Staying at an upmarket hotel is no guarantee things won't go horribly wrong
as they continue to be the haunts of the predatory celebrities. Checking out of
the Lyall Hotel in Melbourne's South Yarra my bags were filched by supermodel
Paris Hilton -- the heiress to the Hilton millions -- and only retrieved from
her minder minutes before she got on her flight to the US.
It was
probably the similarity of our suitcases but I suspect ulterior motives. So just
be wary of getting too close to these celebrities next time you are travelling.
Presumably Paris was staying at the Lyall because of its proximity to
some of the more exclusive shops in Melbourne, so there is no need to shop in
the city itself.
It also has some big shopping complexes such as the Jam
Factory and The Prahan Markets. Within a short distance is Issey Miyake with
men's and women's fashions, Feraud with its recent Paris menswear collection and
Saks, which has women's designer labels from Europe. Guests at the Lyall also
get a 10% discount from most of the stores.
There are also ordinary
local shops and a small superette on the corner and a train station close by.
The hotel, just off the Toorak Rd, is in a suburban street and the
interior is designed to look more like a large house than a hotel, with a small
library just off the lobby which has a good selection of books and magazines.
The foyers and hallways feature a number of contemporary aboriginal
works, which provide a good overview of the current indigenous art scene.
The hotel offers extras such as free parking, gymnasium, bicycles and a
large collection of CDs, videos and DVDs.
The hotel's Bistro Lyall is a
relaxed and elegant place to dine but there is also a host of restaurants nearby
including Greek, Japanese and Sardinian. Ecco Restaurant just around the corner
does a superb bruschetta and orecchiette and there is the always crowded France
Soir with genuine French waiters.
To see something of the city's elegant
past a trip to nearby Como is worth a visit. The recently restored mid -19th
century mansion with elegant gardens overlooking the Yarra River is one of the
few surviving examples of grand colonial architecture in the inner city.
John Daly-Peoples stayed in Melbourne courtesy of the Lyall
Hotel and Leading Small Hotels of the World
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