InterContinential Sydney

InterContinental Sydney is a premium five star hotel  that has the additional benefit of an amazing location.  It’s conveniently located near in the financial district near Parliament House and just a stone’s throw from some of Sydney’s great cultural institutions, the Opera House, Conservatorium of Music and NSW Art Gallery.  On a corner site, access is super convenient, with entries on Phillip, Bridge and Macquarie streets.  Best of all, it’s on the quiet Circular Quay end of Phillip & Macquarie streets so guests get the benefit of location and tranquility – a rare commodity.

The hotel is built around the Treasury Building dating back to 1851 so you get modern, luxury accommodation and features as well as a historic environment.  The Cortile Lounge best demonstrates the wonderful inter-lacing of history and modernity – enjoy InterContinental Sydney’s  renowned High Tea in the sunlit atrium while basking in the historic features of the hotel around you.

This is carried through to Cafe Opera restaurant located on the first floor.  The restaurant has been redesigned to incorporate two new private event spaces, a contemporary main dining room and an alfresco court housed within the hotel’s historic sandstone arcades.  Cafe Opera reopened in July 2011 as the fresh face of hotel dining, with a new French-inspired a la carte menu and creative buffet concept. It offers locally-sourced seafood, salads and antipasto, sushi and sashimi, freshly-baked breads, gourmet cheeses and a selection of hot dishes created at the restaurant’s new, live cooking stations.

On the back of 12 consecutive days on a major work project, noodlies, Sydney food blog melts at the sight of InterContinental Sydney’s gorgeously comfortable room; warm inviting tones, subdued and relaxing lighting.  I collapse on the long divan under the the large windows, my room, on the 28th floor, affords spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Staying on the executive floor comes with additional benefits, Club InterContinental lounge is a successful attempt to offer a premium experience for guests. It’s a roof top lounge on the 31st floor, the highest point on the hotel.  And the views of Sydney Harbour and the Botanical Gardens are simply spectacular, both night and day.  Snacks are offered all day and dinner drinks and dessert are a treat in the evenings.  Club InterContinental breakfast is a serious attempt to satisfy guests offering a decent choice of hot breakfast options, with very decent coffee.

Those who know noodlies, know my aversion to queues.  For guests staying on the executive level, check-in and check-out can be accommodated at Club InterContinental, a much, much more civilised affair, far away from the queues.

Noodlies is here for a famil of the new InterContinental Sydney Gourmet Tour, which started this month. The package is a first by a premium Sydney hotel to offer an accommodation and foodie experience that uncovers the city’s rich and fascinating multicultural food scene.  It’s enthusiastically endorsed by the InterContinental Sydney’s chief concierge, David Patt who reckons it’s perfect for both locals and visitors.

“Generations of migrants settling in Sydney has created a vibrant blend of international flavours and experiences available across the city – often found in the most unassuming places,” David said.

“InterContinental Sydney’s new tour unearths these authentic hidden gourmet experiences, offering both a fantastic introduction to the cultures that have solidified the city’s reputation for amazing food, and a great chance for locals to discover the culinary delights in their own backyard.”

Taiwanese dumplings on the South Sydney Gourmet Tour

Foodies can uncover Sydney’s hidden highlights on one of two different tours, running on alternate weeks.

An exploration into Sydney’s French, Italian and Spanish culinary enclaves, the Inner West tour sees guests learning how to make sensational coffee at home, sampling some of the city’s best locally made European cheeses, discovering a range of unusual herbs and spices and indulging in handmade chocolates and local wines.

An introduction to the city’s eclectic Asian and Mediterranean food scene, the South Sydney tour sees guests discovering authentic Lebanese treats, refreshing boutique beers from Sydney’s own St Peters Boutique Brewery, famous spicy Greek Chabi and delicious pastries from Marrickville’s best bakers and butchers, and carefully crafted traditional Taiwanese dumplings.

Noodlies famil includes samples of both the South Sydney and Inner West Gourmet Tours, visiting:

• The Coffee Roaster: aromatic coffee
• Establishment 218: mouth-watering meat!
• P.R. Raineri: continental deli with the freshest produce
• Colefax Chocolates: sweet tooth heaven
• St Peters Brewery & The Hive Bar: fascinating micro brewery
• Bamboo Dumpling Bar: Dumplings that are taking Sydney by storm

Full noodlies review of InterContinental Sydney Gourmet Tour package.

From $511 per night, the Sydney Gourmet Tour experience includes an overnight stay at InterContinental Sydney, full buffet breakfast for two at the hotel’s Cafe Opera restaurant and two tickets to a private, guided foodie tour.

This InterContinental Sydney Gourmet Tour package is created in partnership with private tour operator Ultimately Sydney. Tours are conducted in small groups, running over four hours, with transfers by a luxury air-conditioned limousine and pick-up and drop-off at the hotel.

InterContinental Sydney Gourmet Tour package is available for stays on Mondays through Fridays between April 1 and October 31, 2012, with gourmet tours running the morning after the booked room night.

This noodlies, Sydney food and travel blog experience of Club InterContinental accommodation and Sydney Gourmet Tour package was courtesy of the lovely peeps at InterContinental Sydney and Starr PR.

InterContinental Sydney
117 Macquarie St, Sydney
(02) 9253 9000