Top 10 Vivid Sydney Hotels

The location is top-notch, the toiletries are also top-notch, Dyson hair dryer, smart toilet, stroll around the harbor at night, walk around the Opera House and Sydney Botanic Gardens. The scenery is so beautiful that it doesn't seem real, it's like a fairy tale. Lying in bed and watching the Opera House at sunrise or sunset, what can I complain about this kind of life?

My first review on Trip and I don't usually bother to write reviews - shows you how much the hotel impressed me. We stayed for 1 night in Capella Sydney as a family of 3. The hotel facilities were absolutely amazing, decor was gorgeous and food options at Aperture and Brasserie were awesome. However, I won't dwell on these too much as I'm sure when you booked into a Capella brand hotel, you will already assume this as a given right? One highlight in terms of facilities though, was The Living Room, which is assessible to all guests staying in the hotel. It had beverages, snacks, comfy sofas and 6 star service. We spent so much time there chilling with our son and in the end it really became ”our living room”. Enough of that, let me move on to the service which blew our minds. I'll give you a few examples and hopefully you can see why I feel it would be criminal for me not to write a review. 1. On arrival when we got out of our car and the porters were helping us with our luggage, somehow they addressed me by name. Maybe it's because they saw I had a 2 year old and I was the only guest checking in that day with a small child. Still, I was super impressed. I've only experienced this previously at Aman hotels. 2. Upon checking in, Sophie (I hope I got your name right!) was super helpful and cheerful. When she saw my young son, she also proactively asked if we needed a later check out and if our son needed to nap. She immediately offered to give us 2pm late check out. However, having told her our son actually takes his nap at 2pm, she told us to come back and check with the front desk the next day and they can extend it till 4pm. Remember, I didn't request this, she did this completely out of her own initiative. 3. We didn't book dinner and Sophie referred us to Madiha of the Cultural team. Madiha took note of all our requirements, including the need for the restaurant to be 2 year old friendly, and within 15 mins emailed me a full list of restaurants and their menus for me to choose from while she also served us drinks and snacks at the living room. We eventually picked an Italian restaurant and she made the reservation for us. Fyi, it was scrumptious. 4. After breakfast, we were walking around the lobby and my son walked past the cakeshop and saw a raspberry tart. He really wanted it but I told him we just had breakfast. Ton (?)(I hope I got your name right, the Thai gentleman with a love for cars), the manager came up and said ”you can have the tart for free! It's on the house!”. I was stunned. He also spent so much time talking to my son and showing him pictures of cars, unbelievable. Shout out also to Matthew (uncle Hao Jun) for being so warm and hospitable to us. Honestly we were feeling so sad leaving the hotel as everyone felt like friends and family to us. One thing is for sure though, we will be back. Absolutely flawless service, kudos to the Capella Sydney team!

On the plus side: we upgraded ourselves to a village suite and the size was spacious. Breakfast was fabulous and something to look forward to, although 7am start is a bit late for us.. Most of the staff were lovely and well trained. Room was cosy and quiet at night. Fresh towels and clean bathroom. Easy and convenient location outside of CBD. This is the only big hotel in the area and there are some great restaurants nearby - Carmela, Margaret, Bill’s etc. usefully close to Chemist Warehouse for essentials you’ve forgotten. On the negative: It should be classed as 4* - quite cheaply constructed and maintained. Not what you might consider to be luxury. Rooms are dark,  with poorly thought out lighting; the carpet rarely vacuumed (if at all) during our five night stay. Hand held shower head spray nozzles were blocked, bathtub drain was also blocked. Sinks not very clean. Windows in room and dining room very dirty. Big construction site adjacent so we moved rooms to get away from the noise and view of the cranes. Overpriced hotel offering when you consider we could have booked the Capella in CBD at nearly the same rate as our suite, but nice to be away from the city.

Our room was on the 27th floor, and the view was absolutely stunning, offering simultaneous glimpses of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The decor leaned towards a classic, somewhat dated style; the old-fashioned separate hot and cold water taps were a bit inconvenient, and there was no smart toilet. However, I personally found the bedding more comfortable than at the Crowne Plaza. Room service is available, and the meal prices aren't significantly higher than regular restaurants outside. There's a $10 trolley fee added to each order. Ordering breakfast is definitely worth it for those Instagram-worthy photos. The Shangri-La is more conveniently located, closer to Circular Quay and Wynyard, but do note that the hotel is situated on a hilltop. If you have luggage or are traveling with elderly companions, you'll pretty much have to take a taxi, as there's a steep uphill climb to reach the hotel, which I'd estimate at nearly 40 degrees [crying emoji].