Mr & Mrs Smith

Lyall Hotel and Spa

Melbourne, Australia

Chic, seductive and sophisticated, the Lyall Hotel and Spa is where Carrie from Sex and the City would stay in Melbourne if she were in town. Set in upscale shopping neighbourhood South Yarra, its classy cocktail of sleek rooms, sensual day spa and intimate champagne bar, mixed with handy retail therapy, is perfect for girls or guys seeking a stylish mini-break.

Need to know

• Rooms 40, ranging from one- and two-bedroom Deluxe rooms to Grand and Platinum suites.
• Rates Double rooms from AU$290.00, excluding tax at 10 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (AU$290), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Rates include newspaper and 24-hour gym use. Continental breakfast is AU$20; à la carte, AU$30, a credit card surcharge of 1.5% applies against all accepted credit cards.
• Facilities DVD, CD and book library, free WiFi throughout, spa, gym. In rooms: two flatscreen TVs, cable channels, CD/DVD players, iPod speakers on request, kitchen with fridge and washer-dryer, minibar, terrace.
• Check-out 11am, but flexible if available (from noon you’ll be charged 50 per cent of your room rate; after 5pm, for an extra night). Check-in, 2pm.
• Children Welcome: kids can stay for free if using existing bedding, or the hotel can supply baby cots or rollaway beds for AU$30 each. Babysitting can be arranged with a nanny for a minimum of three hours for AU$80, then AU$20 an hour. More...
• Eco-friendly For a glam, green touch, the hotel provides free push bikes for guests to use when out and about. Here's hoping you can balance all those store bags on the handle bars!
• Also Arm yourself with the Lyall's exclusive Shopping Privilege Card, which offers guests 10 per cent off at over 20 chic local stores, such as fashion boutique Assin and Shoes by Alberto Piazza.

Food and drink at Lyall Hotel and Spa

• Hotel restaurant Ground-floor Bistro Lyall serves up light and healthy cuisine, such as chicken sandwiches and tasty hamburgers. Pop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner (the space morphs into the Champagne Bar by night). Decor is restrained, with moss green upholstered chairs, dark wood and smart mirror details.
• Dress code Labels, darling. You won’t go wrong with finds from local fashion stores Mimco, Alannah Hill, Collette Dinnigan or Scanlan & Theodore (find their boutiques on nearby Chapel Street).
• Top table If it’s sunny, grab a table outdoors on the shaded terrace.
• Last orders As a guest you can order drinks 24-hours a day, either in your suite or in the hotel's public areas. The bar is open from 3pm till midnight though, with peak time between 6pm and 8pm.
• Room service A full menu of modern, multicultural dishes is available 24 hours a day.
• Hotel bar Cool your heels after all that South Yarra retail therapy at the small but sexy Lyall Champagne Bar, to the right of reception, which offers intimate tables and bar stools for sociable perching. Signature drinks include the Lyall Cranberry Champagne Cocktail and the addictive Apple Crumble Martini, or just enjoy an afternoon latte (the bar opens from 3pm till midnight). Expect jazz or easy listening tunes, not a thumping DJ.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Lyall Hotel and Spa 14 Murphy Street, South Yarra, Melbourne, 3141