If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (AUD223.32), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
With all the makings of a suburban legend, 202 Elizabeth – or ‘the Lizzy’ as she’s affectionately known to Sydneysiders – is only just getting started on making a scene. Several stylish working spaces, hangout zones, and a sun-drenched courtyard draw digital nomads and bright young things by day, who migrate their way up to the panoramic rooftop as the sun sets over Surry Hills (swapping laptops for turntables). Sydney-based artist and stylist Lisa Madigan has waved her whimsical wand over the interiors, magicking up a colourful canvas of palm tree, pineapple, and peony-patterned wallpaper adorned with Aussie artworks. The creative crowd come here to let their hair down, with the city’s coolest ’burb at their well-heeled feet.
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Each room at 202 Elizabeth has been individually designed with urban maximalists in mind, but all share eye-drawing wallpaper in floral prints (from Australian interiors brand, Kingdom Home), vintage lighting and mirrors, and curated artworks in common. If you’ve flown long-haul and are looking for a relaxation pad, check yourself into the Lizzy. This top-floor suite is the only bedroom with a soaking tub (plus double walk-in rain showers), with sky-high views from the window-facing bed to wake up to each morning.
Packing tips
A quick scroll through the hotel’s Instagram feed should signal that going big on glitz and glamour is always a good idea here. Bring something statement for the evenings, but you might also pick up a vintage ’fit at the Surry Hills Market.
Also
Sunrise yoga sessions are held on the hotel’s rooftop, with views over Surry Hills and the Central railway.
Pet‐friendly
Dogs of all sizes are welcome to stay in any room here for free, and will be greeted with a pup-friendly welcome drink and treats on arrival by resident French Bulldog, Sochi (dubbed ‘head of pet relations’). See more pet-friendly hotels in Sydney.
Children
Over-10s are welcome to stay, but it’s more of a grown-up getaway.
Sustainability efforts
Say g’day to one of Sydney’s most sustainably built hotels. Innovative local firm Alessi Design + Build used cross-laminated timber (currently the only carbon-negative structural material that’s readily available) throughout 202 Elizabeth, and didn’t generate a single scrap of waste during construction. Everything from the statement glass-wrapped fire escape staircase to the goat-hair carpets has been ethically and locally sourced, with works by Australian artists hanging proudly on the custom-made walls. Vegan amenities from Australian natural skincare brand, Hunter Lab, are stocked in the bathrooms, and you won’t find any single-use plastic on site.
Up on the rooftop or down in the courtyard – soak up the Aussie sunshine while you can.
Dress Code
The hotel welcomes the ‘wild and wonderful’ with open arms, so if you’ve got an out-there outfit – this is the place to flaunt it.
Hotel restaurant
Light breakfast bites are currently served in the lobby’s sage-green banquettes, which leads onto an outdoor courtyard and a soon-to-open wine tasting room stocked with Handpicked Wines.
Hotel bar
The hotel’s bijou cocktail bar is tucked behind the lobby, but you can also sip sundowners six storeys up on the rooftop deck (which hosts a rotating set of DJs, live bands, and pop-up mixologists).
Minutes from Sydney’s Central Station, 202 Elizabeth is in the heart of Surry Hills, a stylish inner-city suburb within easy driving distance of Bondi Beach.
Planes
Sydney’s main airport is just under 30 minutes by car from the hotel, and private transfers can be arranged for AU$100 (one-way).
Trains
The city’s Central Station is around five minutes away on foot, with regular connections to Sydney’s domestic and international airport terminals (follow signs to the handily-named Airport Link train).
Automobiles
Sydney’s Opal cards will get you just about everywhere you need to go, including public transport links to the Blue Mountains and Palm Beach for day trips – rendering a car unnecessary (and quite frankly, a bit burdensome). There’s no on-site parking, but the hotel can point out a few local spots (budget extra for on-street parking charges).
