Crystalbrook Vincent

Overview

Formerly known as The Fantauzzo, the Crystalbrook Vincent is an art-inspired hotel located beneath Brisbane's Story Bridge amid the fantastically buzzy Howard Smith Wharves. The site still pays tribute to world-renowned Australian painter and photographer Vincent Fantauzzo.

A winner of plenty of weighty prizes — the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Archibald Packing Room Prize, and the Archibald People's Choice Award a whopping four times — Fantauzzo has committed everyone from Heath Ledger and Matt Moran to Brandon Walters and Julia Gillard to his canvas.

Prepare to feast your eyes on six original artworks, plus 500 of his most recognised pieces, with reproductions gracing The Fantauzzo's walls.

Of course, given the location, that's not the hotel's only stunning sight. Built into the cliff bordering the CBD and Fortitude Valley, the $100 million site boasts one mighty fine view of the city and the Brisbane river, plus custom furniture and dark-toned interior decor that heroes concrete finishes, black glass, natural rock and timber.

The pool, overlooking the river, is a definite highlight. But if you manage to tear yourself away from the water, you're super close to the excellent Howard Smith Wharves precinct, which is home to a brewery, overwater bar and gorgeous Greek restaurant Greca. The art, the location and the design of the building all help make Crystalbrook Vincent one of Brisbane's best hotels.