donnaduemmel

I would love to stay near the water( like Th eRocks) area, but I am finding it is out of my budget for myself,husband and 2 teen girls. Are there any places convenient to transportation and safe/We hope to not spend more than $ 100 US dollars.We will be there 3 nights June 1 .
Thanks

Peteralan

Firstly , can you advise what hotels you have researched in the area already?
I unfortunately don't think you will find anything near the water for $100 US.I assume you mean with a view of the water?

donnaduemmel

I am not necessarily interested in a view, since we will be out/about most of the time( in the day anyway). But we know we will spend many days walking the bridge, taking a harbour cruise, going along the Rocks,etc. was uncertain whether the extra $ would be worth it to stay there, since we would be spending $ on transport to get there.
thanks!!

Alan

Hi, donnaduemmel!

Check this website:www.palisadehotel.com/. This hotel is about seventy metres from the well-regarded Lord Nelson Brewery, and, while this is much less "swank", it boasts something the Lord Nelson can't offer -- views of the Harbour Bridge on one side, and views of Darling Harbour on the other. It's an old sailors' hotel, and you may just think it's a bit down-market for you, which is why I suggest you check the website first. But, for my money, it is so full of character that it would be my number one choice if ever I had to find accommodation in my own city (but I like it a bit rough, and I always feel mortified if I'm in one of those places where someone waits on me). At $AUD115 a double, with a balcony and a view, it comes out at -- what-- about seventy five US dollars for two people, which is more than you were hoping, but it's right there in the Rocks. If you want something even cheaper, you could try the Grand in Hunter St, where I think you can have a quad for around $AUD130 (even though they have recently gone under new management, so the prices may have taken a hike since I was down that way). It's not in the Rocks, but it's only a seven minute walk, and it's well-located right near the Wynyard Subway. It's a far nicer building than the Palisade, even though I think the Palisade would be more of an experience. The Grand has a website also -- a very complicated URL which I can't look up for you right this minute (as I am not at my usual "station"... but I typed it into Fodors only about three weeks ago, so searching above may turn it up for you.

Can't think of anything else near the water that would suit you -- the Napoleon-on-Kent apartments are about ten minutes' walk, but the area is not terribly pleasant (the building, I kid you not, is actually under the freeway!), so try this only as a last resort. Good luck!

alice13

Do you mean 100usd per night for one room/apartment to sleep 4? That would be impossible probably anywhere in inner Sydney. If you mean 100usd per room and would take 2 rooms then things change. There are pubs in the CBD/fringes of Darling Harbour that might fit that criterion. But those in the DH area would not be close to a lot of public transport options. Alan is the expert on pubs and with luck he will drop by.

Otherwise - have you thought of staying at a hostel? There are a few places where you and hubby could take a double (tho not necessarily with private bathroom) and the girls could take a bed in a dorm (which they might enjoy!)

Alan

Hi, again!

I found the Grand website for you: http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/E/V/...2/99/15/1.html (well, I told you it was a complicated URL!) This is the "safest" of the options for you, as this is a classy-looking building, and the only thing it fails in is that it's not (quite)in the Rocks or near the water. But I don't think you'd find the walk there very taxing! I'm just a little scared about the Palisade -- it looks just a bit like something out of that old MGM movie, "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Your two teen girls might not share my enthusiasm for old buildings and shady atmospheres!

Pauline

Another option is to check out b&b's. I stayed at this one last October and found the management very helpful & the location excellent for what I wanted to do.
http://www.cremornepointmanor.com.au/
You have to take a ferry over to Circular Quay but that was only a 10 minute trip and the ferry was only a 5 minute walk from the b&b or 10 minutes via the 'scenic' route. They have a family unit (2 rooms) from AUD160 to 200. Just another suggestion.

fivestargirl

Hi donnaduemmel,

The IBIS on Darling Harbour is a very good Hotel.

