Someone told us not to expect any kind of view when we checked into the Hotel Ibis Darling Harbour in Sydney, and when we booked a last minute special for A$89 ($60) we definitely expected to be shoved into a room resembling a corner closet.
But no--the Ibis Darling Harbour really surprised us. Sandwiched between the more expensive Novotel and Grand Mercure Apartments, the Ibis turns out to be great value for such a sought-after tourist spot. And our cheapie room even had a view--not over Darling Harbour but in the other direction towards the Star City casino complex and the "other" bridge in Sydney, the Anzac Bridge.]]>
Sydney-siders will know that the future of the Swiss Grand Hotel Bondi Beach is a little uncertain at the moment: developers want to soften the famous "wedding cake facade" and turn the interior into a combination (smaller) boutique hotel and residential apartments. But since the council hasn't decided yet, any change is a long way off.
Just the same, there's been a flood of journos reviewing the Swiss Grand, which perhaps hopes to remind people you can still stay there. A recent Sydney Morning Herald review spoke of all the good sides to the Swiss Grand, the best of which is of course the view over Bondi Beach. ]]>
There's something odd about the Altamont Boutique Hotel in Sydney. Their website describes it as being "formerly Sydney's most exclusive boutique hotel."
We're not sure which bit is "former", but it is still a boutique hotel and still in Sydney. However we think what they're trying to hint at is that the building used to be a nightclub with hotel attached and a bunch of celebrities stayed here, apparently including Madonna and the Rolling Stones.
How ironic! Most boutique hotels these days are actually accused of operating like nightclubs with rooms attached (Hollywood Roosevelt circa 2005, several Morgans Hotels, etc.)]]>