The Watson
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There is so much to know about this beautiful hotel in Walkerville – The Watson, and it amazes me that before today I didn’t even know it was here! That’s why we love being a tourist in our own city, there is always something new to discover!
The building itself is one of the highest that SA has to offer, so you can just picture the incredible views. It actually used to be an office building for the Department of Transport, and to this day there are still guests that come to stay, telling reception “I used to work on level 8!”
The Watson is part of the iconic Art Series Hotels which are scattered around Australia, and each of them are renowned for the amazing artwork that they contain. This particular hotel is full to the brim with artwork by Tommy Watson, who didn’t even start painting until he was 65 — considering there are over 1200 pieces in the building, it’s safe to say that he achieved a lot in the last few decades of his life.
The most expensive piece is a bright dot painting that lives in the lobby, which is estimated to be worth over $150,000 (though it could be more, since it’s never been officially appraised!) But don’t worry – if you don’t have that kind of cash lying around there are prints available!
To tell you a bit more about the actual hotel facitilities, here are some fast facts for you to wrap your brain around:
– There are 115 apartments available to hire, from studio apartments to 1 and 2 bedroom apartments.
– 25m rooftop pool designed by Michael Klim, with a BBQ and plenty of seating areas for those warm summer days.
– The hotel itself is in Walkerville, only about 10min from the CBD.
– Kids (or, in Hayley and Lauren’s case, adults) can create their own piece of art which gets hung on a wall of the hotel, which is great for any Picasso’s in the making!
– Speaking of the short trip into the city, it’s handy to know that you can hire a smart car for $8 an hour or $50 for the whole day, or of course there are bikes that you can borrow for free if you feel like cruising through Linear Park.
– There is a delicious cafe/restaurant downstairs called Local Grind, which we tested out on our way through (you can read more about it here). They also deliver straight to your room and the quality of food is INCREDIBLE!
So there you have it – the beautiful Watson Hotel is one of a kind so if you’re thinking of being a tourist in your own city you should absolutely make this your destination!
Millie xx
