The Little Albion boutique hotel recently opened its doors in the heart of Sydney’s stylish, edgy and increasingly posh neighborhood, Surry Hills. The imaginative design concept behind the 35-room guesthouse blends 1920s art deco with 1970s glam for a look that’s polished and sophisticated yet inherently playful. Once inside the former convent walls, you’ll find a friendly family of hosts ready to welcome you to your home for the weekend.
Relax, It’s Always Wine O’Clock
When you enter the guesthouse, you’ll find a sunken lounge filled with amethyst leather banquettes that look right out onto a cozy courtyard with little French garden benches, potted plants and twinkling lights overhead. Later in the evening, you can help yourself to a glass of wine, a nightcap or a “tipple,” as the Aussies would say. The Honour Bar is self-serve, encouraging guests to feel right at home and take a glass up to their room or into the rooftop garden. Feel free to flow throughout the spaces at your leisure, as this crew of hoteliers wants you to settle in and get comfortable.
Crash Pads to Master Suites
Beautiful botanical wallpapers and oil portraits line hallways that lead up to the guest rooms, with a surprise pop of character or color around every corner. From tiny crash pads that are perfect for a one-night solo stay to the Big Albion suite with Gothic windows and heritage archways, there’s a variety of guest room types and sizes. Plush velvet chairs, boldly patterned curtains and cushy, cozy beds make each space feel distinct. Traveling with your road crew? Snag the Big Albion so you’ll have a lounge room and dining space to gather in. Put your friends up in a couple of Master suites with huge bathtubs and skylights just above.
Surry Hills
The Little Albion sits inside a collection of old and new buildings, some of which formerly served as a convent with historic details and the newer of which feature towering windows within steel structures. The surrounding neighborhood falls right in line with a mix of historic architecture that tells a story of the Surry Hills that once was, blended with newer buildings in what’s now a colorful, cool neighborhood. You’ll find countless cafés, bookstores, boutique shops and pilates studios dotting the streets of Surry Hills, and Sydney’s CBD is walkable. As far as places to use as a home base for exploring this magnificent, sprawling city, you really can’t do much better than this sweet little spot.
Photography courtesy of Space Control Design & Little Albion Guest House
