When it comes to staying in a hotel, what’s the selling point for you? Some guests fall smitten with a dreamy pillow-top bed, while others simply can’t resist a rainfall shower and luxury bathroom amenities.
But what about the humble mini-bar that normally sits in the corner of a room and comes with an accompanying menu of overpriced beverages and snacks? These days, hotels are reinventing the concept of a mini-bar, offering room fridges filled with top-notch cheeses, quality wines, and even intimacy kits! Here we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite hotel mini-bars certain to give you a memorable stay.
Top 5 hotel mini-bars in Australia
QT Hotel – Sydney
From the moment you enter QT Sydney, you know you’re in for a good stay. Cross the threshold and enter a wonderland of art and style thanks to an eclectic blend of lavish colours, patterns, and textures. If you think this is just the beginning, wait until you discover the mini-bar which comes stocked with all the essential snack, drink, game, and sex needs. We’re talking a robust offering of premium spirits including Belvedere vodka, organic beetroot chips, and old school games like pick up sticks.
If QT has left you feeling a tad naughty, the mini-bar will only enhance this thanks to its emergency ‘intimacy-kit’, which offers all the necessary items to get you started. Think lube, blindfolds, and condoms, ooh la la! If you’re in need of a little more energy, why not get your caffeine fix from the Patron XO coffee liquor provided?
After the all the fun, you can retreat in your super swish bathroom with comes with a deep dreamy bathtub and Malin and Goetz amenities. Could a hotel stay ever be so easy?
Adelphi Hotel – Melbourne
For those already familiar with Melbourne’s Adelphi Hotel, you may initially think of the hotel’s unusual but equally fabulous rooftop pool. But the hotel goes beyond this, most notably thanks to its vast offering of room freebies and well-stocked mini-bar. Here you can settle into your Manhattan-style room all the while appreciating a thoughtful mix of sweet and savoury snacks, Lavazza Amodo Mio coffee, T-Bar tea, and Appelles bathroom amenities.
After you’ve checked in, head across to the in-house dessert bar, Om Nom, and wash down your complimentary welcome drink in the company of stunning large-scale oil paintings produced by established and emerging artists. In the evening retreat to your room, which is reminiscent of a lavish boudoir even Ms Marilyn Monroe couldn’t say no to.
We’re talking liquorice all-sorts style printed carpet, minimalist furnishings, and state-of-the-art appliances including a BOSE iPod docking station. We’re not going to lie to you, this place will be difficult to check out of!
MONA Pavilions – Hobart
While MONA may be more commonly associated with experimental and provocative modern art, it now has another string to its already iconic bow – MONA Pavilions. Positioned on the edge of the River Derwent, these stellar pavilions are making a name for themselves thanks to their contemporary design, luxury features, and acclaimed mini-bar.
Here you can say goodbye to the typical meagre mini-bar of the 80s and hello to a fully-fledged private cellar stocked with Moorilla wine, Moo Brew beer, and Hendricks Gin. This mini-bar come cellar is so damn fine that MONA Pavilions was even recognised as a best hotel mini-bar finalist by the Gourmet Traveller Awards in 2016. As you sip a tasty Moorilla Syrah, marvel at the stunning selection of artwork from the MONA collection adorning the walls and pinch yourself to reassure you that this truly is reality.
The Franklin Hotel – Adelaide
For many Australians, the ideal combo is a shower and beer. The Franklin Hotel in Adelaide is well aware of this perfect marriage and has developed accommodation which offers a free mini-bar stocked with bottled beer as well as luxurious en-suite bathrooms to steam up in. But the freebies here go beyond a mini-bar full of beer – we’re talking a surprise snack box to nurse rumbling tummies as well as a super swish Nespresso machine. Because let’s face it, we all need a good caffeinated fix to start our morning in the right way.
Housed in a grungy operating pub in the heart of Adelaide, The Franklin Boutique offers seven individually styled rooms that reflect an industrial-chic aesthetic. Appreciate unique and locally produced artwork flanking the walls, then settle in for the evening with a flick on your wall-mounted flat-screen TV. If you find yourself with a hankering for food, you only need to venture downstairs to the bar where you can sample a classic pub menu of fish n’ chips and chicken schnitzels.