Sydney , Australia

Little National Hotel Sydney

Price per night from$140.17

Price information

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 (AUD215.05), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Touch-panel travel

Setting

Wall to Wynyard

At the Little National Hotel Sydney, super king-size beds brush up against full-window walls in smartly compact rooms, so you needn’t even strain your neck to see the Sydney streetscape views when peeping out from your covers. The Japanese-inspired capsule design pushes back against excess, but certainly doesn’t compromise on comfort: you’ll find high-end essentials and tech-forward features in rooms and throughout the hotel. Bridge climb, Barangaroo or hotel bed: you decide.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A cocktail on arrival and late checkout (midday) on departure

Facilities

Photos Little National Hotel Sydney facilities

Need to know

Rooms

230 Japanese-style capsule rooms

Check–Out

12 noon, when booking with Mr & Mrs Smith. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £122.13 (AU$237), including tax at 10 per cent.

Also

The architects at Bates Smart were behind the design and décor of the hotel. The aim was to create refined, understated spaces that provide everything you need, but nothing you don’t: using sleek technology and cosy features to make the most of the space.

At the hotel

Rooftop with workspace and lounge, 24-hour reception, water refill stations, well-equipped gym. In rooms: WiFi, TV with Chromecast, Bluetooth speakers, curated Spotify playlist, robes and slippers, powerful hairdryer, minibar, tea- and coffee-making kit, Appelles Apothecary & Lab skin and hair care products

Our favourite rooms

There are two room categories – the Little National Room and the Big Room – and those wanting more space would be wise to opt for the latter. But we’re actually very fond of the Little National Rooms: the sleek bed stretches the length of the space right next to an entirely glass wall, and the room is packed with creature comforts meaning you’ll have everything you need for a place to crash in a city that so favours the outdoors.

Spa

Find a different kind of therapy at the Little National, where the belief is that wellness comes from workouts, hence the fully equipped gym. There are Olympic lifting platforms, free weights, squat racks, TechnoGym machines (treadmills, bikes, rowers and more) and a high-spec sound system to keep your reps on beat. You can even do your workout with Doma Wellness – an app that connects to the gym machines to help you get the most out of your session by tracking results, logging moves and monitoring progress.

Packing tips

You’ll want to make the most of the cloud-like, super king-size bed and floor-to-ceiling window set up, so bring a good book to start your mornings with, espresso in hand.

Also

The Big Room has a modified bathroom for wheelchair access and extra space throughout for greater accessibility. Nomads, take to the rooftop workspace: a light-filled area with WiFi, power ports, a printer, and – wait for it – bottomless coffee.

Food and Drink

Photos Little National Hotel Sydney food and drink

Dress Code

Loungewear or lingerie (or the soft cocoon of a Little National robe) – you decide.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no restaurant at the hotel – and with so many world-class options just moments from the doorstep, there’s really no need. That said, should you wish to order food to the hotel to eat on the rooftop (or in bed – who can blame you, really), then staff will happily bring it to you along with plates and cutlery.

Hotel bar

The rooftop bar is split for the seasons. Inside, you’ll find a cosy lounge with velvet armchairs, plush sofas and a flickering, custom-built fireplace. Outside, a timber deck is dotted with leafy lounge areas, five-foot tall plants and communal sofas. The low glass walls mean you get views of the sunset over the city skyline; just right for a cocktail in spring or summer. The bar itself is lined with Australian wines and quality spirits – we loved the orange espresso martini.

Location

Photos Little National Hotel Sydney location
Address
Little National Hotel Sydney
26 Clarence Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Australia

The Little National rises above Wynyard Walk in Sydney, a prime urban location close to many of the sights that define the city.

Planes

The hotel is within easy reach of Sydney airport. It’s a 20-minute drive or a 30-minute train. Our in-house travel team will be happy to arrange your transfer.

