I've identified a few hotels in Sydney CBD that aren't too dodgy, seems good location, can provide a cot and not as expensive as others, but some insider knowledge would be helpful!
Is the train the easiest way to get around tourist areas in Sydney?
Is Sofitel Wentworth the most inconvenient for public transport out of the three?
I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks
Also probably one of the most expensive hotels in Sydney if not the most expensive.
Because my former girlfriends dad bought it!
Pretty hotel, but a bit out of budget :(
You haven't defined what areas you want to go to but all of those are nearby public transport stations. There's also the tram going up George St which will take you to Circular Quay for Opera House/Harbour Bridge/The Rocks/Gateway/Royal Botanic Gardens etc.
I'm still researching and deciding what to do, but will most likely stay in the city. Some ares of interest are the Aust Museum, the Sydney Bridge, Opera house, Paddys market.
There's also the tram going up George St
I did not know what. Thanks!
Copy-paste random selection of stuff to help your research. See what's open/appropriate/seasonal, interesting and works for you.
Peaceful things to take some time out, chill, picnic and destress:-
Hike or bike one of the many trails at Ku-ring-gai national park.
Take the route from West Head Lookout down to secluded beach.
Sit on usually empty Garie Beach and contemplate life.
Stop by South Head and watch the boats come and go in peace.
Run rings around the Olympic Park Brickpit timing laps.
Go to Shep's Mound and gaze at the airplanes taking off and landing.
Scale the Pylon Lookout tower and watch the world go by.
Take an off-road trip through Blue Mountain to Newnes Plateau/Glowworm Tunnel.
Get to Palm Beach and walk to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
Sit on the cliffs at Clovelly, Narrabean or Curl Curl beaches and watch the waves crashing endlessly.
Stroll through Centennial Park with headphones on and do your thing.
Do a loop of La Perouse and Bare Island watching scuba divers and snorkelers.
Hire a no-license required boat at Cottage Point and cruise the waterways.
Find the nearest Golf Driving Range and smack some balls releasing stress in each one.
100-point Sydney bucket list:-
You can walk/pram to all of those within an ewasy 10 minutes of any of those hotels. This is not a differentiator. Any more information/requirements we can work with?
We mostly likely won't be hiring a car and leaving the city.
Perhaps what I shouldn't also asked is if there are other hotels that are clean and decent, similar location and cheaper?
Paddy's Market will make you cry if you're expecting Adelaide Central Market vibes
’cry’ is putting it mildly.
Sydney trams are garbage, it’s faster to walk down George st
For those places Sofitel is the best. You can walk down to circular quay and see the bridge and open house. It’s also where I’d stay. Mecure is the most convenient place to get to anywhere in sydney but it’s also at the crappy end of the CBD. It’s right outside central station and is near Student and backpacker accommodation
The best thing to do in Sydney is the ferry rides. Not the ferry to manly though, the better ones is to Watson’s bay (go during the week because it is much quieter) and then out to parramatta (ferry there and then train back if you go as train is much faster). This will give you a proper spot of the nooks and crannies that is Sydney harbour (the manly ferry does not do this)
Also you don’t need to buy an opal card, your driest card will work to tap on and off
What do you want to do in Sydney? As I'd probably hazard a guess you'd do similar to Hybroid said above, in which case being closer to a tram stop might make all of that easier.
Basing purely on location alone, I'd probably go with the Mantra, as I can then walk to QVB/Pitt St Mall or take the tram from QVB to circular quay. Or maybe even just walk to darling harbour and take a tram back up (its down hill that way).
Tram would do you in the city and train is great if you want to go further then that. But in the city they align a lot. Or essentially you can take the tram or train through Central > Town Hall > Wynyard > Circular Quay.
https://transportnsw.info/trip#/trip
The Trip Planner website is a good way of finding ways to get around the city. Plug in your destination and location and specify when you want to leave, and it tells you all the different modes of transport of getting around and how much it will cost you in fares. Note that off-peak fares are 30% cheaper than normal.
You don't need an Opal card card either. Just tap your ATM or credit card on the card reader as you get on or off your train / light rail or bus.
You can download the tripview app for train and bus timetables
Haven't stayed in any of the hotels you listed and can't recommend any since you didn't say where you intend to visit. Have heard Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney is pretty decent.
Have heard Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney is pretty decent.
I've stayed here before; one of my favourites
Just tap your ATM or credit card on the card reader
Correct advice, just note that said debit or credit card must be Visa, MasterCard or AMEX. No eftpos-only debit cards.
If you are looking around in that location (similar to Mantra on Kent) and price, I like Hilton Curio. Breakfast is nice (ala carte + continental buffet).
