We'll be in Sydney for 6 nights at the end of September and I can't make a decision on our hotel. I could easily burn some Starwood points and stay at the Westin but other great deals abound: Four Seasons (former Regent)is available for US$135 and up. Le Meridien in a Royal Club room for US$120. ANA Grand for US$152. Sir Stamfor Circular Quay for US$140.<BR>With the Westin I'd be burning 10,000 points a night which is about equal to $200/nt so I'm thinking I'd be better off snatching one of the other good deals.<BR>Anyone have any opinions on the above properties?

Hi, RickK!<BR>I can't tell you what it's like to stay in any of these hotels, but I can tell you about their position. They are all very close together, around the Rocks/Circular Quay area, which is the best part of Sydney. The ANA is up a rather steep hill, so you will be doing a bit of climbing every time you go back to your hotel....but the views would probably be good. The Regent is closest to the water, and is really right at Circular Quay and the entrance to the Rocks, only a few steps away from the hotel I usually recommend to everyone, the Russell. Several people have written to this site praising its great views... it really is beautifully-located and was once probably the premier hotel of Sydney, where the visiting celebrities stayed.<BR>Sir Stamford is on the Botanical Gardens side of Circular Quay, and will probably have different views to the others... facing the eastern suburbs. The Le Meridien is about two blocks away from the water, which is probably why it's a bit cheaper, but, really, those two blocks are nothing. And there is the advantage that it is close to the main Wynyard subway and bus ramps, and near more "regular" (as opposed to the overpriced tourist shops around the Rocks)shopping centres. A regular writer to this forum, Liz, who is renowned for canny advice, always chooses the Menzies for location when she comes to Sydney, and the Le Meridien is right nearby.<BR>So, whatever you choose, I don't think you would be disappointed... certainly I think you are doing the right thing by NOT choosing the more-expensive Westin!

Alan, Rick,<BR><BR>I actually recommended the Russell Hotel to someone I knew, instead of someone on this message board recently. Because she was an acquaintance, I was a little nervous about the recommendation (having not stayed there myself). She loved it. It was good to hear that it's often recommended with good reason. <BR><BR>Rick, I stayed next door to the Ana Grand (at the B&B Sydney Harbour.) It is a bit of a climb up (I took a way where I climbed up different sets of stairs). But it's not bad. AND...after weeks of pigging out, I lost 5 pounds. Must have had something to do with those stairs!

Thanks for the info, folks. I've also heard that the Observatory would be an excellent choice, as well. Given it's name, would it be located at the top of a hill like the ANA?

I have stayed at both the Regent & the ANA. My preferencde is the ANA - the views are wonderful and the rooms are a lot larger than at the Regent. The hill isn't that bad and I usually really hate hills! One way to avoid it altogether is to take the escalator to the back entrance of Wynward station - particularly useful after shopping trips!

Hi again, RickK!<BR>Yes, the Observatory is up in the same area as the ANA, a little further into the "old" Sydney area, in Kent St....if I recall, a new building among a lot of hundred-year-old terraces, with views not to the Bridge but the other way, back to Darling Harbour or Walsh Bay. The last poster is quite correct, there are ways around the hill and stairs, and, honestly, it's nothing like, for instance, the hills of San Francisco! But as long as you are still uncommitted, and we have brought Kent St into the discussion, may I suggest another choice that might just beat all of the above (except the Russell, maybe): look at the site www.lordnelson.com.au/ This hotel is tucked away at the back of the Rocks, is somewhat more easy to walk to than the others (through the best part of the Rocks), is close to an historic church and a post office where you won't have to queue, and is just near the park which surrounds the observatory. I think the rooms are around $180 a double, but this (from memory) includes breakfast. Is that stretching the budget too far for a really unique experience (more interesting than the bland ANA, which is exactly the same as you would find in a hundred other US cities, anyway! You can happily stroll around the area surrounding the Lord Nelson, whereas with the ANA you would get outside the door and just try to get away without pausing for a minute...these new hotels had to take the sites they could get and then build upwards in the hope of finding something worth looking at.)

I stayed in the Inter Continental and I think its a great location, Just a block from the water.