During our time in Sydney, Antonia from mochni.com and I had the opportunity to stay at the world’s first astrology hotel – The Ultimo.
As soon as you walk into the reception area, you immediately see all of the zodiac signs framed behind the friendly and helpful front desk staff. There is also a full Italian coffee/café set up where you can get barista made coffee basically all day! The coffee is sourced from a local Sydney roaster and if you’re not a coffee drinker, you can choose teas which have been specifically chosen for your star sign!
When we checked in, we received our keys and zodiac-specific city recommendations and “do not disturb” signs. All of the staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful, especially when we initially couldn’t get the WiFi to work; they went out of their way to make sure we had what we needed. The housekeeping staff were also very accommodating to our still relatively jetlagged sleeping pattern.
The room was very clean and modern, with a touch of minimalist, Scandinavian-chic (click through the photos above). The heritage listed building has been beautifully renovated in a way that maintains the historic charm while adding a touch of modernity. Every room is unique so our photos tell some of the story, but not all of it! The renovation was completed in February 2017, so all of the furnishing are basically brand new! The beds were very comfortable, and the linens and towels clean and fresh. The linen company they work with for all of the bedding and towels uses eco-friendly technologies (yay!). Green Services (cleaning etc) are also offered for all of the rooms.
Though we usually travel with our own basic toiletries, those provided by the hotel were far better than usual. The brand - METIS - is made in Australia and are free from mineral oil, parabens, and not tested on animals. Much cleaner than most products supplied by hotels. Also to note – amazing water pressure for those of us with long hair and need a reasonable shower to wash our hair!
Overall the hotel was very quiet considering its very central location. An extra pane of glass has been installed to effectively keep most ambient street noise out. We very rarely heard any guests in neighbouring rooms, we had a couple of mornings of a screaming and crying mother and child, but I think we were just unlucky. For the most part, from around 10pm to 8am, it was nice and quiet.
Location-wise, the Ultimo was perfect for us. A short walk to the central train station made it easy to access the airport, as well as the major train and bus routes so we could explore the rest of the sprawling city of Sydney. For those who don’t mind walking a bit, you can also easily walk to the key “tourist” spots such as Darling Harbour, the Rocks, the Queen Victoria Building, and Circular Quay (usually 1-2km walk). The hotel is located right in the heart of the China-Town district so there is a plethora of different cuisines in the form of restaurants, cafes, and tiny kiosks to choose from. There is also a Woolworths supermarket two minutes-walk away, and the Market City shopping centre across the road which houses a food court along with the standard high-street stores.
The hotel also offers a range of astrology services including Star Charts leading local astrologers. Unfortunately we did not have time to take advantage of this during our time in Sydney.
Long story short; the Ultimo is a “no-frills” yet very chic hotel that had everything we needed, all housed in a beautifully renovated, historic building right in the centre of Sydney. We highly recommend you check it out on your next trip to the fabulous city of Sydney!
