The silly season is killing me.

The drinking, the lack of sleep and the failure to eat anything larger than a 50c piece at parties means that I am turning from a normal human into a canape-eating zombie. The bags under my eyes need porters.

It was an immense relief when I checked into VIBE North Sydney last Friday night. It was quiet. There was a bath. There was a flatscreen TV and a new Marie Claire.

Room 1001 was not especially flash; I get the feeling this hotel caters to business travellers rather than luxury-seeking trollops such as myself.

Nonetheless, it was clean and, in a major bonus, a glittering Lavender Bay view revealed itself when I peeked around the black-out curtains.

The real benefits become evident in the morning. The curve restaurant breakfast room is enormous and the buffet is pleasantly generous. There are just two things that I insist upon, come Saturday morning: 1) good quality coffee and, 2) the Sydney Morning Herald Weekender.

To my pedantic delight, there were enough papers for everybody, meaning that I didn’t have to go begging for the Good Weekend or read the Drive or Sport section in curmudgeonly dismay. There was also bottomless self-serve coffee out of one of those push-button machines. I thought it would be crap but it wasn’t. I had two goes.

And again, there is the view and the pool with the view and the proximity to the view. Wendy Whiteley’s garden is just around the corner, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is an engagement ring’s throw down the street and Kirribilli Markets, held on Sundays, are directly opposite.

If you’re planning a trip to Sydney between now and 29th January 2012, I recommend this sweet VIBE North Sydney deal, starting from $209 per night:

• Two nights accommodation
• A scrumptious free full buffet breakfast for two at curve cafe + bar
• A free Vibe towel – the ultimate poolside accessory for summer. I scored one of these towels and it’s very good quality.

To book the best online rates guaranteed, check out vibehotels.com.au

So what are you kids getting up to over Christmas and New Year? Will you be lounging around beside a pool or are you planning to do something fun like server maintenance?