riccardoap

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out which would be the best option of hotels to stay in Sydney. We'll be on our honey moon and expect to know some of the most famous places in Sydney. If possible we would like to stay in a place that has restaurants nearby and easy to get to some public transportation.
The hotels we are looking at are:
- Marriot (on Pitt Street)
- Four Seasons
- The Meridien
- Radisson
- Old Sydney Holliday Inn
- Quay West Suites
- The Russell Hotel
- Four Points
- Grace Hotel

I would realy appreciate if someone could give some information about these hotels, like if they are clean and tidy and in good shape, as well as if they offer good service.

Thanks!

prue

If you have not already done so I would suggest you do a Search at the top of the page for Sydney Hotels - as just about all the hotels you list have been discussed frequently on this Forum - and you will find lots of useful information about them.

wlzmatilida

Riccardoap,

Marriotts, Radisson, Four Seasons, etc are all "chain" type hotels, so you should be able to ascertain the type of hotel you'd be finding (the Four Seasons is wonderful). Take the Russell off your list - not honeymoon material. The Grace is great, especially if you're an Art Deco fan. In addition to the wonderful Quay West, I'd add the Quay Grand too.

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

LN

In my humble opinion Quay West is one of the best apartment hotels in Sydney and, I believe, it is five-star.

We were there for our anniversary and they took such wonderful care of us. Our one bedroom apartment was on the 24th floor and we had a balcony looking out from the bedroom atr the Bridge and a balcony looking from the living room to the Opera House.

The food, service, and care we received while there was first rate to us. And we'll never forget this truly great honeymoon!!

RKM

I am staying at the Quay Grand (Melodie mentioned it below) in October and will let you know (What is your timeline for booking?) I am also familiar with the Four Seasons chain and you cannot go wrong with cleanliness,luxury and service. They are nearly infallible in this. I will try to pay attention to its location. Check the Four Seasons website and also travelmall.com. Four Seasons had been running an amazing four night "romance" special about a month ago.

Alan

RKM won't be able to help "paying attention to the location" of the Quay Grand, as it's about a hundred and fifty metres from the Opera House, twenty metres from the water, and looks straight at the Harbour Bridge and the Rocks, with only the ferries in between! Of course, that's the front door.... not sure what the rooms out the back will look at. The Quay West is on the other side of the harbour and is much taller, so you have the potential there to see far down the main harbour.... but the Quay Grand wins hands down when it comes to stepping outside and looking around you. Of course, all these great views come with a hefty price tag, but, if that's what you want, I don't think any of the ones you've mentioned will disappoint you. I must say a word, however, in favour of the Russell, which was dismissed by an earlier post as "not honeymoon material".... since I always feel like I am an unwitting actor in some kind of drama for which I am paying when I stay in one of those "chain" hotels where everything is practised right down to the last gesture to make the customer feel like a king, but nothing ever seems real or genuine, I would choose the Russell FIRST on your list, no hesitation. It's a charming old place, a real Australian building about 150 years old, with high ceilings, thick walls, and a rather laid-back attitude to its clientele (one American lady wrote in to this forum once in some outrage when she found there that no one offered to carry her bag from the check-in desk to her room.... Janese, one of our regulars, who is well in touch with the Aussie character, suggested that she might have asked!)Aussies are not impolite, I assure you... they just treat everyone as equals, and the idea of scraping and bowing and then holding out their hand for a tip doesn't come naturally to us. The Russell knows this, and is, therefore, a great choice for anyone who wants an experience that is more Australian than "international".

riccardoap

Hi! First of all thanks a lot for all the answers you posted. They're really helping us out to figure out which should we choose.

RMK, we will be in Sydney from October 8th till 13th, but we will try to decide till the end of this week (actually we are already kind of short of time...)

I was reading my own post and I think maybe I haven't been so clear about what I value most on a hotel. I guess people weigh differently the hotel characteristics and this may be cause of a lot of misunderstanding, cause sometimes people are seeing things through different perspectives.

Well, what we are looking for in a hotel in Sydney is:

- Safety
- Cleanliness
- Comfort (not necessarily luxury)
- Location (nice views are desired but not necessary. It's nice to be able to go walking to places and to be in a friendly neighborhood or a place with nice restaurants and places to go)
- Being well kept (this is sometimes subjective and mixed with comfort and cleanliness but what I really don't like are those places that feel like they are declining or worse, "expired". Those places that look like their time is over and no one that works there cares anymore)

Large chains offer less risk in a decision, but normally they lack charm and personality, which is nice to have. For this specific trip, as it is our honeymoon, I'm not willing to run many risks and that's why I've posted this message.

Well thanks again for your help guys!!!

mjs

I should note that the Four Seasons is our favorite "chain hotel" and while we were going to stay at the FS in Sydney this summer, we opted for the Grand Quay. We had a lovely one bedroom apartment with a full modern kitchen complete with washer and dryer and a good size bathroom with jacuzzi. Great location as noted above and nice staff. You can also get a good deal using the Sydney Entertainment book for 50% off. The FS is nice but this is much better than the jr suite at the FS and less expensive if you use the Ent book.

prue

If it is this month you are referring to I think you will find many of the hotels on your list are booked out owing to the World Cup -

Uncle_Mickey

I'm with Alan and understand your concerns. Put the Russel on your list but try and make sure you've got an interior room on Friday and Saturday nights if possible because of all the activity in the Rocks on those nights.

Everyone looks for different things in a hotel and the honeymoon angle doesn't really change that all too much.

You'll be fine with all that you have listed but I find that staying somewhere with a little character of the home country is exactly whey we travel. If I want a sense of home I'll stay home.

The Russell staff was everything I wanted them to be and I highly recommend them because of the location, the rooms, and the feeling I had while there.

Some of the larger hotels are close by but even a few blocks can make a difference. I loved the idea that we were a block away from the Quay, the Opera House, and the park. Look at the map of the area and you'll see what I mean.

Alan, you are exactly right in your comment about the Aussie people. I wanted to be treated like an equal, not a king. Made me feel like I'm welcome in Australia not that Prince Charles. Some people want the Prince Charles treatment and should go to a hotel that offers that style. It was this "freindship" not "royalty treatment" that I loved about your country.