Woolloomooloo

Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo

★★★★★

Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo is one of the most characterful places to stay in the city: a boutique hotel inside the Finger Wharf, a huge heritage-listed timber wharf that juts into Woolloomooloo Bay, a short walk east of the Royal Botanic Garden and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The wharf was built in the early twentieth century and was for decades the departure point for troops and migrants; saved from demolition in the 1980s, it was converted into apartments, restaurants and a hotel, and the building's industrial bones, with massive timber beams, exposed trusses and a long central atrium, remain on full display. Ovolo has filled it with bold colour, quirky art and a sense of fun. Room types include King rooms, Maritime rooms facing the naval base and the water, Urban rooms facing the city, loft rooms on two levels under the wharf roof, and the Rockstar Suite for those who want to make an entrance. The Ovolo brand is known for its inclusions: fast free Wi-Fi, a self-service laundry, flexible check-in and check-out when you book direct, and Apero Hour, when your first drink is on the house. There is an indoor heated pool with poolside cabanas and a jacuzzi, a gym, and the hotel welcomes dogs. Bruno's serves Italian-inspired food and Bar Woolloomooloo is a lively place for cocktails. Outside, the wharf promenade is lined with restaurants, and Harry's Cafe de Wheels, the famous pie cart beloved by sailors and late-night revellers since the 1940s, is just across the road.

Woolloomooloo is an underrated base. The bay lies between the Botanic Garden and Potts Point, with the Garden Island naval base on one side and the city skyline behind, and it is a short, pretty walk through the Domain or around the harbour to the Art Gallery, the Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquarie's Chair, and on to the Opera House in about twenty-five minutes. In the other direction, the steps up to Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay lead to some of the best restaurants, cafes and bars in Sydney. The neighbourhood feels local and relaxed rather than touristy.

Choosing a room: the Maritime rooms with water views are the pick, looking over the bay and the warships; the lofts, with their mezzanine bedrooms, are fun for a longer stay but involve stairs. City-facing Urban rooms are quieter and often a little cheaper. The hotel has a youthful, design-led personality, so if you prefer classic luxury, look elsewhere; if you like colour, humour and generous perks, you will love it.

Who it suits: couples, creative types, travellers with dogs and anyone who wants a hotel with a story. Trade-offs: it is not in the CBD, so getting to the shops and the business district means a walk or a short taxi ride, and Kings Cross station is the nearest train. Some rooms face the internal atrium rather than the water. The free inclusions, though, make it better value than its price suggests, and the indoor pool is a rarity at this level in Sydney.