Hotel Review: SKYE Suites Parramatta

Feeling the urge to escape your neighbourhood and discover a different part of Sydney? Here’s why Parramatta should be bumped up your list.

I’m perched on a chair on the rooftop terrace overlooking the Parramatta skyline at sunset, sipping a cocktail that was just prepared at our table by a bartender at Nick & Nora’s. It’s a stifling hot evening, but the Seductive Senorita – with gin, dry sherry, and elderflower topped with a Spanish olive – takes the edge off the heat.

The Parramatta skyline at dusk from the terrace at Nick & Nora’s.

I’ve lived in Sydney for nearly a decade and this is my first night in Parramatta. Up until now, all I really knew about Sydney’s second CBD is that my uncle played for their football team (the Parramatta Eels) in the eighties. But I’ve since learnt that in the past 10 years Parramatta has been quietly transforming. Towering office buildings and apartments now punctuate the skyline and a flood of new restaurants, cafes and bars at ground level continue to paint Sydney’s geographical heart in a new light.

First impressions

Nick & Nora’s shares the building with SKYE Suites Parramatta, our hotel for the night. Located on the corner of Marsden and Hunter, the hotel is within walking distance to Westfield Parramatta and ‘eat street’ the city’s premier dining district (aka Church Street). A stay here puts you in the centre of it all. Naturally I’ve already stalked the hotel’s Instagram page in detail and I’m looking forward to spending copious amounts of time cooling off in the hotel pool – the perfect way to welcome the first hot weekend of the summer.

SKYE Suites Parramatta is as central as it gets.

The onsite parking (available for a fee) is easy to access by phoning reception upon arrival. A staff member meets us in the underground car park to point out our parking spot. We take the lifts up to the main foyer and are again met by a staff member who quickly checks us in to our room for the night. The air conditioning is a welcome relief from the heat. While the foyer is air conditioned, the elevators and halls of each floor weren’t during our stay (bad timing given the aforementioned heat), but the rooms were kept just as cool as the foyer.

The main foyer of SKYE Suites Parramatta.

The room

We opted for the hotel’s ‘Love is in the SKYE’ package, which meant a bottle of chilled rosé and chocolate-dipped strawberries were delivered to our room upon check-in. The Two bedroom Executive Suite enters onto the open plan lounge, dining and kitchen area. The honey-coloured wooden panelling, white walls, beige carpet, marble-topped coffee table and cream couches with deep-brown accents make for a warm and inviting space.

Two Bedroom Executive Suite SKYE Suites Parramatta

Inside the open plan lounge, dining and kitchen space of the Two Bedroom Executive Suite.

The main bedroom opens out onto the private, enclosed balcony (also accessible via the lounge) and overlooks the turquoise-blue pool below – which also means we can see how busy it is before venturing down for a dip. The suite features a sizeable second bedroom with two single beds, an internal laundry, study nook and large bathroom with a double-sized shower.

two bedroom executive suite main bedroom

The main bedroom with balcony overlooking the pool.

A family of four, business traveller, group of friends and even couples who prefer plenty of space are all well-catered for with this setup – especially if you opt for a longer stay and make use of the fully-equipped kitchen.

The facilities

In addition to the 25-metre lap pool there is a spa, sauna and gym. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to use the latter, but we did spend the better part of the next morning floating in the pool. There are also rainfall showers alongside the pool to rinse under after a dip and plenty of generous-sized cabanas to lounge on.

View of the pool at Skye Suites Parramatta

View of the pool from the rooms above at SKYE Suites Parramatta.

Food and drinks

Nick & Nora’s, a trendy Art Deco champagne and cocktail bar owned by the Speakeasy Group (Mjolner, Eau De Vie) located on the 26^th floor, is pumping by the time we arrive for our 7pm dinner reservation. We’re guided past the bar to our rooftop table outside, but we have to relocate indoors by the time we finish our first drink to escape the heat. Our new table is tucked away near the kitchen but the air conditioning trumps the views when it is this hot.

Nick & Nora’s is a decadent champagne and cocktail bar.

We order a mix of small share plates for dinner. The labneh with parsley oil, confit tomato and olive bread arrives first, followed by a cheese board featuring a divine selection of three cheeses, Barossa bark, lavosh, walnuts, guava paste and compote. The lamb croquettes – stuffed with lamb, smoked potato, pumpkin and pea puree – are forgettable but the crispy prawns with sweet lime aioli and lime caviar are the standout for the evening. The cocktail list is extensive; each has its own backstory and unique narrative. If you’re spending the night at SKYE Suites, we recommend taking advantage of the fact that bed is only a lift ride away and sample as many as you can handle in one sitting.

Dine on the terrace of Nick & Nora’s when the weather is cool enough.

