As bellhops grabbed my bags, a valet driver swiped my car keys, and a receptionist handed me a key to my room at The Little Nell, a five-star hotel in Aspen, Colorado, I was already feeling the pressure of time.
01.09.2023 - 14:44 / matadornetwork.com
Wrapped around Port Phillip Bay, the seahorse-shaped Melbourne is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. The state capital of Victoria, Australia, Melbourne has also earned itself a reputation for being the coffee powerhouse of the South Hemisphere while streets overflow with galleries, landmark buildings, and green oases. Come rain or shine, there’s always something to do in Melbourne. Whether you’re bookending a road trip or looking to hole up in the city, these are the best hotels in Melbourne, Australia, for luxury and location.
We hope you love the Melbourne, Australia, hotels we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
Over-the-top rooms, a palatial indoor pool, and an East Melbourne zipcode make the Park Hyatt one of the best 5-star hotels in Australia’s coolest city. Even the smaller rooms provide 517 square feet of living space complete with an upholstered bed, Nespresso coffee maker, and spa-standard bathroom. Specialty suites have the perk of a St. Patrick’s Cathedral view or a private terrace.
Steps from Fitzroy Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building, you can take your pick from the blockbuster things to do in Melbourne, Australia’s architectural gem. Rinse off a day’s exploring in the pool before idling around the block to the theater district.
Book Now
One of the best luxury hotels in Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) with a pool, the Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne On Spencer is the ideal landing pad for first-time visitors. Docklands and Southbank are within walking distance while scores of tram routes trundle past the lobby.
Vibrant, contemporary rooms sport premium linens, blackout curtains, and rainfall showers. Suites can accommodate families of four. In homage to the chain’s Swiss origins, a daily Chocolate Hour welcomes guests to sample everything from ice cream sandwiches to churros. In addition to the heated pool, the hotel has a hot tub and sauna for getting your wellness fix.
Book Now
The grandest 5-star hotel in Melbourne’s Southbank neighborhood, The Langham’s waterfront position yields mint views over the Yarra River and CBD. Doused in natural light, entry-level rooms are appointed with traditional furnishings and marble bathrooms. Luxurious suites come with whirlpool tubs and separate parlors although the couture-inspired Kerrie Hess Residence is second to none.
The R&R offering at the hotel extends to an indoor lap pool with service, a spa, and a 24/7 fitness studio. Meanwhile, the brand’s historic afternoon tea is served daily alongside a bespoke kids’ menu where cakes recreate classic bedtime tales.
Book Now
One of the best
As bellhops grabbed my bags, a valet driver swiped my car keys, and a receptionist handed me a key to my room at The Little Nell, a five-star hotel in Aspen, Colorado, I was already feeling the pressure of time.
Pâté en croûte, the centuries-old French dish composed of meat terrine baked in savory pastry, was first developed out of economy as a way to preserve and use up bits of offal. But today, with skilled kitchen staffs in short supply, the labor-intensive delicacy — which requires multiple days of confiting, jellying, laminating and simmering — feels like a luxury item. “I like the technical aspect of it,” says the chef Nicolas Delaroque, 42, who serves a classic rabbit-and-tarragon version modernized with a little less fat and a bit more spice at his restaurant, Maison Nico, in San Francisco. Markus Glocker, 42, of New York’s Koloman, likewise set out to create a lighter take on the original. “You’re not going to feel like you just ate a stone,” he says of his salmon en croûte, in which slices of tramezzini, a fluffy Italian bread, are wrapped around a rare salmon filet slicked with scallop-and-parsley mousse and topped with gherkins and a beet-infused butter. At Melbourne, Australia’s Aru, the pâté en croûte is reminiscent of a fancy bánh mì. Chả lua, a ground Vietnamese pork loaf, is combined with chicken liver pâté for the filling, and the jelly layer between the meat and the pastry is seasoned with rice vinegar, soy sauce and Maggi, an MSG-spiked seasoning. “It’s quite a humbling experience,” says the charcutier George Jephson, 39, of assembling his iteration, which is stuffed with pork belly, confit pork tongue, crisped chicken skin, pistachios and port jelly, and can be found at his East London wine bar, Cadet, and at nearby restaurants, including Chiltern Firehouse. Still, making use of the whole pig, he says, is worth the effort. “I worked 10 years as a butcher, and we didn’t sell a single piece of pork liver,” he says. “Now I sell 60 kilos a week.” —
Swapping homes with a stranger from the internet may seem like a nice idea for a Nancy Meyers movie, but in today's world of intricate scams and hidden fees, that type of trust is hard to come by.
A Swiss International Air Lines plane arrived at its destination without a single checked bag onboard.
Qantas Airways downgraded a man from business class so that an off-duty pilot could take his seat, the man told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
Originally known as Crane Creek, Melbourne, FL, was renamed after the city’s first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector. British-born Hector relocated to Australia and flitted between Melbourne and New Zealand before settling in Florida. Fifty years after his death, the coastal area welcomed the first permanent rocket launch site. Nowadays, any trip to Melbourne orbits around the Space Coast although Brevard County has plenty to tempt surfers, seafarers, wildlife enthusiasts, and golfers. These family-friendly Melbourne, FL, hotels close to Cape Canaveral and beaches will leave you starry-eyed.
Here are the top stories from the Daily Lodging Report newsletter in the past week. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here now.
In recent months, a number of TikTokers have faced backlash for sharing their thoughts on viral summer hotspots. They often say they want to show the reality behind the aspirational social-media posts, but viewers argue their expectations were uninformed, or that their criticisms are unfounded.
When I planned my two-week backpacking trip through six European cities across four countries in October 2022, the last thing I expected was to be blown away by my budget bookings.
While Yashraj Chhabra was waiting on one knee, ring in hand, at the Auckland airport, his soon-to-be fiancée, Riiya Shukla, was stressing about her lost luggage.
Summers in my hometown of Geneva, Switzerland used to bring sunny spells, but also long, rainy periods during which one wondered whether July had suddenly morphed into November. No longer. Climate change and its resulting heat waves have transformed the aquatic landscape, and more importantly the relationship between people and Lake Geneva (also known as Lake Léman). Along the quays, outdoor bars and cafes have sprung up, and on the water, sail boats, yachts, but also kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and even floating mattresses lend a new Mediterranean feel to this Alpine scenery.
The Budapest Marathon 2023 is the 8th edition of the global competition that allows City Sightseeing to share the passion of running and travel with three lucky winners, giving them the opportunity to experience some of the world’s most iconic destinations through marathons.