Sydney. Known for its famous Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and beautiful city beaches.

Maybe a little less known as a hotspot for start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs from all around Australia.

However, some research even puts Sydney in front of other big hubs worldwide for having the right ecosystem for start-ups and with places like the Fishburners coworking space and gazillion of meet-ups around entrepreneurial subjects, it slowly gets a bit easier to believe that too.

But not only coworking spaces, meet-ups and creative workshops are pushing entrepreneurs forward.

There are some new ideas out there in this part of the world too! One of those ideas comes from Ovolo Hotels, a lifestyle brand that originated in Hong Kong and now has three hotels in Melbourne and Sydney.

First Live-In Coworking Space in Sydney

Girish Jhunjhnuwala, a lifelong entrepreneur, is challenging the industry with a modern concept. He has understood that work is changing and so are workspaces and the demands of entrepreneurs, freelancers as well as modern travellers in general.

With new technologies, changing business models and an increasing amount of people working location independent, the idea of the so-called Mojo Nomad programme was sparked. The goal is to bring entrepreneurs and like-minded pioneers of all stages together for inspiration, networking and social events with the goal to combine live, work and play in one place where everything is taken care of for you.

And seriously, does your room size even matter if there is no Internet? Everyone wants free wifi, no matter if you are a leisure traveller, remote worker, digital nomad or whatever else you call yourself!

So I got to try this out, looking into all the corners of this boutique hotel from a digital nomad perspective and see if this could really qualify as the first live-in coworking space in Sydney. I sure liked the idea since the beginning.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Deluxe King

Effortless Living

The lifestyle concept of the Ovolo hotels are simple yet very appealing. And who doesn't like amazing interior design?

Walking into the Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour, which is located only a stone's throw away from Darling Harbour with its' many waterfront restaurants, bars and shopping mall, will certainly leave you surprised.

Not only because the staff is so friendly upon checking you in while handing you caramel lollies in the process and introducing themselves with their first name but the charming design of the boutique hotel which greets you with warmness. The first impression surely impressed!

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Lobby

The wow effect will most likely hit you again when you enter your room.

Ranging from the smallest room for solo travellers to the ‘Stirred Suite' with panoramic city views, I stayed in one of the room categories somewhere in between, a spacious King Deluxe room. Welcome to room 421!

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Room 421

First things first: the room was very spacious and the king bed was not only huge but super comfy. I was happy to find the free wifi connecting effortlessly to all my devices and even better, connect to the Apple TV instantly which hangs on the white, black and yellow eye-catching comic book style wall individually designed by Australian artist Jasper Knight.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour King Deluxe

There is also an iPad in every room which controls the air-con and gives tips on what to do, see and eat nearby. Pretty chill to browse in the Internet too if you arrive without a laptop.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour iPad

Instagrammers Heaven

The room decor is super cool with plenty of natural light and a lush green pot plant garden just outside. Perfect conditions for all the Instagram addicted people out there, myself included.

I fell in love with the dashes of colour from the bright yellow floor lamp and carpet in contrast to the deep blue cosy sofa and snapped away. Oh and did I mention the industrial light bulbs next to the bed?

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour King Room

Rain shower on! And who doesn't like a good old walk-in shower with lovely-smelling natural products from Biology Skincare while looking out into the garden of pot plants.

So very Instagrammable too!

Ovolo1888 Darling Harbour Deluxe King Shower

It's All about the Free Stuff

Ovolo also offers a lot of complementaries like free continental breakfast and free all-day coffee and nibbles.

One of the highlights is certainly the free happy hour (which actually lasts two hours) from 5 to 7 pm every day when drinks and canapés are served in the Lo Lounge, the social lobby area to hang out and relax downstairs.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Lobby

Another perk I found in the room is the free mini bar which offers some beer, wine and a couple of soft drinks. As well as some crisps and chocolates to go along, including my beloved Tim Tams. I found a few other goodies besides the snacks, like a power bank. Something I cannot live without!

Internet and Coworking

As Monday morning hit, I needed to get onto some work, so I checked my emails in bed. Not too bad of a start to the week. The Internet at Ovolo proved to be decent and stable.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Deluxe King

I then set up shop at the recycled timber workstation in my room which was large enough to fit my laptop and other devices comfortably and plugged into power right next to it. There were some sticky notes, paper and pens, which came in handy.

You can also hold unlimited local calls from your room, which is good to know because many times in another country, I would only book a data package for my phone, thinking that if I have calls, they are mostly over Skype, Whatsapp or Facebook but I guess sometimes it's just better to have a real phone connection wise.

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Deluxe King

I later got comfy in the big chairs of the Lo Lounge downstairs, where I continued to work and watch people check in and out.

By the way, Ovolo has flexible checkout, so you don't have to worry about leaving your room on the dot.

Ovolo1888 Darling Harbour Lounge

Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour Deluxe King

This blog post was brought to you in collaboration with Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour. All views and experiences are as always my own.

Please note, this post may contain affiliate links, which means that – at absolutely no cost to you – we earn a small commission on sales generated through this website. We only recommend sites we actually use and thank you for your support!