Hadn't been in for a while, new chef and, wow! Back for round two the next Saturday, very happy!…read moreWeek 1 had fish tacos and bacon cheese burger, this week chicken Tikal masala and beef vindaloo, is it wrong to go to the same place three weeks in a row? #thebanksia #topchef #bestfood

Well, this pub wasn't really all that bad, but then again compared with the others in the local…read morearea that really wasn't all that huge a bar to climb. Yeah, I found that the staff to be reasonably friendly, and the atmosphere wasn't all that bad as well. Okay, it is sort of an inner-city pub, to an extent, but I found that I actually rather appreciated the place. The further thing that helps is that it is pretty close to the railway station as well, which makes it one of those pubs where you can easily jump off the train and then grab a beer.

Place isn't bad. Hotel room is pretty standard…read more There are a lot of elevators to get up to your room. The place is clean and there isn't really anything to complain about. There is a restaurant downstairs where you can have a beer and there is also a breakfast dining area that's available for around $20usd. The staff is friendly and they're more than willing to answer your questions. When you call from your room phone, they answer right away and give you the information that you need. This hotel is definitely designed to cater to people laying over from the airport. It is literally 5 minutes away from the airport terminal. Overall, if you need a place to stay over night, this is the hotel for you. It's super convenient.

Stayed here in 2018. Smooth check in and checkout after a single night stay with family. Easy walk…read moreacross the concourse the the International Terminal

This pub actually wasn't all that bad. It was sort of one of those pubs that does have a nice,…read morerelaxing feel about it, and while there is an outdoor area upstairs, it is basically only for the smokers (and doesn't really afford any views either, so I would probably call it a smoker's cage). The service really wasn't all that bad either. In a way, it is one of those nice pubs where you can sit down and relax with a nice cold beer, though there isn't a huge selection to chose from on tap. The other thing is that it isn't too far from the station either, which makes it rather handy.

Food is so reasonable priced and absolutely lovely, I ordered steak with chips also asked for salad…read moreand nothing was too much trouble, I like my steak rare and very often this gets mistaken for flash fry and raw, not at this pub it was cooked to perfection! 5 stars awarded for 5 star pub food

This hotel is a hidden gem, I didn't expect the hotel to be so nice inside. The staff were very…read morehelpful the hotel was affordable and comfy.

Whoever thought an old pub could make for party space? My cousin had her 21st in the upstairs…read morefunction room, and I was very, very surprised at how good the place looked. From the outside it looks like just your local run-of-the-mill pub. Upstairs was a very different story. Forget drinks in the city where you end up meeting and greeting your entire facebook list, bring a couple hundred of your closest friends and family to this place. The place is so big it can easily hold that many. There's a separate room at the back to keep all your family's embarrassing antics hidden away, a lounging area with a main bar (with access to the pokies room), and a huge dance floor area with room for all your hired DJ equipment. It's all newly renovated and in perfect condition for you and your friends to make as much noise as you want into the early hours of the morning.

Now, this is one of those pubs that I could spend quite a lot of time at if I happened to live in…read morethe area that is. I guess the porch really did it for me - one of those newer pubs that deliberately created a porch where patrons could sit at with a beer in hand and either chat, or read a book if they are like me. The other thing is that they also had a decent selection of beers on tap, and that is always going to win me over.

Rocksia in Arncliff is a posh place for bar food and drinks. It later turns into more of a night…read moreclub atmosphere which I'm not sure is so family friendly, but for dinner its just fine. This is a counter order and pick up kind of joint so don't expect full service. In fact I would say the service in all is pretty mediocre. We experienced rude wait staff and was miss- rung up for our bill. However, to Rocksia's credit the manager did come over to offer a free drink to my BF's Aunt which helped to ease the hard feelings. The EATS...HUGE portions. I ordered the Chicken Schnitzel and chips and had enough to take home for lunch the next day. Another plus is that Rocksia does promotions like saving your receipt vouchers for the next time you come, 2 for 1 meals. All in all a pretty decent joint and good value.

