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The latest news in luxury at home and abroad, inside Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, celebrating a life in travel, the first fully autonomous drone, Princess Grace Suite in Monaco, customise an IWC timepiece, win a Mia Fratino Deluxe Travel Wrap, villa life at The St. Regis Bali, Dominican Republic’s new resort hideaway

Sydney’s first new-build international five-star hotel of the 21st-century towers over the buzz of Darling Harbour. The views take in the tourist hive below, as well as stretching to the skyscrapers of the CBD, the flourishing precinct of Barangaroo and beyond to where ferries ply the harbour waters. The 500-million-dollar Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour opened with much fanfare in October. The location could not be more central, whether you’re a leisure traveller soaking up the Sydney sights or a business traveller attending a conference next door at the International Convention Centre.

The 590-room hotel is imbued with Sofitel’s signature French art de vivre, from the welcoming ‘Bonjour’ to the well-stocked Champagne Bar. Le Rivage Pool Bar, beside the fourth-floor infinity pool and SoFit fitness centre, brings the sophistication of a Côte d’Azur beach club to Sydney, while executive chef Matt Coates reimagines French classics with an Australian edge at Atelier by Sofitel. The deconstructed bouillabaisse, in particular, is a culinary tie to Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s “culturally linked” French city, Marseille. An elevated lounge provides a retreat for Club Millésime guests on the 35th floor. The suites have a home-away-from-home feel, with the signature Sofitel MyBed guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. sofitelsydneydarlingharbour.com.au

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