 |
| The Hotel Windsor Melbourne |
On a recent visit to Melbourne I had the pleasure of being a guest at The Hotel Windsor for two nights.
I was immediately absorbed with the grand Victorian architecture of the
hotel building. The porter greeted me as I hopped of the shuttle bus and
carried my bags inside to the impressive lobby, with comfy traditional
seating, fresh flowers, a grand piano and original Ernest Buckmaster
historic paintings.
 |
| My Deluxe Room |
The Hotel Windsor Melbourne is the most well known grand hotel still
surviving from years gone by. The Hotel Windsor Melbourne's has 180
luxurious well appointed guest rooms, with a choice of Traditional,
Superior, Deluxe rooms and Junior, Windsor, Victorian and Royal suites
available. I stayed in the most luxurious hotel room type, the Deluxe
Room.
 |
| The Gorgeous Drapes |
I was impressed with the large room, the magnificent high ceilings,
large marble bathroom stocked with toiletries from The White Company
(UK), lounge area with large LCD TV and walk-in robe. I had a wonderful
nights sleep in the comfy king sized bed using the pillows supplied on
the bed, though I could have chosen from one of the 10 customised
pillows from the Pillow Menu. The outstanding feature of the room? For
me it was the gorgeous Victorian style curtains draping the large
windows.
 |
| The Marble Bathroom |
There is wireless internet access in the guest room which I effortlessly
connected my laptop to. I used the tea and coffee making facilities,
with the chilled milk from the mini-bar. Other facilities in the guest
room that were available but I didn't use were the iPhone/ iPad docking
station (as I do not have an iPhone or iPad), the working desk,
mini-bar, and iron and ironing board.
Location
 |
Adam Lindsay Gordon Statue
in front of The Hotel Windsor |
|
The Hotel Windsor sits proudly in Spring Street Opposite Victoria’s
Parliament House, the Old Treasury Building, and the Treasury Gardens.
It is next to the Princess Theatre. The Hotel Windsor is easily accessed
by private or public transport. Valet parking is available at the
Hotel, in nearby parking stations, or on the surrounding streets. The
underground Parliament Train Station and City Circle Tram Stop is
outside. This is a free tram service that I often used during my stay at
The Windsor to visit the tourist attractions in Melbourne. From the
Airport the Skybus and Starbus have transfers to the Windsor. As I few
to from Newcastle to Melbourne I used the Skybus Coach service from
Tullamarine Airport to the Southern Cross Station, then the Skybus
mini-bus transfer to The Hotel Windsor. I was surprised at how efficient
Skybus was, as I only had to wait a few minutes for each transfer.
Dining
 |
| Part of the Breakfast Buffet |
For dining at The Hotel Windsor the 111 Spring Street Restaurant is the
place to be. It is open for breakfast, afternoon tea, pre-theatre dinner
and dinner.
On my first morning I chose the
Continental Breakfast, which was a scrumptious choice from a buffet of
Pastries and bakery
(Croissant, almond croissant, fruit Danish, fruit muffin, house-made
banana bread, savoury, scones, organic sourdough, white bread, crumpets,
wholemeal, English muffins, multi-grain seeded sourdough, Windsor jams
and marmalade, Vegemite, local fresh honeycomb);
Fresh fruit
(whole and sliced seasonal fresh fruit, natural Greek style yoghurt with
selected condiments including berry compote, stewed rhubarb, poached
fruits, fruit and nut clusters, assorted nuts, dried berries and seeds);
Cereal (All Bran, Cornflakes, Special K, Coco Pops, Weetbix, Rice Bubbles),
Fresh juice (Orange, tomato, pineapple and apple); and
Hot Drinks (Freshly brewed Lavazza filter coffee, espresso style coffee, hot chocolate, selection of specialty Windsor Teas).
 |
| Silverware & Fine China Breakfast |
On the second morning I chose items from the extensive A La Carte menu -
Freshly squeezed orange juice; Traditional Creamy Oat Porridge (with
banana, dates, honey and pecans); Sweetcorn Fritters (roasted corn
kernels, prosciutto, ricotta and fine herbs) and one of the Windsor
Speciality Teas on offer -the Windsor Breakfasr Blend. Very enjoyable!
The Cricketers Bar features a $15 lunch special which also includes a
meal and a beer, wine or soft drink. The Bar features an outstanding collection
of cricketing memorabilia treasures, including photos of English and Australian teams from the 1800’s and
1900’s on the walls, a Sir Donald Bradman bat and memorabilia signed
by Shane Warne.
