Staycation At The Sydney Sofitel? Don't Mind If I Do...

The COVID-19 pandemic is making it a bit harder to put our travel dreams into action right now, with basically all international adventure plans officially shelved until further notice… but thanks to the staycation trend, it’s not impossible to take a few days away from reality and bring some holiday vibes into our lockdown lives.

I recently spent a night Sydney’s beautiful Sofitel Darling Harbour, and it’s the perfect place for a boujee getaway if you need to to nix the iso blues.

To be honest, I didn’t do much while I was there… and why would I, right? A staycation is all about total relaxation, and for me that means doing a whole lot of not very much at all. Sinking into the super-cushy super-sized king bed and relaxing with a view of Sydney’s harbour from my 23rd-floor corner room is enough activity in my books.

A fancy platter of cured meats and a bottle of bubbles ordered to the room kept me occupied while I ran the bath and chilled the F out – and It Was Glorious. I picked the ‘Fiery Pink Pepperpod’ from the bath menu (yep, that’s a thing), with ginger to warm the senses and patchouli for a rich, cosy scent and antioxidant-packed pink pepperpods.

Even the bathroom featured floor-to-ceiling windows, offering glimpses of the Anzac bridge and beyond, out to the inner western suburbs. (So, yeah, you’re going to want to make use of the cushy bathrobes while you’re wandering around in the space!)

Luxy Balmain minis sealed the deal, making this a top-of-the-list self-indulgent staycation.

If you did want to up the pamper factor, there’s an on-site spa offering the usual array of indulgent treatments; and if exercise if how you self-care (ugh, what?) there’s a gym and a sparkly, sun-soaked infinity pool that looks out over bustling Darling Harbour.

But like I said, I didn’t do much – my night was heavily geared towards chilling. I did take a stroll around Darling Harbour once the sun went down, though. The area’s pretty geared towards tourists, so it’s somewhere I don’t spend a lot of time as a local, but a trip along the waterfront reminded me what a vibrant and pretty part of town it is. With the lights twinkling on the water as the boats bobbed quietly in the warm breeze, I felt like a holiday-maker in my own city.

Now, I’m a sucker for a breakfast buffet, and the one at the Sofitel is worth tweeting about. From the requisite omelette station offering up perfectly cooked eggs (all trimmings available, of course) to an artisan bread cart, a pancake and waffle bar complete with All Of The Syrups and Nutella, for those of us so inclined (me), a fruit and cold cuts section, salad (um, okay) and even a whole station dedicated to the gluten-free among us… they put on a damn good spread.

Treat yourself 😉