Australasia / Pacific Hotels International
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The Albany Hotel, Melbourne (Australia)
by flodombey We recently stayed 3 nights at the Albany Hotel in the South Yarra district of Melbourne. It is part of the Bloomfield group of hotels in this area which also includes the Bloomfield Hotel and South Yarra Residencies. The Albany also has four different levels of room ranging from basic, budget rooms on the ground floor to rooms with ... access to a rooftop pool at the other end of the scale. We choose to stay in one of the 'Original Superior' rooms which is effectively a refurbished budget room. It cost us about £60 a night, room only, which for the location we thought was actually pretty good value. And, to be honest, it is all about the location with this hotel. Walking distance from the river and Flinders Street if you can be bothered (about a 45 minute walk) or 5 minutes from various tram lines which take you either into the city centre or out to St Kilda. We actually felt that it was the best of both worlds because it is on a fairly quiet residential street, at either end bordered by parkland and therefore there are lots of lovely little boutique coffee shops and restaurants, utilised by the locals and therefore cheaper and far nicer than the tourist haunts of the city centre. Breakfast at these places was a delight and a darn sight cheaper than that offered in the hotel itself so do utilise these if you stay there. As regards the hotel itself, we found all the staff to be very friendly and courteous. We had a problem from the outset in that the key for our room did not work (it was a large, old fashioned metal key). After numerous attempts we had to get housekeeping to let us in. Front desk staff were very apologetic and promised to get their caretaker to fix the lock while we were out and they duly did. Our room was on the ground floor right at the back of the motel-like outside section of the hotel. It was fairly basic and most of the furniture was a bit dated but it did have a very modern and clearly recently refurbished bathroom with funky black and red tiles and a fabulous and powerful, large walk in shower. The main room just had a bed with sidetables, a long shelf along the opposite wall and a TV on a bracket facing the bed. Although the TV was clearly quite old it worked perfectly and we had a multitude of channels so no complaints from us. Behind the sliding doors which led to the bathroom there was also a large cupboard which contained a kettle and coffee and tea making facilities as well as an ironing board and iron. This space also gave some capacity to hang clothes as it also contained a rail and some spare bedding. We did not struggle for space but neither would I say space was in abundance! A nice feature of this hotel is that they have a PC hooked up to the internet in the lobby which is totally free for guests to use. We really appreciated this and used it a number of times, we never had a problem getting on it and they have it set to 20 minute periods before it will ask you to log back in, therefore encouraging people to be considerate of other people waiting to use it. We did not use the restaurant although they offer full breakfasts and other options, I did use the bar to meet with some friends and the house wine was pretty expensive ($18 for two regular glasses!) but then most hotels in Australia offer the same kind of prices. Much cheaper to buy a bottle and drink it in your room! We really liked this place due to the location, the price and the friendly staff. We both also slept really well here as it was fairly quiet, I would definitely stay here again if we went back to Melbourne and would recommend it as a great value base from which to explore the city. Read the complete review |
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Hotel Ambassadors (Adelaide, Australia)
by flodombey We recently stayed 3 nights at this hotel in Adelaide and whilst it is not exactly the Ritz it was full of olde worlde charm and the fantastic service we experienced more than made up for the slightly less glamorous surroundings. In terms of location you cannot fault this place, situated a 5 minute walk from Rundle St - the main shopping ... thoroughfare and 5 minutes the other way from the main square and Chinatown. The front of the hotel as shown in the picture above is the restaurant jutting out over the entrance below. The building itself is rather narrow and deep, you go through reception and past the 'gaming room' to the right and find yourself in the lobby area towards the back with a smallish wood pannelled wine bar and the stairs and (very old) lift to the hotel rooms. We paid $180 (£120) for 3 nights bed and breakfast in a double room and based on reviews we had read previously we were aware we would be getting cheap and cheerful for our money, however, as the location was so good we figured this was a good compromise to make. I have to say our room, although basic and quite dated, was functional and had plenty of space including a large bathroom with full bath (with shower over) and a double and single bed. We also had a large storage cupboard and chest of drawers (in the bathroom) and a TV/cupboard and fridge in the main bedroom. It was clean and the bed was comfy, the first night (a saturday) we slept very soundly indeed - although we had just stepped off a 23 hour flight. There were some issues with noise because our room was at the back and looked over another building which was having it's roof re-done, on the Monday and Tuesday mornings we were woken up by drilling, banging and general building noise from pretty much 7am onwards. Our room was single glazed and accordingly it was VERY loud. Thankfully I always travel with earplugs and they were well utilised here. From the moment we arrived we were impressed with the service and attitude of the staff. The friendly guy on reception showed us to our room personally (we arrived rather late, around 10pm) and carried my suitcase up the stairs (we were on the top floor and the lifts only go to the second floor), when I tried to tip him for this he laughed at me and refused to take it - unbelievable! At breakfast the next morning we were again pretty impressed with the very friendly service, breakfast was self serve and pretty basic (toast/cereals and some pastries with tea and coffee or juice) but the staff were always checking everything was refilled and making sure you had everything you needed. One evening we used the bar and had a couple of glasses of wine, the atmosphere in there is lovely, very chilled out, furnished with comfy old chesterfields and with a fantastic range of wines available by the glass for between $7-9. The same reception and games room manager served as bar staff also (staff did seem thin on the ground in an evening) so we were pretty much left alone which was quite nice. This bar was never busy in an evening and it was nice to sit in as the TV was always on in the corner showing sport or the news, it was a nice atmosphere to relax in after a day exploring. The building is a bit of a labyrinth and because of its age it only has a working lift to the first and second floors, this is a very old fashioned contraption which creaks and jolts and to be honest we only used it when we had our luggage with us as the stairs were usually quicker! For the price we paid I think this place is a bit of a gem - although you do need to be aware that it is basic. If you want a centrally located hotel with great staff and breakfast for bargain prices then this is a very good call. Just do make sure you pack ear plugs just in case! Read the complete review |
