We had booked the hotel months in advance, and got a call 2 days before we were about to arrive that the hotel was overbooked and we had to stay at another hotel for our last two days of the stay. We were supposed to stay there for five nights and to have to move after just three nights was very uncovenient. The hotel picked us up at the airport for free and gave us a nice three course dinner, but we would rather stayed at the hotel for the whole stay then have to move. As long as you only have 5 days in Sydney, you would like to use everyday to enjoy yourself, not moving around. The hotel is very nice and the service is also good, but things like this should not happen at a 5 star hotel.

Have to admit we were a bit reluctant about choosing the Observatory due to the big difference in price compare to the “big name” hotels. I understand, must of them do offer harbor view, but even though we like to splurge from time to time in our hotel choices, we decided we wouldn’t spend that much time in front of our window and would rather spend that difference enjoying the gastronomic choices in Sydney.

We were pleasantly surprised. The hotel is on The Rocks area, a hot spot in the metropolitan area, walking distance to Darling Harbor, the Opera House and the CBD area. If you want to reach the Sydney Fish Market (A MUST) I suggest you rather take a taxi from there.
A very well maintained hotel, victorian style, nice ambiance. Service is great, everybody was so attentive, reservation process was done very professionally. We decided to change our reservation and didn’t encounter any trouble, they were very helpful. We even had a couple of problems with our room that now I don’t even find worth it to mention because they were taken care of diligently.Rooms are cozy and VERY spacious.
Breakfast was not included in our rate. It was pretty amazing but comes on a very high price, but then again you are in Sydney. Great choice of food, fresh juice. All in all very nice. You can find other places for breakfast around, if you are interested. Try The Fine Food Store at the Rocks, a good 10 mins. walk but in my opinion really worth it. Small and nice coffee shop, nice environment, wi-fi and choices for breakfast were great and healthy.
A great value for money, totally worth it. Highly recommended.

We had a fairly disappointing time at Observatory.

My girlfriend booked the room for the last night of our holiday together before we each headed back to our seperate cities. She booked (and paid) via a last minute website and selected a Superior King Room. When we checked in at 11pm (late flight) we were told we had been given a twin queen room instead and there were no kings available. When we got to the room we saw it was actually 2 regular single beds. Hardly romantic... My girlfriend rang reception and they again acknowledged her booking but said there was nothing that could be done as there were no other rooms available. Quite annoyed as my partner was really disappointed, I went downstairs to talk to the manager. Same story was repeated to me over and over again but presumably after it became apparent that I wasnt going to give up, a king room magically available! Big surprise... I can only assume thats a deliberate play to keep the more popular room types available for walk-ins. End result is we got the room that she'd booked but only after a complaint phone call by my partner and then a long talk to the manager by me down at reception. The whole experience was just unnecessary and put a bit of a downer on what was suppose to be a nice gift from my girlfriend.

Also a really minor point, I was repeatedly called Mr Dan by the people at reception - Dan is my girlfriends surname, not mine.. - I laughed it off and said that's not my name but it seemed to stick regardless. It doesn't matter and was pretty funny but its a bit sloppy for a 5 star hotel.

The staff are all VERY helpful and at some times should back off. One staff member literally yanked my bag awkwardly from my hand just to get up 2 stairs after I'd said I'm fine. Another, after being told clearly that we don't need help getting to our room, followed us up, pointed out the light switches and then stood there seeming to want a tip.

Negative comments aside, the room was nice and very big with a huge king bed and a couple arm chairs with ottomans. The bathroom was also lovely and has two different types of shower heads, twin sinks and a big bath. I don't recall there being any views from our room on the second floor. The style is very old world and quite charming. Not particularly spectacular but it's comfortable.

I understand the spa treatments are amazing but we didn't use these ourselves. It's a nice touch that you're welcome to come back any time during the day after checking out to use the pool, spa, changing rooms.

There's a lot of options in this price range so I wouldn't be in a rush to go back.

The rooms were immaculate, the service efficient and the location is superb. Loved the hotel, loved this city