2010 Travel Guide
Sydney Hotels
The Kirketon Fights to Be Coolest Hotel Down Under
August 13, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 1 Comment
It's a good year and a half since we last checked into the guest reactions on Sydney's Kirketon Boutique Hotel, when we lamented that Conde Nast Traveler might have once called it Australia's Coolest Hotel but now ... well, it wasn't anymore. But apparently, the tide has turned again.
Boutique Hotels
Boutique Hotels in Sydney :: The Manor House
June 20, 2008 at 5:38 AM | 0 Comments
In Sydney, you can splurge on a high-rise harbor view hotel if you're greedy for photos of grand ol' Sydney Harbour, or you can get historical and exclusive and try someplace like the Manor House Boutique Hotel.
It's still in central Sydney but rather than a high-rise, it's an 1850s building (old for Australia) that originally belonged to a guy named Edward Flood, who was one of the first mayors of Sydney. Flood is now long gone and these days his home is an 18-room boutique hotel, renovated and then filled with antique furniture.
Sydney Hotel Reviews
Darlinghurst's Medusa Hotel: Straight or Gay? Boutique or Hostel?
October 23, 2007 at 9:37 AM | 0 Comments
Medusa Hotel bills itself as a chic boutique hotel in Sydney's achingly hip Darlinghurst neighborhood. This fashonista outpost opts for a reflection pool instead of a swimming pool, is without a restaurant or bar, but every one of their 18 rooms are style-concious in every way.
There are two big questions about Medusa. First, is this a gay hotel? The standard answer is "all types stay here", so no, it is not a hotel that exclusively caters to a gay clientele. However, Medusa is well aware of the market segments they appeal to.
Second, how much is too much to pay for a room at Medusa? Guest reactions to Medusa fall conclusively into two camps -- those who pay under $200 a night and those who pay over $200 a night. Folks who snag a room for anywhere between $99 - $199 seem quite pleased with their hip surroundings. On the other hand, guests who pay over $200 a night complain about the balky service and come away thinking the Medusa is nothing more than an overpriced boutique hostel.
Have a Medusa hotel take? Drop it here.
Related Stories:
· Sydney Hotels [HotelChatter]
HotelChatter Flickr Pool
HotelChatter Flickr Pool :: Westin Auckland
July 13, 2007 at 9:05 AM | 0 Comments
Thanks to HotelChatter Flickr Pool member Pat+ we have a set of photos taken from inside the new Westin Auckland, Lighter Quay in New Zealand. This shot is of the Harbor View room. Pat+ writes:
These nicely appointed corner rooms feature great views as well as a widescreen LCD TV, a wet bar, a Bose radio/alarm clock, a gigantic bathroom with a rainfall shower, a seating area and a Heavenly Bed.
Pat+ also dropped in some photos of the W San Francisco so be sure to check those out as well.
Don't forget to upload your photos to the HotelChatter Flickr Pool.
Related Stories:
· Hotels in Auckland [HotelChatter]
Sydney Hotel Reviews
Sydney L'Otel Scores on Location But ...
July 11, 2007 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments
If you want to hit the shops in Sydney and hang out in the fashion district, a well-located hotel is the 16-room boutique L'Otel in Darlinghurst Road. It's right near the fashion heart of town, and the cafe strip is also right outside.
But whether the inside of the L'Otel really lives up to the hype is definitely not clear. A heap of recent guest reviews have plenty of complaints to make: it seems to have been allowed to get rundown and shabby, or sometimes it's even unclean, and several people have been upset that the quilts don't have covers.
Yet time and again the great location comes up as a huge plus. Whether it's worth the A$250 ($215) a night for the deluxe rooms (or almost half that for the Junior Victoria room) is up to you.
[Photo: Leeds]
Related Stories:
· Sydney Travel stories [Jaunted]
· Sydney Hotel reviews [HotelChatter]
Sydney Hotel Reviews
Refereeing Hotel Reviews: The Kirketon Hotel
January 5, 2007 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments
The Kirketon Hotel in Sydney's Darlinghurst district was once voted the Coolest Hotel in the World by Conde Nast Traveler but recent reviews suggest a place that's not so cool. So we put our refereeing skills to the test.
The hotel is located in the city's Soho-like neighborhood of Darlinghurst which is where popular restaurants and nightclubs exist and it's close to just about everything fun and hip in town. So you know the location is good. Plus being in such a trendy district the decor is what you would expect from a boutique hotel here--modern, minimalist with dark colors and just plain old cool. The price is also right with room rates averaging a US price of $114.
But when it comes to the rooms, things start to get a little hairy:
The rooms I had (had to switch because of noise) were a bit smelly (carpets needed cleaning desperately) and the cleaners did a pretty bad job in general (i.e. not washing the bathroom floor, etc...)
To be fair, that's what we do here, this reviewer loved the staff and the hotel's low room rate.
Another reviewer claims:
The room was small and had a slightly grubby feel to it. The combination of no window and "minimalist" decor gave it the feel of a prison cell. Worst of all was the airconditioning, which for some reason didn't want to move from its ultra cold setting. After a night of huddling together to keep warm, we decided to check out, forfeit the next night and find somewhere else.
Again this reviewer also praised the staff but said the low-price was too much for a "country motel with no windows and nothing on the walls."
Another point against the hotel is the lack of an elevator, so if you are coming from oh, let's just say, Los Angeles, you probably don't want to get off a 15-hour flight and haul your bags.
Yet, there are plenty of reviews in favor of the hotel, mostly for its location, friendly staff, cool bar, and the hotel's management has done a good job establishing a presence on TripAdvisor addressing most of the big complaints.
In the end, the Kirketon is probably a good hotel for an Ozzie making the trip into Sydney for a night. Or for those with a strict hotel budget and who probably won't be in the room much anyways. Oh yeah, and for those who pack lightly.
Related Stories:
· Kirketon Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
