Coogee Bay Hotel: new look rooms after makeover

The Coogee Bay Hotel’s glam new look makes it a perfect spot for a short stay and catching spectacular sunrises.

Coogee Bay Hotel is a property of many parts, and some of its components have had a makeover in line with the building’s 150th birthday year.

Guestrooms above the corner bar have been glammed up and all is similarly spick and seaside chic in the separate but aligned four-star boutique hotel in Vicar St, pointed out to me by a doorman as “straight up ahead and turn left past the fish and chips joint” when my taxi drops me at the bottom of Arden St. Which accommodation style you’d choose could depend on accessibility and earplugs.

One of the rooms at the Vicar St property of the Coogee Bay Hotel.

The pub rooms are ensuite but only reached by stairs and some have shared balcony access or cute window-seat nooks. And noise is inevitably a distraction if you’re going to sleep over at a pub. So if you desire a swag of space, the boutique inventory excels, and it’s a lot quieter.

The Vicar St property is all nautical blues and creams, white timber plantation shutters and a good array of beachy decor touches, from framed prints of Coogee shore-and-sea aerials to navy cotton throw rugs from Temple & Webster.

Grey-tiled bathrooms are fresh and contemporary, and a generous stash of Original Mineral (O&M) unguents smell sweetly tropical. My room 413, a fourth-floor Boutique Ocean Studio category, has views from its covered terrace above rooftops to the beach’s parade of Norfolk pines, their spiky needles etched against a spectacular sunrise when I tiptoe out at dawn. It feels more like a suite than the scant dimensions that term “studio” usually suggests, and the big bathtub is a bonus.

The view is quite a nice one, especially at sunrise.

There’s a work desk, flat-screen TV, kitchen nook, fire engine-red Husky fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee machine plus stash of crockery and assortment of premium Dilmah teas. The sofa can convert to sleep two children and the main king bed is super-comfy.

In-room dining is available but most guests would be hot-footing it down to the pub’s Marra Bar & Grill, freshly refitted in brasserie style, with cane furniture, booth benches and a striking undulating ceiling, perhaps formed to mimic sand dunes.

And be sure to pause and view Charlie Nivison’s recently unveiled mural of the hotel’s timeline and strong community connections. It’s all very hip and sociable, although hectic on the night of my visit, thanks to long tables of diners in full-throated celebrations. A lot of jugs of sangria appear to be involved.

Some of the cocktails at the Coogee Bay Hotel.

Share plates are the go, with mostly Japanese and Spanish influences; try the salt and pepper squid with coriander mayo and chilli garnish and check the offerings from the industrial-looking double-decker Josper charcoal grill.

The linguine with blue swimmer crab, fermented chilli and lemon is a classy favourite and, as creamy burrata goes with everything, go wild and order a dollop on the side. Note, too, that the summer menu has just kicked in with grazing platters and light, zesty flavours.

Blue Lagoons and Watermelon Margaritas lead the cocktail line-up, while the pick of the mocks is a fruity Tropic Thunder with lime juice and bitters. Wines by the glass start at a very reasonable $12.

Coogee Bay Hotel Marra entrance

And as this is hardly a pub with no beer, there’s a wide variety on tap, and a very casual vibe in the popular garden, where there are umbrellas striped in (surely Aperol) orange, and flourishing planter boxes. If planning to settle in, cabanas can be pre-booked or reserve well ahead for a Balcony Bar table.

It’s not actually a resort holiday hanging out at Coogee Beach but this is a handy proposition for a Sydney overnight or short stay, and tariffs are reasonable. As for a box seat to view the sunrise … just priceless.

In the know

Seasonal rates at Coogee Bay Boutique Hotel from about $485 a night Sunday-Thursday; Saturday from about $585; higher rates apply at peak periods. Breakfast is available at Marra Bar & Grill. Pre-booked parking from $30 a night.

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Just add

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Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Coogee Bay Boutique Hotel.