Sydney Central YHA

The Sydney Central YHA is the second-largest youth hostel in the world – over 500 travellers can sleep under its roof. While this can feel a little impersonal, there are several little areas within the hostel designed to help you meet fellow travellers.

For example, there is an excellent rooftop terrace at the Sydney Central YHA. It features a heated swimming pool, a sauna, and barbecues to cook some snags (that’s sausages for those who don’t speak Australian) in the summer.

There are also lounges and common rooms on each floor of the Sydney Central YHA, so you can chill out on sofas with fellow travellers or watch the latest episode of Home And Away on TV.

Finally, there is a great bar at the Sydney Central YHA (the “Scubar”) where you can drink some great Aussie and imported beers and dance the night away.

Rooms and bathrooms at the Sydney Central YHA are kept clean and well-maintained. The prices for dorm rooms are $28-33 AUD for a dorm room, which is a little more expensive than other hostels, but probably well worth the extra money.

Sydney Central YHA is a security building and is located directly opposite Sydney Central train and bus terminus, so you’ll have a minimum distance to haul your backpack. Address: Corner of Pitt St and Rawson Place, Sydney (Opposite Central Station).

Wake Up! Sydney Central

The Wake Up! Sydney Central is another 500-bed monster opposite Sydney Central train and bus terminus in the heart of Sydney’s downtown. Like the Sydney Central YHA, the Wake Up! Sydney Central can feel a little impersonal, but they certainly try their best to get you to meet people!

For example, you could join the hostel’s pub crawl, the “Route 69″, or turn up to one of the hostel’s in-house parties at the “Side Bar”. You might just find yourself living up to the hostel’s slogan when you “wake up next to someone new”!

The facilities at the Wake Up! Sydney Central are quite good. The kitchen is a little small for a hostel of this size, but the dorm rooms are clean and friendly, and are priced from $27 AUD a night. High-speed internet access is available, and there is also an in-house cafe.

The Wake Up! Sydney Central is located only footsteps from Sydney Central train and bus station and thus you will have a minimum distance to carry your bags. The sheer size of the hostel also means you are likely to

find a bed (except in December and January when you are highly advised to book ahead). Address: 509 Pitt St, Sydney (Opposite Central Station).

Which Hostel Is Best?

Both the Sydney Central YHA and the Wake Up! Sydney Central are excellent Sydney hostels. The Sydney Central YHA probably wins out if you like the idea of having a swimming pool in your hostel, although it is marginally more expensive. Both Sydney hostels are a lot of fun if you don’t mind the slightly impersonal feel, and you’re sure to meet a lot of people at both of these Sydney hostels.

The Observatory Hotel Sydney. Photo: PhotoTram.

InterContinental Hotel Sydney

If you’d like a superb view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from your hotel room, the InterContinental Hotel Sydney makes a perfect choice.

Live classical music is played in the lobby and even the swimming pool on the 31st floor has stunning harbour views!

A 24 hour business center, as well as high-speed internet access and telephone from inside the rooms mean you can keep in touch with your business.

Each of the 509 rooms has cable TV and is furnished in a modern decor. Rooms have views of the harbour itself (breathtaking!) or Circular Quay (where you can watch the harbour ferries dock) or the Royal Botanic Gardens (which has amazing flowers and other plants).

As a downtown Sydney hotel, the InterContinental has easy access to corporate Sydney (the headquarters for most multi-nationals in Australia) as well as Sydney’s best shopping and the harbour itself. There’s also public transport (train, bus and ferry) right on your doorstep. The thing I like about the InterContinental Sydney is that even though it is so central, it is much quieter than other downtown Sydney hotels.

Rooms are over $200 AUD a night, but in this case you certainly get what you pay for. If you’re only in Sydney for a little while, why not make the most of it and book a room with a harbour view. Address: Corner Bridge and Phillip Streets, Sydney 2000, Australia.

Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach

The Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach has a great setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Coogee Beach. The water at Coogee is often flat and calm, there are people strolling along the promenade, and the skies are often pink or an amazing orange for sunset. And of course, you’ve got the tremendous Barzura restaurant / cafe at the southern end of the beach with its amazing tables overlooking the water. I just love it.

The Crowne Plaza itself is a four and a half star hotel right on the beach. There are ocean views from many of its 207 rooms and the hotel swimming pool. The rooms have a hotel-ish kind of decor, but they are passable.

Although I recommend this hotel for those on holiday, the hotel does have a well-equipped business center as well as high-speed internet access from inside the rooms. For those on holiday, there is a fitness center as well as the above-mentioned swimming pool. Close to the hotel (5 Km / 3 miles) there are two golf courses as well as the famous Randwick Racecourse. There are also the fantastic dining and cafe options on Coogee Bay Road a stone’s throw from the hotel.

I recommend the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach if you’re staying in Sydney on holidays and want to live in a seaside village-like setting. Address: 242 Arden St, Coogee.

Observatory Hotel Sydney

The Observatory Hotel is one of Sydney’s truly stand-out hotels. This is because it has a great location in Sydney’s Rocks (historic downtown) precinct, the staff provide excellent customer service and because the rooms are absolutely beautiful.

Each time I enter this hotel, it reminds me of a grand colonial home that has been brought into the twenty-first century. For example, the rooms have grand four-poster beds side-by-side with high-speed internet access points.

I also love the Observatory Hotel’s swimming pool. True to the name of the hotel, you can lie on your back and take in a fibre-optic simulation of the galaxy that features on the ceiling. Just imagine being greeted by that when you arrive after a long flight to Sydney! Address: 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney.

Establishment Hotel Sydney

Conde Nast magazine recently voted the Establishment Hotel as one of the hottest new hotels in the world. If you like your hotels on the trendy side, and you’re the sort of person who enjoys a hotel with an attached nightclub (the ultra-trendy Tank Bar), then the Establishment Hotel is a great choice.

Each of the 33 rooms in the Establishment Hotel uses one of two decors – bold or subtle. You can ask for either when you check in. The Establishment Hotel gets the small details right – the soap is by Bvlgari, for example.

However, if you’re the sort of person who likes to go to bed early, you may find a bit of noise from the Tank Bar coming into your room, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. By contrast, if you’re the sort of person who is more likely to be found inside Tank Bar, rather than in bed, the Establishment offers the shortest stumble home you might ever find. Address: 5 Bridge Lane, Sydney.