Check it out: Como The Treasury — luxury in the heart of Perth

A meticulously restored 19th-century building in Perth emerges as a luxury spa hotel.

The meticulously restored Como The Treasury, Perth. Image: Supplied

Como Hotels and Resorts will bring its pared-back smarts and signature holistic spa brand to Perth when it debuts in the city’s old Treasury building.

With opening scheduled for October 15, Como The Treasury is the group’s first hotel in Australia, and will offer 48 guestrooms and suites, a rooftop restaurant with views across the Swan River and a Como Shambhala Urban Escape day spa.

Designed by Kerry Hill, well known for his work with Amanresorts, the hotel is on Cathedral Avenue in the CBD and forms part of a $580 million redevelopment of the Cathedral-Treasury precinct.

Hill has worked to meticulously restore the 19th-century building, reinstalling dormer windows, rooftop copper trims and a stripped-back facade revealing the original render. The large guestrooms, averaging 70sq m, some with balconies, feature a muted Swedish palette of whites, creams and birch, custom-made king beds; high ceilings and over-size windows flood the rooms with light. The ensuite bathrooms include German Kaldewei Duo freestanding oval bathtubs, heated travertine tiled floors, opening windows and signature Shambhala unguents. All rooms have free Wi-Fi and a complimentary mini bar; there’s a gym, 20m heated indoor pool and yoga and Pilates studios.

DON’T MISS: An afternoon in Shambhala, where treatments follow a template laid down at the Como Shambhala Estate in Ubud, Bali. In Perth an urban spa will feature four treatment rooms, each with its own bathroom with rain shower. A yoga studio and meditation centre will be situated in quiet surrounds just below street level.

DINING IN: WA-born executive chef Jed Gerrard returns after cutting his teeth at Tetsuya’s, Michelin- starred restaurants in Switzerland and France and more recently BLACK by ezard in Sydney. With sweeping views over the Swan, Como’s rooftop Wildfower will offer contemporary European cuisine featuring local produce. The ground floor Post is a relaxed venue with French-influenced fare.

DINING OUT: Lalla Rookh (77 St Georges Terrace) for Italian; or a little taste of Paris at Must Winebar in nearby Highgate.

ASK THE CONCIERGE: Stand by for David Thompson’s new restaurant Long Chim, also opening in the state buildings’ redevelopment.

CHECKING IN: Rooms from $595 including breakfast, minibar and Wi-Fi.

More: www.comohotels.com/thetreasury.

ALSO TRY: The New York Edition; Metropolitan by Como, Miami Beach; Miss Clara by Nobis, Stockholm.

ACCOMMODATION BUZZ:

• The historic Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel and Casino in the Dominican Republic has completed a year-long $US40 million ($55m) renovation delivering 300 new-look guestrooms, executive lounge and sprawling outdoor pool precinct

• In October, the Gondwana Game Reserve in South Africa’s Western Cape opens an eco-camp where guests work with game rangers on conservation projects in remote territory; accommodation is provided in five comfortable twin- share tents with bathrooms; family packages available

• Tune Hotels has opened in Liverpool, England, with rooms from just £10 ($22) until September 3; the Malaysian-based brand is offering centrally located properties that operate much like a budget airline; guests pay only for what they need

• Anglers make a note, the Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa in the Snowy is holding a trout fly fishing weekend, led by the resort’s head guide, on October 30; two-night packages from $497 a person include breakfasts, most meals and fishing workshops

• Ian Fleming’s former Goldeneye Caribbean home, now a hotel, is opening 26 beach huts positioned to maximise ocean breezes; there will be no airconditioning but chilled martinis are recommended.