For travellers looking for a modern CBD hotel that aims to help you live a little bit better while you’re at it, Novotel Sydney Darling Square is where it’s at.
Feeling good shouldn’t come at a hefty price – or require a complete lifestyle overhaul. Wellbeing can be woven into everyday life, even when you’re travelling for work or pleasure (or both). It might mean choosing a healthier breakfast or getting your steps up, but it can just as easily mean enjoying a glass of wine in the lobby bar come evening.
That’s the idea behind Novotel’s Longevity Everyday program, which aims to make wellbeing feel accessible, intuitive and achievable for everyone through four key pillars of sleep, food, movement and connection.
At Ecotourism Australia-certified Novotel Sydney Darling Square, the philosophy extends from the guest experience to behind-the-scenes initiatives, including plant-forward menus and and an on-site vertical microfarm.
Where is Novotel Sydney Darling Square
This modern CBD hotel puts you in the heart of the action.
Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, Novotel Sydney Darling Square puts you within easy reach of the city’s dining, culture, entertainment and business precincts. The hotel’s 230 contemporary rooms overlook Darling Square and the Chinese Garden of Friendship, making it a convenient Sydney hotel for both work and leisure.
Darling Harbour is just a two-minute walk away, with TikTok Theatre and the Chinese Garden of Friendship three minutes on foot. ICC Sydney and Chinatown are also within a five-minute radius, making it easy to move between events, dining and a little city exploration.
Just don’t confuse Novotel Sydney Darling Square with Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour. They’re two separate properties, around a 15-minute walk apart, so make sure you have the right one in mind when planning your arrival.
Style and character
The light-filled hotel is a soothing respite from the city’s hustle and bustle.
Formerly known as Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour, Novotel Sydney Darling Square underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2017–18, before adopting its current name to reflect its place in the emerging neighbourhood.
The feel is light-filled, fresh and contemporary, with a lobby that sets the tone from arrival, adjoining a stylishly appointed wine and coffee bar. It’s a space that would work equally well for a quiet moment tapping away at your laptop while sipping a flat white as it would for a social catch-up before heading out on the town.
Facilities at Novotel Sydney Darling Square
Novotel Sydney Darling Square has a well-equipped gym and indoor heated pool.
It offers a daily hotel laundry and dry-cleaning service, and convenient overnight parking from $40.
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AI Prompt
What are the rooms like at Novotel Sydney Darling Square?
Step into serenity.
Each room boasts a stylish yet relaxed vibe.
The 230 guestrooms at Novotel Sydney Darling Square take their design cues from the neighbouring Chinese Garden of Friendship, with a considered colour palette, lighting and overall feel designed to evoke a similar sense of calm and escape.
I appreciate the stylish details in my room, from the supremely comfortable king bed, framed by a contemporary tan leather bedhead, to the muted abstract artwork and brass-finished Anglepoise desk lamp and bedside lighting.
There’s a large Smart TVs with access to streaming services, USB charging points are well-located and complimentary unlimited high-speed wi-fi is available. My bathroom features a rainfall shower and fair-trade amenities.
Guests receive eco-friendly amenity kits.
Novotel welcomes guests with thoughtful extras.
There are thoughtful extras, too, including a mindful welcome pack. ALL Gold members and above receive an in-room gift from MOOD Tea, a social enterprise committed to supporting youth mental health. One hundred per cent of its profits go towards funding mental health initiatives for young Australians.
Restaurants and bars at Novotel Sydney Darling Square
Pick up a bottle of your choice at the adjacent Pumphouse Sydney.
Dining at Novotel Sydney Darling Square is where the hotel’s green credentials shine.
Menus are designed to help guests make informed decisions, displaying the origin of its seafood as well as the estimated carbon footprint of each dish, which isn’t something you see often at Sydney restaurants.
They also offer a diverse menu of plant-forward options, with at least 25 per cent featuring plant-based ingredients in inventive ways that will surprise vegetarians and vegans used to a rotation of the same old staples.
Microgreens are harvested on-site.
A partnership with local urban farm concept Greenspace ups the ante further: the hotel boasts an on-site microfarm located in its Pier St. Grill, packed with nutrient-dense produce grown with less water and land compared to traditional farming methods that chefs can harvest moments before it’s served.
