Live like a celebrity in exclusive reopened Melbourne hotel
It became one of Melbourne's favourite upmarket hotels when it opened in 2001, tucked away among exclusive homes in the suburb of South Yarra.
Even celebs stayed there, with the beloved late Olivia Newton-John often taking over one of the best suites, according to reports.
And after a four-year closure, The Lyall has just reopened following a huge multi-million dollar renovation which took two years.
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The Lyall has a Parisian feel, and is in the suburb of South Yarra. Supplied
It can be found in a quiet street off Toorak Road in the suburb which is easily reachable from the city's CBD by train, taxi or even walking if you're energetic.
Designed to imitate a European pied-a-terre, it has only 51 rooms and promises to be a "discreet, elegant and sophisticated" place to stay, according to the owners.
9Travel was one of the first visitors - here's what we thought.
The Lyall Rooms
We were given a room on the executive floor of the five-star hotel, and it was literally the size of our Sydney apartment.
An executive room at The Lyall in Melbourne. Instagram
It had a hallway with not one, but two bathrooms.
One housed the toilet and a sink and the other had not only a huge walk-in shower but also a lovely bath - something we often find missing from hotel rooms these days.
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A typical bathroom at The Lyall in South Yarra. Instagram
The bathroom also had something we are now lusting after for ourselves: a Dyson hairdryer.
Honestly it dried our hair so quickly and smoothly we're saving up to buy one.
And while toiletries were by chic British brand Molton Brown we didn't like the fact they were the little plastic bottles.
That's something Europe is quite rightly about to ban, for environmental reasons.
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The Lyall in South Yarra has Dyson hairdryers. Supplied
Anyway, there was also a huge walk-in wardrobe meaning there was no need to bring your case into the actual room.
As for the room, well we could happily take up permanent residence.
A desk, huge TV on the wall with Netflix and the ability to stream shows, and a lavish chaise lounge covered with soft 'alpaca velvet' (no we've never had that before either!) were among the features.
It even had a cute little balcony with a bistro set.
There was also a Nespresso machine, kettle, tea bags and milk.
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Some of the rooms have balconies at The Lyall in South Yarra in Melbourne Supplied
And then there was the bed.
The pillows were so huge they enveloped our entire head when we lay on them.
And it goes without saying it was king-size.
Add to that the fact the decor is classy white and grey and we found the room the perfect blend of modern luxury.
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An alpaca velvet chaise at The Lyall. Supplied
The Lyall Food and Dining
The breakfast is served in the stylish restaurant just off the foyer, with options to sit outside on the leafy street.
Hot and cold offerings are available.
We loved our granola with fruit, and we also ordered a cheeky chocolate croissant.
We were almost tempted by the harissa chilli eggs, goat cheese and avocado with pickled cherry tomatoes, however.
Breakfast at The Lyall in South Yarra. Supplied
This isn't anything like your usual production line hotel breakfast, and we did have to wait a little while.
However, it was worth it.
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More to explore around The Lyall
We always find staying in a city suburb often much more enjoyable than being in a CBD.
You can often try out the cafes frequented by locals, and discover unique boutiques.
You can walk along the Yarra River to the CBD from The Lyall in South Yarra, Supplied
City centres just have a totally different vibe.
South Yarra is known for its upmarket shops, but does have a range of spots to browse.
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We loved The Vintage Shop On Chapel which is packed with clothes including jeans and cowboy boots.
The Vintage shop On Chapel has plenty of jeans to choose from in South Yarra, Melbourne. Supplied
Also take time to visit the designer second-hand shop Stop Staring on Toorak Rd, which is packed full of pre-loved famous name labels.
And if you're a walker you can make it all the way to the CBD, along the Yarra River, in around 40 minutes.
The writer visited Melbourne as a guest of Groundhog Day The Musical, The Lyall and Visit Victoria.
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