Does anyone know any cheap decent accommodation close to the city, looking for like hotel or something to just get away for a couple days with the girlfriend. Would be good if anyone knows somewhere suitable we can go that won't be crazy expensive and can easily get to city to hangout there. Also any recommendations on things to do in the city are good too. Thanks.
Melbourne city accommodation? (just two nights)
LAgret on 12/07/2013 - 03:15
Comments
Have a look at the AirBnB app.
You can stay at someone's house for very little, not that you'd be looking at staying in someone's spare room with your gal. What I did see when I looked was some really nice apartments in Southbank on there where you get the whole apartment for $70 a night. Southbank would a perfect place to stay. Right next City and restaurants.
The absolutely best thing to do when here is go on the restaurant tram. I thought it was just a tourist thing that wouldn't be that good. We got a voucher as an engagement present and it was without a doubt the best thing I've ever done in Melbourne.
If you drink, book the later seating. You get taken all over town, past the beach, in a 1920's tram that looks like the Orient Express inside. It's a all stabilised and you can leave a champagne flute on the table and it won't move.
You get a three or four course meal prepared in some way on the tram by a chef that is fantastic. All of the alcohol is included in the later seating, and it's all very good wine, beer and more. I ended up pretty smashed so go easy. They do stop for the toilet halfway.
After going on the tram, I tell everyone now.
Melbourne is spoilt for fine restaurants and bars and this is no exception.
One last thing; there are hundreds of small bars hidden down lane ways that are designed to be cool and hard to find. Get the 'Drink' app. It started out as a pack of cards with descriptions and a map on the back so you can find the places. Some are just unmarked doors with incredibly cool places hidden behind.
Check out Melbourne Supper Club and Siglo.
I hope you enjoy your stay.
What price range? Smack bang in the city: mercure welcome melbourne. we got it for $80-95 i think on average a night, 4 or 5 nights starting may 28th i think. Heard it can be more during price hike times but if you don't mind price, it's not flashy and i do hear some complaints (but largely good ones), it's smack bang in tthe middle of little bourke street. really convenient, second time to melbourne but first time i stayed at city tempo, also in cbd but abit off one of the side streets whereas mecure welcome melbourne was smack bang in the middle.
if the rate is good (check kayak, expedia etc etc whichever travel engine you use) then i'd recommend booking in for a night. If you're like us (gf and I) and love food, coffee/drinks and bars, its great because you can walk everywher ein the cbd and go straight home after one of the many bars/restaurant night out.
+1. i stayed at the grand mercure which is right next door. The room was pretty basic but the location is really good as it's right next the mall and everything is pretty much a short walk away.
i've got a big list of excel spreadsheet we did for our trip - some of the places we went which range from pretty normal restaurant dining to more casual , that were real good (we researched using urbanspoon so most of these are high ratings):
Mamasita (differrent mexican, if you're from perth this will feel like a whole new world)
Portello Rosso (spanish tapas - paella mmmm)
Seamstress (cocktail lounge upstairs, middle floor - restaurant: seamstreess, bottom floor: their bar)
Wonderbao - few dollars steamed buns: try both pork belly variants, bloody awesome, good day time snack food. pickup and go.
hutong dumpling bar - try it, cheaper asian style food but alot of the locals mentioned it and we already had it scheduled. don't regret.
la belle miete - macarons (near hardware societe on hardware lane)
hardware societe - on hardware lane, good breakfast
manchester press - bagels style breakfast, get there early.Bars/drinks we found good:
Melbourne supper club (lock it in for late nights as most time its 4-5am shutting, 7 days a week, good for a drink or a bottle of wine on the couch like we did)
Gin palace (i never drink gin, but there was a $hit load of gin, and good tasting cocktails)
1806 - 40+ pages of cocktails, need i say more? They do saturday degustation cocktail specials? $50-70 something from memory dependin gon 3 or 5 course.
cookie - rooftop bar - good weather: then sit outside up top to chill out.think that'd be enough? if need more let me know. spreadsheet has all the opening /closing hours if req'd.
wotif.com.au Can't beat it
Great restaurants out of the city too. I dream about the Linguine Marinara at Cosi in South Yarra.
if you don't mind being a 15min walk from the cbd, then consider
http://www.magnolia-court.com.au
http://www.wotif.com/hotel/View?hotel=W3602Tunes hotel?
when does it open?
Agree with Holden. Book ahead. Bit of an insider secret.
The last time we were in Melb, we stayed at City Tempo apartments at the north west end of the CBD, which is a stone's throw away from the Queen Victoria Markets (Borek and great coffee for breakfast!) and the free city circle tram almost at the doorstep. The apartment was new and clean, modern and reasonably priced. They have studios or 1 brm apartments. Prices are advertised at around $130 pn the for studio but shop around for offers and promo codes - we got a good deal at the time for the very spacious 1 brm apartment for $154pn. You can see that they get excellent reviews from various travel sites.
Note: Expedia currently has a 10% off promo code
Also decided to post $40-50 off promo codes for webjet hotel bookings.+1 as I think i said above in my earlier post (if not then here it is) i stayed in city tempo too. first opened so was on the low $100s side. if you can get it again for that then go for it- it's great. just more out of the city (by out i mean immaterially) otherwise go smack bang in the city - mecure welcome melbourne, we stayed there in may. was great central location.
Travelodge is cheap and good, it wasn't noisy and you can walk everywhere