When entering The Lyall Hotel & Spa you feel immediately transported back into the good old glamorous days where manners mattered and Champagne bars were plentiful.
Melbourne’s only privately-owned and operated 5* hotel is located in the heart of South Yarra, just around the corner from Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
After James – his name was actually James – brought our luggage to the room, we could not help but go for a wander round the elegant building. Art galleries on every floor featuring original artworks of a local artist and the open fireplaces with big sofas in front on the hallways where you just want to lounge all evening reading your latest book.
Its 40 suites are styled in a contemporary oriental way and will embrace you with their cosiness the moment you are entering your room.
The Bistrot and Lyall Champagne Bar give the whole atmosphere a sophisticated European vibe and provides a perfect start to the weekend! After returning to our room, we found it readied for the night – a service you won’t experience very often during these days of budget cuts.
We couldn’t help but agree this is THE place for spending some serious girl time.
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SPEND A GIRLS’ WEEKEND AWAY AT THE LYALL
1. Its private luxury
Spending time at The Lyall will make you feel like a celebrity that secretly checked-in at their favourite hotel. The highly professional staff will fulfil every wish you might possibly dream of (speak: picking up shopping bags from your retail therapy session) as they seem to know exactly what you want and cater to your every need. Quality time with your favourites has never felt better!
2. Its location
Conveniently located in South Yarra, only 10-min ride away from the Central Business District and a short stroll from fashionable Chapel St and Toorak Road, you get both sides of the medal. Doing it Melbourne style, just jump on one of the countless trams to get to your preferred destination.
South Yarra offers some of Melbourne’s hippest addresses for culinary cravings – such as Two Birds One Stone Café, 38 Eight Chairs Pasta Bar or France-Soir Brasserie. Our favourite bar: Jane Doe on Chapel St. Sip your Australian-made white wine while lounging in their comfortable sofas and get lost in some serious people watching!
3. Its amenities
Gym, washing machine, pushbikes, cosmetic mirror with lights, minibar with Ben & Jerrys: you name it! After a day of strolling around South Yarra, there’s no better way to prepare for a night out than with a little gym session with the girls! Cross trainer, treadmill, weights – it’s all there! And you can finally pull of your Kayla Itsines workout in a more private environment than at 6.30pm in your hometown 😉 And do not forget to treat yourself with the sneaky mini-Ben & Jerrys!
It’s was time to explore the next day and borrow one of the hotel’s pushbikes to get lost in the beautiful suburbs of Melbourne. One of our favourites: Fitzroy. Think Vintage Clothing Shops, Instagram-able cafés and rooftop bars with Happy Hour cocktails!
4. Lyall Spa
A serious pamper session cannot be missed on a girls’ weekend away! You can browse their available treatments here and already start dreaming about how to spoil yourself. How appealing does their Vanilla & Chocolate Body wrap sound?
5. 24-hour room service
You picked a rainy weekend to spend quality time with your sidekicks? No worries, The Lyall has you covered! First of all you don’t need to leave your fully equipped suite anyway.
Second, the wide-screen TV calls for a cosy night in with your favourite tv shows. Oh, and if sudden cravings creep up on you at 3am – no problem! With their 24-hour room service, late-night supermarket runs are part of your former life. Our favourite: Eggs Benedict with a side of avocado and feta plus a creamy cappuccino.
This review of The Lyall Hotel & Spa has been written by @dom.overseas for @theasia.collective.