A Brief History of The Hotel Windsor
 |
Front Entrance of
The Hotel Windsor |
This magnificent five star hotel of fine Victorian architecture was
built in 1883. George Nipper built the hotel, then known as The Grand
Hotel with architect Charles Webb designing it. The Hotel Windsor is
actually older than many of the grand hotels of the Victorian era,
including The Savoy, London (1889), The Plaza, New York, (1894), The
Waldorf Astoria, New York (1894), the Hotel Ritz, Paris (1898) and The
Raffles, Singapore (1887).
George Nipper sold the "Grand" to James Munro and James Balfour who
doubled the size of the hotel, added the Grand Ballroom, the Grand
Staircase, and the twin cupola-capped towers. They renamed it the Grand
Coffee Palace, and for a brief period did not sell liquor.
The Hotel was sold in 1897, and once again sold liquor. A little known
fact is that Australia's constitution was actually drafted at The Hotel
Windsor between February and March 1898.
 |
Grand Staircase of
The Hotel Windsor |
The Hotel Windsor was bought by the Victorian Government in 1976 so that
it would not be demolished. The Oberoi Group leased The Hotel Windsor
in 1980 and purchased it in 1990. They renovated and refurbished to
return it to its original splendour.
In November 2005 The Hotel Windsor was purchased by the Halim family. An
extensive redevelopment and refurbishment of the hotel will commence
next year.
It is interesting to look at some of the old photos of The Hotel Windsor
that are on the historical display panels on the ground floor.
Famous Hotel Guests
 |
| Lobby of The Hotel Windsor |
Many international celebrities, politicians and royalty have stayed at
The Windsor over the years. Notable guests include Screen luminaries -
Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Gregory Peck, Douglas
Fairbanks, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep, Sir Laurence Olivier,
Claudette Colbert; Entertainment Stars - Kylie Minogue, Barry Humphries,
Dame Joan Sutherland, Robert Helpmann, Rudolph Nureyev, Dame Margot
Fonteyn and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson; Sporting greats - Muhammad
Ali, the Australian and English Cricket teams and Politicians - Former
Australian Prime Ministers John Howard, Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser,
Sir Rupert Hamer, Paul Keating and Sir Robert Menzies. Along with other
notable politicians such as Governor Michael Dukakis.
 |
| Lobby & Grand Staircase |
The aspect that I appreciated about my stay at The Hotel Windsor is that
I was treated like one of the above famous celebrities. All the staff,
including the porters, cleaners, restaurant waiters, and reception desk
personnel were very friendly, helpful and professional. The high quality
of the service provided by the staff matched the grandeur of the hotel
building.
Meetings
 |
| Tram in front of The Windsor Hotel |
The Hotel Windsor has a choice of six private function spaces available
catering for 10 to 300 guests. Meetings, conferences, celebrations,
weddings and private functions can be provided with a range of food and
beverages. Internet and technical facilities are available.
Packages
Various packages can be viewed on The Hotel Windsor website that provide
wonderful opportunities to take advantage of staying in this grand
Melbourne hotel.
Further Information
Website:
http://www.thehotelwindsor.com.au/
Email:
info@thw.com.au
Address: The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia
Telephone: (+ 61 3) 9633 6000
Facsimile (+ 61 3) 9633 6001
On arrival we were greeted by a welcome glass of Louis Perdrier Brut from France. 
Of
course, an afternoon tea would not be complete with cups of delicious
tea (or coffee). The Hotel Windsor serves not just one type of tea, but
offers a choice of fifteen. I chose The Windsor Afternoon Blend to fit
in with the occasion. This was a delicious full bodied black tea with a
hint of floral sweetness and a smooth finish. It was served hot in a
glistening silver teapot to pour into the fine china teacup. Other
varieties I could have chosen were The Windsor Morning Blend, Irish
Breakfast, Supreme Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, Darjeeling, Lapsang
Souchong, Malabar Chai, Golden SenchaGreen Tea, Oriental Jasmine Green,
Oolong Rose, Cleopatra’s Champagne, Peppermint, Seven Fairies (Glorious
Blooming Tea) or the Flower of Wealth (Glorious Blooming Tea). I will
have to keep these for the next time I enjoy a traditional afternoon tea
at The Hotel Windsor.
My
delightful Afternoon Tea at The Hotel Windsor made me
appreciate that it is indeed the most famous and awarded afternoon tea
venue in Australia. The exceptional quality of the food matched the
service provided by the attentive staff. When I fly to Melbourne on a
future occasion I will definitely head to The Hotel Windsor and enjoy
the delightful Traditional Afternoon Tea. I would recommend the
Afternoon Tea for any person looking for a place to celebrate a special
occasion, or just to uplift an otherwise ordinary afternoon. 
