Swiss-Grand Resort & Spa Bondi Beach

It may be managed by the enormous French hospitality group Accor but the Swiss-Grand Resort & Spa Bondi Beach has enough character to feel boutiquey.

The fact that it's the only serious hotel contender on Bondi Beach also gives it an edge.

The 203 suites are of the ocean view variety with private balconies overlooking that famous strip of sand as well as a recommended day spa that takes advantage of this expansive view.

If this hotel deserves the word "spa" in its title, then the "resort" moniker isn’t for naught either.

You get a sense of being away from it all here. Thanks again, to the rooms with the endless ocean views.

But the beauty is of course, you’re not.

You are right in the thick of it. At times, the resort is the very epicenter of Bondi's surfer tourist action and yet barely ten kilometers east of Sydney's best bars and pubs.

Locals probably remember the Swiss-Grand for its rooftop pool -- the site of many a great party -- and these days, also as a popular wedding spot.