At 72 F, it’s cooler than I imagined Sydney Australia to be in February at the height of its summer. From my Park Hyatt Sydney balcony on the first floor, I look directly across to the Sydney Opera House, laugh at the cruiseship visitors ducking and hiding on the dock from a sudden rain shower, and pull my scarf tighter around my neck to shake off the chill.
The Parky Hyatt Sydney has been lauded from the likes of my favorite travel gurus such as: Chris Guillabeau and Ben ‘Lucky’ Schlappig as one of the jewels in Hyatt’s crown. In fact, it was the first hotel that I booked when I plotted out my trip to OZ.
On the day of purchase, thankfully, it only cost 90,000 total Hyatt points for a 3-night stay, otherwise a standard king was nearly $1,000 per night or more than $3000 with taxes and fees. I’ve never paid that kind of money for a room so the anticipation of my room assignment was intense.
In my darkest thoughts, I imagined the hotel hype to be similar to the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre: either a bit disappointing or, depending on who you ask, a total letdown. Fortunately, neither was the case.
I now fondly remember the pleasant greetings from porters and concierge as I arrived the hotel at 10:40am. “Too early,” my mind grumbled but the jet lag made me hopeful anyway. “Welcome Ms Lewis,” Felicia at the front desk smiled to me, “you’ve been upgraded to an opera view room and it’s all ready for you.” My heart jumped for joy as my Globalist status (Hyatt’s top level) got me what I wanted before I even had to ask. “Let me escort you upstairs and show you around.” It only got better from there.
Opera view room at Park Hyatt Sydney
Park Hyatt Sydney and Experiences, The Rocks, and the Wharf
I won’t bore you further with pictures of the understated elegance of the lobby, the dining rooms, the spa, or the rooftop pool; you can get those from their website. I won’t wax poetic on the heated toilet seat, the lightest fluffiest ‘no-calorie’ Belgian waffles, or the large fuzzy towels and bathrobes; you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Belgian Waffles breakfast at Park Hyatt Sydney
I will, however, show you the roses I received from Felicia on the occasion of my retirement and more images of the great views from the balcony.
Welcome Bouquet of roses from Park Hyatt Sydney
Yes, the Park Hyatt hotel concierge emailed me and asked was there a special occasion for my visit. I had no idea, I would receive flowers!
Balcony view from my opera view room at Park Hyatt Sydney
Fireworks over Sydney Opera House on February 3, 2018
I’m sure other hotels with the same $1,000 per night price tag have that over-the-top decor; the blingiest bling; that WOW factor. The Park Hyatt Sydney, however, doesn’t need bright shiny objects to get a high rating from me. From housekeeping’s turn-down service to the waitstaff at breakfast and every team member I encountered in between were all excellent at their jobs, exceptionally warm-hearted and friendly with interesting backgrounds or travel stories to share, and genuinely interested in learning about their clientele as well. These things are incomparable.
The journey continues in Points and Miles Catch-up in Christchurch.
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