Class: Comfort
Style: Sexy
Rooms: 40
Sydney’s hippest hotel is back. The Kirketon was part of the first wave of Sydney boutique hotels, and the design always turned heads. But while the urban grit of Darlinghurst is a welcome counterpoint to the sunny mellowness of the rest of the city, the Kirketon’s highly polished design was beginning to look a bit cold. The newly updated interiors trade the old Kirketon’s minimalism for a new, warmer, subtly richer feel — still neutral-toned, sophisticated, and very chic, but with rich textures in wood and leather, atop deep blue or vivid red goat’s-wool carpets. There’s a bit of bohemian detail in the ornate mirror frames and the occasional chandelier — it’s more livable, the look more cultured, than the ’99-vintage original. Of course there’s still no shortage of nightlife, this being Darlinghurst and all — you can check with the concierge for a comprehensive list of local bars and eateries.