Simon Wittenberg goes Down Under to enjoy the exceptional hospitality of the luxury five-star hotel on Elizabeth Quay.
Elizabeth Quay, in the heart of Perth, Western Australia, is a waterfront development completed less than ten years ago in 2016. Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her diamond jubilee and featuring a newly-formed inlet, ferry port, and a 730-metre promenade joined by a 110-metre arched pedestrian bridge, it was created to seamlessly merge downtown with the Swan River.
One of the largest projects to be undertaken on the Quay once it had been finished was the AU$400 million construction of a five-star hotel and two adjacent towers of residential apartments overlooking the Swan Bells (‘The Bell Tower’) – one of the world’s largest musical instruments. The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, as it became known, was opened in November 2019 after a three-year build and became the 100th property to be added to the Ritz-Carlton portfolio.
In fact, there were four new Ritz-Carltons in the running at the time to claim this milestone, but the launch team in Perth managed to beat the competition by a mere 24 hours to the title (The Ritz-Carlton, Nanjing in China, became the 101st).
Today, there are nearly 120 Ritz-Carlton hotels across the globe, with more in the pipeline.
Reflecting Perth’s status as the windiest city in Australia and the third blusteriest in the world, the structures accommodating the hotel and private residences were cleverly designed by Cottee Parker Architects with a curved glass exterior to both provide protection and reduce noise from strong gusts.
Furthermore, different colours cascade down the mirrored face of the hotel, with pink hues at the top representing the Argyle diamonds of the Kimberley region of Western Australia, whilst the sandier shades towards the base of the building are inspired by Perth’s beach-lined shores.
The interior of The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, conceived by Lombard and Jack from Melbourne, is just as impressive, as guests are greeted with a five-metre-high artwork by Roeburn artist Aileen Sandy, which towers over a bespoke concierge desk, hand-carved from beautiful 100-year-old Western Australian jarrah wood.
Passing through the sliding door, the lobby opens up with a large atrium sporting 275 tubular downlights reminiscent of water gushing through the gorges of the Karijini National Park.
In fact, The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is a haven for art lovers, with various original pieces dotted around the hotel. Some works are crafted from rock and pieces of china recovered during the excavation of the site on which this property stands.
Views are Aplenty
With the façade made of glass, all visitors have a view, whether it’s the city, the Swan River, or parkland, and clearly, the vista gets better the more you pay. The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is comprised of 18 different levels and houses 205 rooms and suites, with further floors of private apartments occupying the very top of the building.
Room 1818 on the 18th level is where you will find the AUS$8,888–a-night (around £4,600) 277 square-metre Ritz-Carlton Suite, which we had the opportunity to see.
Granting spectacular panoramic views overlooking the top of the adjacent Bell Tower, it is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the accommodation at this property. Amongst the perks, it houses a private dining area and a separate butler’s kitchen. The number’ 8′ is considered lucky in Asia, and the hotel, owned by a Hong Kong-based business, chose to incorporate this cultural element into the offering.
There are various classifications of accommodation at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, and we were treated to a very spacious and light 104-square-metre One-Bedroom Suite on the 17th floor, which looked straight out onto Elizabeth Quay.
Priced at around AU$1,600 (about £830) per night for our weekday stay, it was a haven of comfort. It came with a separate living area complete with seating and electronic blinds lining the floor-to-ceiling windows, a circular dining room table, and a large flatscreen TV.
There was also a small balcony for those who wished to admire the Perth skyline al fresco.
There’s also a fully stocked minibar area complete with a coffee machine, while chilled ‘Billy tea’ is delivered to your room on arrival—a recipe concocted from green tea, blueberry, and passion fruit flavours mixed with butterfly pea flowers to create a hint of sweetness and a subtle purple colour.
For this size of suite, sliding wooden doors separate the lounge area from the sleeping quarters, which host a plush king-sized bed with crisp and comfy white linen. The ensuite marble bathroom, with a standalone bath and a separate rain shower lined with nicely scented Diptique dispensers, is sizeable for good reason.
For an interesting bit of trivia, a Ritz-Carlton signature feature is that a third of any accommodation must be given to the bathroom, and with our suite having a separate second toilet, it technically had 1.5 bathrooms, which was a welcomed addition when staying as a family.
Being part of The Club…
One of the many advantages of staying in a Suite or a Studio at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is that occupants qualify for access to The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge on the sixth floor.
Numbers are restricted here to maintain an air of exclusivity, and food is served at various points in the day from 12:00 onwards, with ‘Afternoon Tea’, ‘Hors D’Oeuvres’, and ‘Cordials’ following.
We sampled beautifully prepared dishes, such as gazpacho soup, pumpkin and ricotta tart with spiced honey, macaroni cheese bites, spinach and ricotta pastizzi, and curry. This is not forgetting the exquisite tarts for dessert, plenty of refreshments, and help-yourself jars of chocolate Freddo bars, biscuits, crisps, and marshmallows if you’re feeling a little peckish throughout the day.
Dietary requirements are well catered for, and alternatives can be prepared, such as the hotel’s delicious dairy-free scones, which we also tried.
The Club Lounge also has the added bonus of having its own bar where you can conjure up cocktails from the awaiting spirits and pour yourself a glass of wine or two from the various bottles resting in large ice buckets.
Aside from this being a cocoon of luxury and tranquillity, one of the spots to head for when at the Club Lounge, particularly on a cloudless, sunshine-filled day (of which there are many in Perth), is the private outdoor terrace. This is where you can enjoy spectacular sunsets as night falls and see Elizabeth Quay awash with colour that reflects off the different facias of the hotel.
Straight from the Hearth of the restaurant
Hearth, the main restaurant, is situated on the ground floor and has a separate lounge and terrace overlooking Elizabeth Quay. It is open throughout the day. This is the location for the magnificent buffet breakfast in the morning (as an alternative to in-room dining), and we also dined there for an evening meal.
The eatery’s name comes from the place in a home where a fire is, or was, traditionally kept for home heating and cooking. This has translated into an open fire integrated within Hearth’s guest-facing preparation area. The underlying principle of this restaurant is that local ingredients from Western Australia are used and that at least one element in every dish has passed through this part of the kitchen, giving food a slight smoky edge.
Complementing a wide array of wine and cocktails, including Hearth’s signature gin-based ‘Yallingup’, which we enjoyed, the main à la carte is relatively limited for each course, but there are individual veggie and pescatarian tasting menus, priced at AU$154 (around £80 per head without wine), which offer a little more choice for those who prefer this kind of format. Similarly, kids have their own dedicated menu featuring the likes of lamb cutlets and gnocchi.
There is a choice of meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes here, and we had the smoked tomatoes (AU$28 per head) for our entrée —a base of green tomatoes with crunchy grain topped with sundried tomatoes, cheese custard, and beetroot leaves. This was an interesting combination of flavours, which may prove to be an acquired taste for some.
On to the mains, and there’s Antarctic toothfish (a variety of cod), beef, and duck among the choices. I headed for the vegetarian option, which took the form of blistered red capsicum (AU$42). This emerged as a plate reminiscent of a colourful tapestry—comprising fennel and pepper leaf purée that had been meticulously created to deliver near-perfect symmetry and was joined by rolled skinned red pepper stuffed with heirloom grains.
It was a superb dish offering a spectrum of flavours, a culinary work of art that would not look out of place in a gallery.
My other half tried the pieces of tender Margaret River wagyu beef (AU$69), which were topped with onion jam, fermented mushrooms, and beef syrup—another success at Hearth. With the dishes being adequately filling, sides are, of course, optional, and so are the various desserts, which we simply did not have any room for.
A Scenic Swim and Spa
The fifth floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is home to the spa and the heated infinity pool. Here, you can swim with views over the Swan River and South Perth, catch a glimpse of Kings Park sitting opposite, and admire the Perth skyline, which is peppered with skyscrapers belonging to Chevron, Rio Tinto, and the South32 mining company.
In fact, the pool is conveniently positioned next to the Songbird Bar, which means that you can grab a cocktail, milkshake, or chilled drink from the poolside menu while relaxing on one of the many sun loungers. Wooden games also keep guests entertained when out on the water.
After passing through the treatment area, you reach the dedicated male and female areas. These offer a large glass-walled sauna overlooking the surrounding park and vitality pools heated to a reasonably hot temperature. Here, you can lie back and relax in the reclined chair immersed in the water.
Children take Centre Stage
Ritz-Carlton offers experiences tailored to young travellers through their ‘Ritz Kids’ programme, with mascot Leo the Lion the ‘face’ of this initiative. From what we experienced with our little one, Ritz Kids sees toddlers and children treated like true stars and made to feel like highly valued guests, just like the grown-ups.
Individual preferences can be communicated upon booking with the hotel, and in our case, a Ritz Kids-branded teepee complete with numerous wooden toys and a soft toy, Leo the Lions, was installed in our suite (this setup is available from AU$120 per night or AU$175 for two or more).
In addition, our son was treated to a small cake on arrival, once again branded with Leo, as well as greeting cards personalised to our child, alongside the welcome notes for the parents – a nice original touch. If this wasn’t enough, he also received VIP treatment in the Club Lounge, with meals tailored to his preferences and tastes, alongside a plethora of drawing materials to keep him entertained, which all made for a very memorable experience that was talked about for many days after our visit to The Ritz-Carlton, Perth.
In summary…
The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is a truly brilliant hotel. It is very well located for exploring the city and venture further afield, and it offers an exceptional level of hospitality synonymous with the Ritz-Carlton brand.
Delivered by an international team of 250 ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ at this property, coming from as far afield as Bhutan, Indonesia, France, Switzerland, and the UK, everyone there ensured that we had the best possible stay and service, and this counts for a lot.
If there are the means to do so, it’s very much worth splashing out on an added touch of Ritz-Carlton luxury, and we will certainly be returning next time we are in Western Australia.
The Ritz-Carlton, Perth – Where and How?
The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, is located at 1 Barrack Street, Perth, Western Australia. For more information or to make a booking, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/perth.
See video highlights of our visit to The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, on the Luxurious Magazine Instagram page.
Read more reviews from Western Australia – Part One / Part Two.
Photos courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Perth.
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