Hotel Sorrento review: Renovations elevate this historic Mornington gem
Located just minutes from ‘millionaire’s row’ on the Mornington Peninsula, the renovated property has a new rooftop where the people watching is almost as good as the views.
Located on a hill overlooking Port Phillip Bay, Hotel Sorrento was the first commercial business in the Mornington Peninsula town when it opened in 1872. It wasn’t well received by everyone; a hotel review in Melbourne’s The Argus newspaper in 1887 was highly critical of the fact not every guestroom had a balcony: “The architect … must either have been a new chum or one destitute of all appreciation of the first exigencies of controlling the summer life in Australia.”
The issue has been rectified by the Pitt family, who have owned the hotel since 1981, after undertaking a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation in 2022 to add 30 luxury suites, a 30m lap pool, day spa, new restaurants and a rooftop bar.
All new rooms have an outdoor terrace or balcony; designers at Six Degrees Architecture were obviously paying attention.
The property is a stone’s throw from “millionaire’s row”, a stretch of coastline from Sorrento to Portsea where Melbourne’s elite have long had holiday homes.
Private equity boss Ben Gray reportedly paid $30m for an abode, and nearby neighbour Lindsay Fox often gets in trouble over the frequent use of his helicopter (it’s a 12-minute ride from the city). Given Hotel Sorrento is frequented by locals as well as visitors, the Maseratis and BMWs don’t go unnoticed in the carpark.
The pedestrian entrance to the property is on Hotham Road. A sleek, travertine staircase leads to the new two-level outdoor dining terrace and into the new wing. Turn right to get to the rooftop and a bar called Salt; turn left into the original hotel and more bars and restaurants (six in total). Finding the check-in desk is a mission, as is the circuitous access from the underground carpark, but this will be addressed in the next stage of renovations, which will include a new reception.
Hotel Sorrento has three types of guestrooms, comprising of refurbished classic rooms in the original building, studios across from the hotel and 30 Sunset Suites in the new wing. My family and I are staying in two of these generously proportioned suites, which have a modern, coastal feel. Travertine is used throughout the room as a feature on the walls and as the material for bedside tables; the stone is also in the bathroom, complemented with brass fittings and Melbourne natural skincare brand Hunter Lab amenities.
There is a hardwood floor in the bedroom area, where cream walls, white bed linen and soft, muslin curtains create a relaxing space that opens to a private terrace with marble bath. The king-size bed is very comfortable and the minibar is stocked with local wine and sweet and savoury treats. The one piece of artwork is a photograph that captures the extraordinary turquoise colour of the sea.
The hotel has six dining options and the newest is the Rooftop, which opens just a few weeks before my visit. We have lunch on the day we arrive and the weather is glorious, with perfect blue skies making the waters of Port Phillip Bay look azure, almost crystal clear. “There is nothing like the Mornington Peninsula on a good summer’s day,” our waitress remarks as we perch on two couches backdropped by the ocean. We sit under umbrellas while sipping Limoncello spritzers (lemonade for the kids) and feast on lobster brioche rolls, spiced calamari and pizza. We could easily stay here all day.
For dinner, we head to Shihuishi, a Cantonese-inspired restaurant set in the old ballroom of the hotel. It pays homage to the Chinese eatery that occupied the site in the 1980s when Rob and Anne Pitt bought the hotel (it is now being run by their three children, Bridget, Myles and Marcus).
As we walk down the stairs into Shihuishi, it feels like we have left sunny Sorrento and entered a cool, dark underground bar in a Melbourne laneway, complete with a mixologist conducting performance art. My dragon cocktail has gin, yuzu puree and homemade limoncello, and comes with a giant bubble on top that pops and disappears. We opt for the sharing menu and all of it is delicious; the chicken dumplings with spring onion and ginger and the kingfish crudo are standouts.
Other culinary options include The Dining Room, which serves modern Australian fare, and where we have breakfast the next morning; Salt, a cocktail lounge; beer garden The Lawn; and the Front Bar, a traditional pub where locals have been hanging out for years (there is even a Friday night raffle, which is often still drawn by Rob).
There are so many – and differing – food options that there is no need to leave the hotel for at least a few days. Another reason to stay put is the pool, which is adults only, and built between the new wing and the original hotel to shelter from Melbourne’s temperamental weather. I don’t visit as I am with my children but look on enviously at guests enjoying cocktails in the midday sunshine. Next time.
A few steps away from the pool is the new wellness facility, Marlo Spa. The Pitt family convinced Marlo Johnston to move her hugely successful beauty practice from Sorrento’s main street into a purpose-built space. As soon as I walk into the spa for my facial, I smell a divine fragrance. “What is that?” I ask. “It’s a combination of all our massage oils,” says Johnston, who has been a massage and beauty therapist for more than 27 years. The facials and massages are based on Ayurvedic therapies but Johnston also offers functional treatments, so I get my eyelashes tinted as well, adding a touch of maintenance into what is wonderfully relaxing experience.
My family and I walk off breakfast (and dinner from the night before) by strolling along Millionaire's Walk, a few minutes away. We admire jaw-dropping mansions, stunning gardens and helicopter pads from the public footpath along the coastline. As we make our way back to the hotel to check-out, I consider heading to the Front Bar rather than reception. Perhaps if I can chat to the right local, we can skip the 100-minute drive to Melbourne and hitch a helicopter ride instead.
In the know
Hotel Sorrento is at 5-15 Hotham Road, Sorrento, Victoria.
Rooms from $290 a night; Sunset Terrace suite from $440 a night.
Milanda Rout was a guest of Hotel Sorrento.
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