travel4flowers

We have an overnight layover in Sydney before traveling on to Perth. We arrive around 7pm and depart at 9:30am. We are planning on staying at the airport. I'd like a recommendation for a hotel at the airport.

I've looked at wotif and direct websites. Currently I'm seeing the Ibis for $99, Mercure at $119 and Stamford at $145 (AUD). I'm leaning towards the Mercure. What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

di2315

Hi travel4flowers
We have stayed at the Ibis Airport - if you don't mind a small shower stall, and bed that reminds you of the firmness of a futon, then it's great value for money. Restaurant has perfectly adequate meals, and we had free transfers between hotel and airport.
Happy travels, Di

someotherguy

I stayed at the Mercure back when it was The Hilton. It had the most uncomfortable (soft) bed I've ever encountered in a chain hotel. I don't know how much refurbishment has taken place since the rebranding. In addition to the courtesy bus, it's within walking distance of the International Terminal (but the route is not obvious).

And I stayed at the Stamford back when it was the Sheraton. It was ok then, but a bit run down. Again, I don't know if they refurbished it on rebranding.

The Holiday Inn is the best of the airport hotels I've used. As an alternative to the courtesy bus (for which they charge 4 AUD) it's within walking distance of the Mascot train station. But if you are using the train, it's only two more stations into the Sydney CBD. The Ibis is a bit further along the same street at the Holiday Inn. I've not stayed at Ibis in Australia, but in Europe they are pretty basic (but then so is Holiday Inn in the USA).

AndrewDavid

we were comfortable at the Ibis a few years ago

Andrewdavid

Tassietwister

Even if you stay at an airport hotel you need a shuttle or taxi to get to the terminal.

I have recently stayed at a formule 1 for the first time. It is $84 per night near Sydney Airport if money saving is important. Very clean, very small, like being in ship's cabin. No coffee!! grrrrr.

jcasale

We stayed at the Holiday Inn and were pleased with the room. Large and comfortable. The rate you got for the Ibis is less expensive, but we were able to get a pretty decent rate for the Holiday Inn (I seem to recall about $120 AUD). Interesting note on the shuttle. They didn't charge us for pickin gus up at the airport to go to the hotel, but they did charge us $4 (AUD) to take us back.

Karen246

Holiday Inn is my choice, I actually stay at this hotel quite a bit when I come back from NZ on business and then catch a domestic first thing in morning - try and get a room that looks out over the airport runaway - no noise but lights are pretty and from some rooms you can see over the water. Food ok - would skip the IBIS - cheap and nasty. Stamford - very tired looking

AndrewDavid

Ibis had free shuttle when we stayed there

AndrewDavid

scurry

Very helpful -- are any hotels actually connected to or close walking distance to the airport?

Or are they all shuttle ride away?

di2315

All hotels are a shuttle ride away - the airport is surrounded by freeways and wide highways, so even if you decided to try to walk it would be a dangerous venture!

LN

I always find Ibis to be a comfortable hotel with reasonable rates and their breakfast is pretty good too!

travel4flowers

I stayed at the Holiday Inn and it was fine. Clean, quiet, and pretty efficient. We had a good rate of $108AUS. The shuttle to the hotel is free. It is $4 to go back to the airport. We did make one mistake and that was to get the breakfast buffet the next day. It was fine but very expensive $25AUS. We probably would have been better off to eat at the airport before our flight but we were hungry.

lancefan

good of you to update on the decision!

scurry

OK -- now that I have completed my stay at the Ibis, I can file a trip report.

I have no complaints about the hotel room itself. It was comfortable although I did find the internet charge (50 AUD cents per minute) a tad high but not too unreasonable.

My problem was the shuttle bus. The leg from the airport to the hotel was free -- but they charged $5 to my hotel bill for the leg from the hotel back to the airport(!).

When I checked in at the front desk, they kindly asked me what time I need the shuttle in the morning. They left every 40 minutes so I chose the 9:30 a.m. shuttle so that I could make my 10:55 domestic Virgin Blue connection to Sunshine Coast.

Unfortunately, when the shuttle driver arrived at 9:30, he informed me that he only went to the international terminal & that I would have to wait another 40 minutes till the next shuttle to the domestic terminal!

Since I didn't have the time, I had to take a $9 taxi for the short 10-minute ride. (Of course I had to wait another 10 minutes to request a refund on my $5 hotel bill.)

It was a minor inconvenience made worse by my jet lag -- I certainly expected it to be easier.

I would stay at the Ibis again, but I would recommend that fellow travellers make sure to clarify the shuttle policies ahead-of-time in order to avoid mis-understanding and missed flights.