The Shelbourne Review

Review By Jamie Clifford

So having never been to the Shelbourne Hotel before, I walked in the door without any preconceptions or notions about what the night might bring. I was there for a colleagues 25th birthday party, and was unfortunately one of those people who only knows the guy whose birthday it is, and nobody else. Be that as it may, I paid my $10 covercharge and headed up the stairs.

For those not from around Sydney, the Shelbourne Hotel is located in the Shadows of the Pyrmont Bridge, on the city side. Housed in what looks to be a legacy building, the Shelbourne Hotel has 3 floors including a courtyard looking out onto the street. The decor is simplistic and very "bar" orientated.

Needless to say, as I didn't know many people, I decided to do what anyone does in a situation like this and get absolutely blotto as soon as possible (might also have had to do with the fact I was mourning the Tigers loss to the Roosters). Be that as it may, I was surprised to be served ridiculously quickly and asked by no less than 3 different bartenders if I was being looked after.

So after a few quick Vodka and Soda's and a Mojito, I decided to hit the dance floor, with the DJ pumping out the latest Hip Hop and Commercial to the 25 and under crowd attending 'Cherry.' Based on memory, Friday Night's this place is a top venue to head for professionals enjoying after works drinks so one can say hand on heart the Shelbourne Hotel looks after all ages.

At about 11pm, to my surprise the music stopped and a brief modelling competition took place. Whilst I wasn't particularly interested, the crowd was in absolute awe of the girls parading down the catwalk, and from what I can tell made a lot of their nights.

From what i could tell, a large portion of the crowds was made up by private parties, which did mean a lot of people kept to themselves as opposed to look to meet new people, however as I was one of them I can't really complain.

Unfortunately I didn't get to head upstairs, but from the photo's on the website on can tell upstairs is far more of a cocktail lounge then the bar/club downstairs, so I'm definitely looking forward to coming back and checking it out.

All in all, the Shelbourne made for a pretty good evening, with the crowd being filled with extroverts enjoying their Saturday out on the town.

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