The Langham Sydney - review

[kaktusdigital]

Twas the night before Christmas, well almost. The fresh inviting smell and welcoming smiles had me as soon as I entered the lobby. Nestled within the quiet part of Kent st in Sydney, the Langham Sydney is located within a beautiful residential area with only a short 10 minute walk to the Rocks. Some may prefer something closer to the CBD, I however found the quaint quality of the location a plus rather than a minus.


The check-in process was pretty straight forward and very quick. I'm not sure whether it was because it was quiet, but we were ushered up to our room personally by check-in staff. We thought this was a nice touch as added to the overall experience. Having stayed at the Hilton & The Pullman a few nights ago, the 'hotel experience' was something that was still clear in our heads. While this is not a comparison, we couldn't help but notice the differences in each of the hotels. We really loved the Hilton room, the location was superb but we found the service to be a little stiff and business like. Perhaps the clientele is what drives the feel of the place. The Pullman on the other hand had fantastically warm service but the room itself felt a little old. Being a Le Club platinum card holder gave us access to the executive lounge which was nice quiet place to refresh and relax. My point in bringing up these other locales is to say that I was really floored by the Langham experience. The service and quality of rooms were absolutely top notch. I work in a creative industry where attention to details is paramount, so to see a place take the care in such a way is inspiring.

Our room was located on the 2nd floor. I was surprised that there are only 3 floors as I expecting a much larger hotel, however the idea of quality of quantity certainly applies here. As you exit the elevator the corridors are wide enough to drive a bus right through. Its a really nice feeling to be able to stroll to your room via a nice wide avenue rather than shuffling through a narrow space with little natural light. The room itself was very spacious featuring an ultra King sized bed. Yes ultra king, I could sleep sideways. A fairly new 42" flatscreen TV sits across the bed on a very sturdy black cabinet with marble top. Alongside you have a small nespresso type machine. Within the cupboards are the usual minibar and tea and coffee packets. The quality of the items were quite good especially the tea which were from La Maison.

 

[kaktusdigital]

The bathroom is situated next to the main room and equally spacious. The main material used is a warm marble which was perhaps a little old hat for my tastes. The usual amenities were present in a nice clutter free box. We noted the inclusion of a small bottle of talcom powder which I thought was quite nice in case you were travelling with young children. The shower itself featured a large rain type fitting on the ceiling along with the usual detachable spray head mounted on the wall. As expected, the water pressure was fabulous and the heat sensitivity calibrated well. There's also a medium sized bathtub in the corner which we didn't use.


As you've probably guessed, we loved the room. I really like the style, its kind of similar to the four seasons in Paris, but dialed back a notch. Understandably this probably isn't everyone taste, but I felt it really balanced a classical look with modern amenities well.
To top off the experience we had booked a table at Quay months beforehand. I'll probably post a review for later a little later on. The walk from the Langham to Quay was probably about 15 minutes and was really nice. It comes back to the fact that the Langham is located in a semi residential area which makes the transition between the quiet surroundings to the hustle bustle a smooth experience.

As we were checking out on Christmas eve, we had planned on having lunch @ the fantastic Sydney fish market. Perhaps we were suffering form the 5-star treatment and didn't think for a second that the place would be ridiculously packed. Luckily my uncle suggested we extend our langham experience a little more, so we decided to have lunch there instead. I'm a foodie, I was expecting good, but not great. Having read a few so so reviews on tripadvisor in regards to the food, I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered a seafood platter and also a crab tagliatelle, both of which were masterfully prepared. The presentation was neat without fuss or unnecessary dickyness.
both meals were flavourful and the seafood cooked well and seasoned properly. The freshness of ingredients was evident and fact that we even considered battling the crowds at the fish market seem like complete madness at this time.

 

[kaktusdigital]

Sadly, after lunch it was time to leave as we had to get back to my uncles to prepare for Christmas eve. Overall the experience was seamless, effortless and very enjoyable. When things are done so well you just don't notice anything else, it felt like home. It's obviously not cheap to stay, but i'd certainly come back again.

 

[diningdecadence]

great photos - thanks for the review!