In Sydney, VE HANDOJO embarked on a stargazing mission to see how buffed Up Russell Crowe really is. Blue Hotel in The Woolloomooloo Wharf was his perfect monitoring spot.

Woolloomooloo Wharf was quiet and serene in the autumn morning. The white-colored boats were posing gracefully on the clear blue water. The boardwalk was just slightly wet with the morning dew and the subtle reflection of sunrise was making it shimmer. A few lone joggers made their way to the adjacent park behind a tired low-rise apartment complex. Could one of them be Russell Crowe?

My suspicion was based on the first responses given by: 1) my cab driver. 2) my Sydneysider friend. 3) my fellow geeky movie buff. 4) the immigration officer in Sydney’s international airport upon learning that I was going to spend two nights in the Blue Hotel. “He lives in one of the apartments at the other end of the building,” they said. Stalking mode: On.

Originally constructed as a wool and cargo handling facility almost a century ago, the building now has two separate functions. Taj Hotels is operating in the front of the building as Blue Hotel, with 100 rooms, and a dazzling, award-winning Water Bar that wows every guest who steps into the site. Lights freely invade the reception area with its floor-to-ceiling windows, setting the red glass wall behind the counter in such a warm spirit.

Knowing my voyeuristic intentions for Mr. Gladiator, I was lodged in room 414 with a window overlooking the bay village. Through the panel, not only I would have the chance to spot Russell running around, flaunting his buffed up legs, but also the luxury of enjoying Sydney’s skyscrapers behind the green park. Now, if only the hotel provided a telescope or something.

The Woolloomooloo Wharf is a heritage building. It’s architectural significance lies in the fact that it is the largest extant timber pile wharf in the world. It is a rare surviving example of federation architecture applied to a major industrial structure, and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects has recognized it as “the finest, architecturally, of the wharf structures in Sydney Harbour”.

Being a darling to many, surely the Wharf could not have been modified just like that. The structures and form of the roof, the outward appearance of the external two rows of piles and fenders, the four electrical elevators and their machinery, the conveyors – they are all among many things that, by law, have to be conserved. Clearly, The Cinderella Man has made a choice to live within a construction that stands the test of time.

The strong sense of industrialism clashes with a delicate, contemporary design by the Chhada Siembieda design company, Australia. The rooms are dressed in chocolate brown, and made masculine with powerful cobalt blue. The bathroom is dimmed with sleek grey tiling, but refreshed with glassy blue highlights to remind you that water is the prime element of your neighbourhood.

Outside, rows of cafes and luxurious bistros invite you to celebrate life by the bay with wine overflowing to counter the autumn wind. I dressed up to the nines for dinner in the adjacent Manta Seafood restaurant, just in case I would have to say ‘hi’ to Russell. But until the à la carte breakfast time in Blue Café came, my heart was truly blue. The hotel’s delicious omelette enlivened my spirits, though and the dark-colored, heavyweight espresso shot pumped it high again. Forget Russell, I thought, as I jumped into the 17 metre temperature-controlled, indoor pool.

Some say you should only get what you need, not what you want. I dropped my ‘Operation Crowe’ and took the beauty sleep I longed for. At the end of the day, those plump goose-down pillows and duvets gave me what I needed. There’s no blue feeling in Blue.

Blue Hotel
6 Cowper Wharf Road
Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011
Australia
www.tajhotels.com

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