Sydney Smart Splurges

This swank, 563-room hotel – formerly the ANA – was granted a $40 million facelift in 2003 and today draws an enthusiastic Asian crowd. With an enviable location just three blocks from Circular Quay, a range of room sizes and views is available, starting at 430 square feet; all have marble bathrooms with separate tub and shower, and modern furnishings with an Asian accent.  Almost every room has harbor views (half of them Darling Harbour), though none better than the hotel’s 36th-floor Blu Horizon bar, a fabulous perch for sunset – splash out by ordering the one-carat Diamond Martini for a cool A$10,000. There are eight food and beverage landings in all, including Café Mix, which has both a la carte and buffet menus prepared from separate Indian, Malaysian, Japanese, and Italian cooking stations. Additional guest amenities include an indoor pool, gym and spa. Rates include breakfast & airport transfers.

The 34-story Four Seasons was Sydney’s first world-class hotel when it opened in 1983; its arrival helped put the city on the world map as a serious business destination. More than half the rooms have a view of the Opera House and harbor, and though standard rooms are not spacious by Four Seasons standards they lay on the brand’s attention to plush details, with silk, mahogany and marble accents, and oversized bathrooms and in-room safes. But with lots of quality properties raising the luxury bar in Sydney during the last decade this one’s been due for a facelift; the décor – while perfectly comfortable – will get an overhaul in 2008. The spa is acclaimed (book a jet-lag treatment when you check in).