Shangri-La, Sydney: Welcome back, world
After months of lockdown, guests at the newly reopened Shangri-La hotel in Sydney are celebrating in style.
The welcome is heartfelt and the response from guests positively exuberant on this, Sydney’s first weekend of freedom. A slow trickle of people pass through the Shangri-La’s glass doors decorated with pink love hearts and messages: Welcome Back! We Missed You! Even the routine process of checking in is elevated by the joyful air of patrons happy to be out and staff grateful to be back. This hotel has spent the past four months in hibernation, near-empty in a ghostly city. Is there a sadder sight?
Soon, all of that is behind us as we take a window seat in the hotel’s famed level-36 Blu Bar as the setting sun lights up the cinematic view of Barangaroo to Bridge, Opera House to Heads. Eyes accustomed to staring at their own homes and suburbs feast on the scene, as if seeing the city anew. Cocktails are shaken, glasses clink and couples snap selfies to record the moment… there are deferred birthdays and anniversaries to be celebrated and guests are well turned out. Remember heels? Frocks? The 564-room hotel is less than 30 per cent full for this first weekend outing and many are here to mark a missed milestone. There are few places in this city that shout “occasion” as well as this hotel in the historic Rocks precinct.
Our waitress is well aware of the occasion as she confidently matches drinks to the vibe. Citrus and spice in a Sichuan pepper gin cocktail or a vibrant strawberry vodka mix to mirror the setting sun. She’s already thinking ahead to our nightcap as we head into the adjoining Altitude Restaurant for a three-course dinner where we happily note the concise but interesting menu and offload wine decision-making to a sommelier who knows her stuff.
The Circular Quay and Darling Harbour precincts have no shortage of five-star hotels with harbour glimpses or the full-force vista, but I doubt any can match the outlook from the Shangri-La. The architect’s original reference for this hotel was a lighthouse at the head of the foreshore and a chandelier of huge brass rings decorated with hundreds of LEDs glows through the four-storey high windows of the level-30 Horizon Club lounge, like a lighthouse lamp beckoning passers-by. Our Horizon Club Sydney Harbour room gives us access to the private lounge for Sunday breakfast, Saturday afternoon tea and evening drinks and canapes along with other extras such as late checkout. Which is handy because it’s difficult to leave our large room with its 180-degree harbour views.
Padded window seating looks inviting but doesn’t deliver on comfort for long periods of lounging – but that’s no big issue as you can enjoy the scene from the king bed or the sofa and armchair. The rooms are furnished to a high standard with timber cabinetry, grey furnishings, signature cherry blossom motifs in the carpet and wallpaper, a marble bathroom with separate bath and L’Occitane products. We watch boats plying the waterways, birds hunting baitfish, and pull up Google maps to identify distant coves and landmarks. Our books are untouched, the large flatscreen TV remains off. Minibar goodies are available on request (the fully stocked service is due to recommence December 1).
The hotel’s spa, Chi, is busy dealing with pent-up demand for pampering and the Arabian Oud Renewal therapy, a 90-minute head-to-toe massage and facial, ticks the box with its use of Arabian Oud oil, said to release “stored emotions and negativity”. Cocooned in fluffy towels as therapist Gloria applies warm oil and unguents, I feel myself coming over all Tanya McQuoid (for White Lotus fans) after a long cold winter of personal neglect. Under Covid restrictions the indoor pool is closed until December 1 but the well-equipped gymnasium is open. I recommend upping your exercise quotient by exploring the harbour walkways, still eerily quiet in the absence of international visitors. On our early morning walk we spot more police than punters and spend a good half hour watching a visiting fur seal fishing in the shadows of the Opera House.
The messaging from political leaders on this reopening weekend was to be kind and respectful to each other and to understand that some businesses would take time to get back to full speed. Each time we leave and return to the Shangri-La the doormen greet us with a patient smile while taking our temperature and checking QR codes, vaccination certificates and masks. Most people are good-natured about this – it’s a small price to pay for freedom.
• Perfect for: Special occasions, staycations.
• Must do: Book a treatment at Chi, the Spa; walk the Harbour foreshore, keeping an eye out for the fur seal sunning on the steps near the Opera House or fishing in its shadows.
• Dining: For a sundowner, Blu Bar; for excellent views and cuisine, Altitude Restaurant (two or three course options, $120-$145). Horizon Club rooms enjoy exclusive access to the private lounge.
• Getting there: The hotel is at 176 Cumberland St, The Rocks, an easy walk from Wynyard Station. Valet parking available.
• Bottom line: Deluxe Darling Harbour room from $295 pn; Horizon Premier Sydney Harbour room from $660. The Spring Awakening package includes a $100 food and beverage credit to spend in the hotel (Sun-Thurs).
shangri-la.com/sydney
The perfect late summer salad
If your peaches are already super sweet, don’t even bother grilling them.
A Greek salad with the lot, and then some
The surprise here is the stone fruit, which pops with sour–sweetness to elevate the lot.