Where to Stay in Sydney // Little Albion
Tucked away in Sydney’s Hip Surry Hills neighborhood,
in an unsuspecting former convent, is Little Albion. This unpretentious property is full of unique artistic attributes and elegant details that will have you both simultaneously feeling right at home and like you’re experiencing a luxurious getaway. While transforming this heritage building into the current accommodations, the team was incredibly thoughtful in adding modern elements while maintaining historical features and unique characteristics and paying homage to the building’s past. Because of this, the boutique property, which has only 35 rooms, feels more like a house with a warm, welcoming feel than it does a foreign hotel. Suffice it to say, you’ll feel so at home you may or may not look into having your mail forwarded to 21 Little Albion Street. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
WITH YOUR STAY
Free wifi
Light breakfast (think yogurt, pastries, fresh fruit, Nespresso coffee)
24-hour host service
Tea and cookies in your room (PSA- if you eat them, they will re-stock them, which is amazing because they’re deliSH, but also TERRIBLE, because you just keep eating cookies!)
LOCATION
21 Little Albion St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Surry Hills is an inner-city Sydney neighborhood that’s hip, edgy and full of juxtapositions that lend to its’ charm and intrigue. You’ll find the quintessential coffee and cafe scene, charming terraced houses, artsy details, plenty of cultural activities, upscale boutiques, a trendy food scene and bars buzzing into the evening. Chances are high that you’ll be among more locals than tourists, so, if you’re anything like me and prefer more live-like-a-local travel, then you will love staying in this area.
THE ROOM
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Check out Firedoor, Chin Chin and Nomad (one of my favorites from the whole trip) for food, Fouratefive for brunch, Reuben Hills or Paramount Coffee Project for coffee (For all us SoCal peeps, they also have a location in LA!), Button Bar for speakeasy cocktails, The Dolphin Hotel for pizza and wine (This place, which is from the same team behind Bondi’s Icebergs Restaurant, even has an aperitivo hour Sunday-Thursday nights.), Bourke Street Bakery for baked goods and yummy bread, Venue 505 has live jazz performances and visit Butter for a cool sneakers meets fried chicken meets champagne bar sitch. For shopping, scope out The Standard Store, or some of the local vintage shops. There’s also a playhouse, plenty of parks and vast art scene, so there’s no shortage of things to do.
THINGS TO KNOW
It’s conveniently located just a 5 minute walk from Central Station and less than 30 minutes from the airport.
Don’t leave your furry friends at home! Little Albion is pet-friendly, even going so far as to have a few dedicated pet-friendly rooms right on the ground floor.
There’s an Honor Bar with an assortment of sweet and savory nibbles along with top-shelf beverages for you to choose from whenever you like. It’s all based on the honor system (hence the name) and you simply pay for whatever you select at the end of your stay.
The rooftop is home to the most charming garden oasis. It’s a perfect spot to chill, read, indulge in something from the honor bar or just take in the beautiful Sydney skyline view. We brought a bottle of bubbly up to the roof to enjoy while catching the sunset on our last night in town, and I honestly couldn’t have thought of a more wonderful way to end our Australia adventures. It was truly a magical and unforgettable moment.
You’ll notice lots of incredible art throughout the property, all of which was curated exclusively for Little Albion, and even includes a few bespoke installations.
THE PROPERTY
WHAT I LOVED
First and foremost, I loved how welcoming and friendly the staff was. They all went above and beyond to make sure our stay was wonderful and that we truly felt comfortable and right at home.
Outside of the friendly staff, the enthralling space and feeling right at home, my favorite thing about the Little Albion is their sustainability efforts, or, what they refer to as #responsibleluxury. As I am becoming ever increasingly aware of my impact on the environment and how I can make a difference, especially when traveling, it’s so refreshing to see properties who are taking significant measures to make a difference, which in turn makes me feel even better about staying there. You can read about all the Crystalbrook Collections initiatives that they are taking at each of their properties here, but a few of my standout favorites include unot using plastic key cards, using technology to cut back on paper waste, working with OZHarvest to collect unused food and distribute it to those who need it, offering reusable glass bottles instead of plastic bottles for water, and they even have a zero-waste program for disposing of the Nespresso pods used at breakfast. I love that they view environmental changes as an opportunity to enhance, not compromise, their properties and each guest’s stay, and, I can say from personal experience, that this truly was the case. To be totally honest, you don’t even notice how sustainable they are. You just notice how wonderful and luxurious your stay is. Now if only other hotels of the world would take note…
THE ROOFTOP
Thank you to Little Albion for the wonderful stay and making the last few days in sydney so great!