Any inn will do for a one-night stand but for longer-term commitments certain criteria must be met. A bed you can bond with, a kitchen, laundry and, ideally, room service for those lazy nights in. Sydney’s Adge Apartment Hotel (222 Riley Street, Surry Hills, NSW, adgehotel.com.au) combines all the above with a desirable location straddling the city and fashionable Surry Hills. Live like a local in two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments with boldly coloured interiors and balconies. Kitchens have premium European appliances for self-catering, but there’s an entire suburb of exciting dining just out the door. And 24-hour room service, too.
Elsewhere in Sydney it’s hard to look past city-central Fraser Suites (488 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW, sydney.frasershospitality.com), a 42-level tower of ultra-modern accommodation ranging from studios to six-person penthouses. Each of the 201 apartments is fully self-contained; those on higher floors have spectacular views in all directions. Stays of a fortnight or longer attract discounts.
Colourful Art Series hotels, each named for and decorated by a signature artist, encourage houseguests to hang around – longer stays merit weekly room rates that compare well to apartment rentals in major cities. At The Cullen (164 Commercial Road, Prahan, Vic, artserieshotels.com.au/cullen), The Olsen (637-641 Chapel Street, South Yarra, Vic, artserieshotels.com.au/olsen) and The Blackman (452 St Kilda Road, Melbourne,Vic, artserieshotels.com.au/blackman) all in Melbourne, weekly rates for a place to call home start at $625. Perks include 24-hour concierge, free cable TV, gym and – best of all – no more cleaning. If it’s location you’re after, you won’t find more central serviced accommodation than Citadines Melbourne on Bourke Street (131/135 Bourke St, Melbourne, Vic, citadines.com.au). The 380 apartments come in studio to two-bedroom configurations; all have kitchenettes, some have washer-dryers.
In the west, Baileys Serviced Apartments (63 Bennett Street, East Perth, WA, baileysapartments.com.au) combine a central Perth address with all the comforts of home – spacious living, WiFi, parking – and added extras such as balconies, a gym, a pool (at nearby Baileys Motel) and the Swan River just a short stroll away.
On the Gold Coast, the twin towers of Peppers Broadbeach (*21 Elizabeth Ave, **Broadbeach, QLD, *peppersbroadbeach.com.au) take some beating. Some rooms have ocean views and the in-house amenities include a pool, gym, sauna, guests-only cinema and tai chi lawn, and 21st-century technology inside the one- to three-bedroom apartments.
In Brisbane, Meriton Serviced Apartments Brisbane on Herschel Street (43 Herschel Street, Brisbane, QLD, meritonapartments.com.au) have won rave reviews since opening in mid-2013. Partly for the views – the tower soars 250 metres above the city – but also for the spacious suites (44 to 200 square metres) and on-site facilities including heated pool and gym.
