Bring out your inner celebrity, Darling!

As my maxed out credit card will attest, I’ve always been partial to the finer things in life. And I have to say, The Darling in Sydney’s The Star complex, coupled with tickets to the preview of Legally Blonde: The Musical tickled every luxury-hungry bone in my body.Okay… I’ll admit, I may have gone a little overboard, and the new pair of G-Star jeans I bought on a whim (just outside the lobby) was probably excessive, but from the second you walk into the expansive, designer lobby, you feel (and want to act) like a rock star.

I strutted past the glass pool table, suitcase and new jeans in hand, and up to the reception desk where I make my all important first impression of the staff: they obviously love being there (and it’s easy to see why). For the rest of my stay they were ever-present and always helpful, but never in-your-face.

When I was told I had been upgraded to a jewel spa suite, well… I almost forgot about my rock star persona and hugged the smiling man behind the desk. He almost got bear-hugged again when he gave me the leather wallet containing my room key, my room key WITH MY NAME PRINTED ON IT!

On the elevator ride, maintaining my cool while bubbling with anticipation to see my room was no easy feat. As I opened the door, I was thankful I’d declined the porter’s offer to escort me up – I’m ashamed to admit it, but I may have lost a little (a lot) of my masculine dignity and let out a squeal. In my defence, I challenge even the hardest and coolest of rock stars to look across the glistening water at the Harbour Bridge and the city framed by the clear blue sky and stifle a squeal!

Unfortunately, my second squeal (and the remnants of my masculinity) escaped as I walked around the corner and saw my bathroom. The free standing spa in the centre of the room looked out over my bed and onto the aforementioned view. Oh well – there was no point in pretending to be cool now.

I spent the next 20 minutes running around like a child exploring every nook, opening every drawer and falling more and more in love with a room that was all MINE for the next 18 hours and 27 minutes. The rainwater showerhead was mine; the walk in wardrobe was mine; the individual prints of Sydney that framed the TV were mine; the purple bathrobe and the Molton Brown toiletries were mine, Mine, MINE!

With only 18 hours and 7 minutes now left with my room, I began considering abandoning my evening plans. Did I REALLY need to go all the way downstairs for dinner? Did I REALLY want to see Legally Blonde: The Musical? Did I even need to meet up with the friends who were probably already on their way?

I resisted the urge to put on my bathrobe and grab the room service menu and begrudgingly got dressed up to see what else this place could offer.

First stop, pre-show drinks in Sokyo where we sipped on champagne and sampled amazing sashimi. There are countless dining options throughout The Star which makes the decision of where to eat as difficult as my decision on whether or not I should leave my room. Adriano Zumbo’s dessert train is a hypnotising mix of colour and sugar that was hard to walk past and I have yet to try David Chang’s Momofuku Seiobo, but I hear the pork buns are to die for.

Feeling on top of the world and regaining my rock star swagger, I wandered past some of the other dining and shopping options and down to the Lyric Theatre for the opening night of Legally Blonde: The Musical. I cannot recommend this show highly enough. Like the movie, it’s camp, it’s cheesy, but it’s fun and it’s heart-warming and the energy is infectious (or maybe that was the champagne I had at Sokyo kicking in!?). The cast is phenomenal, made up of a few Wicked alumni (including Lucy Durack and Rob Mills) and also stars Aussie model, Erika Heynatz.

With the ‘Bend & Snap’ song still in my head and shoes itching to dance, I was lucky enough to be able to continue my VIP evening with an invitation to the opening night after-party held above the Lyric Theatre in Marquee Nightclub. Now, I’ve spent a fair bit of time in nightclubs in my life, but Marquee is something truly special.

With champagne flowing and music pumping, I’d love to say that I danced until the sun came up, but the call of my king size bed (and that purple bathrobe) was just too strong.

So with more than a few drinks under my belt, I clambered into my bed and used the TV remote to set my ‘alarm’ (this isn’t your usual wake-up call: think lights switching on, television turning itself on and the curtains opening to reveal the sun shimmering on the Harbour. Now that’s what I call a wake-up call).

Before I knew it, my whirlwind trip into a night of fame and luxury was over and in true rock star style, I stumbled into the lobby in my new designer jeans with dark sunglasses to cover the bags under my eyes. There’s still so much I have yet to experience at The Star (I’m already planning my next trip back) – so see you again soon, Darling.