My Hotel Experience: Pier One Hotel, Sydney Harbour

Sydney. So beautiful, powerfully iconic and mesmerising in her own right: the city itself is a true sight to behold. Approximately 11,000 miles of vast oceans and land separates the sunshine city with my Emerald Isle making it almost incomprehensible to imagine for us poor rain trodden Irish.

And as that very same rain pours on one side of the Atlantic, on the other it shines brightly and proudly for all to see her glory.

It's time I tell you a little more.

After 24 hours of travelling we arrived in Sydney surprisingly refreshed and incredibly emotional after a surprise family reunion a la airport style.

Choosing and ultimately booking a hotel in Sydney was surprisingly difficult. Not only did I feel like I had zero bearings, I didn't have a clue what to expect of the city meaning I didn't know what I wanted or 'needed' in a hotel.

Introducing Pier One Sydney Harbour (here). I'll never forget the incredibly surreal feeling of driving to the Harbour and stepping out of the car to realise our hotel was nestled below the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. A smile crept across my face, stemmed from nothing but a feeling of sheer awe and wonder.

If you watched my vlog (here) you'll see just how awesome the location is.

The hotel itself is perfectly situated, to say I am incredibly glad I booked it is an understatement. Not only are you a 10 minute walk from the Sydney Opera House you're also incredibly close to the hustle and bustle of the shops, Darling Harbour and a short drive to Bondi (traffic depending).

If traffic ain't your thing then you can hop on a ferry to Manly, Bondi or the quaint Watson's Bay which I'll tell you about more in my next post.

You know you're located in the best spot in town when you have the famous extortionately priced Park Hyatt as a neighbour hotel (penthouse suites are priced from $4500 upwards, per night). If that's not enough and it all gets a little too much for you, then pop out to get away from it all by soaking this view right up.

"Sail forth - steer for the deep waters only,

Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me,

For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,

And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all."

- Walt Whitman.

This sight, just absolute bliss. Be still my very very happy heart.

Ahem - back to decor! As you can see, the rooms in Pier One are very bright, whitewashed and beautifully balance a seaside-come-harbour theme.

With a lovely boutique feeling to boast, the hotel is quaint yet youthful and incredibly polished. Despite being youthful, the hotel doesn't lack on the luxe effect: it's clear Pier One balance branding, quality and service brilliantly. 

The staff really ought to be highly praised as they were fantastic, so very genuinely friendly and helpful from the moment we arrived until the sad moment we left. 

Location aside, this final pièce de résistance cements the charm of Pier One. 

Many an evening was spent sitting here, simply enjoying the view as the sun set bidding farewell to yet another glorious day. What I enjoyed the most about this spot was the fantastic people watching, it's a buzzing hub full of locals enjoying the view and relaxing after a day's work. 

Ah. There is something truly special about knowing you're somewhere beautiful, being grateful for it and knowing you're surrounded by other anonymous people who feel exactly the same way: what a beautiful thing! 

For more details check out Pier One also on here.