The chic sleep: W Brisbane
With its edgy urban spaces and burgeoning music, fashion and design scene, Brisbane has been touted as Australia’s new capital of cool – a perfect match for the playful and luxurious W Hotels group. By VICTORIA HASWELL
As the first five-star hotel to open in Brisbane in 20 years, there is a palpable buzz surrounding the new W Brisbane that is rare to come by in many major cities today. Even the passport officer lights up upon learning we’re here for the hotel’s grand opening party. “Everyone’s talking about it,” he says. It is without doubt the city’s hottest new hangout and is currently the W group’s only Australian address, though there are plans to open in Sydney and Melbourne by 2020. So, why Brisbane first? Anyone familiar with the world-famous hotel brand will know it has its finger on the pulse when it comes to destinations that are on the up, and Brisbane – the laid-back, sunny capital of Queensland, or the Sunshine State as it’s known by reputation – is its latest proclamation.
Situated overlooking the Brisbane River just a five-minute walk from South Bank (the city’s cultural hub), the 33-floor hotel is housed within a new one-billion-dollar development that’s set to transform Brisbane’s shopping and dining scene. Featuring raw concrete, curvilinear bar counters and a lobby staircase of timber ‘river reeds’, the interiors are a glamorous yet artful nod to Queensland’s sub-tropical natural environment – crocodile motifs greet you at every turn and bold local artworks adorn the walls. Every one of the 312 rooms and 29 suites has river views and subtly weaves in influences from Australia’s indigenous roots – even the huge bath tubs are a reinterpretation of a 10-gallon drum ‘outback bath experience’. With a rotating line-up of DJs and all-day pool parties, the vibrant Wet Deck bar and pool area is the beating heart of the hotel, but rest assured you can also find peace and privacy at the sleek Away Spa; book the Wheels Down Jet Lag Recovery massage for your first morning and hit the ground running.
THE DETAILS
Indulge
They say you can’t improve on a classic, but W Brisbane’s High Tea of Aus is proof otherwise. Instead of traditional dainty finger sandwiches and clotted cream scones, guests are served a gleaming W-shaped tower of delectable savory and sweet native treats including miniature meat pies, lamingtons (coconut-dusted cake) and local cheeses with shavings of truffle.
Dine
Founded by three surfer friends in a beachside Sydney suburb back in 2010, the Three Blue Ducks restaurant group is now a beloved frontrunner in Australia’s rapidly growing sustainable dining scene, and the new outpost at W Brisbane is its smartest venue yet. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a wide, curving terrace provide twinkling views of the river and skyline, but the come-as-you-are vibe and humble, homegrown charm that has come to define Three Blue Ducks still applies. Featuring a wood-fire oven, charcoal pit, rotisserie and seafood station, the vast open kitchen serves up simple, honest dishes that are big on freshness and flavor; the crab scramble with homemade sriracha and porchetta with macadamia cream are not to be missed. If you have time to go to Byron Bay (a two-hour drive from Brisbane and so worth the trip), be sure to visit the Three Blue Ducks 80-acre farm and learn firsthand about their paddock-to-plate ethos as you wander the fields with a picnic hamper.
Visit
Australians are renowned for their love affair with sea and surf (85% of the country’s population live near the coast), which makes getting out on the water an absolute must. Just a 75-minute boat trip from Brisbane, Moreton Island is a white-sand jewel in the Coral Sea, its turquoise waters made all the more magnificent by the dramatic Tangalooma Shipwrecks that lie off the shore. Spend a day snorkeling among tropical fish, then toast the sunset with a bucket of beers and barbecued fresh prawns on the beach. If you want to spend the night, Tangalooma Island Resort also offer a nightly wild dolphin feeding program – a real bucket-list moment.