Another local gem that shares the same building as the SKYE Suites is The Shed Café. Find it just outside and around the corner in an inviting little nook with tables and chairs set above an archaeological site. The inventive all-day breakfast menu features many Instagram-worthy options – from the fairy-floss sprinkled French toast to the fruit-adorned acai bowl. We opted for the twisted avo with poached egg, dukkha, feta, hummus and greens; and the eggs benedict with bacon, mushroom and spinach. The coffee is also top notch. Healthy lunch options, smoothies and freshly-squeezed juices also feature on the menu.

Opt for breakfast at The Shed Cafe.

For more great food and drink options make a reservation at Bayti (next door to The Shed Café). The Lebanese restaurant has an elegantly designed interior and a mouth-watering array of options. To put yourself in the heart of ‘eat street’, walk north of SKYE Suites towers towards the Parramatta River for nine minutes to reach Parramatta’s dining precinct on Church Street. The fairy-light adorned strip is lined with cafes, restaurants and bars, including Bourke Street Bakery, Messina, Mama and Papas, Alex and Co, El-Phoenician, The Meat and Wine Co, Coco Cubano, Sicilian Parramatta, and more. You’ll be spoilt for choice.

Messina gelato bar is just one of many familiar names on Church Street.

Details

Staying there

SKYE Suites Parramatta, 30 Hunter St, Parramatta NSW 2150

The stylish exterior of SKYE Suites Parramatta.

Getting there

For an alternative to driving, opt to take the ferry from Circular Quay to Parramatta Wharf. The 85-minute journey is as scenic as it is cheap. You can also catch the train from Central Station to Parramatta in 25 minutes.

Welcome to the first instalment of Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worth adding to your wishlist.

Hotel stays have quietly become my thing. Long before I became a travel journalist, I was booking staycations just for a change of scenery. Some had charm, some had character, some had neither. Once, I even stayed in a hotel directly opposite my own apartment – partly for the novelty, partly because I wanted to see my life from a different angle.

For me, hotels represent a kind of mystery – I find myself wanting to know what these buildings contain. Many of them are designed with intention: lighting, materials, scent and sounds that often reflect the city they sit in. Time seems to gently pause in these spaces, which have increasingly become the destination itself for modern travellers.

It only felt fitting for the first hotel in this series to be in my home city and at the hotel that’s been at the top of my list: Capella Sydney.

A sandstone heritage building and palm trees

Capella sits within an Edwardian Baroque‑style sandstone building.

An email with a hotel program from the “Culturist Team” lets me know this will be a luxurious stay. There’s a guided walk around the Botanic Gardens, a weaving workshop and a Sydney contemporary art tour – the kind of addition that signals a hotel that’s tuned into the finer details, and one that’s not surprising given that Capella’s ethos centres on delivering personalised, immersive experiences.

Capella opened in 2023 within a transformed Edwardian Baroque‑style sandstone building in Sydney’s CBD that was originally designed by renowned Scottish-Australian architect George McRae. I often walk past this building and once attended an event inside – I distinctly remember being surprised by how beautiful it was. Bar Studio, Make Architects, and stylist Simone Haag were engaged to sensitively adapt the building for contemporary luxury while honouring its past, in collaboration with Heritage NSW and the City of Sydney.

When I arrive, I’m greeted by three different staff members along the way to reception. There’s a lovely subtle scent, which I later learn combines notes of bergamot, green tea leaves, peony, freesia, vetiver and cedarwood. This hotel strikes such a beautiful balance between grandness and intimacy, with large floral bouquets, contemporary artworks, impressively high ceilings that give it an international feel and quieter nooks to unwind in. Each space is unique, but they’re all unified by a warm, textural and layered design.

Sydney has been deserving of a hotel of this calibre for quite some time, with many of the accommodations in the city looking and feeling dated.

A modern hotel reception with high ceilings

The design strikes the perfect balance between grandness and intimacy.

I have a treatment booked at the hotel’s Auriga Spa prior to check-in. The space is ultra-luxe, moodily lit and intimate, featuring timber joinery, green walls and a sleek design that’s so perfect it almost transports me to Japan. I opt for the Replenish Beauty and LED Facial – a strategic choice with a TV segment on the horizon, and a hopeful bid to look extra fresh for the camera.

The treatment begins with me sitting in the softest robe of my life, wearing slippers and sipping chamomile tea. I’m then whisked away to my private treatment room, which has its own bathroom, a large skylight and a small Japanese-style garden. The treatment is extremely relaxing and moves through cleansing, exfoliating, massaging (arm, head, neck and face) and LED Light Therapy. There’s so much attention to detail – even at the end, the facialist puts my slippers back on me, while I’m still lying down.

