5 places to escape for an urban retreat

YOU don’t always need to leave the city to get away from it all.

The Old Clare Hotel is an oasis in her heart of Sydney.

Convention dictates that frazzled urbanites in need of a recharge should flee the bright lights of the city to unwind.

But you don’t always need to head to the countryside to find tranquillity, with quiet corners in the heart of Australia’s most bustling cities providing lavish suites in which to escape; soothing day spas in which to be pampered; and hotel restaurants in which to retreat.

Who needs a rural getaway when you can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea at The Langham’s Palm Court?

It’s escapism from the CBD – only minus the out-of-town commute.

1. THE OLD CLARE HOTEL is an oasis amid the bustle of central Sydney’s Broadway. An old pub that’s been skilfully renovated, its rooftop pool is a blissful mid-city hideaway; theoldclarehotel.com.au.

One Wybelenna in Brisbane’s CBD is the ultimate urban escape.

2. Let stress melt away at ONE WYBELENNA, a holistic day spa where bluestone architecture meets bushland tranquillity just outside Brisbane’s CBD; onewybelenna.com.

www.onewybelenna.com

A glimpse of the superb luxury on offer at The Langham in Sydney.

3. Treat yourself at the luxurious Day Spa By Chuan at THE LANGHAM, Sydney, followed by a relaxing dinner upstairs at the contemporary Bistro Remy; langham

hotels.com/en/the-langham/sydney.

Spa heaven at Melbourne’s Crown Towers.

4. Melbourne’s CROWN TOWERS is one of only two hotels in Australia to score a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide – and its spa is heaven for a quick pre-event blow-dry or a luxurious La Prairie facial; crownmelbourne.com.au.

Contemporary luxury at the Como The Treasury in Perth.

5. Housed in a stately 19th-century Perth landmark, COMO THE TREASURY’s calm, modern interiors are almost as restful as its spa treatments; comohotels.com/thetreasury.

Originally published as 5 places to escape for an urban retreat