Rydges Sydney Central

We had a great time here, including the buffet breakfast, and will come back. The pool was lovely and clean, and the sauna was nice and hot. Our bedroom was tidy and well presented, and we really appreciated the Christmas card and gift. The whole hotel looked spotless as soon as we walked in. The receptionists were friendly and answered even my silliest questions. It was also a big help to leave our luggage in their secure storage long after checkout while we went sightseeing.

The location is great if you need to be by the train station, but the service was poor. It’s a fairly old, run-down hotel, so don’t expect anything fancy. The pool looked much better in the photo. The water was so cold my young daughter’s lips started turning blue after less than 20 minutes. The spa looked quite nice, but I couldn’t enjoy it properly with my little one. Pool towels weren’t available there, either. We had to go back to reception to ask, and only found that out after reaching the pool. Our room was spacious and clean, and the air conditioning worked well without making it stuffy. The bed was far too soft, though, and the shower drained too slowly for a proper shower. There were few amenities, with no toothbrush, toothpaste or comb. We had to change rooms because of the bed and were asked to bring our luggage downstairs while they prepared the replacement. I also asked staff to refrigerate my yoghurt and kimchi until we returned after lunch, but they left them at room temperature, so I had to throw them out. It was 40 degrees that day. At check-in, it seemed other guests were offered free breakfast and upgrades, but we weren’t. Nobody told us about the kids’ playroom or activities, which we only discovered on our last day. They didn’t explain which lift to take, even though the long hotel is split into two sides. The location is within a five-minute walk of Central Station, ten minutes from Chinatown and 20 minutes from Darling Harbour.

We were comfortable here, and the central location made it easy to get to Sydney’s main sights. The room had plenty of space, a really comfortable bed and air conditioning that worked perfectly. Having a fridge was handy too. Breakfast had a great spread, including avocado mash, which was a nice surprise. A very convenient place to stay in Sydney.

We only stayed one night, and for what I paid the lack of attention to detail was really disappointing. My package was supposed to include drinks on arrival and checkout at 1pm, but there were no drinks. I tried calling reception and nobody answered. After using the pool the next day, my keycards stopped working and I was locked out. I went to reception and waited 30 minutes in line to have them reset. The location is good, close to Central Station and within walking distance of the city centre. At first glance the hotel seemed tidy. Then we found a bathroom with no towels, bath mat, hand towel or hand soap, and there were no coffee or tea supplies, just a kettle. The bed looked neat at first, but the bottom sheet was thrown over it without being tucked in, with the quilt on top. My kids make a bed better than that. Little things make a big impression.