Sofitel Sydney Darling HarbourCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying Sofitel Sydney's rooftop pool with views across Darling Harbour.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Make magical memories with your loved one on a romantic long weekend in Sydney, where unrivalled natural beauty forms the backdrop for a whirlwind of bonding moments. Reconnect as you share unforgettable dining experiences at innovative restaurants, sip cocktails in buzzy bars with enchanting harbour views or stroll hand in hand along a blissful beach. Take a short break in Sydney and you’ll both return home with a lasting glow.
Swoon in the afternoon
Feel romance in the air as you breathe in the salty harbour breeze and watch seagulls touch down on wharf pilings at the Pier One Sydney Harbour hotel at Walsh Bay. Indulge yourself and your partner with a stay in the luxe harbourside hotel’s most coveted room, the Admiral Suite, which comes with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge looming almost overhead, the Sydney Opera House and Luna Park. Take in the ever-changing watery scenes from the floor-to-ceiling windows, enjoy front-row harbour views from the generous standalone tub and toast the sunset from your private patio.
Tear yourself away from the windows for a leisurely picnic, curated by Sydney Picnic Co., at Dawes Point, a lush, grassy expanse shaded by Port Jackson fig trees just steps from your hotel. Savour local treats from one of Sydney Picnic Co.’s gourmet menus, with seasonal inclusions such as Australian king prawns, cheese platters and indulgent chocolate brownies.
As the sun begins to dip, get in the mood for the evening by ordering champagne to your room, and pop the cork while taking in views of yachts coming and going on the water. Then take your partner’s hand and follow the footpath under Sydney Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay, where Hyde Hacienda has a prime perch next to the Sydney Opera House. Sink into leather sofas and order cocktails like Lychee Love, which marries vodka, lychee liqueur, egg white and lemon with rose, ginger and lychee syrups. Or, feed on the energy of the early-evening crowd at the nearby Opera Bar, drinking in the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and looking up at the white sails of the Sydney Opera House mere steps away.
Top off a memorable day with an unforgettable dinner at one of Circular Quay’s fine dining restaurants, such as Bennelong, under the sails of the Sydney Opera House; Aria, which looks out at the Opera Bar; or Quay, on the other side of Circular Quay.
Ease into the morning
Throw back the curtains in your suite in the morning to renew your love affair with the glittering harbour. Work up an appetite together as you stroll through the city or jump on a light rail train to seek out Edition Roasters, a pair of Scandi-Japanese cafés serving house-roasted coffee and swoon-worthy pastries and cakes at World Square, near Town Hall, and Darling Square in Chinatown and Haymarket.
Indulge in a luxurious treatment for two at Darling Spa, in The Darling hotel at the Star casino in Pyrmont. Try the 90-minute The Darling Couples Bath Ritual in the couple’s suite, which combines a relaxing massage with a soothing soak next to your special someone. Or check out the couples offering at the Sofitel Spa when it opens in early 2023 at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.
Opera Bar, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink with harbour views at Opera Bar, Sydney.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Opera Bar, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink with harbour views at Opera Bar, Sydney.
Quay Restaurant, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink at Quay Restaurant, The Rocks.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Quay Restaurant, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink at Quay Restaurant, The Rocks.
Linger over lunch
Drift back to your suite at Pier One to rest and luxuriate in the sense of wellbeing that comes with an expert massage. Then head out once more to Circular Quay for a VIP transfer with La Dolce Vita to Mosman, a well-heeled suburb on Sydney’s North Shore. Feel like George and Amal as you zip across the water in the company of million-dollar views in a slick Italian wooden speedboat that arrived on Sydney Harbour direct from Lake Como.
Marvel as you approach Balmoral Beach, a gorgeous curve of sand sheltered by ancient fig trees, in Mosman. Settle in for a long lunch at Balmoral Beach’s iconic Bathers’ Pavilion, where your meal in this grand Art Deco building is paired with shimmering views over the water. Stroll the Esplanade and enjoy a dip before returning to Circular Quay on your La Dolce Vita speedboat.
