Recommendation hotel Sydney AU

[corpkid]

Many thanks! Sounds like it will be the Marriott for us. :)

 

Now let's hope I can leverage my employee discount to some extent. Probably not as it seems like a very busy hotel, but one can hope for a $100/night room! :)

[BillPizzaiolo]

Thank you all for your wonderful conversation. We have decided to use some points and cash at the Marriott. We came very close to booking at 1888 though.

Bill & Jeannie

[Allis154]

We stayed at the Grace last year for 3 nights, spread a couple weeks apart. loved it! Great staff, great location :)

[cassamanda]

Sorry folks but as a Sydney person, just want to correct some wrong information here.

The Westin is a top class business hotel located in Pitt St in a portion of what was the old Post Office and part of Macquarie Bank. It is very centrally located near the Pitt St mall and about half a mile from the Quay. It is not uphill as Pitt St runs along the lowest point in Sydney but has a very gentle slight rise. You may be confused with the Shangri-La up in The Rocks. That is very much uphill but has great views.

The Four Seasons main entrance is in George St about 200-300 yds from the OPT and with only the smallest of rises above sea level. This is also at least a 4+ star international quality hotel.

 

Another popular hotel is the Old Sydney Marriott in The Rocks on George St and within spitting distance of the ship at the OPT. This hotel is 3star. There are many fine restaurants along the waterfront opposite the hotel with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

 

I agree that Kings Cross is not the best place to stay and neither are some of the hotels around Central Station but not all.

 

The Intercontinental on Macquarie st is great as is the Sir Stamford next door but there is a short climb up to Macquarie being on the "eastern" shore of the bay that forms Sydney Cove.

 

All hotels near Circular Quay are priced above average because of location. The further you move into the central business district (CBD) or downtown, the cheaper the prices for the same standard of hotel. Eg Hilton is over 1 mile from the Quay but very centrally located near all the big shops. The Grace is also great being one of those old time "graceful" hotels full of history but located in the centre of the city and traffic noise however rooms are well insulated.

 

For the Marriott and Four Seasons i would not bother with a taxi unless of course you are travelling heavy with 2 cases each.

 

Enjoy Sydney and the best harbour in the world.

Edited April 3, 2014 by cassamanda

[Globaliser]

The Westin will be quite a up-hill hike of about 3/4 of a mile, each way from the Ferry/ Explorer bus station.. The other point is it has no view being low rise amid high-rise. Lots of character...but that's it

The Westin is a top class business hotel located in Pitt St in a portion of what was the old Post Office and part of Macquarie Bank. It is very centrally located near the Pitt St mall and about half a mile from the Quay. It is not uphill as Pitt St runs along the lowest point in Sydney but has a very gentle slight rise. You may be confused with the Shangri-La up in The Rocks. That is very much uphill but has great views.

From the "low rise" comment, I wonder whether Hawaiidan actually meant the Observatory Hotel (which is now known as the Langham Sydney Hotel).

 

The Shangri-La is also up the hill, but it's most definitely not "low rise"!

Another popular hotel is the Old Sydney Marriott in The Rocks on George St and within spitting distance of the ship at the OPT. This hotel is 3star.

Did you mean the Holiday Inn Old Sydney?

 

I don't think there's such a hotel as the Old Sydney Marriott, although the Sydney Harbour Marriott is in the general vicinity.

[csunshine860]

We stayed here:

 

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/sydney/sydgs/hoteldetail

 

Reasonable price, excellent location...couldn't stay any closer to the dock...literally across the street from the ship... (Of course, make sure you know exactly where you are docking...there are two different areas in Sydney where cruise ships dock).

 

Was it the Holday Inn Old Sydney? We will be in Sydney, Sept 22nd for 3 nights post cruise.

[Hazelnut1106]

Sorry folks but as a Sydney person, just want to correct some wrong information here.

The Westin is a top class business hotel located in Pitt St in a portion of what was the old Post Office and part of Macquarie Bank. It is very centrally located near the Pitt St mall and about half a mile from the Quay. It is not uphill as Pitt St runs along the lowest point in Sydney but has a very gentle slight rise.

 

Thank you for the information w.r.t. The Westin. We will be using Starwood points and debating between the Westin and the Sheraton. We generally prefer Westins over Sheratons. So we have consequently booked the Westin for 5 nights in Dec and happy to hear it's not an uphill climb. It is so hard to determine 'hills' from a simple map - even San Francisco looks flat on a map and that is certainly not the case!

[corpkid]

Thank you for the information w.r.t. The Westin. We will be using Starwood points and debating between the Westin and the Sheraton. We generally prefer Westins over Sheratons. So we have consequently booked the Westin for 5 nights in Dec and happy to hear it's not an uphill climb. It is so hard to determine 'hills' from a simple map - even San Francisco looks flat on a map and that is certainly not the case!

 

Same here. It's got very good reviews and looking at the map it isn't that far from the harbor. Just need to get a few more points (blew them all on our pre-cruise trip to Amsterdam this July - Hotel Pulitzer). Oh I know - I should book another cruise on the SPG Amex! I think I'm at capacity though. :)

Edited April 3, 2014 by corpkid

[corpkid]

I have to ask - what is the OPT? Is that an area of the city? I am guessing that it stands for either Old Part of Town or Optimal Part of Town? Probably totally wrong here. :rolleyes:

[Globaliser]

I have to ask - what is the OPT?