Worth getting out of bed for
There’s so much to see and do around 202 Elizabeth that you could happily stay in Surry Hills without straying too much further into the city (though this happening ’hood borders the Central Business District, as well as equally hip Darlinghurst, Paddington, Redfern, and Haymarket which are well worth exploring). Nearby Bourke and Crown Streets are brimming with artisan coffee houses, trendy boutiques, vinyl stores, and bookshops, so most shopping-sprees start here. Take a break from the buzz with a scenic stroll through Prince Alfred Park (just a few blocks away from the hotel), or the sprawling Moore Park and Centennial Parklands (where there’s cycling and horse-riding along woodland trails). If you’ve timed your visit for the first Saturday of the month, head over to Surry Hills Market on the corner of Crown and Collins Streets to bargain-hunt your way through stalls of antiques, vintage clothing, upcycled furniture, and more. You could dedicate several days to discovering the Surry Hills creative scene, from street art to swish exhibition spaces like Michael Reid Sydney, Brett Whiteley Studio, and the M2 Gallery. And of course, the surfing haven of Bondi Beach is just a short train ride away (via Central Station and Bondi Junction).
Local restaurants
Claiming some of the city’s best restaurants as its neighbours – Chin Chin (for delicious Southeast Asian dishes) on Commonwealth Street and Nomad (a Middle Eastern-Mediterranean medley) on Foster Street are both under five minutes’ on foot from 202 Elizabeth. Alongside Asian flavours, Italian eats might just be Surry Hills’ strong suit – try the osteria-style Pasta Emilia for (you guessed it) freshly made organic pasta and traditional Emilia-Romagna plates (like the slow-cooked beef and parmesan ravioli).
Local cafés
Neighbourhood institution Bourke Street Bakery has amassed a loyal following over the years from its Surry Hills start, with new locations popping up all across the city by popular demand. The artisan sourdough has become somewhat legendary, but the Bolognese toastie and seasonal tarts are worth saving room for (it goes without saying that the pastries are buttery, flaky perfection). Bill’s on Crown Street is a brunch hotspot, where well-dressed Sydneysiders gather for buckwheat and pumpkin seed granola, ricotta hotcakes drenched in honeycomb butter, single O coffee and mango smoothies.
Local bars
One of the teeniest, tiniest wine bars in Surry Hills also happens to have the most extensive drinks list – head over to Bar Copains for thoughtfully curated by-the-glass vino and unusual bottles, stay for the outrageously good snacks (we’re talking shucked-to-order oysters, chicken-liver parfait spread over sauternes wine jelly on homemade sourdough, and rustic cheese boards). Sip on chilli- and coriander-infused spicy margs and charred-cardamom negronis over Tel Aviv-inspired sharing dishes at Shaffa on Albion Street.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this young-at-heart hotel in Surry Hills and unpacked their flea market finds and second-hand books, a full account of their buzzy ’burb break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside 202 Elizabeth in Sydney…
Surry Hills is well on its way to becoming Sydney’s boutique hotel mile, especially now that the 202 Elizabeth has joined the cool kids on the suburban block (including Smith stablemate, Ace Hotel Sydney) from its sought-after base on Elizabeth Street. This fun-loving hotel operates on a younger wavelength than most (hint: the IYKYK tagline on the otherwise nondescript door), appealing to cocktail-sipping couples, pup parents, and on-the-go creatives with its relaxed approach to, well, just about everything. You’ll soon be taking Zoom calls on your balcony in the freshly laid-out Piyama robes, sharing champers with your canine companion (don’t worry, your pup’s is alcohol-free), and swapping records with the DJ on the rooftop deck(s). Aussie names are showcased at every turn, like the Hunter Lab skincare in the bathrooms, Handpicked Wines in the minibars, abstract paintings by Sydney South Coast artist Ash Leslie, and contemporary furniture from Byron Bay-based Sarah Ellison. It’s a bit like staying with your chilled-out bestie who knows exactly how and when to kick back or crank things up (mostly a bit of both).
