TC

DH and associate will be in Melbourne on business in March. They would like a 2 bedroom/2 bath corporate apartment or condo rather than staying in a hotel. Their meeting is at the Hilton on Wellington Parade near the Fitzroy Gardens. Many apartments listed on the Internet but we are unfamiliar with locations or transportation options. Your help is needed.

Quite a few vacation rentals in the St. Kilda area near the Botanical Gardens. How would one travel between there and the Hilton? Would they need an auto or is public transportation easy? Quick?

Other options on Collins or Russell Streets more centrally located. These seem much closer when looking at a map, but are they within walking distance of the Hilton? Or would one take public transportation? Is public transport easy from this location? Is it just a taxi ride? Tram?

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

JoanneH

I have stayed at the Batemans Hotel on Collins:
http://www.batmanshill.com.au
all trams are just outside the door. It is a hotel but does have 1-2 bedroom apartments with min kitchens the IGA is across the street as is the train station.Bar eatery on ground floor Hotel in top stories,
Fair prices, not fancy simple clean no frills. I know you said no hotel but you might consider it they do have some good package deals on the apartments. St. Kilda is a about a 15-20 minute tram ride away depending on where you stay there.

martharap

We recently returned from a few days in Melbourne. We stayed in an apartment on St. Kilda Road across the street from the Botanical Gardens. Transportation is easy with trams running on St. Kilda road both into town and to St. Kilda.

You definitely do not want or need a car!

Trav_Eller

The Hilton is in East Melbourne, on the tramline from the city which continues on to Richmond just across the road from the MCG sports ground. I will copy the gist of an answer to a similar question on Melbourne Apartments I made in a different thread recently. Then I'll give some info on travel and distances in the following message.

Here are some links to check. I have always stayed in studio or one-bedroom apartments, so I never checked for two-bedroom but most have them. The list is not exhaustive; the asterisk means I've stayed there:

South Yarra:

Darling Towers*
http://www.darlingtowers.net.au/Sout...uth-Yarra.html
This is actually a booking agency for several different apartment buildings in South Yarra. We have used them twice; one excellent, one average, both inexpensive. Check the actual location on a map to see the distance to the Tennis Centre; I was there for the cricket and usually strolled to the MCG in about 20 minutes.

East Melbourne:

George Powlett*.
http://www.georgepowlett.com.au/
Very cheap, very basic but adequate, very close to the MCG and Tennis centre. But you get what you pay for, don’t expect frills. Probably the roughest of the apartments I’ve stayed at in Melbourne.

There are several others in that area that were more expensive and looked a bit nicer, but money was important at that time:
http://www.questeastmelbourne.com.au/
http://www.knightsbridgeapartments.com.au/
Google “East Melbourne serviced” to find more.

City: Medina*
http://www.medina.com.au/melbourne-a...FQTUbgod0m9NSg
Superb quality. Occasionally they have internet specials, either on that web-site or on their corporate toga site: http://www.togahotels.com.au/home/
The one-bedroom apartments are spacious but the studio apartments are effectively a cramped hotel room with a kitchenette. Quality and fittings are excellent in both.
I have stayed only in their Queen Street apartments but they have other locations as you will see on the web-site.

Carlton:
Swanston Street*
http://www.dinglepartners.com.au/ind...6&origin=gbase
That district of Carlton has a lot of apartments used as student accommodation for the Melbourne University and RMIT. January is part of their long break. Do some googling for “student accommodation” in Carlton and you may get some surprising discounts at that time of year. The quality will be as you would expect for student accommodation. Clean, basic, not brand new but very good for the price.

Cheers, Alan
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/

Trav_Eller

If it is essential that you stay within comfortable walk to the Hilton, then East Melbourne would be the best choice.

If a short, frequently serviced, tram ride is an acceptable commute then anywhere on the 48 or 75 tram line would suit. That is basically the Central Business District (which is a 10-15 minute pleasant walk if the weather is good) or Richmond and suburbs to the East.

Map: http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/m...m-network-map/

Don't confuse St Kilda and St Kilda Road. The former is a suburb 15-20 minutes by tram from the city, the latter is a major thoroughfare which links the suburb and the city. The botanical gardens are actually nearer (but not on) St Kilda Rd, and not far from the city, but quite a distance from St Kilda.

Additionally, staying near either of those would require a change of trams to reach the Hilton. However, subject to weather, it is a pleasant and reasonably short walk from the botanical gardens district, in South Yarra, to the Hilton.

A map of the inner suburbs: http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Doc...ps/citymap.pdf

If you want luxury and a central location, I'd go for the Medina or similar in the top end of the CBD.

Bokhara2

Have a look at wotif http://www.wotif.com/search/Advanced...4&viewType=all

There are a few just around the Hilton on the Park.


Note: When you're checking - make sure you enter Wellington Pde, not Wellington Street.

TC

I can not begin to thank you all enough! (Alan & Bokhara especially) Your stellar advice is greatly appreciated. I think DH had come to fancy the Medina on his own, so your punctuation of that idea is excellent. Thank you also for the travel information. I had downloaded several maps, but it is hard to judge distances or travel times on public transport. BTW-- what is the difference between a tram, a train? How would these compare to a subway or bus in the States? I read of a free circle tram in the CBD. Is that a bus to us?

Many thanks.

Bokhara2

A tram is light rail transport that travels along streets on metal tracks.

http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&sour...1042bfdceafadc

Here is a useful transport link:
http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/m...opolitan-maps/

Google has a great function for travel routes & distances. Just pull down the "Map" tag and go to "Get Directions". You can get directions & travel times for car and walking; kms and miles.