Capella Sydney

A Former Department of Education Building Was Transformed Into the No. 1 Hotel in Australia for 2025

"Housed in a painstaking seven-year restoration of a historic Department of Education building and opened in 2023, this 192-room hotel is positioned as a serene, culturally minded destination. Its ground-floor art collection highlights Indigenous artists such as Judy Watson and Otis Hope Carey, and the property curates immersive experiences — from walking tours that explore coffee culture and architecture to deeper lessons in the city’s Aboriginal history — earning enthusiastic reader praise and the verdict that it “should not be missed.”" - Sarah Bruning Sarah Bruning Sarah Bruning is the special projects and surveys editor at Travel + Leisure, where she has been on staff since 2018. She assigns stories across the magazine, primarily for the Experiences section and feature well. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines