Where To Stay In The East

By Madeleine Gray on February 1, 2016 in Other

If you live in Sydney’s East, it’s likely you’ve never stayed in a hotel here. Fair enough. But where do you recommend that your out-of-town relos and mates stay when you can’t be bothered having them crash on your couch/in the guest bedroom? Not to worry, we’ve got you sorted. The suburbs around the Eastern Beaches of Sydney are swarming with places to stay. Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard yards and sorted out the dope from the nope. Here are our top tips for accommodation in the East that’s guaranteed to satisfy even your fussiest aunt.

Coogee:

Dive Hotel

Dive is a gorgeous, small, boutique hotel directly overlooking Coogee Beach. The vibe is ‘modern metrosexual goes on beachside holiday’, but you won’t find any pretension or sterility here. The hotel is home to two resident dogs – Lucas the Poodle and Ruby the Westie, complimentary breakfast is served in a lovely tiled courtyard, and there are no expensive mini-bars in sight! A night in a King Room will set you back around $130.

Who to send here: Your fashionable friend from Melbourne who is always bemoaning Sydney’s lack of style.

Website: http://www.divehotel.com.au/

Coogee Sands Hotel

A more corporate-style hotel and serviced apartments down the northern end of Coogee beach, just next to the Coogee Pavillion. What you’ll get here is spotless sheets, clean lines and abundant facilities. Most accommodation options are ‘studios’, so they have kitchenettes, writing desks, bar fridges and so on. The hotel also offers a 24-hour reception service, underground parking, meeting rooms and a rooftop sundeck area. Not to mention the fact that Oporto is just around the corner for all your chicken burger needs! A standard one-bedroom apartment will cost you around $240 for a night.

Who to send here: Your businessman father-in-law who thinks that knick-knacks are for chumps.

Website: http://www.coogeesands.com.au/accommodation-en.html

Crowne Plaza

The Crown Plaza hotel family is internationally reputable, and this is because they stick to what they know: good, friendly service, clean amenities, and neutral décor. The Coogee branch is no different. It is located down the south side of the beach, a hop, skip and a jump away from Wylie’s Baths. Here you’ve got all the classic ‘big hotel’ accoutrements, including swimming pool, gym, conference rooms, babysitting service, restaurant, bar/lounge and tennis courts. A King room is approximately $360 a night.

Who to send here: Your Gold Coast cousin’s family, who like to do family bonding activities.

Website: http://www.crowneplazacoogee.com.au/

Bondi:

Bondi Beach House

A charming little hotel just off the south end of Bondi Beach on Mitchell Rd. The décor here is rustic and beachy but still manages to maintain an air of tastefulness and elegance: it looks like it has come straight out of the pages of Vogue living, but it is extremely reasonably priced. You can book a suite, a double room or single room. Each is decorated with lively Australian art and really lovely furniture. There is also a small, leafy garden out the back, which is the perfect place to rest your weary bones and catch up on some reading in the afternoon sun. A night in a double room will cost you around $220.

Who to send here: Your cool, laidback older brother, who says things like “Whatta beauty” but also runs his own graphic design business.

Website: http://www.bondibeachhouse.com.au/

Ravesi’s Hotel

It just so happens that there is more to Ravesi’s than $4.50 schooners of Super Dry at Happy Hour! Apart from being a place where ridiculously good-looking people can meet other ridiculously good-looking people over drinks, Ravesi’s is also home to a range of suites and rooms. The atmosphere here is dark and moody, with chocolate-coloured feature walls offsetting crisp, white beds. The location is sensational, both in its proximity to the beach (which is directly across the street), and its proximity to the bar directly below it. A standard room with a queen size bed and a balcony will burn about a $285 hole in your pocket.

Who to send here: Your recently divorced mate who just needs a good time.

Website: http://www.ravesis.com.au/page/stay.html

Bondi Beach Eco Garden

This place is a fashionable eco-paradise, located on Hall St, super close to the beach and even closer to Bondi stalwarts like Gertrude and Alice, and of course, Messina. The rooms themselves are very pretty, with Scandinavian-looking wooden furniture and big windows overlooking the garden. But what really sets this hotel apart is its eco-credentials, and its commitment to sustainability. In the garden, organic vegetables are grown, two urban beehives produce honey and 5 Rhode Island Hens mill about (their eggs are even available for breakfast!). In the house, organic materials are used wherever possible, GreenPower is used on site and bicycles are available for guests to use free of charge. The house is divided into apartments with two bedrooms each, and a night in one apartment costs around $320.

Who to send here: Your sister and her family, from Byron Bay, who all think that kale is a lifestyle.

Website: http://www.bondiecogarden.com.au/

Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi

Once again, a more corporate option. Rooms all have a modern aesthetic, with neutral colour palettes and plentiful amenities, including iPod dock, minibar, desk, access to gym and a small cooking/dining area. If you book the room more than thirty days before your stay, you also receive a discounted rate. The location is great: also on Hall St, and only a four minute walk from the café with the best damn salads in Bondi, Lox Stock and Barrel. A King Studio will set you back $260 a night.

