As regular readers will know I'm lucky enough to live in the beautiful city of Sydney on Australia's Pacific east coast. I settled on Sydney for no other reason that it's a beach city with a fantastic climate and is vibrant and busy. If I'd have wanted a slightly more relaced pace of life then without question I would have plumped for Perth in Western Australia. Like Sydney it has a temperate climate, beautiful beaches on the Indian Ocean and a thriving economy. I'm currently on my third visit to Perth and I'm fortunate in that I'm here on business and the company are picking up the hotel tab (not to mention the bar tab!). I picked my own hotel and the criteria was that it should not be to far from the office and not to far from downtown area or the CBD (central business district). I'd also stayed in a backpackers hostel in East Perth on my first visit here in 2003, so because I was a little familiar with the area thought I'd try and get somewhere close to there. I came across the Perth Ambassador on the Checkin.com.au web site and it caught my eye because it was in my price range, my hotel allowance runs to $150.00 AUD a night or 40 to 80 GBP. This must have been up rated recently as while Ciao states this is a two star hotel it's actually now three and a half stars. It's recently been brought under new management which probably explains it. It's located on Adelaide terrace which is close to everywhere basically, with the main shopping area a 10 minute walk and the banks of the beautiful Swan River just 3 minutes away on foot, and I have a view of the river from my room which is lovely.

Tonight after dinner and a bit of a walk by the river I decided to visit the sauna and spa located on the fifth floor. It's a small room and the Sauna was out of order but the Spa was ok, apart from the rough looking youths I encountered in there who were almost certainly staying there courtesy of a stolen credit card (I must look a bit dodgy I think they wanted to befriend me!). There was a solitary exercise bike so not quite a fully equipped gym although the hotel does offer free passes to a near by gym.

Some criticism would probably be in order for the bathroom facilities. The toilet paper feels cheep, the bath towels are small and not the sumptuous hotel towels I've come to expect. The shower gel/shampoo/body lotion is in dispensers on the wall which I'm not keen on. I'd rather have the little bottles I can half inch before I leave. I suppose it's better for the environment though, less materials and waste. Still I do like the free smellies of the better hotels. Other than that, not a lot of tangibles to criticise, the place holds up pretty well to the critical eye.