Set the scene for a magical evening
Be mesmerised by the late-afternoon harbour views at Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf, a secluded watering hole at the Sydney Theatre Company headquarters on Walsh Bay’s Wharf 4/5, just a short walk from your room.
As dusk draws down on Sydney, enjoy the scenery on a long harbourside walk via the waterfront entertainment precinct of Barangaroo and Pyrmont Bridge to Pyrmont’s LuMi Dining (or grab a taxi from outside the Theatre Bar). Settle in for a date-night dinner as the restaurant’s whimsical pendant lights cast glitter over the yachts moored in a sheltered marina. Delight in the lauded restaurant’s modern Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist as you’re taken on an ingenious exploration of seasonal flavours and surprising textures across multi-course tasting menus.
Walk off the indulgence of a leisurely LuMi meal on your way to Mister Percy, a scenic 10-minute stroll through the inner-west suburb of Pyrmont. Savour a standout creative cocktail by the mixologists at this slick wine bar inside the boutique Ovolo 1888 hotel, or choose from an impressive wine list.
Seek out romance in the heart of the city
Wow your loved one with an atmospheric evening of candlelight, live jazz, escargot, caviar and oysters at the fabulously French Restaurant Hubert in the centre of the city. Lead your partner down flights of stairs deep below the street to this character-filled brasserie serving deliciously decadent dishes, with three just-as-atmospheric bar to linger at before or after your meal.
Keep the subterranean vibe going with a nightcap at The Doss House, an intimate underground lounge just a 10-minute walk from Restaurant Hubert, en route to your hotel. Put yourself in the hands of the dapper mixologists overseeing a bar groaning under the weight of top-shelf whiskies, and settle back with a perfect cocktail to take in the stylish vintage interiors.
Or settle into a plush banquette at nearby Alice, a grown-up cocktail bar in the basement of a heritage-listed bond store in the Rocks precinct, for a concoction mixed to perfection. From either basement bar it’s around a 10-minute walk to Pier One via the heritage-steeped streets of The Rocks. Or take the slightly longer route via Campbells Cove to once more take in the incredible views of the Sydney Opera House and the glittering harbour to top off a romantic evening in style.
Bathers Pavilion, Mosman Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink with views of Balmoral Beach at Bathers Pavilion, Mosman.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Bathers Pavilion, Mosman Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink with views of Balmoral Beach at Bathers Pavilion, Mosman.
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink at French restaurant Restaurant Hubert, Sydney.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink at French restaurant Restaurant Hubert, Sydney.
More Inspirational Stories
Auriga Spa Credit: Timothy Kaye
Auriga Spa Capella Sydney
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Set aside some time for self-care and feel the tension melt from your body as you’re pampered from head to toe in opulent surroundings in one of the many luxury day spas in Sydney. Whether you want an indulgent treatment in a five-star hotel spa or detoxify in a specialist salon, you’ll find a range of incredible treatments across the city.
Soak up the calm in the city
Revel in the exclusive spaces of the hotel’s guest-only Auriga Spa when you stay at Capella Sydney, one of the most recent additions to the city’s luxury hotel offering. The grand proportions of the former Department of Education sandstone building carry through to the stunning spa, with contemporary cubes inserted into the heritage space to form a series of treatment rooms, and a serene swimming pool flooded with natural light from banked skylights. Auriga’s signature two-hour New Moon Renewal and Reflection treatment features a scent journey and somatic intention setting ritual before a body polish and peel wrap, and a massage with bioenergetic oil.
Step inside QT Sydney’s SpaQ and you’ll feel like you’re a world away from the busy retail precinct in the city streets below. Spoil yourself with the Metamorphosis package, which includes around six hours of pampering, including lunch, that will leave you feeling transformed, renewed and ready to take on the world.
