I stayed at the Four Seasons in Sydney in March 2016 for 10 days. As a Four Seasons veteran (to-date I’ve stayed at 31 Four Seasons properties around the world), I was generally very happy with my stay at the hotel. I would rank the hotel in my top 10 Four Seasons list.
The hotel’s biggest perk is its location in downtown Sydney, walking distance from the Circular Quay Wharf, the Sydney Opera House, the historic Rocks district and the surrounding shopping district. If you’re visiting Sydney for business or pleasure, I would highly recommend staying in the Central Business District – and the Four Seasons of course – but there are also other hotel options in the area.
I booked a Deluxe City Room and upon check-in realized that the room was much smaller than expected. I called reception and requested a room change and they accommodated my request the following day by moving me to a Premier City Room for no additional cost. The Premier City Room was a significant upgrade; the room is much more spacious (53 m2/570 sq. ft.) than the Deluxe City Room (26 m2/280 sq. ft.) and has a far better layout. The room has the hallmark of a typical Four Seasons hotel room which you would expect anywhere in the world with great views of the city (and partial views of the water).
I had breakfast at the Tables restaurant almost every morning and the food was delicious. I opted for the breakfast buffet to satiate my big appetite but a cheaper alternative would be to order a la carte. I visited the Grain bar on several occasions and highly recommend the oysters, the ambiance in the evening is great for pre-dinner drinks or for an aperitif. I also ordered room service on several occasions and the consistency in food quality, wine selection and service was on point.
I had a chance to do an in-room massage, I wouldn’t say the masseuse/massage ranks as one of the best I’ve had (the best massage I’ve had was not at a Four Seasons property) but the convenience of the in-room service coupled with my goal of relaxing made me happy with the service. Be sure to visit the Endota Spa in the hotel as well as the outdoor pool.
What really stood out at the hotel was the concierge service. Since my visit was purely for pleasure, I was in constant touch with the concierge for restaurant and tour bookings. All the concierge staff was very helpful and pulled as many strings as possible to make bookings at various restaurants and night clubs. Given that March was a popular time for tourists, it made even more of a difference given that the city and its restaurants were generally full.
Finally, I had given one of the housekeeping personnel a backpack that needed some repair. For some reason, the bag was never delivered to my room and the hotel never found out what happened with the backpack. In pure Four Seasons service and fashion, a new backpack was purchased to replace the one that was inadvertently lost and it certainly cost more!
Overall, I highly recommend staying at the Four Seasons for either business or pleasure. If you are a fan of the Four Seasons, as I am, you will not be disappointed! I look forward to coming back again on a future visit.
