Royce Hotel, Melbourne

For the last four days, Zen and I have been hiding out in Melbourne -another of our spontaneous holidays. I love the internet age... we were able to plan and book everything from airfare, accomodation to restaurants, all just a day before flying!

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport - Domestic terminal - Virgin Blue planes

We boarded a Virgin flight from Sydney airport at 6.30am.

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne

And arrived at the Royce Hotel in Melbourne at around 8am.

Royce Hotel provides stunning five-star accomodation in a super convenient location. It was just a short tram ride into the CBD, which meant Zen and I were able to familiarise ourselves with the tram ticketing system and routes. Our room also had a balcony with panoramic views to St Kilda Road, and the grounds of Melbourne Grammar School.

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: interior

Interior of Royce Hotel's reception.

This holiday couldn't have come at a better time. As you can see, I was able to experiment with my new wide angle lens -the Canon UltraSonic EFS 10-22 F/3.5-4.5 USM.

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: interior

Time for a big breakfast! Here we are at the Dish restaurant, which as the website says, is not your ordinary hotel restaurant. It offers a sophisticated ambience and award winning cuisine. And we are in luck! It's a buffet breaky...

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: Dish Restaurant - interior, breakfast buffet

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: Dish Restaurant - interior, breakfast buffet - grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, pan-fried bacon and bread

Grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, pan-fried bacon and scrambled eggs...

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: Dish Restaurant - interior, breakfast buffet

Royce Hotel, St Kilda Road Melbourne: Dish Restaurant - interior, breakfast buffet - poached pear, danish apricot pastry, bircher museli, fresh rockmelon, honey melon, pineapple and passionfruit