Surrender to the serene underground sanctuary of The Day Spa by Chuan, available to guests and visitors at The Langham, Sydney hotel in the city centre. Sense your busy mind calming as you enter the Roman-style heated pool space, and feel stress leave your body as the highly qualified team provides holistic treatments featuring luxe Babor skincare products. Go all out with the Champagne & Gold Indulgence, a 4.5-hour top-to-toe pampering experience that starts with a full-body massage, followed by a 90-minute facial, deluxe manicure and pedicure, a light lunch and a glass of champagne.
Relax down by the water
Feel like you’re on top of the world when you arrive for your treatment at the luxurious Crown Spa at the Crown Towers Sydney, which anchors one end of the Barangaroo waterfront precinct on the fringe of the city centre. Lean into La Prairie facials and Subtle Energies treatments, or indulge in a three-hour Restoration treatment, which begins with an invigorating body exfoliation and Crown’s signature marma massage before an age-defying facial leaves you feeling radiant and revitalised.
Float over to the other side of Darling Harbour to discover Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s calming Sofitel SPA Darling Harbour, which has seven spacious treatment rooms, including a suite featuring a large freestanding tub overlooking the water. Alongside bespoke facials and body therapies, the spa also offers a five-hour wellness journey adapted to the season.
Reconnect body, mind and soul at The Darling Spa at The Star Sydney in nearby Pyrmont. Linger in the spa’s Moroccan hammam chamber, steam room and Jacuzzi before blissing out with a Dihlbi facial, which features age-defying serums incorporating ancient Aboriginal knowledge of native botanicals by Australian brand Li’Tya.
Auriga Spa Credit: Timothy Kaye
Auriga Spa Capella Sydney
#feelnewsydney
Auriga Spa Credit: Timothy Kaye
Auriga Spa Capella Sydney
The Darling Spa Credit: The Darling
A couples treatment room at The Darling Spa in Pyrmont.
#feelnew #feelnewsydney
The Darling Spa Credit: The Darling
A couples treatment room at The Darling Spa in Pyrmont.
Bliss out in a boutique salon
Sense a calming energy from the moment you enter the astonishing space at Venustus, a 10-minute drive east of the city centre in leafy Paddington, where owner Jeannie Bourke has laid a grid of healing crystals beneath the floor. Embrace the cocooning vibe in one of the tall egg-shaped treatment pods and surrender to a replenishing treatment using a range of luscious aromatherapy-based products.
Arrive early at Sol Spa Vaucluse, a luxe salon offering facials, massage and body treatments to nourish the mind and body in the inner-eastern suburb of Vaucluse, to relax with a cup of herbal tea and look out over the spa’s lush garden. Rejuvenate with a Native Botanical facial using Indigenous Australian botanicals, or stretch out with a five-hour Ultimate Sol Spa Signature Package that includes a nourishing meal and a glass of champagne.
Take a deep breath of salt air before stepping into an immune-boosting infrared sauna at one of several salons around the beachside suburbs in Sydney’s east. Emerge calm and detoxified after an infrared sauna at Self by The Parlour Room in Clovelly, which also offers a range of bespoke facials and indulgent body treatments, or at Slow House at Bondi Beach, which has both small and large infrared sauna rooms to soak up the heat in private or with a friend.
Go west to be pampered
Bond with your partner during an Urban Release couples ritual at the Inglis Day Spa, on the top level of The William Inglis Hotel in Warwick Farm, a 40-minute drive southwest of the city centre. Soak up the equine theme of the spectacular hotel, which celebrates Warwick Farm’s horseracing history (there’s a racecourse right next door), before sequestering in a modern spa suite and relaxing in a cabana facing the rooftop pool. Or come alone for a pampering 150-minute Crystal Healing treatment, which includes a muscle-melting hot-stone massage, rejuvenating facial and soothing head massage.
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa Credit: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa
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Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa Credit: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa
QT Sydney, Sydney Credit: QT Sydney
The spaQ at QT Sydney
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QT Sydney, Sydney Credit: QT Sydney
The spaQ at QT Sydney