Happy Mondays at The Darling

A weekday break at this luxe hotel in Sydney is a revelation — there’s a delicious sense of having the place all to yourself.

On your doorstep: Darling Harbour. Picture: Getty Images

Just about the smartest move you can make if you want to stay at The Darling comes before you set foot outside your front door. Book the weekdays: it’s your best chance of securing an indulgence above and beyond the other pampering that awaits – that delicious sense of having the place all to yourself.

The hotel lobby

At least, for some of the time. The Darling is large and popular, separated only by The Star casino from another lavish hotel, The Star Grand, and next to the Sydney Lyric Theatre – so actually there are people everywhere. However, on a Monday, well-off travellers, canny deal-finders and burnt-out splurgers can exit the workaday world with a simple turn off Jones Bay Road, Pyrmont, into the long drive leading past The Star Grand, the casino and the private residences, and come to a halt under the giant red aluminium swallow hovering above The Darling’s entrance. Luggage is whisked away and giant glass doors open to reveal staff wearing wide smiles and immaculate livery. This is the start of the service experience deemed virtually flawless by the Forbes Travel Guide, which repeatedly awards the hotel five stars.

Inside The Darling

Here in the wide, high-ceilinged lobby and throughout the hotel, lighting is low, although on the accommodation floors the peaceful gloom of long, carpeted corridors is alleviated by bold orange panels and lamps that show the way. Surely this can only be a deliberate paradox, because if the hotel has a theme it is abundant light, pouring in through plentiful windows and bouncing around the rooms off myriad shiny surfaces.

The horseshoe-shaped Adored suites are suspended above the junction of Union and Edward Streets, their floor-to-ceiling glass outer walls maximising the views, including from the spa baths. Look east to see Pyrmont Bay, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo, brilliant daytime sights that give way to a stunning lightshow as the sun sets.

Views from the bathroom

At this point, even the most strung-out, run-down, jaded recipient of such luxury begins to revive and entertain thoughts of a first-rate Japanese dining experience at Sokyo, reached through the foyer. Does anything say “Good times ahead” more clearly than a restaurant whose bar boasts a wine booklet (list fails to describe it) with a contents page, signed off by the sommelier?

No hope of, nor desire for, solitary dining here. The place is packed, and attentive waiters are keen to recommend favourites from every part of the menu. They check back to make sure the promise of an excellent meal has been fulfilled.

A post-prandial stroll is in order, for while The Darling would be enjoyable without venturing any further, it is even better to embrace the fact that everything in this harbourside block orbits around the casino. To the right of the hotel’s main entrance, an informal circuit leads through a food court, past standalone eateries and an entrance to the theatre and on to the highly regarded Flying Fish restaurant and BLACK Bar & Grill. Escalators descend to Pirrama Road on the waterfront; stairs and another escalator lead up to the casino’s main floor, where gaming is in full swing – baccarat, blackjack and the inevitable pokies. Stay and play or skirt the tables to another escalator leading back down to the hotel side of the complex. A right turn leads to The Star Grand, with a couple of high-end retail outlets and the very cute G+Tea (serving gin by night, tea by day).

The rooms are well appointed

Next day, a slight detour from the same circuit will take you to the Harvest buffet, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Morning offerings include a generous variety of Asian and European food, including omelettes made to order, swanky touches such as honey dripping from its waxy comb, and clear excess: a chocolate fountain and lolly bar.

Set up for an idyllic day with a solid meal, it’s time to select a facial, massage or peel at the famous Darling Spa on level two, whose barely lit passages lead to treatment areas and relaxation suites, with a tea room and grotto-like Jacuzzi. It is the best kind of sensory deprivation.

Then, if you are wise, re-enter the world via a quick elevator ride to level five’s heated outdoor pool. “Hello Darling”, reads a neon sign at the entrance; “Drink Up Darling”, says another over the bar. You won’t need drinks or snacks to relish the chance to catch up on some reading between swimming, or contemplating your good fortune in the spa, all on your own.

Remember? A week day. Thank you, Darling.

• Perfect for: Urban escapists.

• Must do: Find time for the Australian Maritime Museum close by; take the footbridge across Darling Harbour to King Street Wharf and Barangaroo.

Cocktail time at Flying Fish

• Dining: Sokyo, Flying Fish and BLACK Bar & Grill are top drawer and pricey. Go to Harvest for breakfast ($40); for lunch hit the food court, where the longest queue is at the fresh dumpling bar.

• Getting there: Drivers can enter the carpark through Edward St, Pyrmont, $40 per 24 hours; valet parking $50-60 depending on which day; light rail from Central Station to the casino. It’s also on bus and ferry routes.

• Bottom line: King rooms from $528 mid-week; suites from $678 mid-week.

thedarling.com.au

thedarling.com.au