Novotel Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney

Advantages: Awesome place/great photo opportunities!
Disadvantages: I was jet lagged when we saw it!

...at 5.30 am we were collected by our "legendary" driver "Stevo" who took us on an initial tour of the city. As this was a tour rather than a holiday we tried to save as much money as possible and this coach driver although friendly was a bit reckless when driving and didn't really tell us anything about the city although he was a true Aussie which fascinated us English blokes enough! Even though it was early in the morning we still managed to stay awake and stare out the windows at this famous city waking up. Although we managed to spot most of the main sites when driving around we didn't really get to see them properly; that was for later in the day! We arrived in our steamed up bus at our accommodation at The Olympic Park Lodge situated on an old Naval Base. My advice for anyone apart from gap year students or rugby tourists is don't stay... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great location & Proximity to Darling Harbour nightlife & Monorail.
Disadvantages: No view of the bridge or opera house.

...Have stayed at this hotel on 2 occasions & was very impressed, The consierge has all the information you could need & can make bookings for you at very short notice, The staff are all very helpful & the rooms appear to be well maintained. The food is of a very good standard & international. Most of the rooms to the front have good views although you probably wouldnt spend too much time there as there is so much to do in Sydney. The deals / rates for the rooms seem to change daily so if your not happy with the first quote try telephoning them on a different day & see if it is different. The hotel is ideally based for the bustling nightlife of the area & is also very easy to get to by car.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Superb service, good facilties, excellent food, reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Not in the city, I was there on business

..., although to be fair it wasn't too far away as to be unwalkable. LOCATION & GETTING THERE This hotel is a fair way from Sydney Airport, and cost around AUD 65 in a taxi, the journey taking around 45 minutes in morning rush hour traffic. As I have already mentioned, the hotel was in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde near Chatswood, and a journey by bus into the centre took around 40 minutes. Daily bus tickets are available from the driver which cost AUD15 (c£6) and covered travel on all the city buses, trains and ferries. Consequently, if you like to be in the thick of things, then the Stamford Grand is not for you. However, if you are travelling on a budget and need to keep costs down, then believe me, you could do a lot worse. There is ample on site free parking for drivers, there is bus stops... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful