Six years of planning went into turning Josh and Julie Niland’s dream property into reality – transforming a historic corner pub into an award-winning restaurant and boutique hotel. The result is The Grand National Hotel, which is one of the most polished, considered and thoroughly charming properties to ever open in Australia.
Everything about the hotel mirrors the Saint Peter experience, emphasising quality and sustainability while creating a clear sense of place. Hidden in the backstreets of Paddington, with views over the surrounding terrace rooftops, The Grand National Hotel gives guests a rare chance to indulge in a world-class experience, while staying in the heart of one of Sydney’s most sought-after residential postcodes.
The room
Inside each of the hotel’s 14 rooms, you’ll find subtle nods to the Saint Peter obsession with fish. Fish-eye mirrors reflect the rooms’ architrave-edged walls, drenched in green-grey tones of sea mist. Fish-bone ceramic mugs and custom fish fat soap come standard.
Sydney interior designers Studio Aquilo are responsible for the character-filled rooms, which capture the building’s historic charm through a sensitive, modern lens. Natural light floods the corner site through its original sash windows, including the bathrooms, which come equipped with Aesop amenities, Dyson hairdryers and Frette bathrobes.
Food and drink
Upon check-in, guests will be given their first taste of Saint Peter in the form of a golden, glistening fermented rice cake topped with yellowfin tuna and N25 Kaluga caviar and a handcrafted soda courtesy of Saint Peter’s bar manager (ours was flavoured with passionfruit marigold and lemon myrtle). Those wanting to dine at Saint Peter – where dinner is a seven-course tasting menu – will still need to secure a booking for the sought-after dining room.
Alternatively, you can catch a taste of the Saint Peter experience in the Saint Peter Bar, where walk-ins are welcome and you can feast on Niland signatures, including the tuna ’nduja Scotch egg or the yellowfin tuna cheeseburger with swordfish belly bacon.
Where your hotel booking will unlock an exclusive culinary experience is breakfast, which might open with a black fig and coconut bircher muesli, alongside a pristine seasonal fruit plate that showcases the Saint Peter kitchen team’s knife skills, before the crowning glory of marron scrambled eggs.
Ideal for: gastronomic getaways
Why we love it:
- Polish and exacting precision permeate each of the 14 individually styled guest rooms.
- World-class dining from renowned chef Josh Niland is found downstairs at Saint Peter.
- Centrally located in Sydney’s Paddington, which boasts boutique shops, buzzy restaurants, leafy backstreets and neighbourhood pubs and bars.
Address: 161 Underwood St, Paddington, Sydney NSW
Cost: $600 per night for a Queen Studio
saintpeter.com.au/stayFACILITIES
The Grand National Hotel
Restaurant: YES
Bar: YES
Parking / valet parking: NO
24-hour concierge: YES
Complimentary WiFi: YES
Room service: NO
The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter is set to officially open from Friday 31 January, with bookings now available via its website.
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