claire_c

Hi,

I will touch down in Melbourne airport around 1am. I would like to know is it better to find an accommodation near to airport or straight head to city? If near to airport, any cheap accommodation for recommendation? And where to stay if in city?


Thank you in advance!

tasmangirl

How long are you in Melbourne for?
I'd head to the city as it's only about 20 minutes away. We stayed at the Ibis near the Queen Victoria Market but that was a few years ago. Ibis is usually good and it had a nice restaurant.
My daughter stayed at Causeway Inn on the Mall in December 2015 as she wanted to be really close to the shops. Not 5 star luxury but clean and comfortable and a very good location.

marg

The Parkroyal is over a walkway from the airport (five minutes at the most), but it's not a budget hotel. I think we paid about $250 last time we stayed there, but it is extremely convenient and a very nice hotel. There is an Ibis hotel at the airport but you would need to walk to it - about 500m at a guess - and you may not want to be walking around in the dark.

If it were me, I'd take a taxi to a hotel in the city for the whole of my stay, rather than staying one night at one place and then moving to another.

KayF

I agree with the others, if you are staying in Melbourne for a few nights, then just head into the city. There is the Skybus to Southern Cross Station then a connecting hotel bus. Your other option is a taxi, there is no train. We stayed at City Tempo in the city for a few nights and it was fine, has a small kitchen and is close to Queen Vic Market for great food. City Tempo is just on the edge of the city, about 10 mins walk to the centre of the mall. We found the price reasonable for the city.

There is an Ibis hotel right at the airport which is the cheapest option. We stayed there overnight a few years ago and it worked well for us. We arrived late and our flight left very early the next morning. It's about a 10 min flat, paved walk from the terminal, watch for the signs as you walk along. The path does meander a bit and I was glad I wasn't on my own as it was dark and quiet once you leave the terminal but it was fine.

Kay

Diamantina

I don't know if the claire_c is looking at responses, but I should add that the Skybus free hotel transfer stops at 10:30 p.m. and earlier on the weekends so it won't work for her, as she's touching down at 1 a.m. I believe from about 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. the Skybus only leaves the airport every half hour. I agree a taxi would make more sense.
Here's the Skybus link:
https://www.skybus.com.au/
This is a link to the taxi fare estimator. There could be a surcharge after 1 a.m.
http://taxi.vic.gov.au/passengers/ta...fare-estimator

A couple of years ago, I touched down at Tullamarine at 10:30 p.m. on a Monday night. After passing through customs and duty-free, I left the airport at about 11:30 p.m., jumped on the Skybus, got off at Southern Cross Station about 20 minutes later and then flagged down a taxi to my hotel, which was also City Tempo. I was traveling solo.

I've stayed in a Studio Apartment with Balcony at City Tempo a couple of times (big enough for a single person). I agree it's a great location, close to QV market, a block from tram lines, close to shops, restaurants, and a 10- to 15-minute walk to Federation Square.

Claire_c, whatever you do, make sure you make arrangements with your hotel for a late check-in. Some smaller hotels might not staff their front desks/receptions after 1 a.m.

claire_c

Hi All,

Thank you so much for the input. I'm really appreciate for the comments that you guys have given.

fdrtechteam

Fodor's Tech Team Test reply.