childlife

For our first trip to Sydney,we would like to stay in a central location. We will take some day trips from there. Does any one have a recommendation for a hotel with a great water view? Thanks.

resipsaloquitur

Your question is rather hard to answer without a price range - or any details of what "day trips" you want to take. But - you would probably want to consider the south shore of Sydney Harbor. There are hotels with "water views" around Darling Harbour, in The Rocks, as well as in the CBD (Central Business District. You'll probably need to be in the upper floors for the views, with the possible exception of the a few hotels like the Hyatt directly overlooking Sydney Cove.

For the most central location for ferry and train transportation, the closer to Sydney Cove (Cirecular Quay) the better.

DownUnder

The Shangri La probably has the best views, but the Harbour View North Sydney www.viewhotels.com.au also has some great views. North Sydney is an excellent area close to many shops and cafes also the train station is at the hotel with bus connections to most places. Milsons Point ferry is walking distance.

Susan7

For water views in Sydney there's both sea and harbour. There are hotels at Manly with great sea views, ditto Bondi.

For Harbour views, the Rocks or Circular Quay--the Hyatt is right on the water, so is the Sebel Pier One on Walsh Bay. Darling Harbour is a very built-up touristy area with horrible architecture, however there are hotels with good views.

The top floor of Regents Court has a view, the room at the front. It's in Kings Cross/Potts Point, a good area for food and street life.

Orlando_Vic

In the Rocks, Holiday Inn - Old Sydney
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/...sydgs?irs=null
There is a great view of the Harbour Bridge and Circular Quay from the rooftop.

childlife

O.K., it looks like a nice room with a view is beyond our budget of $300. So, how about a good location in Sydney? We would love to easily walk to places of interest, restaurants, shopping, etc. As far as sight seeing, we can transport to that when we need to. But we would like to walk out of our hotel for basics. We tend to like medium to small size properties with good service. The Chelsea Guesthouse has availability and good reviews. However, I belive that it is not staffed at night and we would like to access locals for information and advice. Any suggestions would be helpful. p.s. The Holiday Inn - Old Sydney has construction which has resulted in recent negative reviews. Thanks all.

Orlando_Vic

childlife-
I am puzzled. Tripadvisor <http://tinyurl.com/34lehs> gives the Old Sydney Holiday Inn pretty good reviews and several of them are quite recent. Also, Holiday Inn gives a variety of discounts when you book on their web site. With respect to location, anything in the Rocks is very close to Circular Quay - Sydney's transportation hub.

DownUnder

If you leave it to a couple of weeks out www.wotif.com has many of the great 5 stars with views at that price also check out The Grace www.gracehotel.com.au fantastic location and packages under $300. Not a medium or small property, but very good value.

Bokhara2

The Lord Nelson is a charming hotel in the Rocks. Brilliant location.
Modest rates. No lift (elevator)
www.lordnelson.com.au

childlife

Thank you for your suggestions. Wotif has some good options. Orlando Vic thank you for your suggestion on the Hol Inn Old Sydney. Humor me, while I explain why I didn't want to stay there. Did you notice that on Trip Advisor, someone can write a horrible review or a nice review and both give the property 3 stars? Because of this, I tend to read the details as they are very helpful. When I read the reviews on Hol Inn, I had to laugh because my husband calls me the "noice magnet." That is to say if there is a loud person, construction, a party, etc. I will frequently end up within "ear's distance" of it. When I read that there was construction, I had to laugh and pass. That's not to say thay I will not end up with "noise." It's just that I try to avoid it if I can. Thanks again for your help.

Alice9

We're planning to stay at the Bed and Breakfast Sydney Harbour - the price is right, and it gets good reviews on this forum as well as on Trip Advisor. It's located in the Rocks area, you might want to check it out.

Alice

Ceidleh

Stayed at Quay West Suites first time through Sydney when I was travelling with a friend. This hotel is right in the Rocks area. There are city view rooms and Harbour view rooms. We had a full-on Harbour view and it was worth every penny - especially when one of the cruise ships pulled in and they had fireworks in the Harbour that night.

Quay West is set up more like an apartment than a standard hotel room. It was nice to have access to a full kitchen and also our own private washer/dryer.

angelnot1

check out the Russell Hotel in the Rocks

angelnot1

here is the link

http://www.therussell.com.au/the-russell-hotel.html