Haymarket Hotels with Bars

The hotel is a bit old but the location conquered. It is in Central and we took train, light rail and metro there. It is very convenient as it is just around 3-5 minutes walk. Bus stops are also nearby. Cleanliness was above average. However the bed was too soft for us.

We enjoyed our stay at Novotel Darling Square. The young guy who checked us in was lovely, welcoming and very helpful. The lady that checked us out was also extremely pleasant. We didn’t use the facilities but did check out the pool which looked pretty good. The room was smart and clean, the bed was very comfortable and having a nice big TV was great as we chilled in the room the first night we stayed and streamed a movie from Netflix on my phone. Maccas was right opposite so it was an easy meal on night one. The position was awesome. With a short pleasant stroll to darling harbour for lunch and right by China Town for dinner on our stroll back from watching a musical at the Capitol Theatre. Would be happy to stay here again.

I had a very pleasant stay at YHA Sydney Central. From the moment I arrived, I was warmly welcomed by Angel (the Angel!) at the front desk with a BIG radiant smile. Her helpful orientation about the hostel and surrounding area especially the super convenient Central Station just across the road made settling in easy and stress-free. I also appreciated the clear signage in the hostel which made navigation simple and intuitive. I was thrilled to find the dual-monitor setups thoughtfully provided at every desk in the co-working space - something I have always desperately needed but never found in all of my travels across more than 20 countries. It was a huge bonus for me. I’d love to see it open beyond 11 pm. Given the area is well-secured with access card and CCTV, keeping it open 24/7 would be more user-friendly for those who struggle to focus during busy hours or for night owls working across different time zones. Another seemingly small but thoughtful touch that made a big difference was the steam iron and ironing board provided in the laundry room. They were exactly what I needed very much since my clothes often come out wrinkled after long hours packed in suitcases. I was also impressed by the detailed guidelines and the conveniently placed bins that encouraged timely, efficient and proper waste separation. In a world where environmental awareness is still lacking in many places, this served as a valuable education opportunity that travelers can learn from and take back to their own countries. It personally boosted my own environmental consciousness. I truly believe this is an excellent demonstration for travelers coming from different parts of the world. My room was comfortable with a high ceiling, a tall window and a spacious locker to an extent that even a 81 cm suitcase can fit in with no difficulty. The table and chairs inside fostered a friendly and communal atmosphere which is perfect for us to unwind and share interesting stores with fellow travelers. However, both my roommates and I found the room too cold at night and it seemed that there was no temperate control options such as heating or air-conditioning. Also, the traffic noise from outside was quite loud, even on the fifth floor, and it lasted all day until midnight. One area that really needs urgent attention is the Wi-Fi. During my brief two-day stay, the internet connection dropped frequently regardless where I was in the hostel, whether I was in my room, or on the kitchen floor, even at the front desk. A stable and reliable internet connection is essential for today’s travelers. To be honest, this was one of the most unstable, the slowest and weakest internet connections I have experienced in Australia. Thankfully, the internet connection was much better in the co-working space. Thank you again for the warm hospitality and for creating such a welcoming space for us. I hope this review is helpful. I genuinely appreciate the effort put into maintaining such a great environment.

Excellent location with just a few minutes walk from light rails and Chinatown. However, this hotel's service would need a bit more improvement. The cleanliness was okay but the room was quite dusty when we got in. We didn't receive the housekeeping during the 2nd day because they said we had the DND sign on during 0900-1500. However, that was quite a news for us as we got out at around 1200 for lunch and had the housekeeping sign on then came back at around 1400 to get some stuff and we found that no housekeeper came to the room. The sign itself was a poor design as well as it would get flipped over to the other side if someone passes by fast along the corridor. Anyways, by the time we got back to the hotel in the evening, they said they can't do anything because the housekeepers are off already. One more thing to be aware of is that there's a restaurant/bar downstairs. It gets quite noisy at night (around 11pm-2am) and you could actually feel the vibrations from downstairs. If you complain about it, then they would sent down the security to ask them to keep their volume down. Alas, there was a fire that broke out in the restaurant connected to the hotel so we had to leave the hotel at 3am for safety measures.

Room with very nice interior, friendly staff and very clean facility overall. There were a bit of noise coming from the AC but we got used to it after 2 nights and didn't really bother us anymore

Not bad, quite affordable. Although small, it is clean and tidy.

Location: Located in Haymarket, very close to Central Train Station and Haymarket Light Tram Station, there are bunch of restaurants and supermarkets (just within 3-10 mins walk) around the area which is very convenient for quick access to food, coffee/drinks and groceries. Reception: Reception is very welcoming and friendly, also they provide services like help collecting letters and packages, printing services (1 copy is free yet multiple copies charge $0.2 per page), coin exchange etc. There’s a great open area in front of the reception where you can find sofas and a long workstation available for people to rest and work, the design is also very good. Facilities: There’re a café (Roy’s Café), a bar/club (Side Bar) and a travel agency (Travel Up!) in the building, making my stay very accessible to all the things I need be it coffee or drinks or a travel advice. Kitchen: Kitchen is on the 1/F, it’s relatively spacious. There’re 2 huge fridges and a locker wall for us to store our food. There’re total 8 stoves, 4 sinks, 3-4 microwaves, 1 oven and 1 hot water tap where you can have boiling hot water right away. All utensils are provided so that’s very convenient. Overall the kitchen area has exceeded my expectations. Dorm area: My dorm is on the 4th floor, it’s relatively quiet. And because we’ll need our badges to access the elevator so the security is quite good as well. From the picture you can tell the dorm and hallway are clean enough, also the bathroom is very clean just I didn’t take a picture but it’s clean and comfortable. Also I love the interior design which made it looks aesthetic in a clean way. Just sometimes the dorm room might smells a little bit if your roommates bring in something smelly cuz you’re not able to open the window and the AC is not strong enough. Laundry: There’s also a laundry room each floor, 2 washing machines ($6 each wash, if you need laundry detergent from the reception that will be another $1) and 2 dryers ($4 each use) are equipped, they are big enough to consume a lot of clothes at once which is very good. It could get quite busy at night so I suggested to set an alarm when doing your laundry if you don’t want your clothes being taken out by others. Events: There are free / cheap events every day and every night, if you are a social person you’ll love it. All the volunteers and staff there are really welcoming and they will knock your door to give you invitations, I really love their enthusiasm! Been to wine and cheese night on a Wed night, vibes is good. So definitely recommend this hostel if you love meeting new people through events. After it’s definitely a great stay at Wake Up! Sydney Central and I’d recommend it to people who love a vibrant hostel environment like this.