Guests can enjoy a buffet breakfast in the modern and stylish setting of Pier St. Grill and have coffee, wine and small plates in the PS WINE CAFE in the ground-floor lobby.
Lunch and dinner are served in the industrial-chic surrounds of the Pumphouse Sydney, which also serves and produces a range of craft and premium brews.
Novotel Sydney Darling Square has also partnered with Too Good To Go!, a marketplace for surplus food aimed at tackling food waste.
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Novotel’s commitment to protect Australia’s Blue Corridors
Novotel actively supports marine conservation and whale migration research through WWF-Australia. (Credit: Chris Farrell Nature Photography)
As part of its broader commitment to more responsible hospitality, Novotel has extended its global partnership with WWF into Australian waters, partnering with WWF-Australia to support ocean conservation, whale migration research and the protection of critical marine pathways known as ‘Blue Corridors’.
By staying at Novotel Sydney Darling Square, you’re supporting a hotel brand that is backing WWF-Australia’s ambition to protect 100 million hectares of ocean in the southern hemisphere, with a focus on these vital whale migration routes, often described as ocean ‘superhighways’.
It’s a particularly meaningful initiative here in Sydney, where the annual whale migration offers a spectacular reminder of the impact of this work. From May to November, operators such as Ocean Extreme run whale-watching tours out of Sydney Harbour, taking visitors into the open ocean to spot humpbacks making their seasonal journey along the coast.
After commercial whaling decimated their numbers in the 20th century, humpback whales have made a remarkable recovery thanks to conservation and protection efforts. Today, tens of thousands migrate along Australia’s east coast each year.
Is Novotel Sydney Darling Square accessible for guests with disabilities?
The hotel has two specially designed accessible rooms, each including walk-in shower, supportive handrail in the shower and by the toilet and well-placed light switches. Email h3021@accor.com or call +61 2 8217 4000 with any queries relating to accessibility.
Is Novotel Sydney Darling Square family-friendly?
Family-friendly accommodation with interconnecting rooms are subject to availability.
Details
Best for: Couples and families looking for a stylish and approachable city stay; ‘bleisure’ travellers looking for the best of both worlds.
Address: 17 Little Pier Street, Darling Harbour, 2000
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Imogen Eveson is Australian Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, Further East and We Are Africa.
A national beach title, a new entertainment precinct and a run of headline restaurant openings have put this Sydney suburb on everyone’s radar. Here are eight of the best reasons to spend a long weekend in Cronulla.
Cronulla has spent the past year becoming one of Australia’s most talked-about coastal destinations. Its beaches picked up the title of Australia’s Best Beach for 2026, the town centre is now the state’s first beachside Special Entertainment Precinct, and it’s still the only Sydney beach you can reach by train.
Add a wave of excellent new bars and restaurants and two national parks on its doorstep, and it’s easy to understand why locals wax lyrical about the lifestyle.
1. The new wining and dining scene
Try Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours at Isora.
Chef Nelly Robinson has set up NOA just metres from the sand, and it includes a formal room for long lunches, plus Little NOA, a low-key terrace doing burgers and cocktails. Down the strip, Retro fuses a Mexico City cantina with an unlikely sideline: pizzas on a 48-hour fermented dough, backed by the Shire’s most extensive tequila list. At Checho’s, cocktails arrive in ceramic handbags and the pops of pink neon match the mood. Isora is another newcomer and skewed towards Asia, with dishes that rely on Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours. While Bobbys is one of the best waterfront restaurants in Cronulla, its sister venue, Meadow, is the new music room we didn’t know we needed. It’s cool and sleek, kitted out with excellent audio equipment and a roster of DJs on the decks.
2. Local favourites
Follow the locals to Homer Rogue Taverna. (Credit: Trent van der Jagt)
Follow the locals home from the beach to Homer Rogue Taverna, where Harry and Mario Kapoulas draw from mum’s own recipe book – moussaka, charcoal chicken off the souvla. Duke’s Providore flips from butcher-counter deli by day to an intimate wine bar after dark, and Parc Pavilion’s new pub complex covers everything from a casual bistro to a proper sports bar under one roof. Benny’s looks over Gunnamatta Bay, where the signature barra arrives in a bag with clams and cherry tomatoes, while Alphabet St has long paired its signature Apple Martini with modern Asian share plates. At family-run Queen Margherita of Savoy, the vibes are always high and the Neapolitan-style pizza lives up to its reputation as the suburb’s best.
