Quay West Suites Sydney

Quay West Suites cater primarily to business travelers who want to have their own kitchens and laundry facilities, though it's a great option for longer-term tourists who want self-catering facilities. From the outside, the red brick tower looks like a high-end residential building, as it lacks the flags, red carpets, and valet stations typical of most fancier hotels. The interiors are much more hotel-like, at least in the marble and granite lobby, with its royal blue, gray, and gold crushed velvet seats and sofas; gaudy gold-gilt elevators top it off. The overall atmosphere is a bit corporate, but polished and inviting.

Quay West Suites Sydney is located on a quiet street in The Rocks neighborhood, just off the Cahill Expressway and right behind the Shangri-La Hotel. The main entrance can be tricky to find at first, as it's small and discreet. Circular Quay, a major transport hub for both trains and ferries, is an eight-minute walk away. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars within a short walk of the property. 

It's seven minutes on foot from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, while the Sydney Opera House takes about 15 minutes to reach on foot. The Australian Museum and Hyde Park are a 10-minute drive away. The Taronga Zoo is a 15-minute drive away without traffic, while Bondi Beach takes closer to 20 minutes. The Sydney Airport takes a minimum of 15 minutes by car (without traffic) and can also be reached by the Airport Line (T2), which stops at Circular Quay. The trip takes around 40 minutes door-to-door. 

The hotel offers one- and two-bedroom apartments with either harbor or city views, but they lack balconies and windows only open slightly. All have kitchens, separate dining rooms, living rooms with flat-screen TVs, DVD players, and en-suite movie libraries, laundry areas with washing machines and dryers, and work desks. Kitchens have granite countertops and are fully equipped with stove/oven combos, dishwashers, microwaves, kettles, toasters, and plenty of cookware, dishes, and cutlery.

Decor is consistent (and somewhat bland) in all of the apartments and consists of white walls, dark gray sofas, chairs, bedspreads, and curtains, light-wood trim, and medium-wood furniture with shiny black countertops. Rooms have stunning views of the city or harbor from semi-panoramic windows in the living rooms. Bathrooms have granite counter tops with large vanity mirrors and tiny sinks, plus marble floors and walls and separate tubs and glassed-in walk-in showers. All come with natural bath products from Australia's Appelles Apothecary. Daily housekeeping is included. There is a fee for Wi-Fi. 

One of the hotel's most striking features is undoubtedly its gorgeous indoor pool on the 24th floor. The pool is surrounded by marble, black columns, and colorful, Roman-inspired mosaic features on the walls. It has views of the surrounding cityscape from a combination of standard and floor-to-ceiling windows. There's a small hot tub on one end and a couple of rattan seats on the other. 

The hotel also features a fitness center on the same floor with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows with city views, complete with a treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, stationary bike, and combination weight machine. There's a sun deck with beautiful views of the city and a sauna on the same level.

The Quay West also offers three meeting spaces. The Gloucester Room is the largest and can fit up to 120 guests, and there's a smaller board room with a long table. The Business Center features a standing kiosk with a small Mac desktop and Wi-Fi is available throughout the property for a fee, although some past guests have complained of slow connection speeds.

On-site dining is available at the hotel's Harrington Restaurant, which serves a seasonal menu of high-end local cuisine at lunch (on weekdays) and dinner (not available on Sundays). A daily breakfast is also served (for a a fee), and smaller takeaway items are available at the Harrington Cafe, which also serves sandwiches and meat pies at lunchtime. The Harrington Bar serves wine and cocktails along with pub food and pizzas, but the rates are a bit high.