If you stay around that area, you'll be close to Darling Harbour and Pyrmont which is cool. Darling Harbour is a great place especially if you have kids (let them loose on the massive playground). Downsides is that it's a bit annoying to get to without a car (imo). If you get off at train Town Hall or Wynyard, you'd be looking at walking up and down a reasonably steep hill. Not fun with luggage either.
Mecure looks decent in terms of price and location, but after staying at places right next to the tracks or directly on the water, I feel like it's a bit too noisy imo. I've stayed at 'The Ultimo' which is close to the Mecure. I liked it - service and location is really nice. You are right in Chinatown and close to LR. The rooms are pretty basic, but comfortable. If I was a tourist coming to stay in Sydney, I would stay there (or around there) as someone who really enjoys good food. It's easy as taking a the LR to Central and then catching a train to Circular Quay to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House for a day, and then coming back to get some good 'cheap'(er) eats. It's also close to Darling Harbour.
I hope this helps a bit
edit:
Also, if you like artsy stuff and vegetarian food, Newtown is fun.
If you are there for a week +, maybe consider going out of the CBD, to places like Cabramatta, Marrickville, Burwood or Leichardt (plenty of other great suburbs too)
Stayed here last Sydney trip https://viewhotels.com.au/sydney it’s close to north Sydney station and buses. Amazing views! A bit noisy due to renovations. North Sydney is a ghost town on weekends, so great markdowns at woollies. Proximity to Din Tai Fung and Oishi Billie for food was also great.
I’m also a fan of the QT very central https://www.qthotels.com/sydney-cbd/
Except North Sydney isn't Sydney CBD.
Definitely true - but also was super convenient, so might also be for OP. The view from The View was incredible, I’d stay there again for sure. Hence I also suggest QT if they are definitely keen on CBD. Im from Sydney and have lived in the CBD in Sussex st, Chatswood, st Leonard’s, Leichhardt, Annandale, and more. I found the CBD to be the most depressing location and have found same when I’ve stayed there on weekends etc.
I'm also in Sydney. Still live in Sydney, unlike you who appears to live on the Gold Coast. Hence my comment. Also you literally just said North Sydney is a ghost town on the weekends after saying that the city is depressing on the weekend, and yet you recommend it?
Dunno when you stayed during the weekend in the city but it's pretty busy nowadays, like pre-pandemic.
@kerfuffle: I spent 30years living in Sydney, left 10years ago and now live GC. So have both perspectives, traveller and former resident. I go back a fair bit and we like to stay centrally so we can see friends and family who are scattered all over. North Sydney is very quiet on the weekend - this is great for me now as I have a young child and we only really eat sushi, ramen and Thai out, so don’t need a thriving party scene. CBD used to be dead on weekends when I lived there, but can’t comment on now, other than last two visits pre and post pandemic it was still pretty dull and we spent most of our time leaving the CBD to go to other inner Sydney areas. CBD was depressing due to constant hum of the city, low light, thick black dust on balcony, no cafe breakfasts, literally someone jumped from the top of our building (died by suicide, not the fault of CBD but taints my memory) - so that was my experience of CBD and why it’s not my personal favourite place to stay - other people will have different experiences. I’m assuming OP was asking for people’s personal experiences.
I’m not sure it’s helpful to critique everyone’s contribution- OP will have a filter for what they are looking for. If you go round burning everyone’s suggestions they won’t feel like contributing. It’s not like I’m some blow in to OzB. If you look at my comment history you’ll see consistently that I’m from Sydney, have lived in various parts of Australia before settling in GC, I’d like to think I can share my experience when people ask and some will find it useful.
Central Sydney YHA, its across the road from Central Station, Railway Square, Haymarket Light Rail, also short walk to paddys market, serviceNSW, thai and chinatown, uni and tafe and broadway, world square
Hilton Sydney. tram on doorstep, walk to Town Hall and James St stations, plenty of buses on surrounding roads.
I second this - I like the Hiltons in Sydney (nicer than the Marriotts imo)
Too bad it's quite expensive these days
Not a Hilton Sydney fan though am a HH Diamond member, but is very convenient for public transportation. Town Hall / Wynyard train stations are not too far away, light rail is out front and the buses are around the corner. You are generally walking distance to most touristic areas of Sydney CBD as well.
All three hotels will be perfect for your visit. Mercure is probably best for access to public transport in all directions with little walking (due to proximity to Central), but the others are very short walking distance to trains, trams and buses which you can use to start your trip pretty easily.
Park Hyatt is not far from Circular Quay where you'll find plenty of ferries and trains.