Spa treatment room with a massage bed, featuring timber walls and a serene Japanese-style garden visible through a window.

A treatment at Auriga Spa might be the best way I’ve ever started a hotel stay. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

While this treatment certainly hasn’t had a Benjamin Button effect, my sister seems to think I’m glowing, so I walk away happy, or at the very least, zen.

Auriga Spa has a sauna, steam room, ice fountain and a beautiful indoor heated swimming pool. There’s also “experiential showers” – new to me, but essentially it combines water flowing from different places, changing temperatures, mood lighting, gentle sounds, and a subtle lemongrass scent.

You could easily spend the better part of a day at the spa and pool, even if you’re not a guest.

The indoor heated swimming pool with glass ceiling at Capella Sydney.

Guests outside the hotel can use the spa and swimming pool. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

I’m escorted to my room, drunk on relaxation, but I make sure to take note of how noisy the hallways are – answer: dead quiet. My room is 50 square metres, which is huge by hotel standards, but particularly for one in the CBD. It feels like a high-end apartment with floorboards, a freestanding bath and a seating/dining area. My eyes are immediately drawn to the line-up of macarons waiting for me on the dining table.

I’m thrilled to see the mini bar armoire includes a small wine fridge stocked with Minuty Prestige Côtes de Provence, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Handpicked Wines Pinot Noir, and Moët Grand Vintage. Not that I plan on using it (I simply could not justify the prices) – but it’s a nice extra that makes the room feel that much more luxurious. The drinks lineup reads like a who’s-who of local favourites – Young Henrys, Maybe Sammy cocktails, Four Pillars gin and Archie Rose gin. Snacks include Tyrell’s chips, Pringles, Natural Confectionery lollies, and a Carman’s oat bar.

Some small touches I appreciate that some hotels don’t offer: the option to choose your housekeeping time, an iron that actually works well, a Bluetooth speaker, the beloved wine fridge, aluminium water bottles and a bathroom without a glass door or screen that awkwardly exposes you. The one downside is that some of these rooms don’t offer much in the way of a view.

A modern hotel room with a monochrome paletter.

I stayed in a Premier Room which was elegant and relaxing. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

4:30pm is Swill Hour – a daily tradition that nods to the historical “six o’clock swill” in Australia. This one-hour event takes place in the Living Room and invites guests to gather and enjoy each other’s company with a signature cocktail in hand. This afternoon’s tipple is a Eucalyptus Gimlet, a clever, herbaceous little cocktail, by the multi-award-winning Maybe Sammy Team, served on coasters depicting drawings of the historic building. The canapé of the day is a tomato and stracciatella tart. I noticed several staff members chatting with guests like old friends, asking how their adventures earlier in the day went – clearly remembering previous conversations from earlier visits.

Dinner is booked for 6:30pm in Aperture – arguably the most beautiful area of the accommodation. It’s decorated with Australian flora and features a kinetic sculpture hanging from the roof that opens like flowers, with softly changing lights. Tyler, who is serving us, clearly admires the Capella brand, speaking enthusiastically about the other international properties he’s been to and sharing how he sometimes brings his five-year-old daughter here to use the pool.

Interior of Aperture at Capella Sydney, featuring lush greenery and a striking ceiling-mounted sculpture.

The scale of Aperture gives it an international feel.

I kick things off with a basil melon margarita – a winning recommendation – before tucking into the best prawn toast I’ve ever had. For mains it’s crispy Ōra King salmon and spaghetti with mud crab.

When I arrive back at my room, there’s a vegan leather journal on my bed with a note that says: “The ritual of journaling allows us to pause, reflect and focus.” This is part of the turndown service, and my slippers are neatly lined up next to my bed. Will I journal? No. Do I think it’s a nice touch? Yes.

Brasserie 1930 at Capella Sydney, where Art Deco elegance meets contemporary Australian cuisine.

Brasserie 1930 boasts Art Deco elegance.

The next morning, I make the predictable choice of smashed avo for breakfast at the on-site restaurant, Brasserie 1930. There’s also a buffet brimming with all the usual suspects.

Afterwards, I head to the pool to relax for a few hours before the 11am checkout. Despite my earlier resolve not to journal, I find myself reflecting nonetheless – an irony not lost on me – on my 21st hotel stay in Sydney. I write this with growing assurance that great hotels don’t just provide a place to stay; they create memorable moments, thanks in large part to fantastic staff. Kudos to the hiring manager.

Next stop: The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart!

A summer stay at SKYE Suites Parramatta

Feeling the urge to escape your neighbourhood and discover a different part of Sydney? Here’s why Parramatta should be bumped up your list.

First impressions

The room

The facilities

Food and drinks

Details

Staying there

Getting there

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Welcome to the first instalment of Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worth adding to your wishlist.