A suite escape

lastminute lovely Erin reviews the Diamant Boutique Hotel Brisbane and in the process discovers why mini-breaks in your own town are a winner.
How many times have you booked a hotel room in your own hometown? I can count on one hand and not even need my thumb. After my surprisingly fab stay at Diamant Boutique Hotel Brisbane, I’ve realised that you don’t need to travel far from home to enjoy a great escape.
The hotel
Diamant is part of the 8Hotels Collection which offers boutique accommodation in prime locations. The inner-city suburb of Spring Hill is definitely a fantastic spot for either a quick getaway or a Brissie business trip. Even in heels I’m able to make my way from Diamant’s door to the Treasury Casino in less than 15 minutes (a trip that takes you through Queen Street Mall and the heart of the CBD). A 15 minute stroll in the other direction will lead you to the top nosh and buzzing nightlife of Fortitude Valley. It’s a win-win!

Boutique begins here

After walking through the wrought iron gates at Diamant’s entry, I am immediately drawn to a pop of colour to my left and a chandelier hanging above me. Kudos to whoever decked out the reception area because I can’t get these peacocks out of my head.

The contrast of the luxe wallpaper with the colourful décor is sophisticated, yet playful

My check in is super efficient and I appreciate the offer of some local knowledge even though I’m a Brisbane gal. More importantly, I’m told when the hotel’s onsite bar and restaurant O Bar is open over the weekend.

We get to our room for the evening – a Diamant Suite, thank you very much. I’d read some reviews that the accommodation is compact but I think 8Hotels pulls off the perfect layout with a kitchenette, lounge area, king bed and a huge bathroom with plenty of space in between.

Big city living

Lounge area and kitchenette

Make yourself comfortable, Mr LML

Speaking of the bathroom, the rain shower, tub, and his and hers vanities definitely give this one gold star status in my book.

I have to mention the extra Diamant touches that really help make your stay special. There’s no waking up to a supermarket cup of tea—you get treated to T2 here. Forgot your hair straightener? No problem. They’re available on request. And when so many other travellers are weeping at the cost of Wi-Fi, Diamant is happy to hook you up free of charge.

Premium tea for the premium cuppa

Finding a chilled bottle of bubbly and some Dello Mano brownies waiting for us helps kick off our night

The restaurant
Dinner at O Bar exceeds my expectations. I L.O.V.E. the rough-cut sandstone walls and the warm lighting from the quirky lamps gives the place an uber chic atmosphere.

The place is buzzing and the lone barman, Ricardo, is being kept busy whipping up drinks, taking orders and delivering food to tables. We get a spot right across from the bar and even though cocktails aren’t on the menu tonight (they’re only available Monday to Friday), the recommendation of a boutique WA cider called Forbidden Fruit keeps me just as happy.

Busy at the bar

We start off with two types of bruschetta for an entrée. I personally prefer the sweet and tangy flavours in the caramelised onion and goats cheese version but Mr LML liked the freshness of the more traditional tomato, onion and buffalo mozzarella.

A taste sensation to get us started

Our generously-sized mains make their way to our table soon enough. Mr LML keenly tucks into his Angus rib eye fillet accompanied by Lyonnaise potato, broccolini and jus. He’s very satisfied, rating the steak an 8 on his recently coined ‘0 to Vanuatu’ scale (refer to my How to vacay in Vila blog to see how that came about). My wild mushroom risotto is also delish and I have to admit, I spend way too much time making sure I get a good mix of mushroom, spinach and parmesan in every mouthful.

Big, beautiful and delicious

We sip our way through another drink and chat to Ricardo about other quality venues in Brisbane including Limes Hotel (another boutique beauty from 8Hotels featuring its own rooftop bar and cinema) and Alfred & Constance (did someone say tiki bar?). I’ve really got to take the time to rediscover my own city. Tonight though, I have a date with a king bed that’s so soft it’s like sleeping in cloudland (not to be confused with the ultra modern Valley mega club called Cloudland).
After our Sunday sleep-in we’re back at O Bar for breakfast. I settle on the ‘Potato N Feta Hash Cakes’ while Mr LML orders ‘The Truck Stop’. Every table in the restaurant is soon filled and the barista looks to be making coffees non-stop. Our food arrives and my first thought is that Mr LML is being treated to the fanciest ‘Truck Stop’ breakfast I’ve ever seen: bacon, house-made baked beans and gourmet hash cakes (usually a fried egg—but Mr LML’s allergic).

We’re both wowed by the rustic, rosemary infused hash cakes and the coriander in the baked beans gives them a unique punch of their own. I give my poached egg a little tap and the yolk oozes onto the avocado salsa hiding amongst my roasted tomatoes. Uh-mazing.

By the time we scrape our plates clean we’re both in agreement that we’ll definitely be making the trip back to O Bar for a weekend brekkie.
Thanks to our fantastic stay at Diamant, Brisbane is now on our radar as a possible possie for future mini-breaks.
Erin and Mr LML travelled as guests of Diamant Boutique Hotel Brisbane.