Hughenden (The)
NileGuide Expert Says:
A stately converted manor house for discerning travelers in a quiet tree-lined area, filled with art galleries and antique stores.User Rating:
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61 2 9363 4863Description:
If a Victorian manor house in a beautiful tree-lined street that is the epicenter of antiques and art galleries, and comes complete with a reading room and library, original fireplaces and staircases, an in-house café/restaurant (dinner daily from 6pm), a lounge bar with a baby grand for company, then a room at the Hughenden might be just for you.There are 36 heritage rooms and eight self-contained terrace suites, all with antique furnishings and original artworks, to choose from. (Note; many of the rooms are designated 'pet-friendly'.) This rambling 1870s mansion was not always in such great shape, however. It took sisters Elizabeth and Susanne Gervay many years and many dollars – commencing in the early 90s – to transform this unloved pile of masonry into an award-winning, opulent, yet modern boutique hotel. Sisters as mine hosts – where one is an artist, the other an author – ensures literary soirees and art exhibitions are regularly on the agenda.
And just around the corner from the Hughenden is Oxford Street, Paddington, another epicenter; boutique shopping. All the big Australian designer labels, plus the famous Paddington markets ply their trade along this hip, retailing strip, where numerous cafes and restaurants are sure to tempt. And should you tire from all that shopping and dining and Victorian charm, a quite calm stroll through Centennial Park (right across the road) might be just the tonic before dinner aperitifs back at the Hughenden.
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