In the know

Our favourite rooms: All the Lyall's suites are surprisingly spacious and seductive, resembling luxe city apartments rather than typical hotel rooms. Even the smallest (540 sq ft) Deluxe one-bedroom suite includes a separate bedroom and living area (both with TVs), a marble bathroom with bath and rainshower, outdoor terrace with teak table and chairs and a generous kitchen. Airy, full-length windows and super-king beds make you feel even more pampered. Decor is fashionably elegant too, with a modern oriental look that's subtle yet sophisticated, harnessing quality fabrics and soothing neutrals such as black and taupe with hits of opulent gold and bronze, rather than in-your-face brights. If you're feeling flush though, you can swing several cats in the vast two-bedroom Platinum Suite (1,507 sq ft), which boasts marble fireplaces in both the main bedroom and living room, two ensuite bathrooms, a double spa bath, Bang & Olufsen sound system, butler's kitchen and ample terrace with glam rooftop views. It's been dubbed The Platinum Blonde Suite after past celeb guests, including Gwen Stefani, Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton.
Packing tips: Bring your credit card as there's plenty of designer shopping in chichi South Yarra ideal for maxing it out. A spare Samsonite suitcase (Marc Newson's stylish design, naturally) to bear your fashionable finds home.
Also: The Lyall is also a hot destination as a day spa, so indulge in a treatment. Set within the hotel, the three-storey space is sleek, white and serene, scented with heavenly ylang-ylang and mandarin, and uses a mix of French Payot skin care products and local Australian brand Sodashi – all parabin- and sulphate-free. We recommend the Lyall Signature Spa Ritual, a 2-hour treatment including deep-tissue massage. The spa also has two steam rooms and an indoor/outdoor room for chilling. If you'd prefer to work out yourself, rather than be worked on, there's also a 24-hour gym with fitness kit aplenty.

The Lyall Hotel & Spa, Melbourne, Australia

Current offers

Smith card offer: A bottle of Chandon NV (Australian sparkling wine) on arrival

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Lyall Hotel and Spa

Melbourne, Australia[view map]

Style: Contemporary oriental
Setting: Luxe shopping district

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: AU$525–AU$2,625, including morning newspaper, 24-hour gym use, shopping privilege card and tax at 10 per cent. Continental breakfast is extra at AU$20; à la carte at AU$30.
Check-out: 10.30am, but flexible (subject to availability you can check out till midday for free or till 5pm for 50 per cent of your room charge (any later and you'll need to pay for an extra night). Earliest check-in, 2pm.
Facilities: DVD, CD and book library, free WiFi throughout, spa, gym, concierge. In rooms: two flatscreen TVs, cable channels, CD/DVD players, iPod speakers on request, kitchen with fridge/freezer and washer/dryer, minibar, tea and coffee plunger, terrace.
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 & drink

Hotel restaurant: The small but perfectly formed Bistro Lyall on the ground floor serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with tables both inside in the intimate, soft-hued bar/restaurant and outdoors on the shaded terrace. Decor is chic but restrained with strips of mirror on walls to amplify the space, grey upholstered chairs and dark wood for glossy glamour. Chef Robert Keeler serves up modern, local, seasonal cuisine that's light and healthy, such as the signature Lyall chicken sandwich, smoked trout with a salsa of avocado, mango, coriander and lime juice or warm thai chicken salad. The Lyall hamburger is good too. Should you fancy eating out, dial 9 and the concierge can book you into a handpicked list of local eateries, from Sicilian to Greek, Thai and Japanese.
Dress code: Labels, darling. You won't go wrong with finds from local fashion stores such as Mimco, Scanlan & Theodore or Alannah Hill.
Top table: If it's sunny grab a table outdoors on the terrace, for a latte or a fuller meal (smoking is allowed outdoors in the Lyall's public areas, both on the terrace and on suite balconies).
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 room service is also available 24-hours a day if you want to eat in your suite. Guests can also dine in the Lyall Bistro at any time (dinner is served to the public from 5pm till 10pm only).
Hotel bar: Popular with stylish ladies who lunch and those resting their heels after a trip to South Yarra's swish shops, The Lyall Champagne Bar is small but sexy. Set to the right of reception on the ground-floor, it offers a choice of comfortable grey uphostered chairs at intimate dark wood tables or counter bar stools for sociable tipples. Expect to hear jazz or easy listening tunes, not a thumping DJ. It's also a great place to enjoy a latte in the morning while perusing a book from the adjacent luxe library. Signature drinks include the Lyall Cranberry Champagne Cocktail and its Apple Crumble Martini.

Also worth knowing

Children: Welcome. The hotel can supply baby cots or extra rollaway beds for AU$30 each (infants can stay for free if they're using existing bedding). Babysitting with a local nanny can be arranged for a minimum of three hours for $80, then AU$20 an hour. More…

Smith Members offer

A bottle of Chandon NV (Australian sparkling wine) on arrival

If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).

Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member

Smith travel team

If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.