If it’s food you’re after then you might want to stop by and drool over either my article on breakfast at The Langham, or Mother’s Day High Tea at The Langham…but this one is more about the opulence!
Karen was already in Melbourne for business, so I popped over later in the week to join her for a weekend full of shopping (who knew expensive shoes could feel so good?!), food (of course) and celebration of Karen’s birthday!
The Langham has long been on our accommodation radar, but given it’s status as one of Melbourne’s most luxurious hotels it’s always been a little out of our reach. Time’s change, tastes mature, and this time around it took very little convincing on either of our behalves to make the booking!
Rooms at The Langham start at around $275 per night. That will get you what they call the ‘Grand Classic Room’. But if that doesn’t excite you, and you’ve got more money than sense, then you could always go for the ‘Presidential Suite‘ which will set you back at least $3,500!! While having my own personal butler, the choice of two king beds in which to rest my weary head, and sweeping views of the Melbourne city skyline all sounds very appealing, I’m not sure that it’s where I’d like to invest $3,500 of my hard earned! Each to their own though, as I’m sure there are plenty out there that would jump at the chance.
We were keen to get some decent views, so we booked one of their ‘Grand River Corner Rooms‘, providing us with one of the comfiest beds I think I’ve ever come across in a hotel, and, as promised, some fantastic views across the Yarra River towards the iconic Flinders Street and Melbourne’s CBD.
Grand River Corner Room at The Langham
Through our window towards Flinders Street Station
First things first though! We were both starving hungry, and to be honest, despite being perched right in the heart of Southbank, Melbourne’s buzzing restaurant and entertainment precinct, we really couldn’t be bothered. So room service it was!
On club sandwich for myself, and one steamed barramundi for Karen…
Room service at The Langham
What a grand affair hey what?!
As a room service meal, we were both very pleasantly surprised. Neither dish had lost its heat in the journey between the kitchen and our room, and the flavours were just what we wanted after a long working week.
The following day, after gorging ourselves on the innumerable delicacies offered at the buffet breakfast in Melba’s Restaurant, Karen decided to make the most of the gym facilities (including a Smith machine of all things with plated weights!), while I explored the nooks and crannies of The Langham, camera in hand.
Welcome to The Langham!
mmm…Audi R8…one day you WILL be mine!
This is what greets you as you enter the hotel!
The lobby at the top of the escalators, with Aria bar overhead to the left, and Melba’s Restaurant to the right
Looking back down the stairway
The understated elegance of the Aria Bar
Waiting for the elevator
One clown typing…
It was a short, but very restful stay (as long as we didn’t think too hard about the damage we were doing to our credit card during our regular forays into Melbourne’s fashion houses!).
Was it worth it?
I’d say yes, but it isn’t an emphatic yes. The Langham has been a luxurious Melbourne mainstay for many years now and the tell tale signs of age are starting to emerge. The single oddly stained tile in the bathroom, the chipped numerals on the front of the door, the subtle signs of the wear and tear resulting from the hundreds, if not thousands, of previous guests.
While not immediately obvious, and by no means an issue for either of us, this type of accommodation is one we probably won’t try again in Australia in the near future. Instead, I can see us sticking to our more typical approach of ferreting out the small, boutique establishments that see much less traffic and have that slightly more modern aesthetic.
Regardless, I can guarantee that others will absolutely fall in love with The Langham, and that’s a good thing. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all wanted the same things from life!