The Hydro Majestic Hotel is a heritage listed site which can be found in Medlow Bath, not far from…read moreKatoomba. It's also conveniently opposite the train station. The hotel has sweeping views of the stunning Megalong Valley. The view can be enjoyed from the dining room, lounge bar and all valley view rooms. The site was purchased by Mark Foy in 1902, believing the land had mineral springs. The section known as the Belgravia hotel was a health retreat. But the springs had dried up so Mr Foy rebranded it as a luxury hotel. Over time the hotel became neglected and was refurbished in the 1990s and other refurbishments since. The Casino building is used for the lounge and lobby, the Belgravia is the accommodation wing and there is a restaurant called the Wintergarden. The Pavilion currently is a shop and cafe space. The architecture and style is Art Deco, plenty of black and wine tones, chandeliers and velveteen chairs. The check in process was a little slow, with mostly trainees on our day of check in. Despite emailing ahead of our stay about a ground floor room, we were on the upper floor, which was challenging with a baby and pram. However they did help us with our bags. Our room was a valley view room, and a spectacular view. The room itself is very small, enough room for the bed and a small table. We managed to fit our porta cot in too. The room has a small bathroom tv, tea and coffee making facilities, fridge, iron and hairdryer. We had a drink in the lounge bar, but the menu is very short. It could do with a better range of cocktails and food (maybe some of the dumplings found in the high tea menu). The wintergarden is their restaurant which serves a fine dining lunch and dinner service of two or three courses. We had a high tea as part of our luxury escape package. This room has an elegant setting and calm ambience with incredible views of the valley. The premium high tea is served to your table on a three-tiered stand and consists of petit finger sandwiches, sweets and freshly baked scones. It is accompanied by freshly brewed speciality tea. We pay an extra $22 for a glass of champagne to have with our high tea. There's also an eastern version of the high tea which we also try at an upgrade cost of $5. This came with a selection of steamed eastern dumplings, crab claw, prawn and vegetarian rice paper roll, bao with pork belly and a selection of eastern and western desserts and your choice of tea or coffee. Overall the hotel is nice, with great scenery. Staff are friendly and try their best. We feel that there could be some aesthetic improvements with some further refurbishments. There's not a lot to do at the hotel itself so we feel that a day spa would be a welcome addition. It would be worth a trip here for a relaxing getaway and certainly worth a visit for the high tea alone.

Perfect for the traveller and a great family friendly hotel. The Novotel Sydney International…read more(formerly Mercure) is one of the closest hotels to the International airport (only 1km!). You'll notice upon entering the lobby that flight times are shown on screens, and you'll also see a luggage scale and easy shuttles to the airport ($8.50) which makes for the perfect choice on your stopover. A large 4 star hotel with 271 well-appointed rooms with a health and environmental focus, it is clear they've thought of everything in their recent renovations. This hotel also attained an award of excellence at the Tourism Accomodation Australia awards for the redeveloped / refurbished hotel of the year for 2019 and we can certainly see why. The rooms are clean, comfortable and the lobby in particular feels fresh and on trend. The reception has 24/7 staffing and we're checked in by Neelam and she was absolutely delightful, eager to please and made the check in process easy and friendly. The room is available in different options; superior, deluxe, executive and family rooms. They have black out curtains, double glazed windows and off the flight path, the hotel is quiet and we had a good nights sleep here. In part due to the fact that the rooms honestly had one of the comfiest beds we've slept in at a hotel. You normally find that they are super hard and it is hard to get a good night's sleep. Here they have just the right amount of firmness and were super comfy. You can also call the reception and even get the perfect pillow for you, whether it be hard, soft, for comfort or support, feather down or hypoallergenic latex or V-shaped, it's as easy as that. They certainly understand we all need a good night's sleep after a long flight. Workspace - the room has a small desk, lamp and swivel chair as well as in room wi-fi if you need to get some work done whilst here. The rooms are quiet and you don't hear the noise from the airport or traffic so it is possible not to get distracted at all. Appliances - perfect for the traveller, the room has a hairdryer, iron and ironing board, bag for laundry service and an in-room safe. Health focus - at the Novotel, they understand that the constant traveller may be in need of some balance in their lives. One of the channels is called 'inbalance' and surfer Sally Fitzgibbon runs a 30 minute exercise/stretching session to follow in the comfort of your own room. The inbalance menu has some healthy options that are nutritious, focusing on low fat and low sugar meals for room service as well. You can also treat yourself to a rejuvenating massage in the comfort and privacy of your own room - there's a brochure with prices in your room. The hotel also has a gym and outdoor/rooftop pool in an adjoining apartment tower. Fitted with exercise bikes, treadmills, exercise balls, kettlebells, floor mats and weights, so you can get that daily workout in. The room is airconditioned and is beside the pool, so you can have a dip before or after your session. Environmental focus - we love that the hotel focuses on the environment. The bathroom has products that are fair trade and made with cane sugar from Paraguay. The bathroom has natural soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. They also encourage you to re-hang your towels unless you want them replaced. Meeting spaces - suitable for business meetings, since there's 11 conference rooms and also a grand dining ballroom. Dining and bars - the Marke Kitchen and bar is located within the Novotel Sydney Airport, and if you're staying in the hotel, there is no need to go any further, for there is a wonderful lounge bar, bar food and a high quality restaurant for lunch and dinner, as well as their buffet breakfast. The styling and menu has been inspired by Sydney's natural beauty and colourful city life. The bar area has comfortable lounges, bar tables and is a cool area to catch up for drinks and bar food. Their menu is focused on using local produce of high quality to produce culturally diverse offerings that reflect a natural and urban lifestyle. Head chef Denny Lohanda greeted us on our visit and we were explained the menu items on offer. The food here is of an extremely high quality and also perfect for sharing.

