Hotel Realm, Canberra: National pleasures

Merely lounging in the modernist lobby of Canberra’s Hotel Realm in 2021 takes on a whole new allure.

Atrium of Hotel Realm, Canberra. Picture: supplied

I’m sitting in the lobby of a city hotel. The soundscape is that familiar mix of nearby traffic and a barista busy making espressos when suddenly there’s a buzz overhead. A conference is being held in-house, and by mid-morning its participants have spilt out of their meeting room and are mingling and chatting over coffee on the mezzanine level.

A year ago, any part of this scenario would have been unexceptional. But a pandemic and erratic border closures can produce such a range of effects that merely lounging in the modernist lobby of Canberra’s Hotel Realm in 2021 on a bustling but otherwise ordinary day takes on a whole new allure.

In a world where travel has been so restricted, just being here, comfortably ensconced on a deep velvet couch, feels luxurious. The fact that it’s interstate? Almost exotic. And after lockdown, the convivial sounds of a gathering – permitted under ACT rules because of its long run of Covid-free days – can seem odd at first. But they are also a comforting reminder of how much is still possible on a trip to the nation’s capital.

National Carillon, Lake Burley Griffin. Picture: VisitCanberra

Most of the city’s drawcards are open to visitors, many of them, including the National Gallery of Australia, only a few minutes from the hotel. Lake Burley Griffin, skirted by vibrant patches of green in mid-summer, is lovely at any time for a walk or a picnic, and a 15-minute drive away the National Arboretum provides a spectacular view over the city and reaffirms its bush capital moniker.

National Portrait Gallery. Picture: John Gollings

The hotel, in inner-city Barton in a small precinct featuring multiple hotels and upmarket eateries, is a comfortable base for travelling through Canberra and its wide-open spaces. While cavernous blocks and quiet streets can give the impression that everyone is out of town, the scrums of workers waiting for takeaways outside almost every cafe suggest otherwise. And inside the hotel, Ostani, the lounge bar and restaurant that also dishes up breakfast, thrums with dozens of happy drinkers on each night of my stay, emitting a message of business as (kind of) usual.

Guest room at Hotel Realm. Picture: supplied

Over five levels around a bright atrium, the accommodation ranges from single rooms to two-bedroom suites and penthouses. My Realm Suite has a bedroom with copious storage, plus a separate lounge and dining area, kitchenette, laundry facilities and spacious bathroom with a large spa bath. All guest rooms have plenty of table space so #WorkFromHotel types can spread out comfortably. There’s also complimentary wi-fi, gym access, 24-hour room service and movies on demand.

On a spectacular summer’s day, looking out towards Black Mountain, the view from the hotel tells the story of Canberra’s evolutionary mix. Low-rise clusters of old apartments give way to newish office blocks and solid government buildings, and, never too far away, vast expanses of bush. The light is sharp, the air is clear, and the muted tones of eucalypts colour the landscape.

With international borders likely to be closed for months, our big island may well be our only destination for a long time. These are some of the views that await. Lucky us.

• Perfect for: Holidaymakers and business trippers.

• Must do: Many of Canberra’s national capital attractions are reasonably accessible even without a car. The National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House are all a flat and comfortable walk away. If you’re really hankering for a taste of elsewhere, a drive through Yarralumla, where many embassies have been constructed in their nation’s traditional styles, will give you a flavour of what awaits outside Australia in a post-pandemic world.

• Dining: Ostani serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from an international menu leaning towards Italy and Spain, including pizza and tapas. Also onsite is Buvette, for high tea and dinner Thurs-Sat. In adjoining sister hotel the Burbury, newly revamped restaurant Lilotang is a vibrant take on modern Japanese dining, with an extensive sake and whisky list and an à la carte menu that can be served as a series of set dishes. Think lightly torched aburi salmon with avocado puree and wasabi crunch; a mixed vegetable tempura featuring coral-like enoki mushrooms; and black sesame pavlova with yuzu curd and mango ice cream.

• Getting there: Hotel Realm is at 18 National Circuit, Barton, 1km from Kingston train station and 10km from Canberra Airport.

• Bottom line: From $214 a night including breakfast, wi-fi and undercover parking. The “office for the day” package, $120, includes use of a hotel room from 10am to 4pm and parking.

hotelrealm.com.au