Ovolo Nishi – Hotel Review

Ovolo Nishi is not your average Canberra lodging. This dark and moody hotel offers seriously cool digs, with luxurious flourishes and artistic flair that combine to create a youthful boutique hotel, the city’s only Small Luxury Hotel of the World partner. Showcasing award-winning sustainable design, the hotel uses recycled and refreshed natural materials throughout its common areas and bedrooms, with some rooms facing into the hotel’s internal atrium filled with a forest of Tasmanian ferns. The lobby houses a small gym, library and local favourite Monster Kitchen and Bar – serving up crowd-pleasers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The location

The industrial-chic hotel occupies the bottom three levels of the Nishi complex in the heart of the NewActon cultural hub. Eight kilometres from the airport, Nishi is located between Canberra’s CBD, the Australian National University and Lake Burley Griffin – it's also a short stroll from the National Museum of Australia.

The rooms

Nishi has 85 stylish rooms, which vary from snug to sweeping in size and sprawl over the first and second floor of the hotel. Rooms that face into the atrium have a dark and cosy atmosphere, ideal for cold Canberra nights. Prefer some rays? The light-filled Sun rooms tick that box. Each dwelling is kitted out with restored 20th-century Australian furniture and original artworks that contrast beautifully with stark concrete and cork walls, alongside high-tech additions including a smart TV and an Amazon Alexa-equipped speaker.

Food and drink

While the trendy restaurants of the NewActon precinct are close by, you’d be remiss not to grab a bite at Monster Kitchen and Bar, Nishi’s hip all-day Modern Australian eatery. Kick your day off right with hearty maple bacon and egg – sandwiched between a milk bun from beloved Canberra bakery Three Mills – alongside a cup of St Remio coffee or the hotel’s twist on a Bloody Mary – the Bloody Monster, with Underground vodka and spiced tomato. After exploring the city, grab a friend and return to Monster for dinner. The menu is a mix of shareable snacks and mains; standouts are the adobo marinated spatchcock and a Riverina Angus striploin dished up with red wine butter. Vegetarians are also well served by the smoky corn ribs and braised cabbage with red wine lentils. Don’t miss the cocktail list, which features inventive turns on old favourites; a must-try is the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, which muddles coffee vodka, Tia Maria and housemade syrup. Pop into the bar during Apero Hour (from 4:30pm to 5:30pm) and order a tasting plate of mini cocktails including the signature Monster Negroni.

For business travellers

Nishi’s Mosaic room, connected to Monster, provides a perfect spot for events of up to 80 people. Not only does it have all the business knick-knacks so you can keep on working (including fast wi-fi, whiteboards and notepads), the space has high ceilings, natural light streaming through large windows and an outdoor terrace.

For wellness travellers

Located on the ground floor, the hotel has a small gym with enough treadmills and weights to keep you active during your Canberra sojourn. If you’re keen to explore the city on two wheels, the inhouse bikes are also available for hire.

The fab factor

The hotel’s show-stopping Grand Stair is made from timber salvaged from a demolished house, a basketball court and Nishi’s own construction site, turned into a dramatic piece of art.

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