Hotel Review: Spicers Balfour Hotel
Updated: Feb 17, 2021
Spicers Balfour Hotel is located on Balfour Street in New Farm one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, it's location is within close walking distance of Howard Smith Wharves restaurant precinct and the Story Bridge. The hotel is housed in two separate buildings with reception, the roof top bar, restaurant and executive rooms located in a converted Queenslander which was built in the 1910's and an art deco building a few doors down which houses the hotels suites and conference rooms. The hotel is boutique with only 17 rooms and offers a range of accommodation from executive queen rooms housed in the old Queenslander through to the art deco Balfour Suites located in the art deco Simla building a few doors down the road.
The Room
We were excited to see our Balfour Suite as we had never stayed in a historical art deco building before, the suite occupied the rear quarter of the second floor of the building and has a large en-suite in the art deco style with a bath, separate shower, vanity and features Leif Australian made toiletries. The bedroom is located at the rear of the building and has its own enclosed private balcony as well as an outdoor balcony overlooking a roof garden and views of Brisbane's skyline. The room has a stocked mini bar, Nespresso coffee machine, selection of teas, two flat screen TV's, Bose bluetooth speaker and writing desk. There was complimentary filtered water beside the bed which is provided in reusable glass bottles as well as complimentary cookies. The room also features a super comfortable king bed and several seats throughout. We absolutely loved the suite and especially the balcony where we spent a lot of time relaxing with a glass of wine whilst watching the bird life in the trees on the rooftop garden.
Customer Service
We found the customer service exceptional and could not fault the service at all. We love the personalised feel we received from the staff but also loved the fact that we felt at home at Spicers Balfour Hotel, we could come and go without constantly bumping in to staff but at the same time they were always on hand to assist with anything we needed.
Restaurants & Bars
The hotel has an award winning Modern Vietnamese restaurant located in the old Queenslander part of the hotel and the gardens of the hotel which we ate at and highly recommend however as it is very popular with locals make sure to book prior to your stay to ensure your table. The included breakfast is served in the restaurant and also has a Vietnamese style to it, we loved the Asian breakfast options as it is something different from what we've had at other hotels for breakfast. The hotel usually also offers evening canapés at the rooftop bar from 5pm nightly however due to Covid-19 restrictions it was not offered due to the limited number of people allowed in the rooftop bar. The bar has amazing views over the neighbouring Queenslanders with views of the Story Bridge, we highly recommend the rooftop bar but it is advisable to book with the staff to ensure you get a seat up there. We loved the feel of the hotels restaurant, bar, reception and lounge areas which are decorated in lavenders, pinks and charcoal colours, it's a chic and a relaxing environment.
Hotel Facilities
Except for what we've mentioned above the hotel has a library, yoga mats, bike hire, suggested walking and running routes and several conference rooms. The hotel has partnered with a nearby day spa for those wanting massages and other day spa services. The hotel also has pooch packages if you wish to bring your dog with you.
Summary
We absolutely loved Spicers Balfour Hotel, we weren't sure what to expect since Spicers generally run resort style retreats in rural areas however after staying at Spicers Potts Point (you can read our review of that hotel here) and now after staying at Spicers Balfour Hotel we have found that Spicers can create peaceful relaxed spaces even in the middle of two of Australia's biggest cities. The staff were amazing and made us feel at home, we loved the quirkiness of the hotels layout and our outlook over the roof garden. I would say that of the many many hotels we have stayed at in Brisbane Spicers Balfour Hotel has become our new favourite, would we stay at Spicers Balfour Hotel again? Answer: Definitely yes, it now sits on the top of our Brisbane list.
Want More Information?
For more information about Spicers Balfour Hotel you can visit their website
https://spicersretreats.com/retreats/spicers-balfour-hotel/
#spicersbalfourhotel #balfoursuite #newfarm #deckchairlife
About The Authors
Rob has been passionate about cruise ship holidays and exploring the world since the first cruise he went on when he was only seven years old. Since then Rob who is a Photographer and his partner Mike of 18 years have travelled the world on over 25 cruises with over 10 different cruise lines visiting every continent across the globe as well as many remote tropical islands along the way. In addition to cruise holidays they enjoy relaxing at beach side holiday resorts and first/business class air travel as well as transcontinental rail journeys. Between them both Robert and Michael have worked out the best way to maximise frequent flyer reward points allowing them to travel first/business class at economy class prices or in some cases travelling first/business class for free.