Daniel Scott reviews the Prince Hotel and the Aurora Spa Retreat in St Kilda, Melbourne. 

I am not usually a great fan of “cool” hotels, often finding them over-hyped and too self-conscious. But after my stay at the beyond boutique Prince Hotel, I emerge feeling refreshed, impressed and even a little cool myself.

The Prince’s greatest achievement is that it is strong on both style and substance, with its cutting-edge design well balanced by assets like its world-class restaurant and spa.

The first impression you get when you arrive at the property, though, is that you are in for a visual treat. This begins with the striking art deco façade of this St Kilda institution, formerly known as the Prince of Wales pub, and continues with the eye-catching theatrical aesthetic of its interiors.

As you cross the low, dark threshold, complete with black-mirrored ceiling, the foyer opens up and you are immediately intrigued. Your eye is drawn first to a floor to ceiling chiffon-like curtain, straight ahead, lit crimson and wafting ethereally in a fan-created breeze. To one side an imposing staircase climbs away and beneath the curtain a chunky bluestone desk seems to hover. Behind that stand two fresh-faced, black-shirted receptionists, one of either gender.  

It is like stepping inside a space-age fantasy.

You get to your room via lift and along brown-walled corridors, saved from ugliness by scatterings of blonde-wood stools.  But once in the room there is a warmer, lighter feel altogether, with big windows and white walls and an unusual welcoming gesture: an already-lit aromatherapy burner.

Rooms have a variety of outlooks. A few corner suites have views of Port Philip Bay. Most are above St Kilda’s main Fitzroy Street thoroughfare.  Others, like my Superior Room on the fourth floor, overlook the quieter Acland Street. At night, propped up on a queen-sized bed and with mood lighting, Bose radio and flat-screen TV to play with, all is eminently snug.  Even the bathroom is inviting, with a marble bench and towels hung not on a metal rail but on a cane ladder.  You’ll need to be a good detective though to determine which of the Aesop toiletries is shampoo and which bath gel.

This being St Kilda you won’t want to spend long admiring your room.  Not when the beach and all the foreshore attractions are five minutes away and the suburb’s inexhaustible shopping, drinking and eating possibilities are even closer.

In fact you can easily fill a day without leaving the hotel environs.  You can begin it, for instance, by following the waft of just-baked pastries to Il Fornaio, the hotel’s own café. With its “workshop” kitchen, tables of breakfasting locals, lovely staff and perfect coffee, this place has an authentic Italian feel.

On a sunny day, the Prince Deck, adjacent to its pool and looking out over the bay, is also appealing.  The pool is less so, as the area nearby is often busy with preparations for the hotel’s next “event” and it’s not that relaxing disrobing and doing lengths in full-view of an army of stylists.

For a truly soothing experience, however, you need only step into another of the Prince’s dimensions, the Aurora Spa Retreat. When I arrive here for the signature Moora Moora (Good Spirit) treatment I am both frazzled and a little cynical about the “indigenous healing wisdom” which this large urban spa takes as its inspiration.  

But once inside, the spa’s intimate spirit and infusion of natural light and a pre-treatment tea ceremony calm me and dispel my distrust.  The Moora Moora itself, beginning with a ritual using a poultice of seasonal herbs and continuing with an acupressure massage, back exfoliation and a facial, is among the most deeply-restorative I have experienced.

The hotch-potch of Prince experiences might take you next to its public bars, still reassuringly grungy, or to the on-site Wine Store. But if you’ve got a booking, you’ll soon be anticipating dinner at Circa, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant.

At Circa, the Prince’s sense of theatre becomes explicit, with its walls hung with black organza and twisty cane chandeliers and spot lighting hanging from a rig above. It is an ambience that allows business people to dine happily alongside those with more romantic aspirations. The food here is also a creative tour de force, with seafood and game dishes in particular given unusual flavours, drawn most notably from Japanese cuisine. The delicious surprises in my meal begin with tender Clair de Lune oysters and fresh wasabi and continue with roasted duck breast and red lentil puree, garnished with pickled watermelon, the meat beautifully enhanced by the sourly-sweet texture of the fruit.

Sated at Circa, your day at the Prince is almost done. Just time perhaps to slip into the Mink bar and down one of sixty varieties of vodka (infused with anything from bubblegum to jalapeno) among up-market subversives, or to catch a funky DJ or live music at the famous Bandroom.

By the end of a day like this at the Prince, with your body ironed and palate pampered, you will definitely feel cool enough to truly inhabit this exciting multi-dimensional space.

SPA NOTES:

Aurora Spa Retreat
Tel: 03 9536 1130.
Email: info@aurorasparetreat.com
Website: www.aurorasparetreat.com

The Prince Hotel
2 Acland Street
St Kilda, VIC 3182
Tel: 03 9536 1111
Email: thedesk@theprince.com.au
Website: theprince.com.au

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