I am planning a weekend trip to Sydney at the beginning of August. At the moment, I am looking to stay at either the Westin, the Observatory or the W Sydney? It would be a great if someone can help me choosing. Thanks.

I have only stayed at the Westin - but found it to be a top class hotel. <BR>Large sparkling clean rooms and bathrooms, excellent breakfast etc. <BR>The hotel is situated in the centre of the city which makes sightseeing trips to Circular Quay, Darling Harbour etc. very easy. <BR>There have also been positive reports on the other two hotels on this Forum.

Unless your highest priority is a view (in which case I would recommend the Park Hyatt or the Regent), my vote for the best hotel in town would be the Observatory--located on a quite street in the Rocks, the rooms are spectacular and the service is impeccable. While the W and Westin are both supposed to be very nice, I think service wise the Observatory is likely to be a in class of its own. The Park Hyatt is very nice but quite pricey given the rooms and the Regent is very large but quite specactular as well. I have also heard that the ANA is a nice hotel but my vote would still be the Observatory.

Hi Edgara - <BR> <BR>I have stayed at the Westin & the W. The Westin is more centrally located than the W (which I think is in Wollomooloo - exc. the spelling). Depends on if you have visited Sydney before and what you are looking for....the W is ultra trendy, and has a great bar. The whole place is just - well, groovy. The Westin (as Prue said)has great rooms (see if you can get one in the older part of the building - higher up the better) and the floor level/basement has shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Can't comment on the Observatory.

hi edgare <BR>the w hotel is on an amazing finger wharf but feels very modern and a bit like a nightclub as you walk in, but very 'funky' if thats what you want, still a bit of a walk if you want to go into the city (15-20min walk). the westin feels nice, right on martin place which and down the road from all the shops at pitt street mall, so you're in the guts of the frantic city streets, apparently ther beds r amazing and its a very new hotel. the observatory is in the rocks - a really charming part of old sydney, down near circular quay, right next to the 'irish pub' scene, the hotel is old style but very grand, on a quiet street and in an accessible area, if I had to choose on any of these I would probably go for observatory for access to a great part of the city (the rocks) and the health spa and amazing pool, westin if I wanted the amazing beds with a view of the cityscape and the w for the vibe, loft style rooms and great character (old shipping dock/wharf) as well as the great water view you can get from the rooms which r nice as well.

My wife and I just returned from Sydney a couple of days ago and stayed at the Sir Stamford at Circular Quay (formerly the Ritz Carlton). I cannot say enough about the quality of hotel. Everything was top notch. The location is great - 2 minute walk to Circular Quay, 5 minutes to the Rocks, and 5 minutes to the Opera House. Opt for a Club level room, which is not much more expensive but offers lots of amenities like five food buffets daily. We walked to the Observatory Hotel and found it very similar to the Sir Stamford but a little further away.

Winston- <BR> <BR>We've been thinking about staying at the Sir Stamford. It looks really great! I was wondering since you said it was top notch if you stayed in a suite. We'd plan to stay in one of the more standard rooms, i think they're called superior or the deluxe rooms (the deluxe being better) Are these rooms still really nice? Also since its going to be 2 adults with two teens will we be cramped? Thanks.

Jen, <BR> <BR>We loved the Sir Stamford. Not only is it a luxury boutique hotel that maintains the high standards of its former company, Ritz-Carlton, but the concierge staff was great to arrange tours, dinner reservations, etc. and the location really cannot be beat. Also, the place is rather small and intimate, so we really felt like we had the place to ourselves. We stayed in a "regular" room on the Club Level. The room was huge: king size bed, marble bathroom with double vanity, separate shower, separate tub, sofa, sitting chairs, etc. I am sure you could get the same room with 2 double beds. I do not think 4 people would get in each other's way in a standard room. Our package on the Club floor included free hot breakfast and it only cost around US$180 (including taxes) per night. The Club level is very nice with a large lounge and free drinks and five buffets daily. Because it is so centrally located, it was easy to sometimes swing back by the hotel in between activites for something to drink and a light lunch or high tea. Hungry teenagers would love it. Let me know if you have any other questions about Sydney. We also stayed at Lizard Island and in the Daintree rainforest.