Ravesi's Sydney

Alzado was fantastic. I had the lamb belly ribs, which were tender and full of flavour, and our waiter made sure we had everything we needed. We stayed in a Level 1 Pipi Apartments apartment for my partner's 30th after travelling from Melbourne to Bondi. It was amazing, with a full-size kitchen and all the facilities for making our own meals. The ocean views were gorgeous, and Bondi Beach is right across the road. Shops, cafes and the beach are all an easy walk away, though the bar downstairs gets a bit noisy at night, which is pretty expected in Bondi. The cleaning team deserves a shoutout, everything was spotless. My only small gripe was the TV: it had Channel 9 stations, pre-installed Samsung channels, Netflix and Stan, but no Foxtel or other free-to-air channels. I'd also arranged rose petals for our arrival, but they were missed. Staff apologised and sorted it out straight away with a refund and a food and drinks voucher. Such a great stay, and we'll definitely be back next time we're in Bondi.

I cancelled and booked somewhere else. I'd stayed here a few times and always thought it was a good option, so this was disappointing. After booking, I got an email warning about live music and weekend noise. I asked if I could have a quieter room, which seemed like a simple request, but they said I'd need to cancel and rebook at a higher rate. I spoke to the manager, who was quite rude and basically told me not to stay if noise was an issue. I felt lectured about their policies instead of helped. She kept saying the noise was clearly advertised everywhere, then later admitted it was actually in the fine print and they email you about it after you've booked. That seems like a poor system. Most people expect a hotel to be quiet and shouldn't have to pay extra to avoid noise. For a 4-star property, the response felt unnecessarily rigid.

The balcony and sea breeze were lovely, and we enjoyed the lively atmosphere downstairs. Our room was clean, cosy and had a nice beach-vibe charm. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay. Hotel Ravesis is right in front of Bondi Beach, making it easy to go for morning walks or runs, catch sunset views and explore the whole Bondi area. It's a great base close to the beach, cafés, restaurants and all the Bondi action.

A few things kept going wrong: serial false fire alarms, the TV turning itself on in the middle of the night, and a hair dryer we couldn't use. Maybe the place needs even more attention to detail behind the cool surface. Still, the team was very friendly, the Bondi beach location is unbeatable, and I'd be happy to stay again. It's a pretty cool boutique hotel, with lots of attention to detail, and I loved my comfy, well-appointed room with its partial ocean view.