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.
The outback is calling, and the adventure is made all the easier with this hot new AAT Kings’ tour.
It’s the desert palette of rust-red earth and vast cobalt sky that calls you at first, for where better to get away from it all than the outback? Of course, once you start driving, taking note of all the weathered pubs, dusty tracks and tiny towns held together with humour, resilience and more corrugated iron than ever deemed possible, something else grabs a hold of you: the idea that far from the celebrated icons and landmarks associated with Australia, you’re finally immersed in an authentic slice of local life that few have ever experienced.
Ancient landscapes, proud pastoral histories, ghost towns, culinary powerhouses and a rich Indigenous heritage; there are plenty of facets to life on the land. The best way to experience all of the above with both ease and like-minded friends? AAT Kings’ new Outback New South Wales Adventurer, a 9-day small group tour. This Sydney-return itinerary is designed to connect travellers not only with iconic outback destinations, but with the characters, culture and experiences that bring each place to life.
Highlights? The Adventurer has more than a few, but here are eight to start.
1. Broken Hill
See the striking art at Living Desert and Sculptures. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Welcome to Broken Hill, where mining history, outback eccentricity and a surprisingly rich arts scene unite in a rusty desert landscape. In Australia’s first heritage-listed city, exploration is quickly rewarded. Begin with a guided walking tour taking in the city’s grand Victorian and Art Deco architecture. Later, enjoy visits to both the Broken Hill City Art Gallery and the Living Desert and Sculptures – the perfect place to enjoy the changing colours of an outback sunset. Of course, no visit to Broken Hill is complete without a stop at the historic Palace Hotel Broken Hill, famous for its role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Happily, it makes for the perfect spot for dinner.
2. White Cliffs
Strap on your hardhat and head underground. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Strap on your hardhat and start spending your imaginary fortunes; White Cliffs, Australia’s oldest commercial opal field, is begging you to come in search of rare pineapple opals. Admittedly, you’re much more likely to find white opals, but the true gems of White Cliffs – where much is built underground to escape the desert heat – are everywhere.
Here, you’ll descend 13.5 metres underground into a working mine to learn about the region’s heritage, and observe how miners continue the search for these prized gemstones. Perhaps you’ll even find a couple yourself?
3. Mungo National Park
Spend time in the striking, lunar-like landscape of Mungo National Park. (Credit: Destination NSW)
With its lunar-like landscape made up of ancient, dried lake basins and sculpted sand and clay formations, a drive into UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park is somehow two things all at once: uniquely Australian with vast outback skies, and somehow otherworldly, as though you’ve been dropped off by spaceship. At its heart lies the iconic Walls of China, a 30-kilometre sand-and-clay lunette shaped by thousands of years of erosion.
Understanding more than 40,000 years of Barkindji, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa history begins with a visit to the Visitor Centre, and concludes with a sunset tour led by local Aboriginal guides. A key experience? Learning about the discovery of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady. At 40,000+ years old, these are among the oldest human remains found anywhere in the world.
4. Kinchega National Park
Meet the locals of Kinchega National Park. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Some come to Kinchega National Park for its iconic Darling River landscapes full of birdlife and haunting river red gums; others visit for its rich First Nations and pastoral history. Your visit will encompass all of the above, with a guided tour (part of AAT Kings’ MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience) designed to give a deeper understanding of Barkindji cultural heritage, history and traditions.
Walk with local guide David as he shares ancestral knowledge and creation stories, and explains how native plants – through bush food and bush medicine – have sustained Indigenous communities for thousands of years. Then sit back and enjoy those views alongside native tea and sweet treats.
5. Griffith
Treat your tastebuds to ‘the food bowl of Australia’. (Credit: Destination NSW)
How can you say no to a visit to a destination widely regarded as ‘the food bowl of Australia’? Shaped by fertile farmland and home to approximately 75 per cent of New South Wales’ wine grapes, this is a day to roll up your sleeves and enjoy the best gastronomy the state has to offer. Think vineyards, cellar doors, cafes and restaurants largely shaped by its multicultural heart (Griffith is not only home to over 60 nationalities, but has the highest proportion of Italian ancestry anywhere in Australia).
6. Mudgee
Visit some of Mudgee’s best wineries. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Nestled by the Cudgegong River, Mudgee packs a big punch for a heritage country town, having carved a reputation for itself as one of the country’s leading (and award-winning) wine regions, a key epicurean destination, and a regional arts centre growing in both visibility and vibrancy.
Take a moment to enjoy the town’s 19th-century charm before heading to Lowe Family Wine Co. for a guided tasting of organic and biodynamic wine, followed by a relaxed lunch featuring a feast of homegrown and local produce. Will you walk away with bottles of Mudgee’s iconic reds under your arms? It’s a distinct possibility.
7. Silverton
See the living ghost town of Silverton.(Credit: Destination NSW)
A once-booming silver mining hub, the dystopian setting for Mad Max 2, and now a tranquil settlement that’s home to around 50 people; Silverton is considered a living ghost town and remains a sight to behold.
Take time to explore its heritage streets (and perhaps take a look at the quirky Mad Max 2 Museum) and the Silverton Hotel, an iconic outback pub, before a visit to Silverton Gaol & Historical Museum. It’s home to a wealth of colonial artefacts, early mining equipment and stories from the outback’s pioneering past which will serve to anchor you firmly in place.
8. Shear Outback
Get a glimpse behind the wool curtain. (Credit: Destination NSW)
If you ever find yourself singing, “click go the shears boys, click, click, click…”, you’ve come to the right place. Shear Outback, an award-winning tourist and education attraction located in Hay, brings to life the traditions and stories of one of the outback’s most enduring industries: sheep shearing.
Here, in the heart of the Riverina, you’ll enjoy live shearing demonstrations, meet the shearers, shedhands, sheepdogs and yes, sheep, who come together to show guests exactly what it takes to provide Australians with all that glorious wool.
