The (newish) Old Clare | Hotel review

“Chippendale? Never heard of it. Where’s Chippendale?” Cool Sydney friend says to me (from Brisbane).

*Feeling smug* I say, “Well, I can tell you all about it”.

Chippendale is right on Sydney’s city fringe – only a short cab ride to work for me (or a slightly longer walk for those so inclined) – but it feels like you are well out of it.

Chippendale is home to so-cool-it-hurts boutique hotel The Old Clare by the hospitality group Unlisted Collection. I only know this fun fact because the pens gracing each room bear Unlisted Collection branding – they are damn good pens and I’m building up a little collection.

I first stayed in The Old Clare a few months after it opened in 2015 and I felt like I’d uncovered a hidden gem. Alas, the best places CANNOT be kept secret and at time of writing this (draft written old-school-style with aforementioned pen) the folk at Gourmet Traveller had just awarded The Old Clare Hotel Boutique Hotel of the year in their 2016 Hotel Guide Awards.

But you want to hear about the hotel, right?

It’s built on the site of an old hotel called, unsurprisingly, The Clare, and a Carlton United Brewery building. But instead of ripping down two old gems (which, I guess they couldn’t, being heritage listed) and popping up a new building in their place, the design adapts the two buildings, turning them into a hotel where the history is still evident at every turn, but where the gritty rawness of exposed bricks and old fittings is mixed with lush, beautiful details.

It’s a boutique hotel so it’s not huge, but every room feels like it’s been given some special, individual attention.

And they have attitude.

You know those generic-hotel-room-folders with room service menus, emergency contacts, pool opening hours and how-to-dial-an-outside-line instructions? Well at The Old Clare, they call it what it is, a Curated Selection of Informative Stuff AKA Random Crap. And sitting on top of this black folder was THE PEN!!!

The rooms are a fab combo of timber, vintage scandi-style furniture, exposed concrete walls and pops of colour.

I only have time to do a quick reconnoitre around my room before we duck out for food.

There are three restaurants (plus The Clare Bar) connected to The Old Clare: Automata, Silvereye and Kensington Street Social. Between them, they will satisfy whatever hunger or thirst you’ve got. Whether you want to do it with a seven-course wine matched degustation or with a sharing plate and a cocktail called Vegemiteini. There’s also a cocktail at Kensington Street Social called Hipster Breakfast which seems to combine two of my favourite things: banana bread and cold drip coffee…

But I digress, because none of these had opened when I visited!

Instead, we stumbled across this cute alley, which was reminiscent of Asian hawker culture.

Spice Alley was a paved street which was loud and bustling, with the tang of spices and smoke in the air. We spotted all the street food classics: Vietnamese rolls, laksa, roti, sambal and curry.

My dining bud chose Gado Gado but I couldn’t go past a Hainanese chicken rice dish.

We walked back the twenty-odd steps to the hotel and briefly contemplated a nightcap at The Clare Bar. It was tempting, but our beds were more so.

Happily we were rewarded for our decision, because back in our rooms were pre-mixed, cork-stoppered glass bottles of The Clare Bar’s Negroni. One of the world’s best cocktails of gin and vermouth – and this version had Aperol rather than Campari – definitely an improvement.

Drink in hand I explored the bathroom. For me, toiletries might not break a hotel experience, but they can definitely make it. At The Old Clare, they were by made by Triumph and Disaster and were large pump bottles rather than miniatures – perfect for a generous slather up under the rain shower. The fragrance took me straight to my hairdresser’s chair – bliss.

Hair in towel-turban and terry towelling robe on (forgive me – it was actually fancy microfibre), next step was bed. Not just a bed, a Super King Sized Bed with the Best Pillows I’ve Ever Slept On.

Investigation proved I was floating in goose down, but there were definitely some clouds in there too.

I slept the sleep of a girl who’s lying on clouds, but also one who’s gorged on Asian street-food and negronis.

The next morning, the morning of checking-out, I hopped back into the rain shower and was again transported back to my hairdresser’s chair. I wrote the name of the toiletries down with THE PEN and vow to track them down, because obviously they’ll change my life.

As always happens when travelling, my stuff refuses to jam itself back into my suitcase. Wrinkled clothes take up So Much Room. Happily, there’s a bag in my room custom designed for this purpose. The Old Clare’s bag for Odds & Ends AKA Random Crap (they totally GET Random Crap! My husband does not…)

Since that first visit I’ve been back twice and have spread the word like I’m the hotel’s own roving sandwich board. I’ve got three reasons for returning to The Old Clare again. Firstly, I never did track down the toiletries, and The Old Clare is probably a bit more fun than the hairdressers. Secondly, the restaurants have all had raving reviews from my buds. And thirdly, THE PEN has run out of ink 🙁

 Have you stayed at The Old Clare? What was your favourite thing?

• Book a stay at The Old Clare
• Chippendale Hotels
• Flights to Sydney