Trains

The hotel is mere steps from Wynyard station (take the Barangaroo exit onto Clarence Street). If you’re coming from Sydney airport, take the Airport and East Hills Line from platform one.

Automobiles

You can leave your car in the nearby Wilson Parking at 321 Kent Street. It costs $58 during the week, and $30 at the weekend.

Worth getting out of bed for

There’s plenty on your doorstep: Darling Harbour is a 15-minute walk from the hotel and has gourmet pop-ups, art installations and chic boutiques. Meander the Botanical Gardens overlooking the Opera House, bask in Sydney sunshine in the Chinese Garden of Friendship, or climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge (if you have a head for heights). Spend an afternoon at the waterside Museum of Contemporary Art in Circular Quay (the café here is prime for people watching, too). If you want to beach hop and see some rugged natural beauty, take the beloved Bondi to Coogee walk. Hit the shops in the CBD (Central Business District) – including Australian pyjamas label Peter Alexander. European settlers first arrived in Australia at the area now known as The Rocks, whose shops and eateries are well-heeled and lively.

Local restaurants

Luckily for you and your tastebuds, Barangaroo’s waterfront world-class dining is merely moments from the hotel. Try Bel & Brio for seasonal Italian food, such as wild rocket, pear and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano salad, or homemade gnocchi with a five-cheese, black-truffle sauce. Turkish restaurant Anason curates menus depending on the season, but you can bet there’s always some excellent Turkish bread, tilba hummus and chilli-topped labna on the menu. Bao down to Chinese restaurant Lotus before feasting on dumplings filled with prawn, calamari and ginger, or steamed pork. The pork xiao long bao, kung pao chicken and lotus fried rice with duck are worth prostration, too. Slightly further afield is Totti’s, a casual Italian eatery in a light-filled space with an adjoining olive-tree bordered courtyard. Plates are made for sharing, such as the wood-fired bread, chicken cooked on the Josper charcoal grill, or lamb ragu with pappardelle. It just so happens that pretty much anything pairs well with an Aperol Spritz, too. For mod-Aussie dishes (including smoked kangaroo loin, confit hapuka, and baby pink snapper) head to The Dining Room. The food is great, and the views of the Opera House and Harbour aren’t too shabby, either.   

Local cafés

Dutch Smuggler is best known for its grade-A coffee beans and flavourful toasties, filled with mi goreng noodles and cheddar, buffalo and slaw, mac and cheese with brisket and more. Find excellent brews and buns at Brickfields, a café/bakery on Cleveland Street with sun-soaked window seats. Power up with a cup at Paramount Coffee Project and then turn your attention to the all-day menu of banana and walnut bread with passionfruit curd, burnt-fig muesli with coconut yogurt and labneh-spiked pumpkin on toast.

Local bars

You could bar-hop for several nights in a row in Sydney’s hip Darlinghurst neighbourhood. Eau-De-Vie is speakeasy-style with theatrical cocktails and a Martini trolley; Ching-a-Lings is full of lively locals; the Cliff Dive turns out exotic tiki drinks till late; and Love, Tilly Devine champions natural and biodynamic wines. Grab your dancing shoes for a night at Freda’s at 109 Regent Street – the music residencies and potent cocktails will keep you going into the early hours. Don’t miss the Pool Club, which combines three of Sydney’s most popular activities: drinking, dancing and dipping into a pool, all in an open-air space with private cabanas and DJs on the decks. French cocktail bar Little Felix has plenty of cheese, charcuterie and truffle tartines to line your stomach, as well as a moody interior and cocktail list inspired by Parisian hotels.

Reviews

Photos Little National Hotel Sydney reviews
Elizabeth Bennett

Anonymous review

By Elizabeth Bennett, Journeying journalist

Nestled between skyscrapers in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, Little National Hotel stands out due to its steel frame and curved edges. Finding its entrance is a little trickier (cue lapping the building multiple times), but once you orient yourself, discover the unassuming door and whizz up in the elevator to the second-floor check-in desk, everything feels straightforwardly calm. 

