nevermind

To help with accommodation/dining expenses we are considering booking a self catering unit for part of our trip to Australia in August/September. We've only booked a self catering a few times (not in Australia), with mixed results. One place was awful, although it looked wonderful in the advertising. The others have been o.k.

Is there any rating system that can help us determine the quality of the places I've found on the internet, so that we don't run into too much disappointment? We like fairly upscale accommodations, which I know would still be somewhat expensive, but hopefully less so than an excellent hotel.

Also, while I'm at it, can anyone suggest a good location for a self catering? We'd like a good base for day trips and exploration. We're easily amused, quiet, and happy just to drive around... We would like to see some of the wildlife Australia is so famous for.

Right now the regions we are considering are the Sydney area, Uluru, and Queensland. We are, however, still in the research (my head is spinning...) and planning stage, with the exception of our flights, which have already been booked.

Your suggestions will be most welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. Would it be crazy to attempt to drive to/from Uluru? We've thought about flying in and out, flying in, then hiring a car (if possible) and driving to Queensland, or driving in from Sydney and driving on to Queensland. I know Australia is huge, but just don't have a sense of how difficult this would be.

DownUnder

You will probably get many opinions on this one. Self catering apartments that I can recommend from personal experience are Medina Apartments. They have excellent apartments in most cities (of course not Uluru) and their website is www.medina.com.au
The drive from Sydney to Brisbane is a great drive. I haven't driven to Cairns, but I am sure there are plenty of posters who have considering the great places e.g. Noosa and the Sunshine Coast to visit along the way. Sydney to Cairns is a fair distance so allow plenty of time. I would never consider driving to Uluru from either Sydney or anywhere in Qld. This is the Outback and you require experience and good preparation to attempt it. If you want to drive to Uluru first fly to Alice Springs and hire a car there, but I would suggest flying to Uluru from Cairns or Sydney.

angelnot1

There are plenty of options at all price levels. Living in Sydney I can mainly comment on my city.

I find that in Australia people tend to say "serviced apartments" rather than self catering apartments. If you google 'serviced apartaments Sydney cbd' you will get a great response.

At the higer level of excellence you might try Quay West Suites in the Rocks area of Sydney. There were some good reviews on this site so try a search - can get great views of the harbour.

Another option you might consider is the so called last minute booking places eg www.lastminute.com and www.wotif.com
The wotif in particular shows you the rating of hotels and apartaments.
and of course you can get a great price if you are prepare to wait with your booking until about 3 or so weeks before.

I noticed the Merition Towers whch is the tallest serviced apartments building in Sydney had deals for $ AUD 289 for a three bedroom, full kitchen,laundry,2 bathrooms with spa plus use of level 61 gym, pool and sauna. My friend booked a one bedroom apartment, for which obviously the price would have been lower, to surprise his wife on her birtday and they loved it.

If you don't want to stay right in the cbd there are also plenty of choices on the beaches and further out in the suburbs

have fun

angelnot1

ooops- that is meriton

Bokhara

"Quest" and "Saville" are two other groups which have self catering/serviced apartments throughout the major cities.

As others have noted, Wotif.com.au" is an excellent resource. It rates the properties - any "self rated" are noted.
Also try Google.I just googled "serviced apartments Sydney" and there are lots.

Including this one which looks interesting: http://www.furnishedproperties.com.au/

I ususally stay in serviced apartments rather than hotels if I'm away for more than a day or two - more room, less $ and, best of all, no "housekeeping" every 5 minutes (LOL).

travel4flowers

We frequently stay in rentals when we vacation and we found the units in Australia to be excellent. We tend to like the more modern units with European design. We visited Western Australia and September and stayed in units around $200-$300AU that were very nice especially since it was off-season. We didn't stay in one in Sydney but I would definitely next time.

We stayed at the Sebel Residence in Perth which is part of the same Mirvac family as the Quay West Suites - www.mirvachotels.com.au. Very well equipped and an excellent location. It was a train stop away from downtown but on a lovely inlet on the Swan River.

We also booked self-catering units in Albany and Margaret River. In Albany, we got a two bedroom unit at Balneaire www.balneaire.com.au. It was a little large for us (couple) but still very nice. It was a little cool in September but they had wood burning stoves and every evening they brought by wood and firestarter.

In Margaret River, we stayed at the place I loved the most - The Hilltop Studio www.hilltopstudios.com.au. It was the best. Plus being off season, we stayed two nights and got the third night free.

All the units came with TV, CD, DVD, Full kitches. Two had nice spa baths and two had laundry facilities.

nevermind

Thank you for your responses. We've been "on the road" for the past few days, with limited internet access. As soon as I get home, I'll look into the suggestions that have been made.