Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2007 - (Page 15) AUSTRALIA BY STEPHANIE STEPHENS Start your clients’ Aussie itinerary in Sydney. The city is the size of London, but it won’t seem so overwhelming when they check into the five-star Observatory Hotel (www.observa toryhotel.com.au) in the historic Rocks district and near the Central Business District. The hotel, which is overseen by General Manager Patrick Griffin (pgriffin@observatoryhotel. com.au), has 78 Deluxe Rooms, nine Junior Suites, 12 Executive Suites and the top-end Observatory Suite, which, insiders say, is where celebrities stay when they want to hide out. In the Observatory Suite, VIPs adore the four-poster bed and fireplace, as well as the opTHE OBSERVATORY HOTEL’s style is classic and comfortable (drawing room shown, left). LILLIANFELS finds its home in the serene Blue Mountains (pool and exterior shown, below). tion to connect to four additional bedrooms. Hotel staff say it’s a favorite for its eight-seat mahogany dining table, two bathrooms (the en-suite bath is done in black marble), kitchen, objects d’art, white marble antique fireplace and sink-right-in, cushy sofa. The hotel is tastefully decorated with a plethora of bird prints and caricatures. In rooms and suites, we thought the touch-control air-conditioning/heating was very convenient, and we appreciated the “Have you forgotten anything?” memo offering bow ties, “bathing costumes” and other, more common necessities. Tip: The hotel’s pet goldfish, Basil and Cybil, can spend the night, while small dogs and cats are welcome, too. At The Observatory, “Nothing is too much trouble,” avows Chief Concierge Michael Anderson (concierge@observatoryhotel.com.au), who, with 14 years at his post, can locate a fresh apple crumble or direct guests to a secluded beach that even Sydneysiders don’t know about. His team can discreetly position a love letter and scatter rose-petals in the bath pre-arrival or arrange a picnic on nearby Observatory Hill. When it came to dining and sightseeing, we couldn’t resist the hotel’s “Wish Upon a Star Package,” with its eight-course degustation dinner at the highly acclaimed Galileo Restaurant, followed by a visit to the Sydney Observatory to name a star after the honoree of our choice. The restaurant, with Executive Chef Haru Inukai at the helm, fuses traditional French and innovative Japanese styles. Inukai is lauded for his artistic signature main-course dish, Spatchcock (baby chicken) à la Haru; the flaky salt crust is broken, revealing perfectly cooked meat inside. After dinner, crook your pinky at the Globe Bar, where we sampled Russian Caravan from the just-introduced, regal 20-item tea menu, served with advice from Tea Master Tjok November 2007 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 15 http://www.observatoryhotel.com.au http://www.observatoryhotel.com.au
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