WildRedDeb

Hubby & I are making our first trip to Sydney. We are looking for a quiet & safe hotel, king/queen bed, 24 front desk, under $150AUD unless it offers full breakfast than we would go up to $175AUD.

Do you have any that you would recommend?

Currently looking at these 3. Has anyone stayed at them?

Holiday Inn Darling Harbour

Park Regis

Maestri Tower

Deb

[email protected]

carolll

Debbie:
We returned a couple of days ago from a lengthy trip, including 4 nights in Sydney where we stayed at the Blacket Hotel. I don't remember the exact price, but it wasn't very expensive and the price did include a good breakfast.
The Blacket is small, very well located in the downtown district, and quite chic. Check it out!
Carol

Alan

All three would be safe, but none of them is in what you'd call a "quiet" area. The Holiday Inn Darling Harbour would probably be the noisiest, and in the least desirable area... trust the Holiday Inn people to choose a name that shows their hotel in the best possible light (never mind the truth!) It's NOT in Darling Harbour, though, to be sure, it is far nearer to Darling Harbour than it is to Sydney Harbour! It's in Chinatown, and it's opposite the ugly Sydney Entertainment Centre. It woould be the first one of the three to discard.

Maestri Tower is fairly new and glitzy... as well as hotel rooms, you can buy units (condominiums) there -- they advertise widely to the Hong Kong/China/Malaysia clientele with a lot of money to spend and a liking for Australia's investment opportunities, as it is also on the edge of their favoured Chinatown.. the location is better than the Holiday Inn, but only by a three-minute walk.

Which leaves the Park Regis, which is much older than the other two and not nearly as swank a building. It's been around since the sixties or seventies (whereas the other two have only been around since lunch time, so to speak).
If you looked at photos of Maestri and Park Regis side by side, I think you'd go for the Maestri in a moment. But the Park Regis is as well-located as the others are badly-located! It's a block from the Sydney Town Hall and the beautiful Queen Victoria Building. It's almost opposite Hyde Park. It's only minutes away from the subway station, and even closer than that to the Monorail which services Darling Harbour. It's another block from the best shopping area in Sydney, the Pitt St Mall, and a few minutes walk to the George St entertainment strip. And -- unlike the other two -- it's not at the bottom of a hill, so you don't have to walk uphill every time you want to see something.

But, just so you don't think this is a shoo-in for the Park Regis, I have to say that I recall someone a couple of years ago on this site complaining that his room there was very small and plain. I guess that thread has long since disappeared, but there may be a few others still hanging around, so you might be wise to do a search (above).

I guess I've confused you more than I've helped, but, at least, you'll proceed with the knowledge that the Holiday Inn Darling Harbour is just "towards" Darling Harbour, so I guess that information is better than nothing!

Neil_Oz

Searched on "Park Regis" and from a 2001 trip report got this: "Park Regis - a very basic hotel but good location. About an easy 15 minute walk to Circular Quay, a block from the Queen Victoria Building. Staff was very pleasant."

prue

We stayed at the Park Regis about 4 years ago - and found it to be an excellent location but tiny room and as we were on the street front, very noisy. However, since then I think it has been mentioned several times on this Forum and anyone who has stayed there has been reasonably pleased.
My son and daughter in law stayed at the Maestri last year and apart from being stuck in the lift for 2.5 hours were very pleased with both the hotel and the location. Once again it has been mentioned on this Forum quite recently.

WildRedDeb

Thanks for feedback. I have reseached and read some older post and am wondering if a service apt wouldn't be better! We could careless on amenties/hotel name as long as it is quiet, comfortable and in a safe area at the end of the day.

The only reason I was going with Darling Harbour/Hyde Park area was other areas seem out of our price range.

With that said, does anyone have any apts they would recommend (any area)?

We are planning on doing our own thing using the http://www.seesydneycard.com/.

Deb
Wheelers Hill, VIC
[email protected]

Alan

Neil, that poster who said that Circular Quay was an easy fifteen-minute walk from the Park Regis must have either been Kathy Freeman or Godzilla! It's at least twenty-five, and thirty would be "normal" speed.

It looks like the small rooms at the Park Regis are a "given". This wouldn't bother me in the slightest, with that location, but I guess some people would be "put out" by this.

Deb, there are some cheap serviced apartments in Kent Street, just up from the Rocks, a very good location, and you would actually come in under your budget... I think this place has rooms for around $AUD130 a night (certainly that's true on www.wotif.com). I am referring to the Napoleon-on-Kent, which I often hesitate to recommend because of its bizarre POSITION (as opposed to its general location): it's been built under the freeway! I swear to you that you could stand on the roof of the Napoleon with a long-handled broom and tap out morse code messages to the cars driving above you. The first time I saw it I was aghast, but I guess for people who are only going to the rooms to sleep, what does it matter? You will be just across the road from an entrance to Wynyard Subway, a block from the much-more-expensive Observatory Hotel, and ten minutes walk from the Rocks and Circular Quay, via the "back" road, Kent Street, which, down that end, looks very much like it looked a hundred years ago. An interesting part of Sydney. And there's extra money in your pocket for the sighseeing you came to do. But be prepared to faint when you first see the building!(Your photos of it, however, will make a great talking point when you get back home.... and the standard of the building itself is just fine... I am sure the spartmnents are quite nice.)

tignard

Hello,

We were in Sydney 2 years ago and stayed at Holliday Inn in the rocks. IMO, it is a very good value. We payed no more than 180$ for two including a buffet breakfast. Take advantage of their internet rates.

For sure, it is not a typical australia hotel but the location was great. This year, we returned to Sydney but we do an Home Exchange!!! Hope it helps you.

Oliver

WildRedDeb

Thanks again to all, especially Alan. Looking at a Map of Sydney I believe the Kent Street area would meet our needs for quiet and safe. I will let you know where I end up. Have it narrowed down to the Napoleon-on-Kent or 2 of the AEA apts in that area.
http://www.aea1.com.au/home.htm. I leaning more toward the AEA since they have a 24 hour Concierge.

Deb
Wheelers Hill, VIC

albaaust

Well just looked at this post and I have to say we loved being at the Holiday Inn Darling Harbour. We walked everywhere from there! Yes, it was close to Chinatown but that is where we ate! We walked into the city and from there we could catch the subway to other destinations so it was very convenient.Yes, it was opposite a rather ugly building but who looks at the view? We did not notice any noise. The room we stayed in was very nice. I booked it on the net and got a good deal .. from memory about $150 but that was a superior room.