The hotel does not include all the bells and whistles of a five star ( my favourites but it is very comfortable and modern.

You will be able to obtain a room with a view of Darling Harbour for around $165.00 AUD per night.

This equates to 115.00 US. I realise you asked for a hotel for $100 US per night however if you are able to stretch that little bit more you will secure a very clean modern well run
hotel in the middle of Darling Harbour.

If you take a room with out the Harbour view you should pick it up for around $140.00 AUD per night.

The IBIS is an accor hotel.

At the other end of the spectrum you can have the CB Hotel in the middle of the city for around $30.00 AUD per night.

The Sydney Central YHA on the corner of Pitt St and Rawson Ave,in the City
costs around $27 AUD multi share.

This hostel is very well equipped with tour desk, pool, tv library, sun deck etc.

Contact details: telephone +61 2 9281 9111, fax +61 2 9281 9199

fsg

Mucky

Hi donnaduemmel,
How about the Waldorf apartments on Liverpool st.
http://www.waldorf-apartments-hotel-sydney.com.au/
Reasonable location and price.
Although not certain if you could get an apartment for less than US$100
It may be worth a look though.
Muck

Alan

The suggestions (above) re hostels might just be overlooking the fact that, in some cities (strangely enough, I don't know if it's true in my "own" city) their rates, cheap though they may be, are strictly per person, so you'd end up, for a family of four, paying more than you would for a decent room in a place where they charge by the room. There are numerous hostels around the grotty end of town, where the aforementioned CB Hotel resides (looking seedier every year, but I noted recently that the rather-cheap prices on the painted sign on the building don't match the prices at the desk), but I really wouldn't see them as a viable alternative for you when there are better places for similar prices. The Cremorne Point Manor was mentioned above, and my comment about this is "wow!" I didn't suggest it earlier because I had no idea rooms there could be had so cheaply -- the last post about it at Fodor's spoke of rooms over $AUD200 per night (and that, if memory serves, was for two people). But if you can get a room here within your budget, I think you'd be delighted. It's a grand old house in a lovely suburb across the harbour, and you get to the city by regular ferry (about ten minutes). I think the poster who suggested it got a very good bargain, and I would urge you to follow this one up (but don't be too disappointed if you find that the prices have gone up). I, for one, am grateful that you initiated this post, as I am finding out some interesting facts about Sydney bargains -- as, I am sure, is everybody else. The people who think you have to pay about two hundred American dollars for a room here don't realise that you can get a motel room in the suburbs for $AUD65. We are not an expensive city, and now that the Aussie dollar is starting to go down again (please, God, don't let it hit 47c US like it did a couple of years ago!) it should even more appeal to the budget-conscious American (which, I guess, is you). Hope you find something you like among all the above!

Pauline

Donnaduemmel,
After reading Alan's comments, I will comment further, re the Cremorne Point Manor
When we (husband & I) stayed there last October, I paid AUD175.00 a night for the "harbour view" queen bed, room. That was the room rate. A minimum 3 nights accommodation was charged then, as it was during the Rugby World Cup period. The 'harbour view' was minimal but the location of this establishment was extremely convenient. I don't live in Sydney and if I can find accommodation that doesn't require me driving anywhere in the city, I jump at at. Usually I would stay with one of our sons but he has moved to Melbourne...

donnaduemmel

thanks to all for this advice! What am adventure. My husband and I are flexible,but we wanted to make sure we stayed in a safe rea of town as we will be with the kiddies.And being that we have never been there, did not want to go "cheap and get what we paid" for!!If we saty in Darling Harbour, is that close by to transportation and such???

pat_woolford

Hi Donna, Sorry to stick my nose in from up here in Cairns but most of my guests come via Sydney and a few have stayed at, and recommended Cathy Lesslie B&B, an old terrace house in Glebe about 3km SW of Sydney. Double rooms are AUD$90 which includes a full breakfast of fresh orange juice, croissant and bacon and eggs - so if you took 2 rooms it would come to less than US$130 and saves breakfast costs for 4. www.homepages.ihug.com.au/~toxnet/bb

Alan

You are getting a lot of good advice! That Glebe option sounds nice also -- I always think that Glebe is a suburb I wouldn't mind living in.

