During this trip to Sydney and Melbourne I did not stay in one hostel despite that being my norm all the way down Australia’s east coast. My friend hates them. I agreed we wouldn’t stay in one and that was that. I do however work in hotels, and therefore get great discounts in many hotels around Asia Pacific. In fact, each hotel we stayed at during this time was within my hotel chain and despite not being as cheap as it would have been in a hostel, it really wasn’t far off.
Most of the time.
After taking the train up to the Blue Mountains for the bargain price of $2.50 on a Sunday, we made our way back to the city and booked the Pullman Sydney Hyde Park. This is just five minutes from Museum Station and a great location in the CBD. Here is a view from our room, overlooking Hyde Park and the skyline. To the right of the second image the Sydney Tower Eye can be seen, the tallest structure in Sydney and the Southern Hemisphere’s second tallest observation tower.
We bagged a room on the club level floor, when looking for hotels with my discount this one came up and for the rate it was, it was 100% worth it. It came to $185 per night, so between two of us in an executive twin bed room with executive lounge access, it was a great deal. It isn’t often I stay in hotels, especially five star, so being able to enjoy the service instead of providing it in my job was great.
I am a backpacker and therefore to justify spending money on a hotel of this standard leading up to Christmas, I really needed to make the most of the lounge.
So that I did.
It wasn’t huge, but it didn’t need to be as there were only a handful of people there when we arrived. In fact after a few drinks we all got chatting, we met some nice people and shared stories. The gentleman serving us both nights was pleasant, ensuring we had another drink once we finished ours and reminded us to make the most of the food and drink just before he closed up. Trust me, we did.
Soft drinks and snacks were available 24/7 of course, and breakfast was included each morning. The benefit club lounge breakfast has over the standard breakfast in hotels is that despite being more limited, it isn’t as hectic with everyone fighting over the buffet. From here it is a much more relaxed environment with some of the best views Sydney has to offer.
Could you tell I was in my element?
Sadly I won’t be experiencing another five star hotel any time soon. Back to hostels and saving as much as possible, but it was sure worth booking. Everything in moderation including moderation, and this kind of experience is what we live for, right? This was a great stay and a good end to our trip to Sydney. Thankfully the rain held off, we were warned of some big storms heading our way. Nothing yet, we will just have to wait and see…
Have you stayed in club lounge before? What has your favourite hotel experience been to date? Let me know and as always, see you in the comments!
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Happy blogging,
Sam
One Chance to See the World 
Its always a nice treat to stay in a 5 star. My house mate was working in Hotel Management in Cairns and Melbourne so we used his discount etc a bit. Im not a backpacker but happy to stay in 3 star. I used to go camping…too old for that now. lol
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That’s good that you were able to use the discount, it can be very useful! I am happy to stay in 3 star, as long as there is a decent bed and cleanliness levels I’m fine. I have never really been one to camp though, especially in Australia! However I couldn’t imagine anyone being too old for camping. Never 🙂
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Sydney looks as smashing as ever. I am given to staying in hostels and cheapo motels, when on the road. In 2014, I stayed mainly in mid-level hotels, as I was tending to family business. Hotel France, in Vannes, Brittany and Hotel St. Peter, in Ghent, were the classiest of the lot. Mostly, though, I love my hostels and the people with whom I interact are a life-affirming bunch.
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Sydney is great! It seems like you are well travelled and have experienced some lovely hotels, it is great to read. Hostels are a great place to meet people as you get so close so fast, I have also met some lovely people and I know some will be friends for life. Both accommodation types certainly have their perks!
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Something like that is a real treat when you don’t do it all the time. Great views too.
We had the best on our Alaskan cruises, & the Rail tour we did.
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It makes it even more special when it isn’t a regular thing, for sure 🙂 And I can only imagine how nice it is on a cruise! Would love to experience that Pat.
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Fabulous way to vacation.
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Very nice indeed. I reckon you more than got your money’s worth. My ex and I took my parents to Vegas many years ago and were comped a three room suite.
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I think so too 🙂 and wow! How did you get that comped? That would be like winning the lottery for me! Amazing!
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Great post! I always try to secure lounge access when traveling in Asia as it works out pretty well economically. When it includes evening drinks and breakfast, it can work out cheaper than getting those externally. My favourite? Would have to be the Tokyo Hilton – it’s on the 37th floor and has stunning views over Shinjuku and, when the weather cooperates, as far as Mt. Fuji! Heading back there in a few weeks and looking forward to enjoying it all over again.
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Thanks! I can imagine Asia has some amazing hotels, in fact I am regularly told by guests checking into my hotel of the experiences they have had in asian hotels and it really makes me want to book somewhere. Japan is on that list for sure. Views of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji? Yes please!
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Hello Sam,
I’m glad your trip to Sydney turned out Awesome! You captured it’s Beauty wonderfully, which allows me to share your experience.
It’s cool that you get discounts for hotels like that. I know they can definitely be pricey.
By the way, the pool looks all kinds of dreamy!
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Thanks for your kind words regarding the post 🙂
It is great that I can use these discounts for sure, especially travelling so much as it is very hard to save! But once in a while makes it a lovely break from hostels.
We didn’t get in the pool (shame I know) but it was certainly very nice and worth a picture 🙂
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Your life seems like a dream life
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Like many similar blogs and social media channels, it certainly isn’t! The stay was a one off, and despite travelling a lot, it is only temporary on my working holiday visa and I am working full time around it. But I am certainly having fun during this experience, and I always tell people they should travel and have as much fun as they can outside of their working life! Working holiday visa’s are ideal for this as it allows you to work to fund your travels, which is great 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
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I’d love to travel, haha, and I admire the fact that you still work full time. (I also love your website name lol)
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I have to work full time as I am terrible at saving! I have actually only recently changed it in the last few days, I like this one more 🙂 Thanks a lot!
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