The StandardX Melbourne Hotel Review

It’s the first of its kind in the world, so naturally, this Fitzroy hotel is setting its own standards.

Back in 1999, hotelier André Balazs opened the first Standard Hotel on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip . With its live models in the lobby’s glass vitrine, a DJ booth at the front desk and affordable prices, it soon became the place to stay and party, even for the celebrity set. Standard Hotels opened all over the world – the New York iteration straddling the High Line was briefly famous thanks to exhibitionists displaying their wares through the full-length windows to the strolling crowds below – but it’s taken 25 years for the brand to reach Australian shores.

Well, kind of. StandardX is the little sister of the original Standard. It’s not quite as brash, and nowhere near as party-hard. This far more subtle offshoot is perfectly suited to its locale in one of Melbourne’s coolest neighbourhoods and offers visitors an attractive alternative to the average CBD stay.

Here’s everything to know about the newly-opened The StandardX, Melbourne.

Location

It’s one of Melbourne’s favourite suburbs, for both locals and travellers. Fitzroy has a few famous streets – Gertrude and Smith, which it shares with Collingwood – but the StandardX is only a hundred metres from the best-known: Brunswick Street. In every direction, there are restaurants, bars, cafes, boutiques, galleries and just about everything else you could possibly want to visit.

Plus, on weekends, the Rose St Artist’s Market next door displays the original creations of local designers and makers. The tram into the city is only a couple of minutes’ walk away.

the exterior of The StandardX Melbourne — The StandardX is only a hundred metres from Brunswick Street.

Style and character

The eye-catching, rusted exterior, designed by Woods Bagot, looks as if it has been part of the neighbourhood for decades. That’s the overall vibe you get from this new-build hotel, even though, when I visit, it’s only been open for days. From the welcoming staff members at check-in to expanses of lush greenery, the StandardX Melbourne feels established.

Sarah Smalltown's macramé work at The StandardX Melbourne — The StandardX Melbourne features Sarah Smalltown’s macramé work. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

Imagine you gave your friend with impeccable taste a healthy budget to create a stylish yet modern space for people to hang out. That’s the feeling downstairs in the public spaces designed by Hecker Guthrie.

the interior at StandardX Melbourne — StandardX offers a stylish yet modern space to unwind. (Image: Rhiannon Taylor)

Custom and vintage furniture is used throughout the lobby, the adjoining Bang restaurant and in an almost hidden Loft area, complete with a fireplace. Throughout there are art books to peruse and peaceful corners where you can sit and work. Artist Sarah Smalltown’s mega macrame, used here to wrap cement pylons, adds texture and a hand-crafted element to the sleek finish.

the BANG restaurant at The StandardX Melbourne — The adjoining BANG restaurant feels sleek and classy. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

Facilities

There’s no gym or pool, although the hotel has an agreement with one of the local 24-hour facilities for those who want to work out. It’s also just a short walk to the Fitzroy Swimming Pool – on summer weekends, it’s quite the scene. Guests can also access the rooftop, with its Mexican casa fit-out and views of the city.

the rooftop restaurant at The StandardX Melbourne — Enjoy Mexican eats and drinks on the rooftop. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

Rooms

At first glance, you might not think the rooms are particularly special. Apart from the blue-and-white striped carpet, they’re understated, with white and cream tones dominating. Look closer, however, and the details shine. At the base of a terracotta-coloured locker that hides the mini bar is a rounded silver shape, designed to prevent kicked toes on a bare metal leg in the middle of the night.

the bedroom interior at The StandardX Melbourne — Each suite is laid out with blue-and-white striped carpet. (Image: Rhiannon Taylor)

There’s a tiny, fluoro artwork by Jane Sinclair and a foldaway ledge, where you can set up your laptop to work. Bathroom walls of fluted glass offer equal parts privacy and natural light. Within, there are full-size bottles of Davines products.

the living room interior at The StandardX Melbourne — You’ll find vintage furniture across the lobby. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

The hotel has 125 rooms in total, ranging from Cozy King to Suite Spot. My King View is on level six (of seven), and I spend some quality time watching the streets around me and admiring the view of the city skyline. And, praise be, the windows can be opened.

a look inside one of the bedrooms at The StandardX Melbourne — Rooms overlook the city skyline. (Image: Rhiannon Taylor)

Food and drink

It’s all about Thai street food influences at BANG on the ground floor. Chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya (formerly of Aman Resorts) is sending out dishes like blue swimmer crab pa tong ko donuts, roast pressed duck red curry and white boy noodles, a play on char kway teow with crab and lobster bisque. The punchy flavours are an excellent match to signature cocktails like the Going Incognito (vodka, lychee liqueur, lime) and Koh Ma Phrao (coconut milk, creamy chai, white rum, spiced rum, lime).

the roast duck leg curry at The StandardX Melbourne — Indulge in the roast duck leg curry.

At breakfast, guests can order mango sticky rice, turmeric and ginger porridge, coconut fried eggs and prawn siu mai, or a more traditionally Western take on the day’s first meal.

a waiter arranging the chairs at the BANG restaurant, The StandardX Melbourne — Amble down to the BANG restaurant on the ground floor. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

The Box, near check-in and open 24 hours, is essentially your mini bar. It’s stocked with local wine, beers and spirits, Hunted + Gathered chocolate made in Richmond, tubs of ice cream churned by the hotel’s pastry chef and other snacks, as well as books supplied by Bookshop by Uro and clothes made in collaboration with Saint Cloud.

the Box at StandardX Melbourne — Get all your essentials from The Box. (Image: Rhiannon Taylor)

As soon as summer rolls around, Mercado Medellin will open for guests only, serving Mexican eats and drinks on the rooftop.

a Thai dish at the Bang, StandardX Melbourne — Dine authentic Thai at the newly opened restaurant, BANG. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

Accessibility

The Cozy Suites have enough room around the bed for a wheelchair and the showers are roll-in. Lifts and facilities are also accessible.

Family-friendly?

There’s no reason you couldn’t bring the kids, but they’ll be sharing your bed. Cots are available; rollaway beds are not. If your family is furry, tell the booking team. You’ll get a pet waiver to sign at check-in, and a bowl, bed and treats will be supplied.

the lobby at StandardX Melbourne — StandardX offers visitors an attractive alternative to the average CBD stay. (Image: Carrie Hutchinson)

Details

Best for: Business travellers, families, and design-savvy travellers.
Address: 62 Rose Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC
Cost: From $224 per night.

the dimly lit interior at StandardX Melbourne — StandardX is the little sister of the original Standard. (Image: Rhiannon Taylor)

Follow our guide to all things Melbourne.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

Inside the newly opened The StandardX, Melbourne hotel