Lido Suites

Affordable and Clean Comfort In Sydney

My sister and I stayed at the Leisure Inn Kings Cross - from the 4th to the 9th August 2007 and must say that we were very pleased with it. We paid $A99 for the first 3 nights and $A119 for the last two and it was a pretty decent price for the kind of accommodation we got. We did have to make the payment at the time of checking in but having been advised of that on reviews, we were prepared for that.

We were given a Barncleuth suite. It was very spacious with a double bed and a single one and had a wardrobe for hanging our coats. As advertised, there was indeed a fully equipped kitchenette - microwave, fridge, glassware, plates and bowls, cutlery (including cutting knives and a bottle opener), coffee and tea making facilities. We bought bread, ham and cheese for breakfast because the hotel doesn't have a cafe or breakfast room. The ensuite bathroom and toilet was clean and fairly large and came with a shower stall instead of a bathtub - much to my delight because I have a phobia of tubs (don't ask why!) and the water pressure is excellent. There's also a wide screen LCD tv and dvd player although we didn't utilise much of it except to watch the news.

As the hotel was new (or at least newly refurbished), the beds and pillows were still extremely fluffy and comfortable, the towels and linen pretty new too. In fact, I found the beds so comfortable, I didn't have trouble falling asleep at all the first night (I usually do in a foreign place.

The first night there was a Saturday night and as pointed out by some other reviewers, I was indeed awakened by sounds of nightlife on Saturday and Sunday nights but nothing so major that I could not go back to sleep. Mostly it was sounds of laughter and people talking. If you are there for a restful sleep-in vacation then the noise might pose a problem but if you intend to be out the entire day, walking and discovering the city as we did, it's not a major issue at all.

The first day, they seemed to have overlooked making up the room but we had no problems with that the subsequent days. Overall, the cleanliness is satisfactory.

I believe the reception hours have been extended now compared to previous reviews. If I didn't hear wrongly, it's between 7.30am to 11pm now. It's definitely past 5pm though because we would come back at around 6-7pm and there would be one person at the office. The staff we met were pretty helpful too. I only managed to get the guy's name - Nick. He gave us directions to the nearest bus stop and train station and how to get to certain places we intended to go to. It was also a nice feeling to come back to the hotel and have someone there saying "hi". Makes it feel a little bit more like going "home" :)

Our initial anxieties about the hotel being located in the red light district proved to be unfounded. Sure, the strip joints and sex shops are there (with neon lights flashing I might add) but if you mind your own business, no one bothers you. We did take the precaution of coming back before it was too long after dark. We didn't feel unsafe in anyway walking in that area even though it was just the two of us females.

There are many, many cafes and shops selling all kinds of food around the area (Darlinghurst St) so there's absolutely no worries about going hungry. There are also convenience stores and a 24 hours McDonald's in case one is in dire straits!

All in all, I'd say we got a pretty good deal for what we paid and I'd recommend it to someone who is there as a tourist and wants accommodation with hotel like facilities (my sister and I are not the sort to use a shared bathroom at a hostel) at relatively cheap rates.

Unique Quality: Easy accessibility to the train station and bus stop (short walking distance).

Very convenient to get food and necessities as it is surrounded by restaurants/pubs/fast food joints and convenience stores.

Might get a bit seedy after dark but just mind your own business, don't make eye contact and you'll be fine.

There is a club downstairs and for insomniacs, that might be a problem.