Sydney Editor Picks

Tucked into a discrete alleyway a few blocks from the harbor, the boutique-y Establishment Hotel occupies a heritage-listed structure with decidedly modern rooms and a discrete staff.  Choose from two design themes: “city” is marked by dark wood floors and cowhide rugs, or “classic,” a lighter ambience despite exposed brick walls. All have en-suite tubs and sleek bathrooms with Philippe Starck fixtures and rain shower heads—suds by Bulgari (and sounds by Bose throughout). There’s also a pair of two-story penthouses. Despite only 33 rooms, you’ll find 24-hour in-room dining, thanks to the site’s bustling F&B menu roster. There’s the Garden Bar, used for breakfast and lunch; the Establishment Bar, a cavernous venue that looks like a bank lobby with a 130-foot marble counter; upstairs is est., an acclaimed 90-seat contemporary restaurant; and close out the evening on the fourth floor at Hemmesphere, a Moroccan-themed bar with live and DJ music.

Formerly sordid, now fashionable, Darlinghurst is Sydney’s bohemian enclave, and also home to the Hotel Altamont, occupying a colonial Georgian manor close to King’s Cross. The building sounds dowdy, but the upbeat, design-forward hotel is elegantly modern, its welcoming lobby filled with light and a pool table. Rooms aim for style on a budget, with Balinese wooden beds and leather armchairs; high ceilings and large bathrooms – some units open onto a private courtyard. There’s a Tuscan-style rooftop terrace, and lots of clubs and bars nearby.  Madonna and various members of the Rolling Stones have all bunked here (though probably not because of its bargain prices). Rates also include breakfast.

Following a dramatic 2005 makeover at a cost of A$200 million – the largest single site investment by the Hilton group – this 44-floor hotel shows that W isn’t the only hotel brand to recognize today’s traveler as stylish, plugged-in, and fun-seeking. Deluxe rooms are designed with work stations, while the prime picks are the Relaxation Suites; glam corner units with a spa bath overlooking the city panorama. Extras include “Bathmaster” service – mixed-to-order in-room baths – and a “Provocateur” package that includes an aphrodisiacal tasting platter and tips and tools from Sydney icon Madam Lash. In addition to a spa and monstrous health club with an 82-foot indoor pool, the 577-room hotel boasts both excellent dining (hot Aussie chef Luke Mangan’s Glass Brasserie) and a sizzling nightclub (Zeta Bar, sister to the sexy Zeta London), while the location opposite the Queen Victoria Building is handy for emergency shopping runs.

This 440-ft high, 3,770-ft-long bridge is among the world’s largest single-span bridges. Walk across or climb it (groups of 12 are decked out in space suits, harnessed to cables, and guided up stairs to the top).

Topping the world charts as a happening sun and surf mecca, this much-photographed 0.62-mile strip of sand in the eastern suburbs is quintessential Sydney.

The best Asian fusion can be sampled in the swanky oceanfront interior of Darling...more

Stalls sell excellent fish-and-chips and fresh oysters; it’s an amazing sight on early...more

Dating from 1836, the former School of Arts building houses four bars, regular exhibits, a top-rated modern Aussie restaurant, and a Saturday club night that rocks the dance floor until 6am.