where to stay and what to do in melbourne
 

trying to book a hotel but dont know if i should stay in city center or outskirts. was looking at the westin or marriot hotels???? I will be there for 3 days with my 3 daughters (in there 20's) who want to see the penguin walk and go to the mkts. any other ideas and do i need to rent a car????
thanks for any help

I'd say definitely in the city centre, or not too far away, but I'll let the resident Melbourne experts deal with the rest.

What's your budget and preferred style of accommodation? With three of you I'd seriously suggest looking at a 2-bedroom serviced apartment, probably less expensive than an American chain type hotel and with more room to spread out, kitchenette if that appeals. Check www.wotif.com for an idea of what's available, and cross-reference location with a map. If not actually in the CBD (central business district) you should find plenty just south of the river in particular, a short tram ride from town.

Would like to spend less then $300 a night. Also, how do you get to Philips island for the Penguin Parade - do you have to go on a tour?

depends which markets you are talking about-but anyway CBD or in East melbourne, Carlton, Richmond, St Kilda or similar areas will get you to most via tram.
Phillip island-you drive or go on a tour.
It's easy to get a round Melbourne in 3 days without a car-in my mind it's just a nuisance.

Would like to spend less then $300 a night

OK, $300 is about US$270. I think that shouldn't be a problem for a 2BR apartment in the areas mentioned by northie. Notethat wotif.com lists prices for "last minute" (actually last 2 weeks I think) bookings, but we;ve found you can often get a better rate by phoning the property direct.

As others have said my recommendations are the inner suburbs of Carlton or St. Kilda. We live in St. Kilda and when my well to do Queensland brother-in-law solicitor comes to Melbourne we book him and his wife into www.barklyapartments.com.au If you put that site up you will see that you may get 3 nights there for $129 a night. They are 1 bedroom serviced apartments so you would need 2. St.Kilda has a number of attractions. It is on the beach, it is well serviced with restaurants in Acland and Fitzroy Sts.and it is serviced by a light rail service into the city.
It also has what is not universally known is its own colony of fairy penguins. Refer to sites by putting in St. Kilda Fairy penguins. www.penguinwaters.com.au is also a site you might want to explore as they seem to have tours for that although on tripadvisor there are some negative comments.
I have been to the fairy penguins on Phillip Island . I had a holiday house down there and it was easy to drop over there to stand for an hour or so for nightfall to see them scurry out of the ocean across the sand and disappear into their holes.You need to enquire if you do one of these tours what you get for your money. They need to sell you much more in my opinion as it is about a 2 hour bus ride to the area (and 2 back). You stand and wait for nightfall for them to make their appearance and then they are gone. Others who have been to see them more recently may be able to help you here with some more information.
Unless you want to drive to Phillip Island you wont need a car for your 3 day.As for the market The Queen Victorian Market is the one you must visit . Its best day would be a Sunday so hope that is one of the days you are here.I,m not sure of the other days it is open but that is easily searched. The other 2 worthy of a visit if that one is not opened when you are here are the Prahran Market, and the South Melbourne Market both within 10 km. of the city.
Other areas to explore while you are in the centre of Melbourne is Southbank with its casino and a multitude of eateries and Docklands.
There is also cruises on the Yarra . a boat trip over to Williamstown or if you are sports minded we are the sports capital of the world and a view of Melbourne from an observation tower in the city over the Bay to the South West and the gardens and the sporting complexes to the South east is a must.
I do hope this has been helpful. I do love my city and I'm sure when you leave you will be great ambassadors for Melbourne.

I meant to ask where are you coming from and are you arriving by plane?

I will be visiting Melbourne later this month and we are staying in serviced apartments in Southbank - there are quite a few serviced apartments in that area, and you are quite close (walking distance) to the city where there are good tram connections, as well as Flinders St Station. Our accommodation was less than the amount you want to pay and I would think it would be easy to find something at that rate. Like wotif.com, the airlines also sometimes offer accommodation at good prices through their websites. As for markets, you might be thinking of Victoria Markets (huge, good quality, good fun, excellent food hall), but there are numerous others. There is for instance also a small market on the south bank of the Yarra on Sunday (morning?), where you can buy original artwork at reasonable prices.

