Hmm... This is a place I really just don't get. This is a fabulous old pub on a highly visible…read morecorner in Fitzroy, yet the focus of the joint has always been kind of skewed towards the sleazy. Used to be that they'd encourage a rugby crowd (they actually still do in a weird way) and that in turn changes the vibe of the place completely. The difference between the Derby and, say, the East however, is that they don't really seem to embrace anything much else. Every time I walk past the Derby I glance inside to see what seem to be the same two old blokes occupying the bar space. The main room is filled with really shitty decor and a half-baked recent renovation did little to raise the aesthetic of the place. Truth be told, this place is a shit hole, has always been a bit of a shit hole and probably will be a bit of a shit hole. If that's your bag, then great, it'll keep you and your friends from all the decent places in the neighbourhood.

I actually love the Royal Derby Hotel. Living about 100 meters away, this place is kind-of my…read morelocal. I had dinner here tonight and it was great. They have $5 Pizza's and $2.50 Pots on a Thursday. The venue is really spacious, has a good sized dance floor, and decent outdoor area. They also run a gay and lesbian event here called 'Danceteria' and it's a lot of fun. It's a $10 cover fee, they play funky electro-indie-pop and have amazing drinks specials ($2.50 Shots). I can usually leave here pretty tipsy and not spend more than $40!

I'm not really sure what to make of this place. First of all despite it being in the middle of…read moreChinatown it is your standard, typical Australian pub - nothing Chinese (or Asian) about it. Mind you, it is a bit grungy, but not in a hugely bad way. As a pub I don't mind it, though like a lot of the pubs in the city it can, and does, get pretty crowded during Friday evenings. Also, on the second level they have a venue where live shows are performed (as well as a back yard balcony, which is really only for the smokers, but since it does look over the adjoining alley it does add a bit of character to the place). Okay, I don't come here all that often, but I don't actually mid the place - it's pretty relaxed, and doesn't get anywhere near as crowded as some of the other pubs I've visited.

So here are the reasons to like the Exford:…read more Right down in Chinatown, by some of the cheapest, best food in Melbourne Right on a street with Tram service Not far from Federation Square Kitchen, TV, lounge Bar on the ground floor + daily brekkie Liquor store on the ground floor Quibbles: Internet blows and is expensive. No elevator (not awesome when you are carrying your luggage to the third floor) Check-in isn't the most obvious. I would stay again in Melbourne, if none of my friends were in town :-)

This place has changed a lot since I was last here, but then again it might have been the time of…read morenight when I eventually wandered in through the door of the front bar. This time I went into the other section and honestly, I was absolutely amazed. The place was great. They had some decent beers on tap, the staff were really friendly, and they had a pretty cool beer garden out the back as well (though only for the smokers). Yeah, I actually quite liked this pub and should make an effort to come back again.

Decent pub food at reasonable prices. Their parma is well made but not spectacular. The specials…read moreoccasionally have something interesting to offer. They sometimes have live music which totally drowns out any dinner conversation. It's loud enough that you have to shout to the person next to you. I recommend asking to be away from the music when booking a table.

Despite the mixed reviews I really loved this place. We strolled in at 1:00pm before a footy game…read morenot expecting much, but were given a great table, served lovely draught beers and ate some great fish and chips. The vibe was very relaxed. It's pubby but not grimey. Although it's a tad pricey. However, all considered, I'd definitely return and had an overall great experience.

I have to say that this is one pretty cool hotel, if only for the rooftop bar which has an awesome…read moreview of the city, though you also get the opportunity of watching multiple trains roaring by, especially during peak hour. The pub itself has three levels, and each of this levels has its own outdoor area (though they are not undercover, which means that you might get wet during incliment weather). The ground floor has a restaurant and the front bar (which gets pretty crowded at times), and the second floor has a live music area (which is trying to compete with the Corner across the road). However it's the rooftop deck that I like the most, which is accessible both from inside and from outside.

First off, i need to say im giving 3 stars because yelp doesnt offer halves (would have been 2.5)…read morebut, the staff were lovely. Met some friends for drinks and dinner before heading to the comedy lounge on a tuesday night. So, no happy hour was a downer but we had heard Tuesday was steak night....so...trade off... Now...the steak, $17 =win...and it was tasty....BUT...it was fatty and chewy =lose. So, like i said, middle of the road score but not too bad.

Well, here is a secret pub hidden away in the backstreets of North Melbourne. In fact I was under…read morethe impression that I have visited all of the pubs in North Melbourne. Turned out that I was wrong - I hadn't. Anyway this is a pretty nice, and quiet, place to grab a drink after work, though it is a bit of a hike to get to (though the tram stop is near by). Being out of the way of most of the main throughfares means that it isn't going to be all that packed. While it isn't one of my favourite pubs (especially since I don't head down this way all that often) it is still a nice place to go and grab a beer. Oh, they also have a player piano (or they did the last time I was here).

