Sometimes you want to get away from it all without leaving your city. As much as I love to travel, sometimes the airport hassle, inevitable delays and long drives end up making you more tired than when you started! So what’s my never-fail way to get away and relax? A staycation in your own city.
When I had the opportunity to stay at Sir Stamford Circular Quay recently, I texted my equally stressed-out best friend and invited her along for the perfect girl’s weekend away, right in the heart of Sydney.
Located on historic Macquarie Street, right in the heart of Sydney, I arrived on a Friday night after work, proudly toting my new Samsonite Tru Frame suitcases. Sure it looked like I *may* have slightly overpacked for my 1 night stay, but that’s never really been a strong point of mine!
As soon as I stepped inside the Sir Stamford I felt transported back to another era. The hotel is housed in a heritage-listed building that dates back to the 1800’s, and is filled with antiques and one of the largest private collections of fine art in Australia.
We were welcomed by Morris the wombat at check-in, the mascot of Sir Stamford Circular Quay. He did a fine job of reading a book and wearing a top hat.
I was also greeted warmly by human staff and we were soon led up to our deluxe room. The styling is elegant, the marble bathroom spacious and the large mahogany desk a nice touch. French doors opened onto our balcony with stunning views of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
This is my first time ever using hardside luggage after years and years of travelling with a soft suitcase and can I be honest? I didn’t know what I was missing out on!
Firstly, the 360° multidirectional spinner wheels at the bottom of the Samsonite Tru-Frame cases make maneuvering these babies around like a dream. The suitcase is made out of a 100% polycarbonate shell which is not only sturdy, but lightweight too. The suitcases come with a divider pad which encourages organised packing – something I never used to do particularly well. But having these neat, pre-defined sections ensures you not only pack sensibly, you also repack with some order (no madly stuffing things haphazardly into your suitcase as you check out anymore!)
Security is paramount for these suitcases, offering double recessed TSA combination locks on both for peace of mind.
The Samsonite large roll-up toiletry kit was a welcome addition to my travelling setup, and I love the multiply compartments for better organisation. My old toiletries bag was just one giant bottomless pit which resulted in me constantly losing things and having to spill out the contents of it on the bathroom floor, all the time. I also love the transparent pockets so I know what is where, plus the loop at the top means I can hang it up if need be. Plus I got mine in coral/grey which is one of my favourite colour combinations (you may have noticed from the colour scheme of this blog?) Stylish and practical – 2 of my favourite things.
After a quick freshen up, we head downstairs for a drink at the imaginatively named The Bar. And what do you drink at a girl’s weekend away? Why French champagne of course!
We complimented our drink with the Sir Stamford’s famous Singaporean Curry Puffs (the owner is from Singapore, thus the SE Asian menu influence). These puffs had impossibly crisp pastry covering a flavourful and slightly spicy filling. The perfect pre-dinner snack.
We soon felt a bit peckish AND lazy, and decided to have dinner in The Bar as well. We both ordered the 350g sirloin steak served with thick cut fries, garden salad & jus ($36). The steak was cooked to perfection and the fries dangerously addictive.
The next morning, after a nice sleep in, we awoke and pottered downstairs for breakfast in The Dining Room. Fortunately breakfast runs until 11am on weekends, meaning you don’t have to rush! We tried to practice restraint when selecting items from the hot buffet (not one of my stronger points), as we had a high tea to attend shortly afterwards.
High tea is one of my favourite things to do and we booked in for the Elegance High Tea ($69) which really was a treat.
We were seated by the window and our tier of treats came swiftly. Service is polite and attentive, champagne is served and our tea order taken.
It came with fresh scones from their bakery served with clotted cream and homemade jam, Stamford’s signature curry puffs, some savoury canapés and sandwiches, an array of desserts and a glass of Mumm Champagne.
I love that they offer an array of high teas to suit a range of budgets, and there’s also a high tea for kids too, so no one’s left out!
After our high tea we sadly checked out of the hotel and came back to reality. For an amazing weekend where it feels like you’re stepping back in time, look no further than the Sir Stamford hotel for attentive service and old school charm.
All the details:
93 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
A superior double room at the Sir Stamford Circular Quay starts from AUD $399 per night. The Elegance High Tea costs AUD $69.00 per person and is served from 11 am – 4 pm Monday – Sunday
Tru Frame Spinner Luggage in 76cm retails for AUD $699
Tru Frame Spinner Luggage in 55cm retails for AUD $499
The Samsonite Large Roll-Up Toiletry Kit retails for AUD $59.95
Love Swah + 1 stayed as a guest of Sir Stamford. Luggage was provided by Samsonite. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
2 Comments
The afternoon tea there is really nice! And I wondered what the rooms were like. They remind me of some hotel rooms in Europe-quite traditional! I need to replace my luggage (which is actually Samsonite) but it has seen a lot of travel and looking worse for wear lol.
The afternoon tea is so tasty isn’t it! I love the old world charm of the rooms, you’re right it definitely reminds me of Europe too :)