My room, located on the tenth floor, was classed as ‘the Big Room’ and it certainly lived up to its name, being especially generous in size for a city-centre hotel. The highlight of this spacious corner room? The wraparound floor-to-ceiling window with views of the surrounding cityscape. And coming in a close second was the king-size bed with its four-poster frame. Its mattress was sink-into-able in just the right way, and it was dressed with the coolest, crispest sheets to offset the hot and sticky weather Australia is largely known for.

The hotel’s design takes inspiration from Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics (or Japandi, if you prefer), with clean lines, light-hued woods and matte-black trimmings. And the look is emphasised by the traditional Japanese tea set waiting to greet me on arrival. Simplicity and comfort are at the fore, but interiors feel expensive too. 

The Little National is a modern hotel in every sense, and – while my luddite ways often make me resistant to techy touches at first – like clockwork I reluctantly come to realise how great they can be. For example, the bedside panel meant you could alter the lighting and temperature while still horizontal. At the touch of a button you could have a whole range of illumination options and avoid the tiresome hotel dance of fiddling with multiple switches or fumbling to find the loo in the middle of the night. My personal favourite tech feature is the ultimate lazy luxury: opening the curtains when you wake, without emerging from the covers, and letting the light flood in. 

Attracting a mix of business travellers, city-breaking couples and the odd young family, Little National is ideal for those who work on-the-go or fly frequently. The rooftop terrace has a designated workspace area that rivals many reputable co-working spots, with plug-sockets, free printing and a mini kitchen stocked with bottomless coffee and an extensive range of T2 teas. As someone who often has to take Zoom calls while precariously perched on a hotel bed or finish an article on a laptop balanced on a dresser I’ve fashioned into a desk, I really appreciated how straightforward Little National made taking care of business. And the impressively well-equipped and always-open gym meant keeping healthy while on the road was easy too. If you’re low on motivation, the hotel has partnered with Doma Wellness, an app for live workouts. 

I was in Sydney at the tail end of a two-week trip that took me across New South Wales to an old friend’s wedding, the beaches of Byron bay and the lush forests of the Blue Mountains. My last two nights were spent in Australia's showstopper city, and Little National made an ideal base for exploring. It’s just a 15-minute walk from Circular Quay – and those iconic views of Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge – alongside an array of waterside dining and drinking options. However, towering above Wynyard train station, it’s also ideal for heading in and out of the Eastern suburbs and is only a 30-minute hop from the airport. 

Beyond ticking off the big-hitter sights, I went to the contemporary gallery Sydney Modern Project. Sadly my visit didn’t quite line up with the opening of the £191 million expansion (dubbed the most significant cultural addition to the Australian city for 50 years), but you could feel the excitement for its impending arrival in the air nonetheless. Art aside, with Sydney on the cusp of its first non-covid summer, when international tourism was returning, and a solid stretch of blue-sky days lay ahead, it felt like an opportune moment to visit. 
 
In Bondi, the famed beach suburb with its over-Instagrammed ocean baths, I enjoyed people-watching, brunch (Bill Granger’s place lives up to its hype), grabbing coffee (the Gertrude & Alice Bookstore deserves special mention), and yet more people-watching. In the Paddington area (Oxford Street, to be precise) I browsed sofas and sunglasses in the boutiques of covetable Aussie brands; and my local friend accompanied me on the Rose Bay to Watsons Bay coastal walk, which offers arguably the best view back over the harbour, plus some lovely swimmable beaches and a snoop at some of the best (read: most expensive) real estate in town. 

Back at Little National, the lofty rooftop terrace is a lovely spot to retreat to, whether you want an alfresco wine in summer, or cup of tea by the fire pit in winter. And, with one last, sighing look at the skyline, it was also the perfect place for toasting to the end of my trip down under, and – almost certainly –  future return.

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Price per night from $140.17