Hotel Harry review: The Sydney saloon with a taste of the Wild West

Have you ever noticed how Australia looks more like the Wild West than the United States does? The cities down under are blessed with thousands of pubs, shops and houses from the late 1800s and early 1900s, which look like they’re straight out of a Sergio Leone movie – because they were built at exactly the same time as the Western was playing out for real in the US. And, of course, the same kind of hard-drinking, horse-wrangling frontier culture was a part of life in Oz too. So it is that Sydney’s Hotel Harry looks exactly like an Old West saloon from the outside.

The hand of history hangs heavy in this heritage-listed, 1912 bolthole. Creaky stairs, wood panelling and retro signage pay homage to the hotel's former incarnation when it was less, shall we say, “polished”– and it all adds to the appeal. Yet there are also lashings of modern features too, and it all feels suitably hipster, with neon lighting and a trendily rough aesthetic.

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In Australia pubs are called hotels almost universally because they all used to have a small chunk of accommodation up top. Many have ditched those rooms over the years to provide more boozing space, but the Harry is a great example of a hotel that’s stuck to its guns, with a bar and eatery downstairs and two floors of rooms upstairs – one reason why it’s been listed as historically important in Sydney.

On the ground floor, home to Harpoon Harry’s bar and restaurant, smiles from staff accompany cowboy-sized cheese burgers that you can eat downstairs or order to your room. Continuing the Western theme, there’s an American flavour to the food served here with fried chicken featuring heavily on the menu, though there are fresher Aussie dishes like salads too. We also tried the chicken schnitzel and snapper with asparagus, both excellent.

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The little check-in desk has a fish tank behind it, notable for the fish they’ve named Ed Sheeran because of its startling resemblance to the singer. And you might even start thinking about the Great Northern Hotel from Twin Peaks as you squeeze into the old fashioned lift. There’s no brekkie but reception staff recommended several places nearby to score our required daily dose of avo on sourdough toast.

It’s well-positioned – you can stroll to Central Station or Museum Station in five minutes and be anywhere in Sydney extremely quickly. The airport train also runs from both (20 minutes, £9). Hyde Park is nearby – great for a stroll or picnic – and then you’re in the central business district. In the other direction lies cool Surry Hills, where you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to eating and drinking. A new tram line is coming to Surry Hills, which means disruption into 2018 but much better connectivity thereafter.

There are shops nearby from which to pick up snacks or takeaways, and plenty of bars right outside the hotel.

The decent-sized rooms are the perfect balance of creaky old history, with original wardrobes and doors, and modern luxury. The bathrooms are cool, crisp and white-tiled and many feature a free-standing tub. There’s a cheeky glass screen between the shower and bedroom – ideal for couples, but mates bunking up would probably opt to go downstairs and grab a drink at shower time.

The Harry is part of Choice Hotels and is bundled into their Ascend portfolio of independent-minded boutique establishments. There are only 20 rooms so it feels like you’re always strictly A-list when it comes to service.

Hotel Harry, 40-44 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

0061 02 8262 8800; hotelharry.com.au

Doubles from £95, room only.

Chris flew to Sydney with Qantas.

Wi-fi: free

Access: two wheelchair-accessible rooms, lift

Rooms: ****

Service: *****

Value: ****