A Horizon Club stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney
The Shangri-La, Sydney is nestled in the historic Rocks District, is a luxury hotel with panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A stay at the Shangri-La, Sydney is always a special occasion, but for this special birthday we decided to splurge on a Horizon Club room, which comes with a whole host of special benefits.
The Shangri-La Sydney is a large hotel, with 565 rooms, three restaurants and one bar. The hotel is located between Circular Quay and Wynyard train stations. It’s a bit of a walk from both, including a steep uphill section.
Horizon Club Sydney Harbour Room
This stay we chose a Horizon Club Sydney Harbour Room with a king bed and rollaway bed. The room came with absolutely spectacular 180-degree views across Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour.
Our favourite feature of the room was the padded window seat that we could all fit on and the block out curtains that fell behind it. After sunset we sat on the seat and pulled the curtains behind us and looked out at the beautiful harbour and the sparkling lights. It was just heaven.
The Horizon Club Sydney Harbour Rooms are located on levels 31-35, guaranteeing a breathtaking view. The rooms all include access to the exclusive Horizon Club Lounge with its full range of privileges.
The room itself is elegant and understated. Luxe furnishings that are bright and beautiful.
We loved the large marble bathroom containing a separate bath and shower.
Other amenities include plush Shangri-La bathrobes (which we wore to the pool), a pillow menu (we ordered different pillows and they were divine), premium Shangri-La toiletries, Wi-Fi Access, LCD flatscreen television, DVD entertainment system, In-house movie channels, a full-size executive writing desk, electronic safe, coffee / tea-making facilities and a mini-bar.
Horizon Club Benefits
The added benefits of the Horizon Club definitely made the cost of the room worthwhile. While on the website a 4pm late check-out also listed as a benefit of this package, it is subject to availability and we were not able to get this benefit when we stayed.
We visited the Horizon Club Lounge for afternoon tea, canapés and breakfast the next morning. The ability to use the lounge during these times meant we didn’t need to buy any extra meals during our stay, as the offerings were so hearty!
Horizon Club Lounge afternoon tea
The afternoon tea is served between 2pm-5pm and includes scones with jam and cream, a selection of sandwiches (all meat) and pastries. The Shangri-La, Sydney is able to provide food for dietary requirements with enough notice given.
The view from the room is just breathtaking – try to get a seat by the window if you can.
Horizon Club Lounge canapés
Evening canapés includes alcoholic drinks which the staff refill constantly throughout the evening. The canapé time from 6pm-8pm is the perfect time for dinner with kids! Our fussy eater didn’t see enough that she liked on the buffet tables, so we ordered a kids meal from room service and had it delivered to the lounge. Easy peasy, it arrived on our table about 20 minutes later.
The buffet had an excellent selection of savoury food, hot and cold, salads, cheese and crackers and desserts. It was quite meat heavy, however the Shangri-La, Sydney is able to provide food for dietary requirements with enough notice given (next time I will remember this and let them know in advance that we are vegetarian!) There was still plenty of food that was edible, however, and we were absolutely stuffed by the end.
Lots of people can be found in the lounge during all times of the day, particularly the evening canapés. Some people are with a group and socialising, some reading books and relaxing. While there is a dress code for using the lounge, we saw many guests in extremely casual attire, so I wouldn’t take the dress code too seriously. We dressed up for the occasion for a fun thing to do, but it certainly isn’t required.
Horizon Club Lounge breakfast
Breakfast is also available in the Horizon Club Lounge from 6:30am-10:30am daily and until 11am on weekends. The breakfast is advertised as a “light buffet” – however, we thought it was a fantastic feast!
We particularly loved the egg station where we had custom omelettes made for us. A variety of hot and cold food is available, fruit, pastries, cereals, tea, coffee and juices.
Shangri-La, Sydney pool
We love a good hotel pool, particularly when it’s indoors and heated in winter! The Shangri-La, Sydney pool is a large pool with a separate spa with bubble jets, located in the health club.
High Tea at the Shangri-La, Sydney
We have dined in the Lobby Lounge many times enjoying the Shangri-La, Sydney’s high tea offerings! You can read about high tea at the Shangri-La, Sydney here.
Blu Bar High Tea Buffet
For an absolute treat, I highly recommend the high tea buffet that is offered in the Blu Bar on level 36. It is just delicious and such a treat! It’s also very pricey and no discount for kids, so I would suggest making this an adult-only treat.
Read about the Blu Bar High Tea Buffet.
Getting to the Shangri-La, Sydney
If you drive to the Shangri-La, Sydney, valet parking is available: $58 for in-house hotel guests, $44 for restaurant patrons, $40 for guests with functions at the hotel, and $22 for guests who have appointments at our spa. There is a cheaper parking station at Wilson parking – Quay West at 111 Harrington St, The Rocks if you don’t mind a bit of a walk.
Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney
176 Cumberland St, Sydney
shangri-la.com/sydney
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