After four years of construction (and plenty of controversy) Crown Sydney, which boasts a six-star hotel, 14 restaurants and bars (including globally renowned Japanese diner Nobu) and a luxe spa, has finally opened in the city’s tallest building.

There are many reasons why the precinct’s Crown Towers hotel is being described as “Australia’s most luxurious”. For one, guests can book a private cabana beside the infinity pool, which overlooks Sydney Harbour and comes decked out with its own minibar, cheese platter, a safe, lounge and a flat-screen television. Each room has exceptional views, deep baths and tablets that connect to everything from the blinds and lighting to in-room dining facilities.

“Crown Towers Sydney will stand amongst the finest hotels in the world,” said Crown Sydney chief operating officer Peter Crinis in a statement. “We have worked with leading international design teams to create something truly unique for Sydney; international in feel, but celebrating the beauty of Sydney and its surrounds in its execution.”

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Award-winning British architect Chris Wilkinson is behind the petal-shaped tower, also known as One Barangaroo, which at 275 metres is the city’s tallest building. The glittering facade is made up of more than 8000 individually cut glass panels designed to reflect the colours of the adjacent harbour. The plush interiors are the work of internationally acclaimed interior design firm Meyer Davis. The 349 guest rooms include 327 rooms, 20 villas and two premium villas. There are also 82 permanent residences.

“Every guest will have a completely unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else,” says Will Meyer, co-founder at Meyer Davis. “Nearly every element has been custom designed to create the most ambient experience possible.”

The spa is on track to become one of Sydney’s most opulent, with interiors by Australian design firm Blainey North. The facilities include terraces for yoga and meditation, relaxation rooms, infrared saunas and a lilac-walled Aqua Retreat, which feels like a cross between a Roman bathhouse and a ’50s movie star’s ensuite.

Among the restaurants to have already opened within the capacious dining precinct is Woodcut – an ode to Australiana by The Bridge Room’s Ross and Sunny Lusted. It centres around three open kitchens, each with its own unique cooking method (wood, charcoal and steam).

A’Mare, meanwhile, is the latest Italian extravaganza by Alessandro Pavoni (Ormeggio at The Spit, Chiosco by Ormeggio). Silks is all about fiery Cantonese fare and stylish yum cha, Yoshii's Omakase is a 12-seat dining room, and cocktails and small dishes at Teahouse are inspired by Japanese and Cantonese cuisine. There’s also hotel-lobby bar The Waiting Room, buffet restaurant Epicurean and noodle house 88 Noodle.

And, after years of grumbling that Perth and Melbourne already had one, we’ve finally got a Sydney outpost of globally renowned Japanese diner Nobu. It’s headed up by one of Nobu Matsuhisa’s classically trained sushi chefs, Harold Hurtada. But unless you’re one of the lucky Sydneysiders (read: cashed up and forward-planning) to have already secured a table, you’ll need to wait to experience Hurtada’s menu – the restaurant is booked out until April.

Renowned English chef Clare Smyth is slated to open the Sydney outpost of her London fine diner Core in mid 2021. While working under Gordon Ramsay, Smyth became the only female chef in the UK to run a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. She then went on to open Core in Notting Hill in 2017. She also won the coveted role of catering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s private wedding reception and, in 2018, was named the world’s best female chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants committee.

“Partnering with a chef of Clare’s calibre is a huge coup for Sydney’s restaurant scene and our standing as a food destination – and I’m confident her restaurant will be embraced by Sydneysiders and visitors alike,” says Crinis.

Crown Sydney’s gaming facilities are not yet open, pending an enquiry into the company’s suitability to hold a casino licence. In November last year, the precinct’s opening was delayed until the inquiry – a response to allegations of money laundering at Crown’s Perth and Melbourne casinos that potentially obscured criminal activity – hands down its findings. The non-gaming facilities were permitted to open on December 28 after Crown received an interim liquor licence. The inquiry is expected to release its findings by February 1.

Rooms at Crown Towers Sydney start from $850 per night.

crownsydney.com.au