Inner city suburbs by westrella
Looking to move or visit from overseas? It can be hard trying to find out where you should be looking for a hotel/motel...www.octopustravel.com and www.needitnow.com are my favourite methods of finding hotel rooms at the last minute for a cheaper price than usual.
Spring Hill is literally a hop, skip and jump from the city centre. There is a lot of accomodation there at a range of prices. Spring Hill doesn't really have much to offer in terms of food and fun - I guess people rely on how it is so close to the city. As such, there isn't much human traffic on the back end of it and it can be quite a lonely and dark walk home if that's where you are staying. However, the front end is very much city fringe and highly populated.
Fortitude Valley has a lot of affordable and unaffordable accom - it is far more eclectic and fun to be in and probably worth you looking into to stay or just hang out in your spare time. There are heaps of cheap food options there too, being the Chinatown part of Brisbane (or one of them, the other being Sunnybank!)
New Farm extends from the Valley and is also a good place to stay. Very easy to travel to the city or the airport from there. Very public transport oriented.
West End is more of a houses area although definitely suitable for long term stays for those who want to rent an apartment. West End is also happily serviced by public transport as well as being a great walk from the city. Plenty of food options again.
South Brisbane is serviced by South Bank in terms of food and things to do. South Bank being one of Brisbane's major attractions for fine dining and the fake beach. South Brisbane is home to many many apartments. Also a walkable distance to the city and close the the pedestrian bridge that will take you to the botanic gardens in the city.Woolloongabba is now one of the up and coming locations to stay. There are supermarkets, food outlets, pubs and heaps of transport, a whole bus interchange of your own in fact. Great for students. Everything you need is there. A lot of redevelopment has occurred over the last few years.
Kangaroo Point may seem very close to the city, but I find it really has little to offer. There are some convenience stores but you really have to leave to get to a variety of restaurants and there is a great big road cutting it off from South Brisbane. There are definitely better choices than here.
Kelvin Grove is now coming up as a great place for students to stay as they have just installed a new "urban village" which focuses on the needs of people to have everything they need in a local area. Another bus interchange is located there, as well as one of the campuses of the university. Additionally, rent is much cheaper there than some of the suburbs closer to the city.
Another sought after place to stay is Toowong. Plenty of rental properties there to choose from, well loved by students, great night life and plenty of food/cafes. Heaps of transport.
Hopefully this has helped you make some selections about where you want to start looking for a place to stay when you are here.