Bate Bay in the Sutherland Shire was named Australia’s best beach for 2026. (Credit: Taylah Darnell)
The best beach title didn’t come from nowhere. Cronulla’s beaches and ocean pools remain some of Sydney’s most photographed, pulling swimmers, surfers and photographers back year after year. The award covers several spots along Bate Bay, including four ocean pools and the Gunnamatta Bay Baths. Follow the Esplanade from Cronulla Beach, then on to Shelly Park, where an ocean pool sits beside a grassy park and fenced playground.
4. A surf culture to match
Watch the local surfers, or join in.
Life in Cronulla revolves around the ocean. Local surfers are in the water before work, wriggling into their wetsuits. Others are swimming around Shark Island or doing the downward dog at Sunrise Yoga. In the warmer months, many are putting a full stop on the day with a quick dip at dusk. Wander the Esplanade under a wide, blue sky, and you’ll understand why Cronulla deserves the its accolades. Groups like the Shark Island Psycho Swimmers (SIPS) swim all through winter, and the beachside cafes fill with these fit folk still dripping wet and salty from the surf.
5. A ferry ride to Bundeena
Royal National Park is the world’s second-oldest national park. (Credit: J Spencer / DCCEEW)
For a change of pace, base yourself in Cronulla and take the short ferry across to Bundeena. While it’s only a day trip from Cronulla, it feels like you’ve left Sydney behind entirely, without ever getting in a car.
Time your visit to coincide with the monthly art trail. Or paddle into the calm water of Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. The boho suburb is the gateway to the walking tracks of the Royal National Park – the second oldest national park in the world and the oldest in Australia. It’s worth the jaunt along Jibbon Beach to see the Jibbon Head Aboriginal Engravings, an ancient Dharawal rock art site located on a sandstone platform near Bundeena in the Royal National Park.
6. Explore Kamay Botany Bay National Park
Wander over impressive sandstone clifftops. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Prefer to stay on this side of the water? The Kurnell side of Kamay Botany Bay National Park sits just beyond Cronulla’s beaches – its coastal walking trails leading out to Cape Solander, where watching the waves crash against the soaring sandstone cliffs is as dramatic as seeing whales breaching during the annual migration season.
There’s history here too, layered into the landscape. The Cape Baily walking track snakes along the clifftops to the 1950 lighthouse, passing through heathland that is brightened with pops of pretty wildflowers during spring. Set off early, in the cool light of dawn, to make the trek from Cape Solander to Cronulla along a well-used walking track.
7. Stay the night (or several)
Peaple-watch from your balcony at Rydges Cronulla Beachside. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Accommodation in Cronulla ranges from cosy Airbnbs to full-service hotels. Rydges Cronulla Beachside has 84 rooms and suites, most with balconies over the beach or the Kingsway, plus a terrace bar, The Alley, right by the beach. And Quest Cronulla Beach has reopened after a full refurbishment with pet-friendly studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchen and laundry. Guests can also use the outdoor pool, gym, sauna and spa. Quest Woolooware Bay is just one suburb back from Cronulla and near the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway, which leads across the Captain Cook Bridge to Dolls Point.
8. A vibrant events calendar
Check out Brass Monkey’s gig guide.
Music lovers flock to the Cronulla Jazz and Blues Festival, which happens every May. And there’s always something happening at the Brass Monkey, so be sure to check the gig guide for upcoming live acts.
Pop into the Cronulla Christmas Market (in 2026, it’s on November 21-22) for over 200 stalls selling gift ideas for Christmas. Food lovers, meanwhile, can graze more than 30 international hot food stalls at Eat Drink Nights Cronulla.
Bring the family along to two of the Shire’s favourite annual festivals. The Gymea Village Festival fills Gymea’s streets with rides, entertainment and market stalls every October, while the Jannali Moonrise Festival lights up November with live music, food and family-friendly fun.
Yes, Cronulla officially has the best beach in Australia, a dining scene that holds its own against the city’s best and national parks on either side of it. But best of all, these attractions are all close enough together that you never have to choose between them.