I'm not really all that sure about this pub. The first time I wandered past it there didn't seem to…read morebe all that much about this place. In fact I think it was closed. However, one Friday night after work, when I was a little bored, I decided to go and check it out again. Well, they had certainly done it up a bit more, namely turning it into a horror themed restaurant and bar. Then again I haven't really been a big fan of those horror themed restaurants and bars. It was nice, and there were some good beers available, but it isn't really a place I'd be hurrying back to any time soon.

This pub has probably the best value meal special in Melbourne - a double cheeseburger with chip…read moreand a PINT of beer, for the low low price of $10. Hands down the best value in Melbourne. It's a great place too - lots of skulls decorating the front bar, a decent tequila selection, and live music most nights of the week.

I have to say that this pub certainly does have a rather nice beer garden, and they even had a…read moredecent beer on tap, so despite the fact that this pub does happen to by your typical suburban pub, there are elements that I really did like about it. Okay, it is certainly not one of the easiest pubs to get to, at least by public transport, so it is probably one that you should visit if you happen to live in the area. However, there is still some charm about it, despite it being your typical modern pub.

My son and I dined at this hotel for dinner, I ordered a scotch fillet with mash and vegies, the…read moremeals arrived in super fast time and tasted fantastic

Thoroughly enjoyed my time. It was clean, comfortable and very reasonable price. Was easily…read moreaccessible by public transport and located in an area that had some fun alleyways to explore as well as the city itself. Could not fault the service. The building is divided into two towers and divided again by an alleyway. Room sizes were large and well appointed in an older style. The bed was very comfortable and I slept very well. Win win there! Because of where the hotel is situated there may not be any particular views. I did try the buffet, it was somewhat ordinary, but there are also small cafes close by which offer the Melbourne quirkiness. I probably would say it's a 4.5 star place but I did have a 5 star time.

Melbourne was the last destination on our trip through Australia, and I wanted to make sure that…read moreour hotel was a memorable experience. I chose this hotel because of its location and its high regard on other travel websites. We were extremely happy with our experience. The hotel is in an ideal location - close to plenty of dining options (check out Burma Lane directly across the street), Chinatown, shopping, and local attractions such as Federation Square, the National Gallery of Victoria, St Paul's and St Patrick's cathedrals, Fitzroy Gardens, etc. It's tucked away on one of Melbourne's narrow one-lane streets, but there's still plenty of road and foot traffic out front. We were greeted warmly upon check-in by the reception desk and concierge, and were given warm towels to freshen up after our long day of travel. As I took care of the details, a porter showed up immediately, loaded our bags up, and took them to our room. We took the glass elevator up to the top floor of the west tower, where we found our quiet corner suite ready for us, with the porter following closely behind. He oriented us to the climate control and other features of the suite as well. We had a spacious 2-bedroom suite with a kitchenette, dining area, and living room. Both bedrooms very quite roomy with a king bed in one room and two twins in the other. The master bath had a double sink and both bathrooms had tubs with jets. It was impeccably clean and the bath amenities were high quality and responsibly-sourced. There were large televisions in both bedrooms and the living room, so I was able to watch as much of the Cricket World Cup as I wanted as the rest of the family sought refuge elsewhere. The views from the windows were just okay, as the city has grown around the hotel, but we could still get a glimpse of the sky. There was a funny little sitting area outside our living room, which was a high-walled concrete enclosure with no view except for up, so we didn't use it. There are other rooms that had windows overlooking the atrium, but I'm not sure I would have chosen those as we could see through some of the open curtains as we rode the elevator. A breakfast buffet was included in the special family getaway package that we booked, and it was fantastic. The coffee from the automatic machine was better than average, though if you wanted to have barista-prepared coffee there was an option for that, though I believe it comes with a nominal $4 cost. The buffet was well-stocked during the peak hours. We didn't eat at the hotel restaurant during our stay since we were eager to try other restaurants in the city, but the promos in the elevators and lobby were enticing, especially an afternoon high tea option that could be delivered to your room. We didn't make use of the leisure amenities at this hotel since we wanted to spend most of our time exploring Melbourne. We did stop in to see the indoor rooftop pool, sauna, and exercise room, which were all modern and inviting. For all of this, the cost of our accommodation was almost shockingly moderate, as we paid a little less than than AUD400 per night. With the prevailing exchange rate, this came to less than US$300 per night, breakfast included. As 5-star rated hotels go, especially one so conveniently located, it's hard to beat.