The refurbished restaurant is fresh and friendly however there wasn't too many people around, so…read morehopefully if it gets busier the level of attention won't decline. I'm not one that requires ALOT of attention but I do like staff that are situationally aware and anticipate "needOverall it was quite pleasant. I haven't been a guest at the hotel but looking at past reviews I'm not so sure I would. WELL WELL WELL, What difference a "night makes". I went down to this Restaurant tonight 4 January 2020, I had to wait to be seated, which was fine but to be looked at by the waiting staff and then they looked away as if I wasn't there, is noticeably annoying. I eventually had to ask if I could sit somewhere and the response I received from the Bar Staff was, well we've been busy, um not my problem.....firstly his response was very wrong and secondly I had to wait further to even be recognised that I was dining. I had to hold my tongue a lot tonight. When my meal eventually came, it was full of fat, not seasoned and tasted like "shit"! When the Supervisor for the Restaurant noticed that I didn't eat too much of my meal she asked me why? I did tell her and she said that she'd relay the message however I was still left with a $200 dollar bill less at 25% discount. There was no organisation within the staff, they were all relatively robotic and the roles and responsibilities were somewhat blurred! For a 4 star hotel with the name of Novotel attached, I would've thought that was some sense of "service" No one seemed to be taking ownership for anything and then lastly I was screamed at by one of the wait staff when I asked to chat to the Supervisor only to be told she was in another area of the hotel because they were busy and I wasn't able to talk to her......this person clearly was not employed for her service skills. WOULD BE INTERESTING IF HOTEL MANAGERS READ THESE REVIEWS AND INVITED SOME TYPE OF CONVERSATION. Possibly I think not because ........ they're BUSY.

After hours check-in was very difficult and I got woken up later in the night by other…read moreguests--who knocked on my door--having difficulties figuring it out. The room was not clean, no shampoo, toilet broke and my particular room was noisy from street and next room. Rough night.

I chose this hotel because it was close to the airport, part of the Choice Hotels group (which are…read moregenerally pretty decent hotels), and cheap. Be aware, however, that you will be nickel and dimed for everything. We arrived at the hotel the morning after a 17 hour flight from LA to find that there was a $10 per hour fee to check in early. We therefore decided to explore Sydney instead of paying the early check in fee. Unfortunately, there was a $20 charge to leave our luggage in a locked room, which we ended up paying because we did not want to leave it on the unlocked luggage cart, which was the other option. When we finally checked in and went to our second floor room, we realized what people in the reviews had been talking about when it came to the traffic noise. The hotel is located on a very busy intersection and the noise was deafening. It sounded like we were sleeping on the sidewalk. Luckily, we were so jet-lagged that we were able to sleep through it, but I would recommend that the hotel provide ear plugs to guests. The bed was comfortable but the hotel only provided two tiny pillows. They did not have extras available. There was no hand towel, which was awkward. The room was very small. Toiletries were provided, however. The restaurant next door, Harry's Grill, had delicious food. They really don't do "room service," however. We ordered over the phone but had to go next door to pick up the tray of food. They said on the phone that they were too short-staffed to deliver the food to the room. There is a nice-sized television in the room, which was a bonus. We paid for a shuttle to and from the hotel. Beware: there is no parking lot for hotel guests to park their cars. There is also not an area in front of the hotel for taxis or shuttles to stop, since it is such a busy street. You have to walk a block past the nearby church in order to catch the shuttle. The hotel is about a 5 -10 minute walk from the Arncliffe metro station, which was convenient.