It's the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

[cassamanda]

Was it the Holday Inn Old Sydney? We will be in Sydney, Sept 22nd for 3 nights post cruise.

 

Yes, sorry my bad use of the name. Holiday Inn Old Sydney is the one in The Rocks area on George. The other HI is in Darling Harbour near china town.

[Bruin Steve]

Was it the Holday Inn Old Sydney? We will be in Sydney, Sept 22nd for 3 nights post cruise.

 

That is the one...

[kccrzr]

Agree with everyone who recommended the Marriott Circular Quay. it could not have been more convenient. LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION. We were able to use reward points. Breakfast and happy hour in the Executive Lounge were a definite plus.

 

Here are some photos from the Executive Lounge to give you an idea how close the Marriott is to Circular Quay and the OPT:

 

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This is an evening shot from near the OPT looking back towards the ferry docks and train station. The Marriott is the building with the red sign:

 

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[Northern Aurora]

We stayed in Sydney for seven days following a cruise in 2011 and were at the Sir Stamford at Circular Quay. We enjoyed the hotel so much that we have reservations there again for a few nights stay following another cruise.

[ROCruiser]

I agree that Mariott at Circular Quay has the best location. we did not stay there but walked by many times and agreed that's really in a prime spot with George Street and Pitt so close. Ferries and the free 555 shuttle stop right across the street. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney, courteous staff, good location, but the hotel is old. If staying here, see if you can exit where the taxis are on debarkation, the walk from the upper level of the terminal out is much closer and easier than the lower level exit, if they allow you to do so.

[annenic]

Same here. It's got very good reviews and looking at the map it isn't that far from the harbor. Just need to get a few more points (blew them all on our pre-cruise trip to Amsterdam this July - Hotel Pulitzer). Oh I know - I should book another cruise on the SPG Amex! I think I'm at capacity though. :)

 

The Westin is a fabulous hotel in the centre of town - so easy to get to Darling Harbour one way and Circular Quay the other way. Very close to Wynyard Railway Station plus the bus terminus for all the buses heading north over the bridge. So hotel really it is in a great position.

 

Very Close to Martin Place Railway station which takes you out to Bondi Junction and the Eastern Suburbs.

 

Once upon a time the hotel was the Sydney GPO so is a heritage building and some of the lower rooms are heritage -very nice! Many of the new rooms in the tower have great distance views (no heritage rooms of course).

 

There is an up-market food hall on the lower ground below the hotel and this is very popular with the after work crowd.

 

I love this hotel! It is an easy walk to the quay with only a slight hill when walking up from the harbour.

[Alaskanb]

We have stayed at both the Marriott and Park Hyatt.

For the money & location the Marriott is hard to beat but the best bargain is to get a Chase Hyatt card:

https://creditcards.chase.com/lp9/hyatt/search?CELL=6RRW&jp_cmp=cc/05BRHyattExact/sea/na/HyattChase&MSC=IQ30668993

and you get 2 free nights there (worth close to $1900). If you need more than 2 nights, then get a card for each of you. True, there is a required spend but it can be easily reached in 3 months (pay $1000 towards the cruise?). Also, there is no annual fee for first year -afterwards you can cancel the card or keep it and get a free night annually for $75.

Caveat, do the above only if you are able to plan well ahead to make sure you can get you nights at Park Hyatt (we had 3 free nights there :).

Just applied for the card. How far out were you able to book your room --we only need one night.

[fresnel468]

I've stayed at the Westin, Hilton CBD and Marriott Circular Quay numerous times. Wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of them again. Westin has an edge on room size and quality. Bathrooms had a partial glass wall in the rooms I had. Marriott rooms are smaller and somewhat sparse but the room views and proximity to Circular Quay is a big plus. Hilton is a good hotel but more suited to business than holiday I think.

[corpkid]

Thank you. We have been back and forth between the Marriott ($$) vs. Westin (points). We'll most likely go with the Westin based on all the great feedback. We are most appreciative of all that feedback, indeed!

[boards]

How does the Four Seasons compare? We will be there this Oct. for 5 nights.

[MrsWaldo]

IME

 

FS has a better location. Rooms are a bit smaller than Westin but similar to Marriott but views are certainly better (if you go with harbour view).

 

I'm not a big fan of the Hilton The foyer reminds me of a shaooping mall combined with upmarket food court

[rojaan19]

If choosing the Westin I do not recommend the Heritage Rooms. They are on the lower floors in the old part of the building, and the windows are not sound proof, so you get a lot of street noise 24/7.

 

You do not have this problem in the tower rooms.

 

We have stayed in this hotel several times, love its central location.

[corpkid]

If choosing the Westin I do not recommend the Heritage Rooms. They are on the lower floors in the old part of the building, and the windows are not sound proof, so you get a lot of street noise 24/7.

 

You do not have this problem in the tower rooms.

 

We have stayed in this hotel several times, love its central location.

 

Thank you for the feedback! We'll be sure to aim for a tower room. Usually the word "heritage" scares us away anyways after staying in some pretty "outmoded" accommodations with the same title around Europe! :)

[DougH]

Its been a long time since I stayed there but really enjoyed my week at The Russell Hotel in the Rocks area. Fantastic location for access to the harbor, bridge and ferries

[rams1976]

Hi everyone.

 

I'm stopping at the Cambridge hotel in November pre cruise.

Has anybody stopped here before? If so, what is it like?