which is a major public transpo hub including the ferries. It's also just off George Street in the Rocks which is full of pubs, little restaurants and some shopping.

Honeymoon Appropriate?
Yes, so long as you don't mind the city setting.

More on the Park Hyatt coming tomorrow, including video and some celeb scoop on Slyvester Stallone!