Hilton Sydney a nice choice
Written: Sep 18 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice rooms, good service, excellent location.
Cons: Bad restaraunt food. A little old. No shops. Monorail runs right by it, noisily.
The Bottom Line: A very nice stay. One of the nicest hotels I've stayed in internationally. Excellent service, but don't eat here.
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| salme's Full Review: Hilton Sydney |
My fiancé and I took the trip of a lifetime to Australia in July, 2002. We went to Lady Elliot Island, the Great Barrier Reef, The Blue Mountains, and, of course, Sydney.
Sydney is NOT Australia's capitol. But it is the site of the first settlement, and an interesting if morbid place to visit. (Morbid because of the prisoners indentured to work there, even children-- pickpockets as young as 9). It is also a bustling neighborhood of shops and culture that rivals any country's best cities.
Our longest stay was at the Sydney Hilton. We spent 6 nights at the Hilton on its Executive Floor (floors 35 and 36). If you are traveling on business, the Hilton is a great place. An exclusive club for Executive-floor guests only provided a lovely breakfast of sweetmeats, yogurts, cereals, and juices. Mid-afternoon tea (with scones and other light breads) was served from 2:00 to 4:00. A Happy Hour was served in the early evening, with drinks and light hors d'oeuvres served until 7:30 or so. The Executive lounge was nice, if a bit tight, and included a sitting room and several small dinner tables.
The entry to the Sydney Hilton included several high-priced shops (nice to look through if you're waiting, but we didn't buy a thing), and three restaurants, The Market Place Restaurant, The Market Place Café, and The San Francisco Grill. I ate only at the Market Place Restaurant, and the Fettuccine with Scallops was unremarkable and overpriced.
I've stayed in Hiltons and Intercontinental’s all over the world. This was a classic hotel with nicely decorated, neutral rooms, marble foyers on the main level, and a helpful, well-paid, and attentive staff. The main lobby is two stories above street level, under which there are shops and ample parking. The shops were a bit of a disappointment, as almost all were empty. Curious, I asked a woman in the excellent touristy souvenir shop why she was closing, and what happened to all the other shops? Apparently, the Sydney Hilton is going to be overhauled, and all the shop owners were kicked out in preparation. Only the souvenir shop and the chemist remained, in addition to the world-famous Marble Bar. The Marble Bar is an Italian-style bar serving up microbrews and blues music late into the night.
Over the week, I spoke to several regular guests of the Hilton, whose information on the planned renovation varied from “They’re tearing it down to start over” to “They won’t fully close.” The hotel staff was uncommunicative on the subject.
The hotel has several points to recommend it, including great location, fabulous views, and historic flavor.
The views!
Our room on the 36th floor included a small peek at Sydney Harbor, if you leaned way to one side and squinted. Still, the 585 rooms on 50 floors are nice, and offer various views of the city. I do NOT recommend that you stay below the 10th floor, particularly on the Pitt Street Side. The monorail runs just inches from the hotel’s lower floors, which, while convenient, is also rather noisome. If you’re not planning to spend a great deal of time in your room, you may be able to get a deal on a room in this area of the hotel, and the monorail only runs until around 8 pm, so it shouldn't disturb your sleep (unless you want to sleep in).
Location Location Location
According to the brochure:
“Hilton Sydney is 30 minutes from the international and domestic Airports, 100 meters from Townhall Railway Station, across the road from the Queen Victoria Building, central to shopping, entertainment and business and is directly connected to Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour and China Town, on the Monorail system.”
All true. I dunno about "Directly connected." Darling Harbor and Cockle Bay are a hike if you walk it, but the monorail IS right there. The hotel is directly across from the QVB, an interesting, eclectic mix of shops and history. Nothing but shops in this neighborhood. I got lost in the Pitt Street Mall twice. Hyde Park, the Opera House, St Mary’s Cathedral and the Sun City Casino are all within walking distance.
You can walk to anywhere in “Sydney Proper,” as Sydnesiders refer to their downtown. I walked up to Cockle bay, across to Darling Harbor, up to the Botanic Gardens, down to the Circular Quay to catch a ferry, and to the ubiquitous China Town. I wore out two pairs of shoes. Its location is prime. It’s hard to find a better one.
One block away is Sydney’s AMP Sky Tower, a space needle from which you can see the city for a mere Au$20. (The AMP is a very helpful landmark, and guided me back to the Hilton from all parts of town.) Worth checking out, particularly if you’re new to the city and need to orient yourself, the Sky Tower includes a “ride” with documentary films on the history and culture of Sydney, and a VR IMAX film where you really feel in the action. Discount coupons available in most travel mags, and if you buy a monorail ticket.
Amenities
Babysitting, Executive treatments, and pool-side bar service are the little things that make a hotel such as this a five-star winner. You can expect the usual niceties from this international chain, including a multi-lingual staff, secretarial services, and event coordination for meetings or parties in their ample banquet rooms. Additionally, the concierge is extremely helpful, agreeing to organize tours or give you information on the city as needed.
Each room includes a mini bar, hair dryer, TV with Pay-per-view, coffee maker, clock radio, iron and board, ample closet space, self-controlled air conditioning and a robe for each guest. They’re not stingy with the little soaps and lotions, either. I love a hotel where the shampoo and conditioner are in separate bottles.
The rooms are not at all shabby, and my only complaint was that rather than give us a king bed, as requested, they pushed together two doubles. I thought I'd end up in the crack, but they'd made it up with king sheets, which held it together nicely and forestalled my complaints.
All in all, a lovely place to stay. Watch out for the construction phase.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
salme
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Location: University Park, MD
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Professional editor and freelance writer.
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