Where to stay in Melbourne?
December 9, 2010 5:25 PM Subscribe
Melbourne, Australia for the food and wine festival - Where to stay?
Looking for recommendations for moderately-priced accommodation - preferably something central and / or interesting (e.g. The Nunnery). Thanks!
Looking for recommendations for moderately-priced accommodation - preferably something central and / or interesting (e.g. The Nunnery). Thanks!
When you mention the Nunnery (which is pretty nice, I've stayed there a number of times) I'm not clear whether you're after a private room or a dorm. There's also the Nunnery "guesthouse" that has fancier rooms, which cost about the same as a room in any regular hotel so I'm not sure what "moderately priced" means to you.
Anyway, as long as you're not after a dorm, I usually book through wotif.com. To be honest, most places I've stayed <$100 have ranged between "basic" and "dismal", but who cares if you're just needing a place to sleep at night? If you shop around within the site for hot deals or mystery hotels, you can often get somewhere really quite nice for <$150.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:18 PM on December 9, 2010
Anyway, as long as you're not after a dorm, I usually book through wotif.com. To be honest, most places I've stayed <$100 have ranged between "basic" and "dismal", but who cares if you're just needing a place to sleep at night? If you shop around within the site for hot deals or mystery hotels, you can often get somewhere really quite nice for <$150.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:18 PM on December 9, 2010
(oh, but you won't really find anything "interesting" on wotif, unless by "interesting" you mean a place like the Albany Hotel (in Sth Yarra, about halfway between CBD & StKilda) which is a bit of a dump of a motel that they've tried to glam up to look kinda retro 60s / rock'n'roll)
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:23 PM on December 9, 2010
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:23 PM on December 9, 2010
Response by poster: That was embarrassingly unspecific. We're after a private room for two (mid 20s) adults. I thought the nunnery looked pretty cool and was wondering if there are others similar.
posted by nvly at 7:35 PM on December 9, 2010
posted by nvly at 7:35 PM on December 9, 2010
OK, I've probably stayed in about two dozen different hotels in that price range from wotif.com, and really none of them could be described as cool or funky or quirky or anything like that. Very vanilla & beige. So, if it's charm that you're after, you'd have to look somewhere else - I know that doesn't exactly answer your question, but at least it tells you where *not* to look.
Sydney has some great little places run by Lilting House Hotels. Perhaps somebody knows a Melbourne equivalent? Or else see if any of the backpacker places in St Kilda are a bit more upmarket than dorms full of bunks, and have some more premium private rooms?
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:56 PM on December 9, 2010
Sydney has some great little places run by Lilting House Hotels. Perhaps somebody knows a Melbourne equivalent? Or else see if any of the backpacker places in St Kilda are a bit more upmarket than dorms full of bunks, and have some more premium private rooms?
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:56 PM on December 9, 2010
Haven't stayed there, but if you want a bit quirky, you could try the Brooklyn Arts Hotel in Fitzroy, although only the most expensive room (over your budget) has a private bathroom - others, more in your price range, share. It describes itself as follows: Brooklyn is a perfect place to stay if you are not looking for a standard hotel. It is beautiful, friendly, quiet, interesting, quirky and personal, within walking distance of central Melbourne. The atmosphere is relaxed and congenial. There is a garden to sit in and birds to listen to. Brooklyn is a big old house on the city edge of Fitzroy.
The other quirky suggestion I think sounds interesting (but since I live here, haven't tried) is The Aerie - an alternative oasis, available through Air BnB. It describes itself as follows: The Aerie is a self-catering studio apartment with a unique ambiance and rustic appeal, yet with all required conveniences - plus won't break your budget! Imagine a small country cottage had been helicoptered in to the center of Melbourne and perched on top of a small office building!
posted by AnnaRat at 11:39 PM on December 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
The other quirky suggestion I think sounds interesting (but since I live here, haven't tried) is The Aerie - an alternative oasis, available through Air BnB. It describes itself as follows: The Aerie is a self-catering studio apartment with a unique ambiance and rustic appeal, yet with all required conveniences - plus won't break your budget! Imagine a small country cottage had been helicoptered in to the center of Melbourne and perched on top of a small office building!
posted by AnnaRat at 11:39 PM on December 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Further to what AnnaRat said...in case you don't know Melbourne too well, Fitzroy is a funky, bohemian, arty kind of place, full of great little bars & restaurants. And there's a tram that will take you all the way to St Kilda.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:18 AM on December 10, 2010
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:18 AM on December 10, 2010
One other possibility I can think of: the Little Collins Hotel in the CBD (which is otherwise a total shithole) has a fantastic-sounding room up top, which is put together with all kinds of 2nd hand & designey stuff. I have no idea what it costs, and I think there's some kind of sekrit swkirrel way of making bookings, but you could try to start from here.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:26 AM on December 10, 2010
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:26 AM on December 10, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
A lot of the events are in St Kilda and imo, it's Melbourne's most interesting suburb.
posted by Kerasia at 7:06 PM on December 9, 2010