It is a new experience for me having to find child friendly
accommodation in Sydney's CBD. After two decades of travelling around the world backpacking, flash packing and
finally being able to afford luxury hotel stays, I have had to rethink what
will make an experience fun and fulfilling and which embraces the needs of Little 77 our toddler.
It came as a surprise (a pleasant one) that what I thought of as a
'nice' hotel but not a luxurious one to warrant a big celebration stay was
indeed the perfect option for our 10 year wedding anniversary staycation.
We had dreamed we would celebrate in Bora
Bora (at the
St Regis
no less), however life happens and Polynesia was definitely
out of our budget. I've only just returned to work part-time from
18 months maternity leave so expensive holidays are definitely not a priority.
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| Hotel Exterior - - image courtesy of the Swissotel website |
With 40+ 4-5 star hotels in the Sydney CBD to choose from, there are plenty of options. As anyone with a toddler knows however, a lot aren't child friendly or affordable. Sydney is expensive and being on a shoestring but
wanting luxury, it took a little bit of research to
find something to suit our situation (18 month old) and budget (severely lacklustre finances).
Thankfully I found a brilliant deal on
Bookings.com.
It was a fraction of the hotel rate so I booked it and we celebrated our 10
year wedding anniversary at the
Swissotel in Sydney. While it
definitely didn't have stunning lagoon views, I can honestly say that it
is one of the nicest hotel stays I have ever had.
Check in was super easy. Being a Friday night I knew it would be busy
but the staff were efficient and really friendly, high fiving my little man and
making him feel special too. I arrived at 4pm and it only took a few
minutes before Little 77 and I were on our way up to our room.
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| Hallway & Lift area |
The Bookings.com deal was for a refurbished Premier King corner room
overlooking the Sydney CBD and western Skyline.
My first impression walking into the room was that everything was new.
It was also bigger than I thought it would be and the view was wonderful.
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| Renovated Premier King Room of the Swissotel |
The Premier King was perfect for our little family. It was quiet, had
lovely but not too much furniture for Little 77 to bump into and it had more than enough space for three
people.
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| Renovated Premier King Corner king room |
Little 77 loved looking around the room and he adored the king
bed. We rolled, jumped, tumbled and giggled for nearly an hour after
checking out cupboards and drawers. He really loved running his cars and
trucks around the window ledge while pointing out cranes, clouds, planes and
buildings all around us. My worry that the space would be too
small or the whole experience would be a disaster went unfounded.
There was so much to see from the window, we just watched the world go by and
he loved it!
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| Little 77 enjoying the view |
At our request, I had arranged a cot for Little 77, it fit easily into
the room and we still had space to move around.
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| Cot and complimentary bubble bath |
Guest services also surprised us with a bottle of bubbles on the
house. I noted on our booking form that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary;
the champagne came with a handwritten card congratulating us which was
such a lovely personal touch. It really is the little things that can
make a stay extra special.
Mr 77 checked in at 5:30pm and we enjoyed a cheese platter I had purchased form David Jones Food Market (across the road from the hotel), drank our complimentary bubbles and watched a spectacular sunset over
the city as Little 77 played. It was so relaxing, kicking back
enjoying a glass of bubbles watching the sun slip down over the city.
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| Sunset from our room |
After a while, we decided to venture out and explore the hotel, being a Friday
night the hotel bar had a band and our little guy danced around to the music.
Everyone smiled and it was nice to be somewhere where we could let
Little 77 be a toddler and we could still enjoy ourselves.
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| Cross Road bar and lobby - image courtesy of the Swissotel website |
The Swissotel is in a perfect location, literally beside Pitt Street
mall. You are at the centre of all the best shopping, close to many restaurants
and a stones throw from all of Sydney's main attractions such as the Queen Victoria Building, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour and the Opera House. Public
transport is at your doorstep and you can walk or get the train/bus to all the main
tourist spots throughout the city.
I had a craving for dumplings, so we walked 5 minutes to
Din Tai Fung
in the Pitt Street Mall, Westfield complex for their delicious soupy dumpling feast.
There was so much happening out and about with street buskers, Friday
night trading, the mall was alive with music and shoppers and it was fun
watching Little 77 stare at everything in wide eyed wonder.
After dinner, we took in the city lights and went back to the room for
Little 77's bath time. The bathrooms at the Swiss are large and Little 77
couldn't wait to get in the tub. He was so excited to use his
special bubbles that the hotel had thoughtfully provided. He spent
nearly 40 minutes splashing around which allowed Mr 77 and I to chat and relax
as we kept watch.
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| Bathtub and bathroom of the premier king |
Afterwards, Little 77 nestled in between us on the super comfy
king size bed and fell asleep. I transferred him to the cot and
wheeled the cot into the hallway. I was worried about not having a
separate room or partition but the gentle hum of the air conditioner was enough
background noise to keep him asleep!
Mr 77 and I helped ourselves to the complimentary tea, kicked back with a
movie and ate chocolate while finishing off our strawberries and champagne in
bed. This is one the things I love about hotel stays, eating in
bed is such a pure indulgence which I would never do at home!
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| Tea, coffee and facilities |
Mr 77 and I both thought that the beds were incredibly comfortable, the
blackout blinds were brilliant and we both had an amazing sleep. We couldn't get over how quiet the room was.
Little 77 slept the night through and woke late (6am!!) I really need to get
some of those black out blinds.
In the morning, Mr 77 and I took turns using the facilities. It was a
treat to have some down time, whilst Little 77 tucked into some fruit and
was happy to play with his cars and trucks around the room.
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| Breakfast Bar - image courtesy of the Swissotel website |
I love starting the day with a swim, spa and
sauna! Whilst the Swisshotel pool does not have the best Sydney harbour pool views,
it has a large pool which is heated and you can look up at the buildings
as you float and swim or sit in the spa.
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| Hotel Pool - - image courtesy of the Swissotel website |
The day spa is charming. Friendly staff, bright yellow tiles and
all of the facilities I used were really clean. The sauna was heated so I
didn't have to wait for it to warm up. The showers were clean and
I felt so rested and relaxed when we went to breakfast, it really did
feel like we were away from the city on holidays.
I'd definately say that the Swiss Hotel is a perfect CBD hotel for families and travellers. The staff, facilities and service were all excellent and the location is fantastic. All of the staff were incredibly helpful and we felt totally welcomed with our boisterous, inquisitive toddler.
We left our stay feeling relaxed, refreshed and looking forward to coming back. I only wish we had been able to stay longer !
I am looking forward to booking another night when Little 77 is a bit older. I really want to try the interconnecting family rooms (see below). Friends have stayed in these and said they are excellent.
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| Kids and Family Room - - image courtesy of the Swissotel website |
So, if you are a young family or travelling with a baby, or if you just want to have a night off from doing the dishes, jump on the internet, find yourself a deal and I can guarantee you will have a great night or two at the Swisshotel. It is the best family friendly place to stay in Sydney's CBD.
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