Best Luxury Hotels in New South Wales

A boutique hotel in a converted wool store with a sense of fun, the Ovolo 1888 is ideally located in Darling Harbour next to Barangaroo Park, a superb base for exploring the delights of Sydney. Inside the original fixtures of the wool store are on display in the public areas and rooms with rough-hewn beams, exposed brick, and pipes all incorporated into the décor, along with quirky artefacts and the silver eggs (ovo) of the brand’s signature emblem. Rooms include furniture made from original ironbark beans and screen prints of works by Aussie wunderkind Jasper Knight and range from shoebox to suite with sun terrace. The hotel bistro and bar is an eclectic rendition of industrial chic meets vintage and serves Mediterranean cuisine. Enjoy a free happy hour every day.

Located in Surry Hills, ADGE offers self-contained serviced apartments in the trendiest area of the city for shopping, dining and nightlife. At the same time as being contemporary cool, the ADGE is modern luxury. You’re greeted by an oversized psychedelic mural and polished concrete fronts which lead to immaculate open-plan suites dressed in monochrome apart from the eye-wateringly bright neon-striped carpet, all with a balcony. If you choose to self-cater, a personal shopping service is available and if not, there are two restaurants and a bar. Other facilities include a laundry, fitness room and in-house hair styling service. An excellent base for sightseeing, ADGE Aparthotel is just under two miles from Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Best described as quirky, this luxury hotel with 189 rooms sits on the waterfront with incredible views of the Harbour Bridge and Walsh Bay. Pier One is a great base for tourists being only a 5-minute walk from The Rocks and King George V Memorial Park. Rooms are modern, spacious, and stylish with large picture windows, while suites boast waterfront terraces. The excellent restaurant and bar also have fabulous views and there’s also a barbecue restaurant right on the harbour. Guests can enjoy leisure time in a well-equipped fitness centre. This pet-friendly hotel also has plenty of meeting facilities for business travellers.

A stroll away from Darling Harbour in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, the Hyatt Regency is the ideal choice for leisure and business travellers. This is Australia’s largest hotel (892 air-conditioned rooms) and pitched at the top end of the conference and business market and facilities are mainly aimed at business customers or customers who want a luxurious base for sightseeing without too many on-site facilities. There are excellent conference facilities and the hotel is only 15 minutes walk from the International Convention Centre. The Sailmaker restaurant serves delicious food and guests can enjoy fabulous views while sipping a cocktail in the Zephyr sky bar or a workout in two fitness rooms.

Located in the heart of the city, Kimpton Margot Sydney, is a treasured icon reimagined. The hotel combines art deco heritage with eclectic style and the result is guaranteed to delight guests. Guest rooms are modern with plush beds, stylish bathrooms, art-lined walls and even include a yoga mat! The hotel presents four restaurants each offering a myriad of dining experiences; from refined drinks and light bites in the elegant 1930s-style cocktail bar through to the flagship restaurant, helmed by renowned Australian chef, Luke Mangan. The hotel very much embraces a social spirit hosting nightly drinks receptions, pop-up events and much more. For energetic guests, there is a fully equipped on-site fitness centre with the latest Technogym machines and custom-designed Kimpton Lekker bikes for riding around town are available upon request. The rooftop swimming pool is the perfect place for a sun-soaked swim or simply a place to enjoy city views in style and comfort.

Porter House Hotel Sydney by MGallery, is a 5-star hotel located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD and Hyde Park, Australian Museum, Darling Harbour, Capitol Theatre are all within close proximity. The design of the hotel is very much one where history meets modern elegance and this style flows throughout. Rooms and suites include all the amenities guests would expect of a hotel of this standard.  The hotel restaurant has a warm and sophisticated atmosphere, where groups, couples or solo diners are all as welcome as each other – the bistro-style menu has classic dishes with an Australian influence. Enjoy the all-day buzz of the European deli inspired café, where bread and wine are the order of the day – sit down and relax or grab and go! Guests have full use of the heated outdoor swimming pool and an onsite fitness centre is also available.

Laidback luxury is the philosophy at this guest house in the centre of Byron Bay. It offers TV-free accommodation for over 21s only, with the option of a private plunge pool, lighthouse view, outdoor showers and claw-footed tubs. Owner and interior designer Deb Garske has created a slow living feel, incorporating wellness touches like local beeswax candles, Hunter lab skincare and an immune-strengthening Grander water system, as well as a personally curated local guidebook. Breakfast here is typical of Byron, with paleo granola, organic yoghurt and moonshine coffee appearing on the menu. Guests at 28 Degrees have shared access to a gourmet kitchen, a pool area and a reading room.

Hidden in the Hinterland of Mullumbimby Creek, beside Mount Koonyum, this adults-only estate is made up of low rise pavilions. The site was originally a banana plantation and many of the original materials have been salvaged and reused in the build of Blackbird. Its resulting aesthetic is earthy and simple, yet stylish. Accommodations come with Egyptian cotton linen, burnished concrete floors, reclaimed timber joinery and Moroccan tiled bathrooms A magnesium lap pool was built into the mountainside and provides enviable ocean vistas, Named in Tatler’s 2020 annual travel guide as one of the ‘Top 101 Hotels in the World’, Blackbird is one not to miss.

Wake up to the sound of the waves when you book a beach-facing room at this family-friendly MGallery property. An outdoor pool also looks onto the ocean, flanked by a glass balustrade. Guests have several options for dining at Manly Pacific; Zalis serves modern, laid-back Australian cuisine from breakfast through to dinner and Bistro Manly provides a contemporary coastal take on French food, crafted using fresh seasonal produce. For drinks, there’s Sable, a mezzanine wine bar and the Charlie bar, which incorporates a gaming area.