PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney

This hotel's location isn't as good as the Meriton serviced apartment I stayed in before. Although it's close to Darling Harbour, the surrounding area isn't as lively anymore. The room was ready by 2 PM. We left our luggage at the hotel, and when we returned, it had been delivered to our room. The service was excellent, and everyone from the front desk to the bell staff on the first floor was very nice. The building isn't very large. Our room faced the freeway, but it wasn't noisy; the soundproofing was excellent. The room decor is quite minimalist, and the room itself is quite spacious – not at all cramped for two people. It had two queen-sized beds, and the bedding, sheets, and comforters were all very comfortable and clean. There was a coffee machine and a small refrigerator, and the room lighting was quite bright. The bathroom was also a good size and had a bathtub with good water pressure. However, the sink drained slowly, and the shower water sprayed out in all directions, making showering a bit difficult. I eventually just gave up on washing my hair. We got a discount on breakfast when we checked in; it was A$30 per person. The breakfast selection wasn't huge, but it was perfectly adequate, and we enjoyed it, especially the variety of gluten-free bread and cakes, which I was particularly happy about. Despite these points, all the staff in the lobby were particularly friendly and enthusiastic, especially the concierge team. They were humorous and entertaining, making conversations with them very pleasant. My expectations for Parkroyal were quite high, but I was a little disappointed. Overall, I'd say it's a bit below a four-star rating.

The room I was given was in a corner, right by a bridge, so there was a bit of noise in the mornings and evenings, but the soundproofing was actually quite decent. The bedding is now in a 'sandwich' style – the duvet isn't inserted into a cover, it's just two layers of fabric with a filling in between. The bed was a bit on the soft side, but that's pretty common in most Australian hotels. What really makes up for it is the price and the location; it's really convenient to walk to Darling Harbour and the CBD.

Overall, it's pretty good. The hotel's location is excellent. While the facilities aren't brand new, the space is good, and the room was tidied up nicely. It offers great value for money. Breakfast was just okay, nothing special.

I was assigned a room on the second floor with a raised terrace right outside the window, which made the lighting terrible. The window couldn't be opened, and the room felt a bit damp. I arrived two hours early and was told I could check in early if I became a member. I looked up the company and found they have two hotels in Sydney, with their headquarters in Singapore, which felt a bit inconsistent. The biggest issue was the terrible soundproofing; there was constant noise all night from upstairs, downstairs, and next door. I'm not sure how it was designed. The sink stopper was broken and replaced with a plastic plug. The shower kept dripping and wouldn't turn off completely, and the water pressure wasn't great. The check-in/out service was fine, and my cash deposit was returned quickly. There are many Asian restaurants nearby, including Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and fewer European ones, from what I could see. It's only a 10-15 minute walk to Westfield in the city center.