8 Best Hotels in Inner City and the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney

This luxurious boutique hotel is the gem of inner Sydney. Tucked away in a street lined with stately apartments, and a mere 100 yards from the area's hip restaurants and cafés, this lovingly restored 1892 structure is reminiscent of a Queen Anne Victorian, with all of its nooks and crannies. Each room has a different shape and is furnished in muted autumn tones, with plush drapes, table lamps, fireplaces, king or queen beds, flat-screen TVs, and an array of interesting artwork. The Cloud Suite is the best room in the house, with a double Jacuzzi bath and a DVD. One of the king rooms has a big balcony overlooking the street, and one of the two family rooms has a small courtyard. If you don't want to hike up the stairs, request one of the several ground-floor rooms. A continental breakfast is included in the tariff and is served in a light-filled conservatory.

This hotel apartment complex, several hundred feet from Bondi Beach, includes more than a dozen restaurants, bars, and stores. The lobby is abuzz with holiday makers enjoying a home-away-from-home stay in sleek accommodations, most with fully equipped kitchens and laundry facilities. The 111 rooms comprise 56 one-bedroom apartments, eight two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom apartments; the remainder are studio rooms with microwaves, tea/coffeemaking facilities, and fridges. All have clean, white minimalist looks set off with bright, beachy cushions and wall art. Sofas convert into extra beds while lounge and bedroom have flat-screen TVs; all have balconies. There's a lap pool, Jacuzzi, and small gym, and a grocery store and wine store just across the road. The beach is a five-minute walk away along a street lined with restaurants, ice-cream parlors, and bars. There's limited free Wi-Fi in the lobby.

On a quiet stretch in the trendy shopping precinct of Paddington, this small, friendly, family-run hotel has simple accommodations at an outstanding price. Garden rooms overlook an Italianate central courtyard and pool; they are the largest and the most quiet. Triple-glazed windows mean rooms overlooking bustling Oxford Street aren't bombarded by traffic noise. Those on the third floor have harbor views. All rooms have Foxtel (cable TV), there is free Wi-Fi in the garden rooms and public areas, and guests can use bicycles (perhaps for a cycle around nearby Centennial Park) for free. Discounts are given to guests when dining at the nearby Rose, Shamrock and Thistle pub and bistro. The location, close to shops, restaurants, and nightlife, is a 15-minute walk from the city center.

Live like a local at Coogee Beach, which is just as gorgeous as nearby Bondi, but without the crowds. Accommodations are considerably kinder on the hip pocket, too. This hotel is opposite the beach and has many rooms with balconies looking out to fabulous ocean views, so be sure to ask for one when you book. The rooms are bright and spacious and feature smart TVs so you can screen media from your own device if you don't like the range of on-demand movies available. There's a heated outdoor pool, on-site tennis court, and well-equipped gym as well as secure undercover parking (A$25 per day). The Oceans Dining & Drinks bar is a great place for a cocktail or casual meal—the views are spectacular—or if you fancy something a little more special try Bluesalt, the hotel's fine dining restaurant. There's free Wi-Fi in all the rooms for 20 minutes. While not quite as buzzy as Bondi, Coogee has a great selection of cafés and restaurants and they are all within a few minutes' stroll from the hotel. If you do want to head to Bondi it's only a short taxi drive away, or step out on the clifftop walking trail via Clovelly and Bronte Beach—it's a fantastic half-day walk.

"Simply comfortable and affordable" is the slogan at this 1920s-style hotel at the leafy end of Potts Point, and it's hard to disagree on either count. Location and price are also major draws at this friendly hotel, which has been recently upgraded with the addition of 17 new rooms (converted from a former first-floor restaurant), each with modern facilities and Wi-Fi. All rooms now have flat-screen TVs, new drapes, and desk furniture. Flexible "dynamic rates" can see a standard room sell as low as A$89 and one of the new "queen rooms" for $A139 so check online for deals. Some rooms have balconies; studio apartments include kitchenettes. A Greek restaurant, the Apollo, on the ground floor is open for dinner and lunch on Friday and weekends.

In its character as well as its dimensions, this friendly B&B on a quiet part of a bar- and club-lined street is reminiscent of a European pensione. Simple, tastefully outfitted rooms come with high-quality beds and linens, as well as wooden blinds over the windows. Access to the four floors of rooms is via a small staircase, and there is no elevator. There are single, double and superior rooms, the latter suitable for a family. Despite its proximity to the heart of Kings Cross, the hotel has a relaxed, serene atmosphere. There's a two-night minimum stay; book online for cheaper rates.

If you're tired of the standard travelers' rooms, this renovated Victorian terrace house may be just the tonic. Having undergone a massive conversion into 21st-century cool, it sports a decorating scheme of brash colors—blues, yellows, and creams splashed against reds—and furnishings (platform beds and chaise lounge) that might have come direct from a Milan design gallery. Every room is slightly different, has a kitchenette, and was recently fitted with a new flat-screen TV. Behind the glamour is a comfortable, well-run hotel with friendly, attentive staff. This is one of the few city hotels that welcome guests' dogs, and it's near many good restaurants.

This ultrahip hotel occupies a former wool shipping shed that includes authentic structures of the former wharf (pulleys, giant trusses, and brontosaurus-like machinery), a great location (a stone's throw from the Opera House), and the chance to be on the harbor but in a quieter location. Guest rooms, decorated with trendy fish prints, are arranged like the cabins on a luxury liner, rising in tiers on the outside of the central cavity. The entire hotel is 100% smoke-free and all meals are plant-based. There are five restaurants in the adjoining wharf complex, known as the Wooloomooloo's Finger Wharf.