City Crown Motel

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and gave us useful information about things to see nearby. Getting free café coffee vouchers at check-in was a nice touch. The room looked a little dated and could use a refresh. The TV only got one channel, though that wasn’t really why we were there. Watch the small step into the bathroom, it catches your toes. For an economical motel so close to the city and stadiums, it’s one of the better options around.

The service was fine, and we had our own toilet and a fridge. The cleaning in the room could have been better, though. At this price, right in central Sydney, I wasn’t expecting anything wonderful. The location is the main reason I’d give it two stars: about a 10-minute walk to the train station and 20 minutes to the opera.

The location is handy, with shops and restaurants nearby and Museum station about a 10-minute walk away. If you need somewhere cheap near the city, this could work, though it’s outside the city centre and the building is older. The room was very small and dark, with peeling paint and a broken door chain. It had a strong cleaning-product smell over a musty one, bad enough that we aired it out every time we returned. We only dealt with staff at check-in and check-out, so I have no real complaint about the service. For the price, I wondered if paying around $20 extra for a nicer place might have been worthwhile.

I could barely sleep because the bed bugs came out in force at night, and their bites were painful enough to wake me. The rooms were small and dirty, and there was no room service to bring clean linen or clean up. One of the worst hotel stays I’ve had.