An escape from everyday life without having to leave the city, Ovolo Nishi offers its guests an experience of luxury within an artist’s dream. Equipped with a restaurant, gym and cinema with some of the city’s best bars and eateries surrounding it, there is barely any need to leave the district when spending the night.
The pineapple-inspired building has been turning heads for more than a decade, delivering quirk and flair to what was otherwise a fairly same-same concrete build-up. Urban and environmentally conscious, the building only deepened the appeal of Canberra for art lovers.
It isn’t just the external architecture that exudes artistic freedom; inside, the striking visuals continue to catch the eye. Featured in many wedding and personal photoshoots, the Grand Staircase is on its way to becoming a Canberra icon – fun fact, the stairs are made of reclaimed wood, including from an old basketball court.
At the top of the stairs are the bar, Monster Kitchen and Bar, and hotel reception; though the space isn’t enormous, the areas work together in harmony. The room, moody with low light, invites the eyes to explore areas that are illuminated – a self-serve candy bar, an installation of suitcases tucked into niches, shoes on shelves, and a pathway to the hotel rooms.
Heading down the softly lit hallway, we arrive at our door – the Meandering Atrium – and upon opening we are struck by the size of the suite. Adorned with artworks, textile creations and stunning furniture, the space has been designed for more than just sleeping, there is enough room to keep work and relaxation separate. In the heart of the bathroom, which is big enough to host a party, is an incredible, deep and spacious concrete bathtub one could easily lose a night in.
CD’s Jessica Cordwell and guest spent a night experiencing all that Ovolo Nishi has to offer, including in-room sparkling wine and treats, social hour drinks and dinner at Monster Kitchen and Bar. Less than 30 minutes from home but what feels like a world away, Nishi offers the opportunity to sleep in an art display.
What we did
After exploring our spacious haven, we opened the bottle of Sparkling Brut and enjoyed a glass in the softly lit room. The industrial corrugated look of the walls in the guest rooms was created by Rockcote using a combination of natural products including clay and hemp, and without the use of paint or harsh chemicals, to regulate humidity and purify air.
Often providing exciting pairings with their stay, ours included the Hair Care Menu in which you could choose from a hair routine provided by Tresemme to be delivered to your room. The full-size bottles were delivered straight to our door, ready to use. From 1 July to 29 August, guests are invited to stay cosy in the cool weather with the Hygge experience, which includes winter cocktails, warm slippers and a 10 per cent discount at Booktopia.
Clocking off time, 5pm means social hour at Nishi where the first round for guests is on the house. We made our way down to the bar where soft tunes from the live musician filled the air. The first round includes all drinks on offer – even cocktails and a bar snack, which was corn ribs during our stay. Fruity drinks and lightly spiced corn ribs was the perfect way to unwind after a long week – social hour is a recommended activity during your stay.
After a quick run back to the room to get changed, we head to Monster for our dinner reservation. Another softly lit open space, Monster is a welcoming place for hungry guests, we take a seat near the roaring open fire.
The vegetarian, vegan-friendly menu at Monster is one of the things it is best known for – that and the use of local ingredients. To start, we ordered the Padron and Manchego croquetas, these were the highlight of the meal – crunchy outside, soft gooey inside, complemented by a slight kick in the sauce.
Next up, the burrata, which was smooth and delicious, paired with a delightful pesto on thick Three Mills focaccia. For the main, we ordered the Nasi Goreng which had a satisfying peanut flavour, while the pickled carrots added crunch and tang. On the side we had patatas bravos – a roast potato in a smoky BBQ sauce, these are morish – order them to share.
If you’re a carnivore who needs meat with every meal, the Nishi room service menu has recently reintroduced meat options.
Relaxation is in order after dining. After connecting my Spotify with the in-room Alexa speaker, the bath is calling. Roomy is an understatement for the bath, you could easily fit two people without elbows and knees knocking. After an hour or so soaking, we check out our goodie bags which are full of tasty treats, and head to the bed.
With a comfy king-size mattress plus ample pillows and a warm doona, there is no better place to be on a chilly winter evening. We enjoy our complimentary sweets – fresh fruit and a collection of chocolatey delights – whilst watching a movie before falling asleep. The only downside to this luxe room was that you could occasionally hear people walking to their apartments that look into the atrium.
Waking in the morning, we enjoyed the high-powered waterfall showerhead before heading down to the continental breakfast buffet. Monster breakfast has recently re-introduced bacon, which can be ordered off the menu. Those not wanting to order and who are ready to dive straight in are treated to a smorgasbord of pastries, bagels, fruits, cereals and warm options like hash browns and eggs. Filling and fresh – a great way to start the morning.
Jessica Cordwell stayed in the Meandering Atrium as a guest of Ovolo Nishi.
Book in your stay at Ovolo Nishi; ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi
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