Who to send here: Your older relatives, who like to brew their own tea in their own kitchen, thank you very much.

Website: https://www.tfehotels.com/brands/adina-apartment-hotels/adina-apartment-hotel-bondi-beach

QT Bondi

The newest addition to Bondi’s hotel scene, the QT is part of the old Swiss Grand Hotel site’s modern transformation into a stylish accommodation, food and retail hub. It advertises itself as Bondi Beach’s only high-end, boutique hotel, and it is not hard to see why: the 69 luxury guests suites and apartments have been designed in collaboration with much-lauded Australian designer Nick Graham, and each oozes the charm and quirky sophistication that he has come to be associated with. Bespoke designer furnishings come in bright hues and geometric prints. The QT King studio, for example, houses a large, comfortable lounge, a big, crisp bed, a kitchenette, a balcony, a flat screen television, and one very groovy tessellation-print carpet. Prices are yet to be released, but with décor this enticing, and a location this swanky, we think that a night at the QT will be hard to resist, even for locals.

Who to send here: Your brother, and his achingly cool fashion designer wife.

Website: https://www.qtbondi.com.au/features-rooms/

Tamarama:

Tama Beach House

Tama Beach House caters towards a market that wants a luxury feel with a manageable price tag. There are three separate apartments to choose from, each gorgeously decorated with sumptuous, colourful throws, kitchens, bathrooms, access to a large pool, and a balcony overlooking Tamarama’s sparkling bay. Apartments differ in terms of number of beds, but they are all very spacious and sun-filled. A one-bedroom apartment costs around $200 a night.

Who to send here: Greg and Margie, your old Uni friends! They love a nice glass of pinot grigio on the deck!

Website: http://www.tamabeachhouse.com/

Waverley:

Charing Cross Hotel

Charing Cross Hotel is pretty much the face of Waverley/Charing Cross’ ‘coolification’. After its refurbishment last year, and the addition of a pretty swanky restaurant, the ‘Charo’ has made the transition from ‘old local’ to ‘groovy gastro-pub’. What is less known is that the Charo is still a hotel in the traditional sense of the word – above the bar on level one is a range of breezy, coastal-themed rooms. They each have their own en suite bathroom with shower, and depending on the size of the room, a comfy, old–school leather chair and a wooden desk. Prices are also very sensible, with a King bedroom costing $150 for the night.

Who to send here: Your Mum, who likes comfort, but also the sense that she is ‘keeping up with the youths’.

Website: http://charingcrosshotel.com.au/bronte-beach-accommodation/

Clovelly:

Clovelly Hotel

The Clovelly Hotel is an old favourite around the East, and that’s mainly because it just emanates chill, beachy vibes. Just a stone’s throw away from Clovelly Beach, the Cloey does great food at the bistro, and the gorgeous beer garden is an awesome place to while away a lazy afternoon. However, much like the Charo and Ravesi’s, the Cloey has a little secret: it has several rooms available to stay at, all with sea views. Rooms start at $100 a night, and most have en suites. If you are looking for a place to stay that will make you feel as if you are on holiday, this is for you.

Who to send here: Your aunty, who just needs to relax.

Website: http://www.clovellyhotel.com.au/accommodation/

Randwick:

Avonmore on the Park

Located in a sumptuous Victorian terrace, just across the road from Alison Park, the Avonmore is a household name in Randwick. Perfectly manicured hedges shroud the lovely old house, and just inside the front door, a grand wooden staircase alludes to the decadence of times gone by. Some might call the décor ‘old-fashioned’, but it is the Avanomore’s ‘old-world’ feel that lies at the centre of its charm. While some rooms have a more modern décor, our favourites are the ones that look like they haven’t been altered in centuries. The Heritage Family Suite, for example, has beds covered in floral quilts, a marble fireplace and a charming wooden table and chairs set. It looks like it comes straight out an Eliot novel. A King Suite is around $250 a night.

Who to send here: Anyone who thinks that The Jane Austen Book Club is a filmic masterpiece.

Website: http://www.avonmoreonthepark.com.au/

Royal Hotel Randwick

The newly refurbished Royal Hotel will be a familiar site to anyone who has made the mad dash between Royal Randwick and the Ritz to catch a film. Situated on the corner of Cuthill St and Perouse Rd, just across from the park, the Royal is a National Trust building, built in 1887. The building still has such original Victorian features as the decorative wrought iron balconies that skim the building’s exterior, and the stunning chandeliers on display. Rooms all have en suites, flat-screen televisions and air-conditioning/heating. The décor is simple and light, and accessible rooms are available on the ground floor. A Queen room will set you back $190 for a night.

Who to send here: Those relatives who are always at family events, and your Mum always says to be nice to them, but you literally have no understanding of how they are related to you.

Website: http://royalhotelrandwick.com.au/accommodation