Travel: You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to lap up luxuries at Brisbane Airport hotels

WHEN athletes arrive ahead of the Commonwealth Games, a new hotel will provide a lasting impression for many international visitors. But you don’t have to be a gold medallist to lap up the luxuries.

An aerial view of the hotel.

WHEN athletes from all over the world arrive in Queensland ahead of the Commonwealth Games, a new hotel complex at Brisbane Airport will provide the first and last impression of our state for many international visitors.

The airport itself will welcome athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories with more than 20,000 athlete bags and 500 bike travel cases passing through.

The Ibis and Pullman hotels – adjoined by the Brisbane Airport Conference Centre – are putting Queensland in line with major cities that boast world-class hotel and dining facilities just minutes away from international terminals.

The pool at Pullman Brisbane Airport.

It is expected some athletes and officials will stay at the Ibis and Pullman hotels due to the property’s proximity to the shooting and track cycling facilities.

But you don’t have to be a gold medallist to lap up the luxuries ... here is everything you need to know to eat, stay and play your way through the hotel.

EAT

Boasting a range of dining offerings, these hotel restaurants are set to change the way Queenslanders think about eating pre, post and between flights.

Where fast food was once a staple, the Cribb Island Beach Club located on the ground floor of the Ibis offers a fine fare that would satisfy any hungry traveller between flights.

Open to the public for lunch and dinner, diners have plenty to choose from on the well-priced menu.

Dinner at Apron Restaurant.

There’s the grilled halloumi salad (chargrilled red peppers, red onion, baby zucchini, smoky tomatoes, capers, parsley, mint) $20, a generous cut of wagyu rump or grass fed sirloin served with vegetables and mash $38, hearty burgers for $18 to $22 (there’s a vege option) and a selection of pizzas with prices ranging from a friendly $20 to $27 (my recommendation: the ‘funghi’ with wood roasted mushrooms and white truffle oil).

The Beach Club also has a kid’s menu and a selection of desserts both on the menu and in the window at the register.

Oysters at Apron Restaurant.

One of the joys of travelling is that it’s socially acceptable to order a glass of bubbly at midday, so the restaurant has prepared an extensive wine and cocktail list for the thirsty traveller (more on the cocktails a little later).

Beer and ciders are also on tap.

Dining in between flights also offers a quick history lesson: Cribb Island or “Cribbie” as it was known locally, was a former suburb of Brisbane and now forms part of Brisbane Airport. Named after John George Cribb who bought 150 acres of land from the Queensland Government in 1863, Cribb sold some of the land to James Jackson to grow bananas.

This area became known as Jackson’s Estate, which was subdivided into residential lots in 1916.

An aerial shot of the hotels at the airport.

But the suburb is perhaps best known for being the childhood home of the Gibb brothers who later became famous as the Bee Gees.

As work began on the new airport in 1970, the final residents left the suburb in 1980.

Next door at the Pullman is Apron Restaurant and Bar, led by renowned Executive Chef Justin Zammit.

There’s an a la carte menu for breakfast, tapas on the menu for lunch and an extensive list of main meals created by Zammit, who has worked in Michelin starred restaurants, for dinner.

With a focus on bespoke produce sourced from the ‘apron’ directly around the property, the paddock to plate philosophy is put into play with all produce sourced from micro-farms between Moreton Bay and the Scenic Rim.

An in house sommelier has also collated an impressive list of wines (the waiters offer excellent service and can recommend the best accompaniment to any dish) sitting alongside a range of spirits and seasonal cocktails.

Standout cocktails include the aptly named Midnight Traveller (patron silver tequila, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura bitters garnished with dried chilli), Aviation (Hendricks gin, Maraschino liqueur, fresh lemon juice and Creme De Violet), Late Arrive Dessertini (double shot espresso, Baileys, Tia Maria and Frangelico) and Jet Lag Fixer (Zing prosecco, Belvedere grapefruit vodka, cranberry juice, lime and mint).

The lobby at Pullman Brisbane Airport.

If you’re there for breakfast and enjoy omelets, you’re in luck.

There’s a whole page of the menu dedicated to the delicious breakfast dishes – for something different try the mushroom and Swiss cheese or the Moreton Bay bug omelets.

The buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and honeycomb are a popular pick for diners with a sweet tooth and are priced at a reasonable $18 while health conscious folk certainly don’t miss out with acai and pitaya bowls, $16 and avocado on toast with poached eggs and lime, $16, on the menu.

For lunch - from 11.30am to 2.30pm - Apron offers tapas-style share plates.

Think Moreton Bay oysters ($4 each) and Binchotan seared duck liver with chard leek, mandarin and miso mayonnaise, $16.

Binchotan, also called white charcoal, is made from oak which is traditionally used in Japanese cooking – and it’s not the only ingredient that suggests a Japanese influence on the menu.

Yuzu – a Japanese fruit – stars in the yuzu and passionfruit smash with toasted black sesame and sherbet, and is a must-try if you’re staying for dessert.

But it’s the dinner menu that takes centre stage.

Each of the meals are served in generous portions and plated meticulously … so they will look #delicious in your Instagram snaps.

Among the dishes are the Saltgrass Lamb (herb crusted rump, feuille de brick, pressed breast, pearl barley and miso crème) $42 and sugar smoked duck breast (caramelised endive tart, stinging nettle and sour cherry) $44 which take classic flavours and add unexpected ingredients, like stinging nettle and cherry sorbet.

STAY

The Pullman Brisbane Airport features 132 rooms including two Presidential Suites, six Junior Suites and 45 Executive Rooms.

Pullman Executive Suites. Picture: Supplied

For those staying in the top-end suites, there’s an executive lounge and bar serving breakfast and drinks overlooking the airport and a business centre and executive gym open 24 hours a day - so you can work out no matter what time your flight gets in.

Next door, the Ibis has 243 rooms including 99 ‘superior rooms’ fitted out with luxe furniture in neutral hues and offering views of the Brisbane Airport and surrounding areas.

How good do those croissants look.

But perhaps the most impressive feature of the property is the fact there is no noise pollution, meaning you can get a good night’s sleep without having to listen to the roar of plane engines.

Ibis Hotel and conference centre Brisbane Airport.

Adjoining the two properties is the Brisbane Airport Conference Centre which accommodates 600 people with a 300 seat pillar-less Ballroom, eight medium to large conference rooms and four executive boardrooms.

PLAY

Last year more than 5.6 million passengers passed through the Brisbane International Airport alone.

It was also named Australia’s leading airport at the World Travel Awards, beating Sydney and Melbourne for the title which looked at service standards and ease of travel.

The airport is already a hot spot for ‘plane spotters’ and with a $120 million international terminal expansion underway to allow additional Airbus A380s to park in the area, it is expected the airport will attract even more people.

The best vantage point to spot these jumbo jets is from the rooftop bar at the Ibis which offers panoramic views from Moreton Bay to Mt Cootha.

The space is currently only open for private functions but will open to the public early next year for drinks and light food.

The artist impressions look just like the real deal.

On the ground level at the Pullman, you can sip wine by the pool in one of the comfy lounges.

The pool is only open to guests at the Pullman which means it will never get too crowded, and as we head into the summer months, a dip in the pool might be exactly what you need.

IF YOU GO ...

Visit pullmanba.com.au and ibisba.com.au to book your trip.