Arrived in Australia first thing in the morning from the Northern Hemisphere and was delighted when the reception let me have my room, despite the early hour (7am). Room was delightful, with a good view of the Opera House (for which I had paid a supplement) and very comfortable furnishings. The position, high up in the Rocks, is ideal for exploring the harbour area, although there are some hills which some might not like. Staff were polite. Can't comment on the food, as I did not have any.

Having planned a long weeked away in Sydney, we decided to stay at the Shangri La, and we weren't disappointed.

We wanted to stay somewhere with a nice harbour view, and I wanted a room with breakfast included (preferably at Club level). We opted for a Horizon Club Opera room.

We arrived at around 11am on a Friday morning, and were ushered by the main receptionist up to the Horizon Club on level 30 for private check-in. The views from the Horizon Club are magnificent, and the service was great. We were very pleased to be told that our room was ready for us then. We were even happier to find out that even though we had booked a room, we had received an upgrade to a junior suite.

The view from the room was a great view over the Sydney Opera House, Kiribilli and the harbour, although you could only see it from that window. From bed, we were looking southwards over an apartment building about a block away and another building next door. The window sills though were very big and formed a little alcove in which to sit and gaze over the magnificent harbour view.

We really enjoyed the evening canapes and drinks both nights. The service in the Horizon Club was excellent, with frequent drink refills, and good food.

Whilst continental breakfast was available at the Horizon Club, we chose to have the full cooked breakfast at Cafe Mix on level 1. The food and service there were both good although there was a long wait for a table on Sunday morning.

All in all, we had a wonderful time at the Shangri La, and would happily stay there again.

I write this review from my room at the hotel, wondering if i should take my family somewhere else.....

Picked up at the Airport by Hotel Limo and all appeared well upon arrival.

The check in desk only had 2 staff members available, 1 was on the phone dealing with a customer complaint which resulted in a room change.....so we had to wait some time for the other receptionist to attend to us.

Although we had booked our room several weeks in advance, after a long wait at the check-in we were told the Premier Grand Harbour View room was not available and we would be upgraded to a suite.

The suite was shabby, the carpet worn and poorly fitted, bathroom drawers do not stay closed and roll out while sitting on the toilet which my 4 year old daughter is now convinced is a ghost. Furniture appears to have been bought at a local garage sale , chipped, scratched and well worn. Curtains are stained, old fashioned TV's.....and this is an upgrade!!!

As part of our pre cruise break we asked some friends down from Brisbane to meet up with us and stay at the Shangri-la, again the room was booked weeks in advance but was not available at check in...room upgrade to a suite....with 2 single beds, a nice romantic weekend away with 2 single beds....thanks for the upgrade!!!!

I still have 2 nights here before heading off on a cruise with P & O and I really am disappointed with this hotel.

We have stayed at many hotels around the world and this is the first time i have considered reviewing one. The views are spectacular even from the 8th floor.

The hotel needs a serious refurb' to be credible with 5 star rating or they need to decide to stay as they are and not charge a 5 star price, Guys lift your game, if you need some help with seeing how to do the 5 star thing, I'd suggest you meet with management at the Sheraton Hotel Perth WA, they really are setting the benchmark.

Enjoyed six nights in a Premier Grand Harbour View Room on level 33 (Horizon Club) in early August, as a result of previous TripAdvisor reviews. Above all, we wanted a hotel in Sydney which had amazing views of the harbour…

My girlfriend and I couldn’t decide whether or not to pay the extra for the Horizon Club, but the guarantee of a room on floors 30-35 made that an easy decision. As an added bonus, the use of the Horizon Club lounge is great, and adds a certain degree of value when you take into account complimentary (and very nice) breakfast on the 35th floor, free soft drinks and snacks throughout the day and free canapés / alcohol before you head off for dinner.

One day – at the suggestion of a member of staff – we tried Café Mix on Level 1 for the main hotel breakfast (where there is a full cooked breakfast). BIG mistake, there was a queue for a table, it was packed inside, noisy, cramped and just not very relaxing when you are on holiday. Breakfast for 2 (if we hadn’t been a Horizon Club guest) would have been $78 AUS, which is very steep for what it was. So for our remaining days we continued to enjoy the peace and serenity of breakfast in the HC lounge, together with stunning views over the bay.

The bedroom was fabulous – every luxury you could want, literally, and even an umbrella in the closet to take out if it was raining. Bed was super comfy, the bathroom luxurious with a huge array of nice freebies. The only negative comment would be the bathtub being quite narrow by normal standards, but still very comfy. Above all, the views from the bedroom were awesome – in the room category we had, there were 5/6 big windows offering 270 degree views. We didn’t pull the curtains once, preferring to lie in bed and watch the city at night, and then get treated to lovely sun rises each morning.

There was a turndown service provided on five of our six nights (don’t know what happened on the Sunday!), and we were made to feel like special guests. From the moment we arrived, we were whisked straight upstairs by a member of staff so we could check-in at the HC, making it feel like a very exclusive hotel within a much larger five star property (think The Signature within MGM Grand in Vegas).

We were concerned about the comments on here re: access to the hotel as people say its up a steep hill. It’s really nothing to worry about – true, older or infirm guests may have a problem, but its only one block up a steep hill, as long you enter via the back entrance. Go in the main entrance and it’s two blocks up a steep hill. Taxis were easy to come by, and there was never a queue of more than one person ahead of us - even at peak times on a Saturday night. Concierge was most helpful, and the porters did a great job.

All in all, the hotel met our every expectation and really MADE the holiday in Sydney. It wasn’t cheap, but it was well worth it, and we look forward to returning one day.