Melbourne 2018 is a Babushka doll with endless surprises. The dynamic CBD and diverse suburbs offer hipster pockets and refined neighbourhoods sometimes in the same street. To learn how the city ticks means finding just the right place to hang your hat.
You could go the generally inconsistent Airbnb route or if that’s not your thing try an apartment hotel. The on-demand economy means we can order in dinner and watch the movie we want when we want. That also means we want our hotels to be less like hotels and more like home with convenience and space to relax.
Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne
We gave the Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne in the heart of the city a spin. Before you knew it we were honorary Melburnians – even meeting friends at the clocks at Flinders Street Station.
Our new digs on the corner of Queen and Little Bourke Streets, meant we could say goodbye to the car until check-out with well-priced parking available at the attached parking station.
Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne was revamped late last year with the addition of 11 penthouses and new décor in the 155 studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments. The elegant lobby is welcoming with a warming fireplace, lux velvet touches and statement Lee Broom chandelier.
Our home away from home is surprisingly large with full kitchen, dishwasher included. With gym, sauna and indoor pool it makes our real home look a tad average. The washer and dryer are conveniently tucked away from view in their own space in the bathroom – and we used it more than once after ideal a few days on the road. The bathroom is sleek and marble with a roomy shower. Adina have observed the impact of Airbnb and taken up the challenge.
For corporates who are working hard or hardly working there is a desk in the expansive bedroom. It works well – keeping paperwork, lap tops and charging points all in one place and out of the combined living/dining space.
Cosmopolitan Melbourne is at your fingertips at Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne; it’s a handy 200 metres to Hardware Lane for countless dinner options. Melbourne’s pretty easy to get around – we’re not talking about exploring the Amazon rainforest here. Navigating Melbourne is simple. Even for the hardy souls who mark their days by the number of espressos sipped.
400 metres to the free City Circle (route number 35) tram ensures we’re just a few minutes from anywhere. Always there – just like having your own driver. These heritage trams with audio commentary work like a free ‘hop on hop off’ service to see landmarks such as Parliament House, the Princess Theatre, Federation Square and more.
Tip: Catch the signature maroon and gold treasures to two destinations that define Melbourne: Chinatown for some of Melbourne’s best eats (and people-watching) or Vic Market for just about anything you might want from leather jackets to baguettes.
Chinatown
Melbourne’s Chinatown is so much more than restaurants and noodle houses. As the western world’s longest continuous Chinese settlement the area surrounding Little Bourke St between Swanston St and Spring St retains much of its heritage character. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you spy the distinctive arches and the Hong Kong-style neon lights.
From 4pm to 10pm Saturday September 22, Chinatown will celebrate the Moon Lantern Festival with stage performances, lantern parade, Lion dancers and more.
Vic Market
Celebrating its 140th birthday this year, the southern hemisphere’s largest open-air market is home to over 600 small businesses, from clothing and jewellery to fish and coffee. Queen Victoria Markets run Night markets in winter and summer every Wednesday night with live music and street food.
Every Wednesday night from 19 September to 24 October, Hawker 88 Night Market will feature 20 street food stalls with a range of cuisines, Bollywood and traditional Lion dancers, Malaysian bands, Filipino singers, and K-Pop performers all under 88 red lanterns.
Fresh Produce is open from 6 am Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 am with different closing times. There is a range of tours available (Click the link above for more details).
Not only can you save by staying at an apartment hotel like Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne, a dinner party for six is another way to save for more of that good shopping. The freshest fish, fruit and veg, meat and deli items and a lot of friendly banter with the stallholders makes for a perfect morning or afternoon for food lovers.
Melbourne is a world city that somehow always seems to balance heritage with the bold and the new. Look up, look down and don’t miss a thing.
