One of the finest..

Were it located anywhere else, the ANA would be merely a very good hotel. Blessed as it is, however, with one of the world's greatest views it becomes something quite exceptional.To got to bed, and wake up with the vista of Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House, set against the glittering waters of Sydney harbour is a fine experience.If you only stay in one "premium" hotel in Australia, make it the ANA!

Amazing Views

From the moment the friendly check-in clerk advised us we had a'superb room' we knew we were in for a treat. Opening our door to the 'Grand Harbour View' room, we straight away were awe struck, with a superb breathtaking view of the bay, bridge and opera house; nowhere in the world could you conjour up such an image of the brilliant sunshine shimmering down on the bay, as ships, yachts and boats carried on their daily business, cased either side by the majestic view of the bridge and opera house.Conveniently located to the main shopping area and 'Rocks' district, this is a fantastic deluxe resort with an averagely priced restaurant with high quality food at reasonable prices. The staff are ultra friendly and genuine, the room a decent size with lovely decor and comfortable beds. A great start to our Pan Austrlian trip - thoroughly reccomend, if only for the views!

Loved the Shangri-la

Spent 5 wonderful days in Sydney staying at the Shangri-la (used to be the ANA) in Cumberland Street, wonderful location, five minutes walk to the harbour and also a stop for the Red Explorer bus route for discovering Sydney. Hotel staff were excellent from start to finish , room (mine was high 25 floor facing the Harbour Bridge and the Opera house, worth asking and paying a little more when you book)was very good. Buffet dinner after a hard day exploring Sydney was just perfect and the restaurant staff very attentive.

Better be fit

I have stayed at this hotel a number of times. The rooms are very large and have everything you could need, staff are pleasant and the horizons bar has the best views ever.

Only downside is the hotel is on top of a big hill and if you are not very fit you will suffer. Not recommended for old people.

A room with a view!

The Shangri-la Hotel in Sydney is located at a perfect and ideal point in the Grand Harbour. Our room was on the 32nd floor and featured a panoramic window showcasing a 280 degree view of the Darling Harbour, Harbour Bridge, Grand Harbour, and the majestic Opera House. The views could be appreciated even from the shower and roman tub of this elegant suite! This hotel offers chic yet warm service and hospitality that one expects. It is the ideal hotel for business travelers, moreover for leisure travelers. A premium that I feel the hotel offers is early arrival check-in. After a long-reach flight from the US, that is exactly what made the day!

Any room in this hotel will have spectacular views, the Grand Harbour View rooms are the way to go, and even though the price per night is high it is well worth it.

Highly Recommended

I was travelling to Sydney with an English friend who had never been there before, so of course we had to have a view! Our corner suite was amazing, the staff were very helpful (especially when I decided to hold an impromptu gathering in the suite with some local friends and asked for 15 cocktail glasses) and the room exceeded our expectations - the decor was simple, elegant but not over the top, perfect if you don't like the 'frilly' look of other 5 star hotels but still want some luxury.

Poor customer service - booking process

I am unable to write a positive review of this hotel, as having booked and paid for my accommodation, I recently received correspondence to say they were overbooked during the period of my stay and that my booking could no longer be honoured.

With no apology from the hotel, offer to assist finding alternative accommodation, or any form of compensation, I cannot say that I am very impressed with this hotel. A five star property should possess a sophisticated booking procedure to ensure that overbooking does not occur and cause such inconvenience.

As to the other services offered by the hotel, I cannot comment, it sounded extremely good, well located and with excellent views, hence my making a reservation at this hotel in the first place. Unfortunately as I never got as far as experiencing this, I can add not additional information to other people.

Welcome relief!

This hotel was our first ever hotel in Australia straight off a 21 hour flight. It was perfect! We had 2 interconnecting rooms with a Darling Harbour views. Bathrooms are lovely and beds soooooooo comfy! We may have been jet lagged but we're fussy so and so's and this hotel passed our picky tastes easily. At breakfast the chef will offer to cook you anything from pancakes, waffles, omelettes etc. Very lovely hotel. We stayed here again 8 nights later and because we had joined the Golden Circle Club (free) we were entitled to free continental breakfast, fruit and other little niceties. The more you stay they reward you with extras. At last a hotel that recognises the value of repeat business with no silly points system!! Also because we had stayed before we got a room upgrade to Opera House view rooms - WOW. You had to drag me away from there. Fantastically positioned for the shops (2 minutes walk), harbour (5 minutes walk). It is on a steep hill though so I would suggest getting the lift to the lower ground floor and avoiding the hill. Cannot recommend this hotel enough and want to be there RIGHT NOW!

Sheer Luxury

To celebrate my 50th birthday last year my husband and I visited Australia. Our stop in Sydney was indeed special, our stay at the ANA was exceptional. We couldnt have picked a better location or hotel. The views from the bar are out of this world. Can't wait to return.

Superb

We stayed at The ANA in November 2002. The rooms were superbly equipped and the view from the corner suite was out of this world.

My only gripe was the TV system, which had limited channels, a poor picture and virtually no radio stations. In addition the internet access via the TV was dire. This was the same in both of the rooms we stayed in, so I suspect is a system problem affecting the whole hotel. The web site, which was very informative, has now been down for more than a month. Black mark for that.