Hotels in Sydney

This heritage-listed building (built in 1821 and once the parcels post office for Central Station next door), has been converted to elegant and roomy studio rooms and apartments. My pick is the one-bedroom Premier apartments, which are on the higher levels of the hotel; some are…

This impressive hotel offers modern, very comfortable studio rooms and apartments at competitive prices. It’s a short walk from the Sydney Aquarium and close to all of the Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay, and Town Hall attractions and shops. Studio and one-bedroom apartments have…

This hotel (formerly called Sullivans Hotel) is right in the heart of the action in one of Sydney’s most popular shopping, entertainment, restaurant, and gay pub and club areas. About half of the hotel’s guests come from overseas, and it’s popular with Americans during Mardi Gras.…

Cockle Bay’s star attraction for those who appreciate good food and a fun ambience without paying a fortune, Chinta Ria is on the roof of the three-story complex. A round building dominated by a giant golden Buddha in the center, it serves cheap and delicious “hawker-style” Malaysian…

This popular and friendly B&B is well worth considering if you want to be near the Kings Cross action but far enough away to get some peace and quiet. It has two rooms for single travelers and three family rooms that can sleep two adults and two children. All rooms are well kept…

If all you want is somewhere clean to crash before an early flight, this no-frills hotel will be fine. It has almost no facilities, but it’s next to a couple of fast-food joints, and the hotel does an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Rooms are air-conditioned and have TVs. You can reach…

Popular among hip, fashionable types, this slightly offbeat boutique hotel in Darlinghurst offers rooms with modernist furniture and custom-made fittings, including mirrored headboards and sleek bathrooms hidden away behind mirrored doors. Standard rooms are quite compact and come…

Rooms here are big, and some have glimpses of the sea. The traffic can make it a little noisy in your room during the day, but you’ll probably be on the beach then, anyway. Motel rooms come with a queen, double, or twin beds. The apartments are magnificently roomy, offering…

This nice indoor and alfresco eatery overlooking the water on the same side as Darling Harbour (to the left of Sydney Aquarium if you’re looking at the boats) offers good cocktails and plenty of seafood. The best seats are outside in the sunshine, where you can watch the world go by…

Tucked just around the corner from Circular Quay, almost under the harbour bridge, Pier One is right on the waterfront (you can even arrive by boat at the private pontoon, if you wish). Some rooms have harbor views, in both directions. Rooms are contemporary and newly refurbished,…

Right on Australia’s most famous golden sands, this boutique property offers modern minimalist rooms with white marble bathrooms—all very chic. Side View double rooms are spacious and modern, but the Beach Front King rooms have the best views of the ocean. All rooms have Juliet…

This is one of my favorite Sydney hotels. It’s plush and luxurious, but like all really great hotels, the staff is friendly and the atmosphere relaxed rather than stuffy. It has a clubby European atmosphere, but it’s warm and welcoming. There’s even a mascot “bear” called Morris who…

At the other end of the scale, this is Sydney’s best airport hotel (just 7 min. from the terminals by the A$6 airport shuttle). It has the largest rooms, each with a king-size or two double beds, access to airport information, and a good-size bathroom with tub. Suites and deluxe…

This multiple-award-winning hostel is one of the biggest and busiest in the world. It is very popular, so you need to book as far ahead as possible. The rooms are clean and basic and come dorm-style for four, six, or eight people or as doubles (with private bathrooms). There are also…

The Sydney Harbour YHA offers basic, clean, and new (it opened in 2010) rooms at a very reasonable price for this sought-after part of the city’s prime tourist district. Some rooms have harbor views (if you crane your neck). All are air-conditioned, and even the dorms have private…

Rooms here are above one of Sydney’s most historic pubs, but despite that, they are not noisy. Carry your bags up the narrow stairs, and you’ll find a charming—if somewhat frayed around the edges—little haven overlooking the action on the street. Each room has a double, queen, or…

love this boutique hotel, part of which is set in an 1870s mansion house. t’s warm and comfortable, with lots of sitting areas, including a wonderful library/den full of books. Hardly surprising, suppose, given that one of the owners is children’s book author Susanne Gervay, which…

I love the opulence of this hotel, and love staying here. This exclusive colonial-style property, a 10-minute walk uphill from The Rocks and 15 minutes from Circular Quay (or a stroll down to Wynyard train station), is a turn-of-the-20th-century beauty competing for…

Book a room upstairs in one of Sydney’s oldest pubs (established in 1841) to be part of the city’s living history. This attractive, three-story sandstone building is a busy pub on the ground floor, with hotel rooms on the second and the third. The simple but stylishly outfitted rooms…

This business-oriented hotel is cheap for Sydney, comfortable, and reasonably well located, making it a good option for travelers who just want to unpack and explore. The Ikea-like rooms all include a kitchenette with a microwave and a queen- or twin-size bed. From here it’s a short…

Compared with other hotels in its price bracket, this flagship Vibe Hotel on the far side of Kings Cross really is a bargain, especially when you book online. Standard rooms are a reasonable size, and I love the rooms’ brightly accented and colorful—well, yes—vibe. All rooms have…

One of Sydney’s most celebrated five-star hotels, the Westin is located in the center of the city, in the Martin Place pedestrian mall. Integrated into Sydney’s original 19th-century General Post Office, the Westin has a charm that’s modern and classic all at once. The large rooms…

You’ll find this friendly circa-1886 heritage building on the far side of Darling Harbour, next to the prominent Novotel hotel and hidden behind a monstrous above-ground parking garage. It’s on a noisy road, so unless you’re used to traffic, avoid the rooms at the front. Rooms are…

Forget the dark interiors and exotic murals you usually find in an Indian restaurant; here are white surfaces, a glass-fronted wine cellar, and magnificent views of the water and the Sydney skyline from the far side of Darling Harbour. An outdoor terrace provides the best views. Chef…