Crown Towers Sydney Villas
Crown Towers Sydney has an opulent new category of accommodation.
Crown Towers Villasare the real deal, and I don’t use that expression in a gaming sense, even though gambling will soon be on the cards. Despite more than a year without the presence of high rollers, the big, boldly designed Crown Towers Sydney hotel, which opened in late 2020, has hit its stride on the NSW capital’s accommodation scene. Across multiple guestroom categories, none of which is humble, the Villas are akin to real-estate royalty; some are categorised Crystal, but not alluding to showy Krystle Carrington of Dynasty fame.
Size is palatial, with one or two bedrooms; decor by New York’s Myer Davis is big-city ritzy rather than glitzy. Many surfaces are reflective, there are fresh flowers every which way and butlers are on constant call. Expect a private check-in process and separate elevator access, talcum-soft Frette bedlinen, starlet-style walk-in wardrobe and a veritable boutique’s worth of silky Salvatore Ferragamo unguents in an oversized bathroom with freestanding egg-shaped tub, soaker shower and the miracle of speed styling that is a Dyson hair-dryer.
Floor-to-ceiling windows let in abundant light and sliding glass doors lead to broad balconies that take in IMAX-worthy harbour views. Passing clouds seem almost within grasp. You could argue about the use of that terrestrial word villa, and I think Sky Villas would have been a more apt description, but there’s no disputing the level of luxury and a residential penthouse feel that invites the idea of organising a private dinner party.
I ask a friend to dine in my level 33 eyrie and so we do, seated at an oval marble-topped table under a groovy loop of lights, and attended in semi-formal style by a butler while we pay attention to our manners. We have 145sq m at our disposal and room for a party, if not a pony, as Hyacinth Bucket would have put it. Next morning I wake to the dazzling gleam of sunrise over the mini-Manhattan skyline of Circular Quay. The beams are reflected in the bedroom’s metallic pillars and bounce off in silver spangles, disco style.
To set the scene, the building rises 275m over the Barangaroo precinct on the harbour’s southwest edge. Its pronounced architectural profile has been likened to furled petals but has also garnered many nicknames, some of which are too rude to bear repeating. What’s indisputable is that Crown Towers Sydney is as unmissable as, say, London’s “Gherkin”, and its location is brilliant for guests who want a base on the city’s doorstep, with parklands, easy CBD access, ferry links and walkable attractions.
And I find it interesting across a brief stay that the 349-room property has the same energy and vibe as prominent hotels that sit at the heart of Asian metropolises. I’m thinking of those with class and clout where locals gather for meals, drinks, afternoon teas and big occasions. Top of mind are the sentinel-like The Ritz-Carlton Osaka and St Regis Singapore. At both, guests feel swiftly tuned into the social pulse of the city as if they’ve been gathered in a grand drawing room to mingle with locals. At Crown Towers Sydney this sense of socialisation seems almost infinite, the food and beverage options wide and varied and open to all. Even the hushed and beautiful spa, a refuge of pampering, is equally popular with visitors as hotel guests, and a sneak peek can be had with an Aqua Retreat Pass, including use of the gently heated vitality spa, steam room, infra-red sauna and sensory shower.
Dining? Let’s start at the top. On level 26, CIRQ features indoor-outdoor spaces, inventive cocktails and share platters. Segue to Epicurean with its open kitchens and where the breakfast spread, in particular, rivals the world’s best such offerings. I am seated opposite a counter piled with baskets of dumplings and within reach of curvy-crunchy pappadums and aromatic Indian dishes. It’s a stroll to the waffles and crepes with sinful toppings, and many an international option between. It feels like a circuit of the world, clearly without leaving home.
Then there’s Nobu for contemporary Japanese fusion dishes, the gold and jade-toned Silks for Cantonese (try the yum cha lunch), and dining at Ross and Sunny Lusted’s madly popular Woodcut, where it‘s all flame, charcoal and steam. You’d need to book way ahead for Oncore by Michelin-starred Clare Smyth or the sublime 10-seater Yoshii’s Omakase, domain of hands-on chef Ryuichi Yoshii who cooks, serves and presides at this tiny temple of Japanese gastronomy.
But best of all for views, charm and almost a Mediterranean vibe is a’Mare on the lobby level, angled to look west along the harbour. It’s a venture by chef-restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni and run with the casual charm and Italian know-how you’d expect on, say, the Amalfi Coast, albeit under an ultra-contemporary swoop of a ceiling. Dishes celebrate a variety of regions and many are prepared tableside, involving mortar and pestle workouts and a touch of theatrics, such as trofie pasta with a pesto of basil, pine nuts and macadamias. Even a caprese salad of burrata with salsa verde and sharply flavoured green tomatoes is finished, with a flourish, at the table. It would be madness not to order a finale of Monte Bianco crema and mandarin gelato, chestnuts, mandarin sauce and Italian meringue.
Aside from indulgence, there’s the sense of an urban resort oasis, thanks to the 45m horizon-edge pool on level five, lined with sail-shaded daybeds, and featuring further seating actually anchored in the water on a tiled shelf-like rim. Or hire a private curtained cabana, complete with fridge, TV and dining menus.
Then to Crown Spa, which again has the feel of a tiny compound, albeit one that reveals itself gently along flowing, almost encircling corridors, and via a colour scheme of pink pastels and watery blues. My therapists are Tatiana from Paris and Kazuko from Japan. We chat about travel, language and their respective cultures, as I had done earlier with butlers from Bali and Austria. And this prospect of a very French La Prairie skin caviar facial and a mineral quartz hot sand therapy based on an ancient, possibly unfathomable, Greek practice, and with parallel origins in Japanese ganbanyoku (bedrock bathing), seems an agreeably cosmopolitan mingling in the afternoon shadows of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
In the know
Crown Towers Villas accommodation is also offered by sister properties in Melbourne and Perth. Just launched are the three-bedroom Crystal Villas, which feature three ensuite king rooms, each with rain showers and soaking tubs, 24-hour butler service, a large living and dining area, a private outdoor terrace, harbour views and valet parking; from $5549 a night.
Valid to December 24, a Crown Towers Experience package for couples, including accommodation in a deluxe king room, breakfast at Epicurean, valet parking and sparkling wine on arrival, is $919.
On June 22, the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority granted Crown Resorts conditional approval to open its casino at the Barangaroo property for between 18 months and two years. US investment firm Blackstone has taken over ownership of Crown and is yet to announce when the casino will open.
Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Crown Towers Sydney.