Escape to Sydney's Darling

It all begins with the warmest of welcomes from the The Darling staff

The Darling - where locals meet

The Jewel Suite offers amazing views of Sydney

The Jewel Suite

Enjoy pre dinner drinks at the Sokoyo bar

Discover contemporary Japanese dining at Sokyo

The Spa at The Darling is pure escapisim

Couples suite at The Spa

As with every romance it’s the little things that make all the difference. It is those thoughtful gestures or luxurious spoils that make a person feel, well, special.

The noticeable thoughtfulness and care for my comfort was the first thing I noticed upon walking into this seductive dark wood room and so began my love affair with The Darling.

Sydney’s newest five star hotel, adjacent to the Star casino features 171 beautifully decorated rooms and suites, all offering stunning views of Sydney’s harbour and city skyline.

When it comes to the rooms everything has been considered and is presented beautifully. Fresh apples tempt in a large granite bowl, plush comforts surround your every move, while soft lighting sets the mood for love.

Guilty pleasure #543: I like to steal away and visit hotels on a whim. No pre-thought. No planning just a credit card, comfy change of clothes and a toothbrush as overnight luggage. 

Here you can travel even lighter, The Darling, quite simply, is geared towards spontaneity.

Visitors to the hotel could come straight from work, a long haul flight or a big night out and truly find a home away from home here. And you don’t have to concern yourself with what you will need to bring or may have left behind. It’s all here for you.

The Darlings exclusive Black Molton Brown amenities cater to every grooming or pampering desire.

Along with all the obvious essentials you would expect from a five star hotel you are also spoilt with the labels cleansing bar, exfoliating bar, body loofer, moisturising lotion, shampoo conditioner and little pot of lavender oil.

There are even fragrant turquoise bath crystals on hand to turn the dual bathtub into a leisurely soak.

Within a short while I found myself out of the tub, wrapped up in a plump bathing robe. Flip flopping around the room in my complimentary slippers wondering if I should make a reservation at Sokyo, head straight to one of the cocktail bars or simply stay in and call for the movie package (popcorn, burgers, candy selection accompanied by a free in-house movie of your choice).

I am very glad I made the decision to visit Sokyo.

This restaurant offers a contemporary twist on Japanese dinning with exceptional service. A visit to Sokyo is the ultimate dining experience.

The idea here is to create a personalised tasting menu, offering diners the addictive flavours of ex-Nobu chef Chase Kojima. They succeeded!

However, I have to admit that upon returning to the room and really looking through the in-room dinning menu, I immediately wanted to extend my visit another night to enjoy what was on offer.

So you want to know more about my room, mmm ?  Well, the most striking feature of the room is the partition wall with a high definition Samsung LED 46’ TV screen on either side, which separates the bedroom and living room space.

The wall is adorned with framed photographs, picture postcards and scrabble tile messages of love, romance and escapism.

There is a beautiful mosaic wall above the large bathtub with a pattern that mirrors the silhouettes cast by the rippling water of your bath.

This wall hides the latrine, separate shower with rain showerhead that flanks a massive walk-in wardrobe, where I honestly expected to find Carrie Bradshaw.

The furnishings and finishes are as organic as the apples in the bowl, including a gorgeous wooden writing desk that made my penguin classic Raymond Chandler novel look fittingly appropriate.

The luxurious textures of the bedspread are comforting and there is a pillow menu on offer to suit everybody. When it comes to bedtime the lighting modes create moods that invite various states of relaxation.

With the state of the art "Control 4" technology, one remote control allows you to turn on the TV and via icons on the screen, operate the blinds or adjust the temperature and the lights.

You can preset a range of wake-up alarms, have the blinds open automatically, and there’s also a ‘leaving room’ control which automatically places the suite in an energy safe mode.

Once I awake from my sweet slumber wrapped in 100 percent pure Egyptian cotton linen and goose down comforter I struggle to decide whether I should take a dip in the white tea and eucalyptus scented infinity pool or make my way to the Spa; I choose the latter.

Simply called The Spa, the Darling’s new luxurious 16 room day spa takes being pampered to a whole new level.  From the moment you step inside you are wisped away to a peaceful sanctuary devoted to focusing purely on your wellbeing.

Whether it’s a 15 minute treatment you are after or a full scale four and a half hour pampering session, it is all available here.

At The Spa everybody is catered for with treatments for women, men, couples and expectant mothers available.

Having recently taken home the award for the ‘Best New Hotel Construction and Design in the Asia Pacific region the Darling really does outshine as an innovative and aesthetically pleasing hotel.

Echo Entertainment Group, chief executive officer Larry Mullin rightfully said "We set out to create an iconic hotel at The Star that was sympathetic to its surroundings, while breaking the mould in terms of design and construction.”

This little darling…my little darling…The Darling… is the ultimate city side indulgence. A place designed for you to eat, play, love.