THE SPACE

Formerly the Quay Grand Suites Sydney, the hotel was rebadged a Pullman in 2012. The main entrance and lobby are on Macquarie Street, although you can also enter via Circular Quay. The lobby is functional but lacks the wow factor you might expect from a five-star property. Upstairs is the hotel's cocktail bar, ECQ, and downstairs the in-house restaurant, Q Dining.

THE ROOM

The 68 spacious one and two-bedroom suites feel more like apartments than hotel rooms. All have a separate lounge and dining room plus a fully fitted kitchen, large bathroom and a balcony overlooking either the harbour or the Botanic Gardens. The decor is elegant and understated – an inoffensive combination of grey carpets, dark blue furnishings and light woods.

THE KIT

The wood-floored kitchen has stylish dark marble countertops; the bathroom is clean and modern with a corner spa bath and marble floors. The only disorienting factor is the slightly odd layout – a curved wall divides the bedroom from the living area, and both the balcony and bathroom are triangular. The full-service kitchen makes the Pullman an ideal choice for families or longer stays. There's a dishwasher, full-size fridge/freezer, microwave, proper oven and stove top and all the cooking utensils required. Another practical bonus is a separate laundry area with a washing machine and a dryer, plus a sofa that converts into a double bed.

FOOD

Q Dining has a local produce focus, sourcing ingredients from many of NSW's finest artisan producers, including butter from Pepe Saya, Berkshire pork from Byron Bay Pork, and lamb from New England's Milly Hill. An open-plan charcuterie features an impressive range of mostly NSW-sourced meats (be sure to try the salt-cured porcini rubbed wagyu flank), while the dinner menu ranges from the familiar (freshly shucked Pacific oysters) to the adventurous (poached banana prawns and torched goat's cheese with salt roasted beetroot). The restaurant works surprisingly well as both a dinner and a breakfast venue. The breakfast menu is another breath of fresh air, offering innovative dishes such as house-cured ocean trout with kale, potato rosti and eggs from Kangaroo Island.

STEPPING OUT

Whether it's a performance at the Opera House, dinner in The Rocks or a day out in Manly, the hotel is perfectly positioned for getting out and about. That said, if you have a harbour-view room, you'll find it hard to tear yourself away from the mesmerising vista from your balcony. If your room overlooks the Botanic Gardens, simply pop downstairs to ECQ for a cocktail to see what all the fuss is about.

THE VERDICT

It might not be the hippest kid on the block, but when it comes to convenience and practicality, the Pullman has few peers.

ESSENTIALS

61 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Garden view suites from $599 per night. Phone (02) 9256 4000; see pullmanhotels.com

HIGHLIGHT

A stellar flat white made from Buondi​ Black coffee in Q Dining.

LOWLIGHT

The gym could do with an update.