The Ultimo

I was impressed by how much you get for the money here. The location is fantastic: Paddy’s Market is across the road, there are two supermarkets nearby, and it seems like every other shop within a kilometre is a restaurant. Central train station is a short walk away, with buses and light rail too. My room was very clean and quiet, even though it faced a bar with an outdoor terrace. The soundproofing was excellent. The bed was comfortable, towels were soft, and the WiFi was fast enough for streaming. Staff at the front desk were friendly. I also appreciated being able to open the windows for fresh air, along with strong adjustable air-conditioning. There’s an elevator as well as stairs if you prefer to walk. No complaints, still impressed by the value, location, and friendly service.

Check-in and checkout were easy at any hour, and the location is convenient, about an 8-minute walk to Central and a 15-minute drive from the airport. The rooms are small but practical, and the beds and pillows were really comfortable. The bathroom needed some TLC, and the kettle smelled like it needed cleaning. For a 4-star hotel, I expected a bathroom without mold.

The best part of this stay was the staff agreeing to my request for an 11am early check-in at no extra cost. It exceeded our expectations, thank you! The service was great, and it’s good value for a one or two-night stay given the location and overall experience. The rooms were a good value for the price. The shower and toilet were separate, which made mornings convenient for two people at once. Both were really clean, though the bathroom smelled at first. Opening the window to air it out was enough to fix that. The corridors were clean and simply elegant, with remnants of the old brick structure.

We didn’t rest as well as we hoped, though we appreciated how the staff responded. For the first two nights, our room was beside the housekeeping office, and the thin walls let in early morning noise from doors opening and closing and staff talking and laughing. After we raised it, the staff understood and kindly upgraded us to a different room on our next stay. It was definitely quieter, though the soundproofing still seemed limited overall. The hotel is in a great location and was clean and well maintained. It was a busy weekend in Sydney, prices were high everywhere, and this still felt a bit expensive for the experience. The noise did affect how well we could rest.