We booked this a bit late (the morning we arrived at Sydney airport!) and stayed in a darling harbour view room. The view was fantastic especially at night, the beds (2 doubles and a couch) were really comfortable and the room itself was spacious and very nice. Did not eat here so cannot comment on that, the reception staff were slightly snotty towards us probably because having just flown across the world we were slightly brain dead and could not find our voucher, however they could have been a bit more welcoming! We found time to use the pool but not until it was dark! Pool was nice enough but for a 4 star pretty small but then why sit around the hotel when you are in Sydney! The location is brilliant and the view definitely worth paying for but if you are not bothered about fab views you may aswell stay in a travelodge.

We booked this hotel on lastminute.com.au. They offer "secret hotels" at good prices, you don't find out which hotel you've got until you book it. Anyway we decided to be adventurous and used this option.

The location was good. Unfortunately we did not get a room with a view, we had a noisy street beside our window instead. My advice: if you are booking this hotel for the splendid views, make sure you get a harbourside room BEFORE you get to the hotel. We asked if there were rooms available on the other side, were told yes, but were also informed that it would cost 60 extra Aussie dollars per night. We decided not to pay any more for the room as we had the views during a previous visit to another hotel on the other side of the harbour (Four Points by Sheraton - definitely recommended :-)).

The staff were not over friendly, which is unusual for Australian hotels. The internet is definitely over-priced.

We didn't eat in the hotel at all, we decided to eat in the Harbourside mall across the bridge. You can get all kinds of food in the foodhall in the basement. It's well priced and a 5 minute walk from the hotel room.

Access to the harbour is great from this hotel. I would recommend eating at JORDAN'S seafood restaurant if you want to enjoy some good food. Definitely book in advance, it's always busy. The food there is not cheap, but it's worth it.

You can also have breakfast in and around the harbour. There is a Morrocan/ Australia retaurant which I would also recommend for dinner in the evenings close to the hotel, it's called SUMAC. The staff are really lovely and the food is great (try the chocolate cupcakes for desert, if you love food like me you will love these). Get one to share though if you have had a main course!

Back to the hotel... I would stay here again if I got good rates, but I would not pay big money for this hotel!

First of all, I read all the reviews and they were pretty much right on. I can't say enough about the harbor view, WOW! The pictures are accurate for decor, but watch out for room size. Harbor view rooms come with two double beds or 1 queen with a chair. Ours did not have a couch (as shown in pictures on site) and only the upgraded rooms come with increased size, day couch with two double beds. There is a big difference is size of rooms. I must say thought that the bed was one of the softest I have ever slept on with the exception of Sheraton's. We could actually get a good night's sleep! This hotel has a fantastic location with the monorail just outside, Harborside Mall right in front and close proximity to all major attractions such as Maritime Museum, Aqarium and Wildlife World, Imax, Convention Center, Chinese Gardens, etc, etc, within walking distance. Walk across bridge to access the Ferries which take you to Circular Quay main ferry bldg. , Sydney Opera House, and departures to all other sites such as Manley and Bondi beach, and Taronga Zoo. Back to the hotel, the concierge was not helpful at all. There were two older gentlement who did not seem to want to be bothered and were not very knowledgable at all. There were two younger gentlemen later in the week at the desk who were wonderful. Coupons are available but you need to ask. Free pictures with Koala's at Taronga Zoo ($20 value each), and numerous others. Pick up the guide and coupon book from the Airport just as you get off. There are lots of coupons in there which you will use. The housekeeping staff consisted of some of the friendliest people I have ever met! Ask for A/C converter at front desk. Check ALL electric/electronic devices for 110-240 current capabilities or your devices will burn up! They also seem to have a hard time putting guests into rooms early so let them know in advance. Housekeeping seems to only clean in the afternoons; many had to wait hours for their rooms on early arrivals. The view at night, dusk, morning, rain or shine never ceased to capture our awe. We found ourselves just sitting and staring at the view. Darling Harbor is beautiful and at night? Inspiring! We spend two weeks there visiting everything available, reviews of Sydney to follow....

Me and my wife stayed 3 nights in this hotel in march 2008. We choose it because of the ratings we read in tripadvisor. Overall i must say, that it is was a good choice.
The hotel is located in darling harbour, so you are just in a few minutes in the center of sydney.
The furniture in the hotel is o.k..
Breakfast in the hotel is a litlle overpriced, so we eat outside in the restaurants in the nearby mall.
i want to thank the both concierges, who helped us very intensiv to get back our baggage, which was lost.