The Rocks guide to the ultimate hen's party
A hen's do should be extravagant, indulgent and most of all - memorable. Exotic dancers are optional, but there should definitely be delicious food, cocktails, bottomless brunch, pampering, high tea and dancing.
To help you plan her big send off, we put together a list of the eleven best things to do for a hen's night in The Rocks.
Enjoy an award winning meal at Sake
Start your debauched hen's evening off with a little class and enjoy award winning cuisine at Sake Restaurant and Bar - one of Australia’s best contemporary Japanese restaurants. Your best bet is the Omakase, a set menu of five courses chosen by the chef that includes truffle soy cured kingfish and Rangers Valley Wagyu with nori powder. This menu pairs particularly well with a cocktail or three.
Pamper yourself at Endota Spa
Marriage can be stressful. Make sure your hen enters into her matrimony in a zen state-of-mind by pampering her from head to toe at the luxurious Endota day spa. Go for the girls day out spa package featuring two hours of intensive full body relaxation massage, restorative footbath, nourishing facial and stimulating scalp and foot massage.
Bottomless Brunch at Pony
Nothing says ‘hen's do’ like mimosas for breakfast. Do it in style with a bottomless brunch at Pony Dining, a bustling laneway eatery in The Rocks featuring a modern Australian woodfired menu. Their over-the-top brunch menu features freshly made waffles, scotch egg with nduja and a delectable crab omelette. Two hours of unlimited mimosas for $35 doesn’t hurt either!
Cocktail making classes at The Doss House
The Doss House is a subterranean speakeasy bar, hidden under the sandstone pavers of George Street in The Rocks. This historic watering hole is the home of serious cocktails in The Rocks, and boasts one of Sydney’s longest whiskey lists. If your hen is keen to get behind a bar as well as in front of it, their cocktail-making masterclasses will teach her to mix with the best of them. Or if she’s partial to a dram, The Doss House’s whiskey masterclasses will teach her everything she needs to know about scotch.
High tea at the Park Hyatt
There’s something about eating tiny cakes and drinking champagne that makes you feel a little fancy. Enjoy one of Sydney’s best high teas in the Living Room in the Park Hyatt Hotel, with breathtaking views of Sydney harbour and the Opera House. This classy joint serves up tiered trays of buttery mini-pastries, light, fluffy quiches and scones slathered in jam.
Dance all night at The Argyle
Marriage comes with several side effects, including a sudden preference for early nights and steaming mugs of herbal tea. Make the most of your hen’s freedom while it lasts and head to The Argyle, the home of the biggest night out. This dancefloor Mecca is set inside a historic sandstone building and features six bars over two levels and regular features from some of the world’s biggest DJs.
Cocktails at The Push Bar
If the hen is a discerning drinker, take her to Push bar, home to what may be the best cocktails in Sydney. Set inside a historic building, The Push is a former jazz bar turned cocktail lounge featuring old school vibes, live piano and bartenders who know their way around a shaker.
High Tea at The Tea Cosy
We recommend a hen’s interlude high tea at The Tea Cosy to soak up those excess mimosas with some good old fashioned carbs. When you get there, order the Grand Stand, a multi-tiered masterpiece featuring buttery house baked scones, sandwiches and jams.
Getting your fortune told at The Argyle Oracle
Where will the honeymoon be? What wedding gifts will guests give her? The bride-to-be probably has a few big questions to ask and she might just find the answers at The Argyle Oracle. This iconic Sydney clairvoyant offers tarot, palmistry, astrology and psychic sessions, perfect for superstitious hens.
Rooftop drinks at The Glenmore
The Glenmore pub has the best rooftop of any pub in Sydney, with panoramic views over the harbour and the Opera House. This incredible space is the perfect place to treat the hen to an Aperol spritz in the sunshine.
Stay at Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney - MGallery by Sofitel
At the end of the hen's night when the legs are a bit wobbly, it may be best to travel a short distance and stay right in the middle of town. There’s nowhere more central than the Harbour Rocks Hotel, a luxury hotel set in a lovingly restored heritage building.