Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay | Australia

“Guests are near dining, fashion and entertainment hot spots, as well as top attractions.” Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay

Our second hotel, the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay was just a stone’s throw away from our first accommodation, the Four Seasons Sydney so offered the same prime location in Circular Quay with Sydney Harbour and Opera House views from some rooms.

The large hotel is an older property that underwent a full renovation in 2011 and now offers guests five hundred and forty-three contemporary style rooms and fifty-two suites. We had two upper level interconnecting deluxe Opera House view rooms with a king bed in one room and twin beds in the second. As they were higher floor rooms each had views across the harbour and were reasonably sized with compact bathrooms, pretty standard hotel rooms with no extra frills but it was clean and comfortable.

The decor was modern and minimalist with a with small pops of colour from the blue lounge chairs, red textiles and patterned carpet both of which featured the Moreton-bay fig tree that can be seen in the nearby Botanical Gardens. There was a small seating area, dining table and chairs that could double up as desk and additional amenities included a large wall-mounted TV, mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities and a selection of Thann natural skincare toiletries.

Guests can enjoy three different dining experiences within the hotel. Fine dining at Silvester’s with an international menu created by its Michelin-star-experienced chef, the award-winning Three Bottle Man Bar and the lively Customs House gastropub with its outdoor beer garden. As members of the Marriott Platinum Rewards scheme we were entitled to two complimentary daily breakfasts (even though there were three of us) in the Executive lounge on the second floor as well as hors d’oeuvres, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. There are many cafes and restaurants nearby that offer different cuisines for all budgets.

Top Sydney attractions such as Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Botanical Gardens and Contemporary Museum of Contemporary Art are nearby and easily accessible on foot. Even though we didn’t experience them ourselves during this visit, due to our packed tourist schedule, there’s a health club on the fourth floor with a well-equipped fitness centre that’s open 24/7, an indoor pool and sauna.

Although right in the heart of Sydney’s many tourist attractions this hotel is also popular with business travellers due to its CBD location and proximity to the downtown business district as well as it’s onsite conference rooms and business facilities. Although the rooms were modern I found the hotel to be quite soulless, the staff weren’t overly friendly and there were too many cruise ship guests. I certainly didn’t feel like we had a Platinum guest experience but the location however was excellent.