Heading to Sydney for a weekend? We have found the perfect place to stay

Typical hotel rooms have traditionally been made for two, leading in no small part to the rise of platforms such as Airbnb. But times are a changing. If Sydney's on your radar for a family escape, there's a new option that's away from the tourist bustle of the Rocks and Circular Quay but still super close to the action.

Rydges North Sydney has emerged from a complete, multimillion-dollar refurb of a hotel built in the same year as the Sydney Opera House - which is just a few clicks away over another icon, the Harbour Bridge. The 168 of-the-moment rooms include a range of two-bedroom suites, among them family bunk suites that can sleep up to six when you press the sofa bed into action - but only after dinner at the on-site Wattle Bar + Kitchen, serving modern Australian cuisine (we feasted on the likes of 12-hour braised lamb shoulder). Come day time, Victoria Cross station on the newly opened Metro line is 400 metres away, for a fast track into the city centre and beyond. rydges.com