The Interlude Hotel at Pentridge | Melbourne

Australia > Victoria > Melbourne

Why we like it

Some hotels chase a theme. The Interlude just tells the truth: it’s a five-star stay inside Melbourne’s infamous former Pentridge Prison, once home to some of the country’s most notorious inmates.

Twin turrets still flank the entrance, bluestone corridors still loom overhead, and the old exercise yard now hosts wine and cheese by firelight. It’s history with the cuffs off.

Why We Like It?

Because it doesn’t sand the edges off. The panopticon, the vaulted red-brick ceilings, the barred windows – it’s all still there, just recast as atmosphere instead of punishment.

Nineteen suites have been carved from what used to be cell blocks, each one swallowing four or five old cells’ worth of space, so the “small living quarters” problem prisons are famous for has been very thoroughly solved.

 

Additional info

What makes this stay special?

The showstopper is downstairs: a candlelit subterranean pool held at a properly indulgent temperature, bookable in hour-long private sessions so you’re not sharing your soak with strangers.

Above ground, the former mess hall is now North & Common, a hatted modern Australian restaurant, while the old drunk tank and jail yard have gone full plot-twist as bars and event spaces.

It’s the rare hotel where the backstory does half the marketing for you.

Features:

Where?

Melbourne

State

Victoria

Who we recommend it for

Couples and design-curious travellers after a genuinely unusual stay who'd rather talk about their hotel's history than its thread count.

Bedrooms

Your room? Five merged prison cells – though you’d never guess it. Bluestone walls and original barred windows meet plush carpets, white linens, and a freestanding stone bath.

Nightly deliveries of fortified wine and handcrafted chocolates arrive with your rainfall shower and designer toiletries.

The king bed, 55-inch Smart TV, espresso machine, and stocked minibar bring the suite firmly into the present, while soundproofed windows let you watch Melbourne unfold in total quiet.

Slip into your bathrobe and take it all in – the only bars you’ll find here now are mixing your evening cocktail.

Things to do nearby

The Interlude isn’t just a hotel – it’s a full-blown wellness sanctuary where you can…

• Float in an underground pool carved from bluestone and basalt
• Melt under expert hands during a candlelit massage
• Sketch with the resident artist, channeling your inner creative
• Master the art of tea blending in a grand atrium
• Sample rare wines with the resident sommelier from a 500-label cellar

Ned Kelly was once an inmate of Pentridge Prison (source). Now you can start your evening in the Reflection Garden (formerly an exercise yard) with the “Story of Place” welcome.

Sip a Victorian red by the fireplace while learning about daring escapes and the prison’s hand-built heritage.

It’s fascinating without being morbid – The Interlude strikes the perfect balance between acknowledging its past and creating a serene present.

Food and drink

North & Common, set in the prison’s former mess hall, handles breakfast through dinner with a modern Australian menu worth the hat it’s earned.

For something more casual, BrewDog Pentridge is a short walk for beers, and Sydney Road has everything from shawarma to a proper local coffee fix.

When the mood turns cinematic, Olivine’s wine list makes a fitting warm-up act before Palace Pentridge next door.