The Medusa Hotel

Quirky, stylish Medusa is a converted eighteenth-century Victorian townhouse in ultra-fashionable Darlinghurst, Sydney's gallery and boutique district. The award-winning design, by prominent Australian interior architect Scott Werner, is anything but Victorian; in fact, these daring, modern interiors are a large factor in Medusa's draw, especially among the young, creative types the hotel (and the neighborhood) caters to.

Make no mistake: this is not the sort of place where you would want to hole up for a few days and avoid the outside world. Medusa is a comfortable, stylish home base, a place to leave your suitcase while you browse the shops and cafés by day, a place to lay your head after a fun night out. There is no restaurant, no bar, not even a lounge where you can see and be seen - that's what the rest of Darlinghurst is for.

Don't expect a Spartan flophouse, or some kind of glamour hostel; these rooms are vividly decorated, each to an individual scheme, with queen or king beds and marble and glass en-suite bathrooms. The larger, high-ceilinged Grand rooms have breakfast tables, lounge chairs, and a chaise lounge, and overlook either the quiet inner courtyard or colorful Darlinghurst Road. Animal lovers take note – the courtyard rooms (of all sizes) allow guests with dogs, making Medusa the only dog-friendly upscale hotel in Australia. And if you are here on business, there is a conference room and a fully-equipped business center, with high-speed internet and color printing facilities.

Enough has been said about Darlinghurst's pub & club scene – the rest of the city is easily accessible as well, from Oxford Street (home of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras) to the more traditional tourist spots. The Opera House is just on the other side of the Botanical Gardens, which themselves make for a gorgeous walk to the harbour. Kings Cross railway station is five minutes from the hotel, taxis are easy to come by, and several bus lines stop right at Medusa's door, for a ride to Circular Quay or the central business district.

The Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel

The Park Hyatt Sydney is arguably the most impressive hotel in town—a fact which, when combined with its scenic and utterly central location, makes for high occupancy and rates to match. Then again the Park Hyatt hardly needs to compete on price; this is the place for a slightly excessive, almost over-the-top hotel experience.

That’s not to say the Park Hyatt is ostentatious or gaudy—quite the opposite. In fact if it’s possible to overdose on genteel discretion, this is the place to do it. Built low on the waterfront, out of sandstone rather than gleaming glass, it’s a rather subtle structure; the only thing flashy about it is the view from the front-facing balconies, looking across Sydney Cove toward the Opera House.

Inside, though, it’s no exaggeration to say it’s a feast for the senses; rooms are spacious and sumptuous, richly decorated in earth tones and that classic, vaguely Eastern Park Hyatt look, with a sense of calm to the décor that stays fresh as the more trend-conscious boutiques begin to date. Sharp LCD screens are standard, but they’ll likely have trouble competing for your attention—most of the 158 rooms face the water, making for an inspiring view. The curtains are remote-controlled from the bedside panel, but if you’ve opted for the 24-hour butler service, why not call him in to press the button for you?

The restaurant and bar are first-class, as expected; but the location, practically under the Harbour Bridge, is right in the heart of the Rocks district, and an easy walk from Circular Quay or the Wharf, and any number of restaurants, shops and bars are within easy reach. The only downside is that it’s not cheap—but if you’re in the market for first-class luxury, you won’t likely be disappointed.

The Establishment Hotel

This place is near-perfect, a thirty-one-room boutique that, as they say, does exactly what it says on the tin; offers chic and comfortable lodging in a convenient city location, and attracts the town′s best and brightest young things to its bars and restaurants.

Rooms are either strikingly Japanese, with black floorboards and loft-style timbered ceilings, with dashes of vivid color, or soothingly international, all blonde woods and soft tones for a more calming experience. Beds are sumptuous and generous in size, and flat-screen TVs, DVD players and Bose stereo systems are standard. Look for Bulgari amenities in the massive stone bathrooms—never the sign of a corner-cutting hotel.

The Establishment bar, at one hundred and fifty feet, is the city's longest, and on some nights the queue for admission is longer—which you′ll bypass, as a hotel guest. The Tank nightclub is a rowdier affair, and the Hemmesphere is more relaxed, with club chairs and divans for luxurious lounging. There are three restaurants as well, Est for fine dining, Sushi E for, well, sushi, and the Garden Bar for weekday Thai lunch.

Welcome to Sydney Hip Hotels

Your guide to Sydney's hippest hotels.
Sydney is my favorite city in the world. On this blog I'm going to share with you the best places to stay in Sydney. As well as the hottest bars and restaurants.