If I were you, I wouldn't follow-up the Darling Harbour option. There are certain times of the year when Darling Harbour isn't bad at all -- in January, for instance, there are a lot of activities going on there -- but June is not much of a month for that area, and while it's not in any sense of the word "remote", it's somewhat limited as far as transport goes (some of the hotels are served by the ultra-expensive monorail or the equally-overpriced tram system (referred to nowadays as the "light rail&quot-- if your teenagers are crazy about the Powerhouse Museum, the Maritime Museum, the Aquarium, and the Imax Theatre, then go for it, but, otherwise, do the Rocks or Cremorene or Glebe and see the "real" Sydney -- Darling Harbour is really just a US imitation, a bit like mini-Las Vegas only without the bizarre-ness that makes Las Vegas at least entertaining, in a horrifying kind of way.

uandme

Our family stayed at Darling harbour and had a great time.

We thought the rocks area was ok for a quick wander in the morning .
But how many refurbished buildings can children be expected to learn about in one holiday.

As far as the children were concerned Darling harbour was the place.
Boats, Restaurants, Museums, Bars , Fun.

Darling Harbour was a fun place for the all of us.

We found the rocks to be interesting for a little bit of very recent history. But just a little drab and dreary for teenagers to stay.
As for the real Sydney the above poster is talking about we found that as well.

We found it with a taxi driver who could not or would not speak English.
We paid him for a 1 hour drive around the city to show us the real city on our way in from the airport.
He took us to Redfern.
That was a hoot.
Now you won?t have any one wanting to wander around there during the night.

And Kings Cross.
Now there?s an eye opener for kids.
We found most of the people we met in Sydney were from an other part of the world and had problems with english.

Not sure if we even met an Australian.
The restaurants are good but very expensive.

The harbour bridge and the Opera house are of course very exciting to see.
Manly is an over crowded beach suburb and Bondi is a place to go to be fleeced as is the rocks.
The Olympic Stadium is well worth a look. The blue mountains was beautiful but very crowded.

Sydney harbour is lovely to look at.
We took a jet boat ride up the Parramatta river from Darling Harbour.
That was great.
In hindsight we should have stayed in Sydney three days not the five we stayed.

Next time I would certainly spend more time in country coastal areas or in the out back.

us.

Peteralan

Darling Harbour would be interesting to stay but the transport will largely involve monorail. This gets you to town fairly quickly but could be expensive if you want to do it regularly. It is within walking distance (maybe half an hour or so) from the city but that depends on how you feel about walking.

donnaduemmel

thanks for the super advice!! Every family is different, s I guess you have to look at all the factors. We are not fancy, we love meeting/being with locals and we want to be safe. i also do not want to spend alot of $ in transportation, which is why I had thought of the harbour areaa. I am having fun researching and feel like I know so much more than what I started this!! I also have loved " talking" to my new faraway frieinds!!
G'day...Donna

donnaduemmel

the b&b in Glebe sounds wonderful. Would transport into the city be expensive??

Peteralan

Not really ...about $2.60 I think but for a longer stay buy a weekly ticket for unlimited rides on bus, train,ferry.It's about $30 Australian.

craiginowensound

You may want to consider Coogee Beach Crowne Plaza Hotel. We (a family of four) are booked there in mid August for two nights, at a price of $140 per night. You are on a beach, and in a safe area, but may have to work to get transit downtown. Airport is fairly accessible, however, and this is at the end of our trip. I spent a long time researching Sydney accommodation, and found it very difficult to find a room for a family of four. Good luck on your search. You may want to try wotif.com for cheaper last minute rates.