Lavandula

Murphy7, sounds like a good Irish name and no matter what others say we are smart( I'm of Irish decent(Ryan ,O'Dea, & O,Shea begora.If you look at Lavandula request sites you will see that only the other day he was looking for information of places to stay and information about Melbourne and the penguins.He has learnt quickly and is giving you advice??? As a Melbournian look at the reply I gave him on his request which he did'nt have the courtesy to acknowledge and you may be sensible enough to get some value out of it. If you keep communicating with me I can research and with my knowledge I can advise

@james: I beg your pardon, that wasn't me - I know Melbourne quite well, did not ask any questions about Melbourne and penguins, won't be seeing any penguins and have been to Melbourne many times over a forty-year period, so I didn't 'learn quickly' as you put it. I did post the other day about restaurant recommendations in Southbank which came up on the GTG posting, and if you responded to that I did not see it, and would be surprised anyway as it wasn't that sort of post. I am entitled to talk about the experiences which I have had in Melbourne myself. And by the way, I am female. How incredibly rude!

You definitely don't need to rent a car. Melbourne has great public transportation & a FREE tourist bus & trolley that take you around the city center. There are frequent stops & great drivers who explain what to see/do at each stop.

The Westin is an excellent hotel right in the centre of the CBD and walking distance to everything, including the Queen Victoria Markets (the best),Southgate and the Arts precinct, Federation Square, The Botanic Gardens, Eureka Skydeck, Flinders Lane, great shopping etc. The concierge or hotel desk would arrange an afternoon/evening trip to Phillip Island to see the Penguins (they waddle from the ocean at dusk) as for you a tour would be the best way to go. It probably would include the Koala Sanctuary as well.
If the Westin is too expensive, The Marriott is also in a very good position.

If it fits your budget I agree with Downunder .Both are excellent hotels and I have friends who have stayed at them and liked them a lot .The Westin is in the midst of the high end shopping precinct but also makes it easy to go anywhere in the city .

Attending markets depends on the days of the week / weekend you are in Melbourne .

On a slightly lower end we stayed at Batemans just across from the station. A 2 bedroom suite was $169 ( included washer\dryer, kitchenett) and it was close to trams, bus and trains as well as being in the center of things. Plush no, super clean yes.

Im coming from New York and Melbourne is my last stop on my trip to Australia. Going to Sydney, Cairns, Ayers Rock and then Melbourne. I booked the Marriott Melbourne-is it in a good location? Unfortunately I leave on a Sunday any good markets on Saturday?

The location is great - in the middle of down town. The Victoria Market is open on Saturdays - a 20 minute walk from the Marriott.

Lavandula I must apologise unreservedly.I was confused by a reply I made to Murphy7 that I thought I made to you. Too many red wines is no excuse.What I do get annoyed about is still there.After my reply to Murphy7 from someone who has resided in Melboure all my life(71years) I get annoyed that when I go to the trouble to give what I thought was "good"advice one doesn't get any acknowledgement and not only that if you look at Murphy7 only insertion in his own blog is to say he is coming , where he is staying and still asking questions about markets. Maybe I shouldn't be a Ryan O'Dea or an O'shea

The other problem I have with people who give comments of wisdom to an enquiry is what do they really know about that place. What is wrong with people in their profile that they can't even say what country or city they are coming from,is it that they are all Americans with a one visit to Australia.
Peter_S_Aus does say he is from Melbourne and should be respected,dont know where JoanneH is from , JohnFitz might be from Melbourne but doesn't tell you so, correct me if I,m wrong John, NeilOz is from Canberra, Downunder is from Melbourne and also should be respected, Northie doesn't say where he's from in Australia. Come on guys when we reply to someones genuine enquiry can't we say what credence can be given to that reply. I would hope to rely on replies when I put in a reguest.

I live in central Victoria, 2 hours from Melbourne. I am a mother of 4 & often stay in Melbourne with my family & by myself. For accommodation I use the wotif website as mentioned above, you can book up to about 3 months ahead. I like to stay in the CBD area as I feel safe walking around at night by myself, because there are lots of other people walking around too. The trams & trains are easy to use & there are free trams which do a tourist circle around the city taking you pass some of the main tourist attractions. The easiest way to see the penguin parade which happens at dusk, would be to book a day tour through your hotel. There is also a great Koala park on the same island that the penguins are on and you could do this during the day.

The Victoria Market is on the edge of the CBD, Harbour Town is a direct factory outlet area at the Docklands, Crown Casino on South Bank of Yarra River, Aquarium on north side of Yarra, all accessible by the free tram.