Voco Melbourne Central: a bird’s eye view on the city

This new hotel in the heart of Melbourne offers amazing views over the city – and is perfectly placed to explore all it has to offer.

Voco Melbourne pool. Picture: Young & Percival

You think you know a city. You’ve walked its streets, sampled its cafes and parks, witnessed its seasonal changes. Then you see it from a different perspective and suddenly it feels like you’re somewhere new.

From the ground, Melbourne is a city of grace and history, a place where the Yarra River winds its way through the metropolis as distinctively as the city’s famous laneways splice the CBD. But from the elevated lobby of the new Voco Melbourne Central, it’s a whole different outlook. There’s a warm welcome as you exit the lift that brings you up here, six levels above street level, with a basket of biscuits on the front counter, couches for lazing on, even a quiet reading nook. Yet it’s the enormous picture windows at one end of the foyer that immediately catch your eye.

Blacksmith Brasserie & Bar. Picture: Young & Percival

This is Melbourne from above, and there are views everywhere: from the lobby’s unexpected outlook over the CBD, with its skyscrapers, preserved Victorian facades and smattering of churches, to the 180-degree panorama one level higher at the in-house restaurant, Blacksmith Brasserie and Bar. There’s a view from the gym, where treadmills are strategically placed to face the world. Even the lap pool on the terrace that adjoins the restaurant looks out to the city skyline.

Upstairs, in the 26-level tower that houses the hotel’s 252 rooms, the vistas continue (although not necessarily in all rooms on lower levels). Our premium corner room on the 23rd floor has floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a grandstand view over the city, from the dome-topped state library across to Government House and the distinctive bubble-topped roof at AAMI Park near the MCG, a few kilometres away.

Light sleepers can expect a good rest, courtesy of the heavy block-out blinds that wrap around guest rooms, keeping out the morning sun and also ensuring privacy. They’re even installed in our ensuite.

Guest room. Picture: Young & Percival

Rooms are snug, with comfortable, recycled bedding and cool sustainable linen provided as part of the hotel’s environmental ethos, as well as at least one opening window in each room. There’s plenty of up-to-date gadgetry, with fast free wi-fi and smart TVs. But a small wardrobe might be a squeeze for a couple with more than overnight bags, and a table in place of a desk might not suit every business traveller.

Reading nook. Picture: Young & Percival

Back down on the street, many of Melbourne’s best sites are tantalisingly close. One of the hotel’s great assets is its location. Near the heart of the CBD, it is well situated to explore all the city’s offerings. Trams are just metres away, trains only slightly further; the Strand Melbourne and Emporium Melbourne shopping centres are almost diagonally across the road. The beautiful state library, bustling Bourke Street Mall and Chinatown are all within 500m of the hotel.

• Perfect for: Staycationers; city trippers; business travellers.

• Must do: Discover Melbourne’s laneways. Degraves Street, with its photogenic cafes, is one of the city’s most famous laneways, and many visitors venture not much further. In fact, there are laneways everywhere:from the hotel (the main entrance is on Timothy Lane) you can take your pick. Hardware Lane, with its street-front eateries, is just across the road. Head the other way and you’re soon at Guildford Lane, an unexpectedly green oasis full of historic red brick and stone buildings, an abundance of lush plants, and even more cafes. A little further on, an easy amble via more laneways and countless expanses of street art brings you to the Queen Victoria Market.

Blacksmith Brasserie & Bar. Picture: Young & Percival

• Dining: The outlook from Blacksmith Brasserie and Bar (named in honour of the Cobb & Co stables that stood here during the 1800s gold rush), with its soaring ceilings and windows, can make it hard to concentrate on your food. Billed as the city’s only rooftop bar and brasserie, you can dine here for breakfast (a buffet is served each morning), lunch (Tuesday to Saturday) or dinner (Wednesday to Saturday). Lunch and dinner’s rotisserie offerings include a 48-hour brisket with mopping sauces and house-made pickles, and a two-day dry-aged duck breast with portobello mushroom, warrigal greens and carrot puree. Given the location, possibly the best option is breakfast when you can really take in your surroundings from above. There are also tables outside on the terrace – an even better spot potentially under a just-risen sun, although surprisingly this was not yet an option during our visit.

• Getting there: Voco Melbourne Central is at 18 Timothy Lane. Valet parking is available via a ramp on Lonsdale Street, which can be easy to miss. Drivers need to phone the hotel from the bottom of the ramp to be admitted.

• Bottom line: From $250 per room per night.

vocohotels.com/Melbourne