Miss Midgley’s – Drawing Room

So I stumbled across Miss Midgley’s last year when I was looking for something different in Brisbane – you know how most hotels feel like they were designed by the same committee? Well, this place is actually someone’s lovingly restored heritage home on James Street, and honestly, it feels more like staying with a cultured aunt who has impeccable taste and probably speaks three languages. The Drawing Room is exactly what it sounds like – a proper sitting room turned into accommodation, with original pressed tin ceilings and windows that let in this gorgeous filtered light through the jacaranda trees outside. I mean, the whole setup is pretty intimate since there are only a few rooms in the entire place, so you’re not dealing with crowds or that generic hotel vibe at all.

What really got me was how perfectly positioned it is in New Farm – and I don’t just mean “convenient location” nonsense, I mean you can literally walk to the Powerhouse markets on Saturday mornings (grab the best coffee and those little Portuguese tarts), then wander down to the river for the CityCat if you want to head into the city proper. The neighborhood itself is one of those pockets where actual Brisbane people live and work, not just tourists, so you’ll find yourself chatting with locals at the corner café or discovering that little wine bar tucked away on Brunswick Street. Parking was surprisingly easy too – there’s street parking right outside, and unlike some parts of Brisbane, you don’t need a PhD in parking meter technology to figure it out. The whole James Street strip has this relaxed weekend energy, especially around sunset when people are heading to dinner or just walking their dogs along the river.

The thing that really sealed it for me was the attention to detail without being fussy about it. The bed was actually comfortable (not just Instagram-pretty), the bathroom had proper water pressure, and there were these thoughtful touches like decent lighting for reading and enough power points that you don’t have to choose between charging your phone and using the kettle. Miss Midgley herself – well, I assume it’s her – clearly knows what real travelers need versus what looks good in photos. It’s quiet at night too, which surprised me given how close you are to everything. I think the thick walls and mature trees around the property create this little pocket of calm. Look, it’s not cheap, but it’s not trying to be – you’re paying for something genuinely special rather than just a place to sleep. If you want to feel like you’re experiencing Brisbane from the inside rather than just passing through, this is exactly the kind of place that makes a trip memorable instead of just convenient.