The Hotel Como, Melbourne, Australia

A modern and stylish vibe greets guests at the Como Hotel - unfussy in design, it offers slick, clean lines in its public areas and spacious suites. The hotel offers the ideal setting for a retail-themed stay to take advantage of the neighbouring chapel street boutiques, some family friendly fun utilising the hotels sundeck and BBQ area, or a weekend escape where relaxation is the number one priority.

The Como’s location is faultless. Besides being a strolling distance to some of the most stylish names in designer wear, the hotel’s other neighbours include the fun and lively Jam Factory and the cool and stylish Como Centre. Movie buffs have a great choice between some fun and casual dining before a new release movie at the Jam Factory or a long cool cocktail at the glamorous Palace cinema.

But there is also plenty of fun to be had within the walls of the Como Hotel. To road test the array of features on offer, the ‘Indulgence Package’ was both a convenient and inspired choice for a weekend to unwind and recharge.

Leaving the car with the valet, the first surprise was on the entrance to the King Size studio suite. With so many hotels going for the ‘light colours to make the room more spacious’ school of decorating, the Como could have happily painted the suite black without detracting from the airy feel. Instead, going for subdued colours in a streamlined design, the studio gives ample space for dining, lounging and kicking back. A clever little design feature, making the most of the studio layout is the nifty widescreen plasma in the middle of the suite that can be enjoyed from the plump and roomy couch or swivelled for some late night viewing from the king size bed.

In-room dining is also handled with some inspired creativity. Guests can order up ingredients for a do it yourself BBQ dinner up on the 6th floor sundeck or snacks from the ‘Bites’ menu that serves up mini versions of some of your favourite comfort foods.

The sundeck is designed for Melbourne’s changeable weather. The heated swimming pool is under a glass topped retractable roof, allowing for a swim whether it’s streaming sunshine or threatening storm clouds. The pool area also includes a compact sauna, spa and a well equipped gym.

But while I appeared to have these facilities to myself, it became apparent that most guests were enjoying the welcoming So Bar. More than just a great place for a pre dinner drink, I could have happily worked my way through their extensive cheese menu.

The final pleasure of the stay at the Como is breakfast at the Brassiere. While hard to turn down the pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, or waffles with strawberries, the choice of Asian Vegetable Broth with sour dough bread was a refreshing delight.