This summer I’ve continued my openly disclosed love affair with staycations.
While you may have read my previous staycation experiences and my case for the opportunities and benefits of a staycation let’s take a very quick revisit – for those who came in late.
If you haven’t had a break for a while, don’t want to travel, need to get out of the house or are attending a show, a sporting event or any event, then a staycation is the perfect way to fill your comfy boots and relaxation cup.
When I’m on holidays at home, I will lie back in my sofa and settle in to watch a Big Bash match and then I will notice some dust (mixed with groodle hair) in front of the tv, or I’ll glance out to the back yard and see a plant drooping that needs some water.
A staycation gets you away from those tasks that aren’t difficult to accomplish but prevent you from the luxury of being away from all of that.
When we booked to see the musical Wicked it occurred to me that this would be a good excuse to not have to worry about leaving to get there on time, parking and driving home at the end of the show. I understand these aren’t the problems in the world but any excuse for turning a night out into a mini break has become my new mantra.
Booking a mid-week break at Crown Metropol was very easy and confirming two adjoining rooms was just as easily accomplished – even easier than getting out of my sofa to pick up that dust.
Having decided to expand our Wicked experience to encompass a night away we worked out what else we needed to do to ensure our experience was what we all wanted.
After deciding to drive and allow our car to enjoy a night out with the benefits of valet parking, we moved like panthers – or maybe like pandas – to meet our first objective, the Chinese Luna New Year High Tea in the atrium space of Crown Metropol.
Rather than describe the tiered treats on offer alongside glasses of bubbly, I’ll just tell you what some of the items were and leave it to your imagination; Green Kaya Lava Bun, Skull Island Prawn and Lychee, Peking Duck Pancake, Caramelised Pineapple Mousse and of course a warm scone with strawberry jam and a dollop (there is no finer word than ‘dollop’) of vanilla cream.
Checking into our rooms overlooking the new Boorloo Bridge alive with cyclists and the sparkling river alive with kayakers, we were inspired to take a quick walk around the river before finding ourselves back at the gorgeous resort style pool that Crown Metropol provides. Is there any better way to spend the remainder of a hot summers day than lying in a daybed after a quick swim so that you can say you had a swim? Some brilliant cocktails to completely adopt the afternoon vibe got us feeling relaxed about the night ahead when we dressed ourselves up and took the two-minute walk from the Crown Metropol lobby to the theatre where we took our seats for Wicked.
I love that after the show we were in no rush to bolt for the door and the carpark. My daughter, quite an accomplished musician these days, took time to look down at the orchestra pit and have a chat with the exhausted musicians.
Whatever show you go to see, this is the way to see it. Having a break in the community where you live is the definition of a staycation and I’m hooked. I also love the atmosphere of atrium style hotels. As a child I travelled with my parents all the way from Narrogin to stay at the Merlin (now the Hyatt) and was entranced by the atrium effect of the hotel.
With atrium hotels you step out of your room and into the life of the hotel. You hear tinkling of glasses and peels of laughter and sometimes even a piano gently providing a backdrop to those at a corner bar.
I’m fortunate to have enjoyed the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore and enjoyed the view over Marina Bay and the atrium atmosphere of the hotel. Similarly, Crown Metropol has the atrium hubbub and hum but there’s also something else I loved that I didn’t expect. As I explained to the ever-beaming general manager, Leighton Yates, I thought the influence of the casino with it’s never ending energy might dominate the Crown Metropol atmosphere and even be a bit intimidating for a family experience but without doubt, the vibe of a family resort was felt by the whole family from stepping into the lobby, stepping into the pool and stepping out in style.