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Thornton Beach Bungalows (Queensland, Australia)
by flodombey We stayed for 4 nights at Thornton Beach Bungalows in April/May 2011. I found them after searching for accommodation within the Daintree Rainforest in North Queensland and after checking out their website and reading some previous guest reviews (including those on Tripadvisor) I decided that one of their little cabin bungalows was ... exactly what we need for a chill out break at the end of our latest Aussie adventure. The cost of renting one of these bungalows was $85 AUD per night (around £55 at the time of writing) so the four nights cost just over £200 which, given the location we considered a pretty good deal. Bookings can be made via the website and you pay a deposit to secure the dates but the booking is not confirmed until the balance is paid. I made enquiries and exchanged emails with the owners (Karen and Drew who are very friendly and accommodating) before arranging payment via paypal. The 2 bungalows are located at Thornton Beach which is a 20 minute journey into the rainforest after crossing the Daintree River (once you get over the river on the car ferry you are in the rainforest proper and there is no mains electric and only one sealed main road). The beach is on one side of the road and the plot for the bungalows (and the main house which can also be rented) is on the other. This does mean you are seperated from the beach by the road but it is still literally within spitting distance and as the road is virtually deserted it is not really an issue. You are so close to the beach that you go to sleep and wake up to the sound of the waves and from the verandah you can see the waves rolling in through the trees. This is the area of the world where the 'rainforest meets the reef' and it does indeed run all the way down to the beach, including surrounding the bungalows and forming a line on the other side of the road. So - each bungalow has a designated parking slot in front of it (cars are essential for exploring this area unless you want to join a massive tour group on a day trip) and an external verandah with garden chairs and a table on. The verandah and the bungalow itself is raised off the ground on stilts in typical Queensland fashion to help prevent flood damage and also to raise it above the forest floor and all the snakes and bugs which inhabit it. It is fair to say that inside the bungalows are small and pretty basic - but we did not find ourselves 'missing' anything and in the name of getting away from it all it was everything we needed. The main room contains a queen size bed and then you have about 3 foot around the perimeter of it in floorspace. There is a chair on one side of the bed (I used it as a bedside table) whilst the other side of the bed faces a recess which provides a waist high shelf and extra floor space underneath this. On the shelf you will find a kettle and tea/coffee making facilities along with a pile of information about the Daintree and it's sights. Underneath the shelf on the floor is an esky (ice box - you can buy ice at a garage a couple of miles down the road on your way into the Daintree) and a large plastic container with crockery, cutlery, glasses and some basic cleaning products to keep you going. Above the shelf, near the ceiling, is a hanging rail which we found very useful given the lack of floorspace. Our luggage fitted nicely under the shelf along with the esky and plastic box and we coped very well in this cosy set up. The bathroom is good, featuring a decent and powerful shower, basin and toilet. Hooks and a small folding table provide places to hang towels and arrange your toiletries, the water is heated by solar power but thankfully in this area of the world the sunshine is frequent enough that this was never a problem for us. My one and only bugbear with staying here stemmed not from the bungalow or from anything the owners could control. It was something I had read in another review on Tripadvisor but hoped we would not experience. Basically there is a cafe across the road next to the beach in a layby. This was useful for booking trips and getting cold beers, ice creams and snacks as and when. But the owners are OBSESSED by their leaf blower. On 2 out of the 4 mornings we were woken at 6.50am and 7.15am by the shockingly loud and sudden sound of what we initially thought was a chainsaw. It is in fact the man who owns and lives next door to the cafe wandering round his property blowing leaves into piles and away from the paths. Fair enough this needs to be done - but at 7am in the morning!? When i'm on holiday one of the main things I enjoy is waking naturally - and in such a beautiful place I was very much looking forward to waking to the sounds of the forest and the sea, it was a bit of a shame that it was not to be - although I was grateful this rude awakening was not every morning. Thankfully I never travel without earplugs. Aside from this gripe we absolutely loved staying here and I would definitely stay here again, in terms of location and value for money I think it would be difficult to beat and we enjoyed it immensely. ***This review or parts of it may also be published on Tripadvisor*** Read the complete review |
Australasia / Pacific Hotel International |
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1 review Address: Denarau Island / Hotel International / Nadi / Fiji 0 / Tel: 679-675-6800 |
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Address: 1000 Eruera Street / Hotel International / Rotorua / New Zealand / Tel: +64 7 348 1174 |
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1 review Hotel International / |
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1 review Hotel International / Accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets. |
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