OVOLO 1888 DARLING HARBOUR in Sydney - Hotel Review with Photos

SD › Sydney › Best Hotels › Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Review
Updated: January 11, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Murray Street, steps from Darling Harbour.
• Hotel website: ovolohotels.com.au
• Hotel phone: +61 (0)2 8586 1888
• Check prices for Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour

Review of Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Hotel in Sydney.

Ovolo 1888 beautifully combines its original century-old character with funky colors and modern comforts in hip Darling Harbour.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – A historic and quiet hotel with funky furnishings and a convenient location.

Everything about this place bursts with personality: the rooms, corridors, staff, and even the website. It’s built within a 130-year-old former wool store, so all rooms feature unpainted beams, pillars, and bricks, ironwork along the ceiling, and small windows. Even the desks are crafted from materials from the original building, but the décor and furniture are ultra-chic, with brightly-painted walls, dangling bulbs for lamps, and a desk loaded with state-of-the-art gadgets. The aptly-named Shoebox room is compact and has an internal window. Some King Rooms directly face an overpass (but all rooms are remarkably sound-proofed), the split-level Loft is spacious, and the Junior Suite is especially colorful. Along a suburban street and dwarfed by neighboring hotels, the Ovolo is just steps from Darling Harbour with its countless shops, cafés, and bars.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – The Location

Area: Murray Street, just around the corner from Darling Harbour.
Address: 139 Murray Street.
Nearest Transport: Bus – Harris St at Allen St (200m), Tram – Pyrmont Bay (500m), Ferry – Pyrmont Bay (600m) and Darling Harbour Jetty (750m).
Handy to: Darling Harbour, Tumbalong Park.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – The Basics

Guests: While families are welcome, the overwhelming theme is young and modern, perhaps making it more ideal for young couples or groups.
Pets: Not allowed.
Views: Of buildings and the side-street, or road to the front. Suites have some distant harbor views.
Parking: A$39 for 24 hours’ access to a private carpark across the road.
Nice Perks: Free minibar, happy hour, and breakfast if booked directly through the hotel.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +61 (0)2 8586 1888
Email: reservations.1888@ovolohotels.com
Website: ovolohotels.com.au

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – Amenities

Pool & Spa: Not expected or provided in this boutique heritage-listed hotel. The Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre is about 1 km away.
Fitness Center: Guests can access the 24-hour Snap Fitness gym nearby.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – Food and Drink

Restaurant & Bar: Lo Lounge in the atrium is open 24 hours for light meals, platters, and drinks, and is particularly sociable.
Breakfast: Continental breakfast is included if booked directly through the hotel.
Room Service: Not available.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – Rooms

Room Types: Shoebox • Queen • King • King Deluxe • Loft • Junior Suites • Two Suites called ‘Shaken’ and ‘Stirred’ • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: By Australian law, smoking is forbidden within hotel buildings.
Best Room: The ‘Stirred’ suite features a rooftop patio and full-length windows with decent city views and glimpses of the harbor at a distance.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Blue Fish – Superb seafood with outdoor waterside setting.
Harbour Bar & Kitchen – Pasta, barbecue ribs, and happy hours.
Cyren Bar Grill Seafood – Harbor-side views, fish platters, and barbecued ribs.
Hard Rock Café Sydney – Burgers, cocktails, and musical memorabilia from the renowned chain.

Local Transportation

Convenient for the light-rail network (with limited stops to the city center). Otherwise, walk for 15 minutes across the footbridge to a train station in downtown.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour – The Hotel

A little hard to find, the entrance of Ovolo 1888 is along Murray Street, one block up from (and west of) Darling Harbour.

Ovolo Darling Harbour Hotel is in a 130 year old building

The hotel is based within a 130-year-old former wool store. It is heritage-listed, so the structure of the original building remains, from the exterior to the layout of the rooms.

Lobby and cafe at Ovolo Darling Harbour Hotel

The lobby and café are in the atrium, part of the original building.

Room decor at the Ovolo Darling Harbour Hotel

The décor is always colourful and the furnishings chic.

The Junior Suite is spacious and features a lounge area with a sofa and chairs.

Split-level Loft at Ovolo Darling Harbour

The split-level Loft contains a lounge area at the entrance level.

Artistic Room at the Ovolo Darling Harbour

Every room features individual wall art commissioned by a famous artist.

Colourful Rooms at Ovolo Darling Harbour

Each room features an individual decor, with vivid colours that don’t always match.

About 250m north of the hotel along Murray Street is Pyrmont Bridge, a handy footbridge linking Darling Harbour with the city centre.

From the hotel, walk up Murray Street for about 200m and then down a footpath at Pyrmont Bridge to Darling Harbour, home to seemingly endless shops, cafés and bars.

One of the attractions of this hotel is its proximity to Darling Harbour, a major tourist hub of shops, cafés and bars within the city centre.

Eating and shopping at Harbourside shopping mall

Just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel (via Murray Street) in Darling Harbour is the Harbourside shopping mall, which offers numerous places to eat, drink and shop.

About 700m east of the hotel, via the Pyrmont Bridge, is the Cockle Bay Wharf shopping precinct along the eastern side of Darling Harbour. It offers even more places to spend money.

Eating opportunities around Darling Harbour

Both sides of Darling Harbour are lined with so many cafés and bars that prices are pleasingly competitive. Check rates and availability: Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Hotel in Sydney, Australia

See Also