[Travelogue] Melbourne : Day 1 (1/3) The Larwill Studio (Art Series) | sillyandordinarygirl
By Lasmarya Hadi Purwanto - February 03, 2019
Hi! :)
I guess I'm back?
Well, it's 2019 now, and I still can't believe how time really flies like crazy, and I'm still figuring out how to catch up. Do you feel the same way? Or is it only me? Or am I becoming more easily anxious now that I'm getting older... Oh well, let's not talk about that.
Anyway, I'm here today to start a new travel series (well, okay, I just want to make it sound cool cause you know, but yeah, it's basically just another travelogue :p).
So long story short (though it's actually not long), I got a chance to spend around 25 days in two cities in Australia: Melbourne for 5 days and Sydney for the remaining days last June. If you're asking why I chose them in the first place, it's because I was having a month-long holiday from work and I knew that most of the world would be having summer in June. Having been living in a tropical country for my whole life, I DO prefer winter to summer. And as far as I know, the only countries which are having winter in June are Australia and New Zealand (correct me if I'm wrong, or if you know somewhere else not having scorching sun in June, please let me know!). On top of that, I happened to have two cousins living in Sydney, so I could stay over for longer time without worrying much about the cost. And then, it was decided, to Aussie, it is!
It's my first time setting foot (isn't it supposed to be 'setting feet' because I literally stepped my two feet instead of just one??) in the Kangaroo country, and I was extremely excited.
My days in Melbourne was accompanied by my dear best friend, Ms. Diana Liu, who kindly spared some time off her busy schedule for me (thank you! and you know how much I love you, 'ait? <3).
Right after we met each other in the airport, (I flew through KL to Melbourne and she flew from Singapore) we ordered a Uber to send us to our hotel for the next three nights, which is the Art Series: The Larwill Studio!
We booked the Workspace Twin Room, which can actually fit up to 4 guests, with quite big twin beds, and although we didn't manage to get the park view room and our room was facing the other building, but the room was adequately filled by natural light, so we had no problem with that at all.
Well, the room was not entirely without any view! You can sit at the table in the corner, chill, maybe flip some pages of the magazines provided, and you can also...
enjoy THESE VIEWS!!
(hmm, I can't decide which one I like better, so I think I'll just post both for you to decide :P)
The below one is the zoom in version.
And, let me tell you! These beds and their pillows are the STARS, the highlight! I mean the beds and the pillows especially, were sooooo comfortable that we literally found it difficult to get up in the morning because we just didn't want to leave the bed. Even at the end of the day, when we got back after an entire day visiting places, it was such a cozy feeling climbing on the bed, and snuggling in it. How I wish we could take home the whole set. Oh, oh, the pillows are actually available to purchase, based on the information clipped on the wall as pictured below. (If you're curious enough to find out how much it is, feel free to zoom in! haha) If you are also wondering who that guy is, he is David Larwill, the person whose artwork serves as the main of theme of the hotel and adorns every corner of it.
Well, I just want to show you how artsy the door hanger was. haha
The Larwill Studio is a boutique hotel, one of the Art Series Hotel group, located in a contemporary building back-to-back with the Melbourne Royal's Children Hospital. You can walk from the lobby of the hotel to the children hospital through the aisle (shown below) and you'll find some stores, mini supermarket, and some restaurants along the way. There's also a pharmacy if you walk all the way to the hospital (the hospital is also very cool!), where you can buy a Myki card, which you will need to ride any kind of public transportation around the city. Please note that Myki can only be used in Melbourne.
Sorry, I didn't know that it is blurred until I moved the photo from my camera to computer, and this is the only piece that I have :(
Bicycles and smart car for rent!
The Larwill Studio is on Flemington Road in the suburb area of Parkville, which is in the North Melbourne, so to reach the CBD or the Melbourne City Center, we need to ride a tram. But the very good news is, the Royal Children's Hospital tram stop is just right across the hotel (as seen below). Just some stops away from the city! So, for me, I can say that it's actually very convenient staying here. We've got everything within reach, we can buy our Myki cards in the pharmacy without having to walk far; when we need to buy something, we can just go to the supermarket in the building; and, when we're hungry but we're too tired to go elsewhere to dine out, the restaurants are there (which is what we really did at the end of that day).
Overall, I truly enjoy my experience staying at the Larwill Studio (and I believe my dear friend too haha): the bed, the pillows, the very friendly receptionists, who are all very helpful too, the convenience, the location (I love the suburb, it's so peaceful, not overcrowded, but also with green surroundings; and as you can see from the photos of the view from our room, the area is some distance away from the tall buildings in the city center, just the kind of neighborhood I hope to live in someday. *fingers crossed!)
You can also check the other Art Series group hotels, (there are a lot of other very tempting choices as well), by clicking here, or to the Larwill studio's website , maybe check its reviews in tripadvisor and you can read my review there too!
The Larwill Studio - Art Series
48 Flemington Rd, Parkville VIC 3052,
Australia
Ph: +61 3 9032 9111
The Larwill Studio - Art Series
48 Flemington Rd, Parkville VIC 3052,
Australia
Ph: +61 3 9032 9111
I was actually planning to post the whole day one's travelogue in a single entry, but I guess when you have scrolled all the way down here and read everything, you might not feel like continuing anymore, I assume? So, let me end this not-supposed-to-be-such-a-long blog post here , and I'll see you in the second part? :D
To be continued...
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