Hotel Realm
Modern Luxury
Located on the National Circuit Barton next to the Parliamentary Triangle, Hotel Realm is within walking distance of Parliament House and the National Gallery of Australia.
In your lodgings
Realm has 163 rooms and suites fitted out with L’Occitane amenities, Apple Mac-Mini in-room system and Nespresso coffee machines.
Out and about at the hotel
Maple and Clove is a wholefoods cafe offering breakfast, lunch, takeaway, freshly made dinners and green smoothies. Ostani lounge, bar & restaurant room offers relaxed, sophisticated surroundings, wood-fired pizzas and tapas and food sharing is encouraged. Konoba serves Mediterranean cuisines in seasonal menus with an extensive wine list. Mavi Turkish serves Middle Eastern style cuisine in chic surroundings.
You need to know this
The Realm Precinct houses a health club, day spa and Aveda hair salon.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: Yes
Airport transfers: No
Parking: Yes, at a cost
Pool: Yes, part of the health club
Gym: Yes, part of the health club
Wi-fi: Yes, free
Rates: Rooms are priced from A$215 per night and suites from A$245 per night.
Diamant Hotel Canberra
It’s about the great art
Another newish hotel for the urban village of New Acton precinct.
In your lodgings
Eighty sophisticated rooms that range in size, from three-bedroom apartments for longer-term family stays, down to rooms they call shoeboxes for single travellers which are priced accordingly. Rooms are fitted out with Bang and Olufsen electronics, Wi-Fi, cable channels, DVD player and MP3 connection, iPod docking station and free national calls.
Out and about at the hotel
Bicicletta Restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine in a casual setting. There’s live acoustic music some nights at the Library Bar & Piano Bar.
You need to know this
Diamant features high standard contemporary art from emerging and established artists throughout the property.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: No
Airport Transfers: Yes, A$65 dollars each way
Parking: Paid, A$15 per night
Pool: No
Gym: Yes
Wi-fi: Yes, free
Rates: Rooms are priced from A$169 per night and suites from A$289 per night.
8hotels.com/canberra-hotel/diamant-hotel/
QT Canberra
Fun and chic
Homegrown hotel brand QT has recently taken its quirky style to Canberra’s CBD, walking distance to the New Acton precinct.
In your lodgings
QT Canberra has 205 guest suites all promising a seamless technology offering. Some rooms have balconies, all have Malin + Goetz amenities, cocktail-making stations and Nespresso machines.
Out and about at the hotel
Capitol Bar & Grill is a modern Italian bistro with a moody interior that also serves charcuterie and antipasto platters. Lucky’s Speakeasy is a hideaway bar. There’s also a Barber Shop where, if you’re a bloke, you prop yourself up in an antique barber chair for a traditional haircut or straight-edged razor shave.
You need to know this
The QT Lounge is an invitation only member’s lounge on the top level of the hotel with great views where you can reserve a discreet alcove for a private meeting, away from the prying eyes of the Canberra press gallery.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: Yes
Airport Transfers: No
Parking: Self parking is available free of charge. Fees apply for valet parking
Gym: No
Pool: No
Wi-fi: Yes, free
Rates: Rooms are priced from A$215 per night and suites from A$315 per night.
qthotels.com.au/our-hotels/qt-canberra
Hotel Hotel
Mid-century modern luxe
Hotel Hotel is in the Nishi building in the New Acton village a very short walk to the Palace Electric – a cinema with eight theatres, all with roomy seating and the latest digital projection and sound technologies screening international cinema, arthouse films, documentaries, indie and selected recent release movies.
In your lodgings
Hotel Hotel has 68 rooms designed to feel like an Australian shack and 32 apartments with kitchens for longer stays or just to live like a local. All the rooms have Wi-Fi, heated bathroom floors and cable television.
Out and about at the hotel
There’s regular live music at the Bar and lounge on the ground floor. Mocan and Green Grout serves seasonal and local breakfasts, lunches and dinners with dinners being about shared menus. BYO. A. Baker serves bistro style food. A. Baker Speakeasy is a bar in the basement serving cocktails and craft beers and wine from the Canberra region along with oysters and charcuterie. The Library is stocked with art, architecture and design books from Perimeter Books. The Market Place is a little shop selling creative, handmade products.
You need to know this
There are rooms with windows that open. Yay! There are also five Goodspeed bikes with locks and helmets that you can use for free.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: Yes – limited menu
Airport transfers: No
Gym: Yes
Parking: Half price self-parking with validated ticket, valet parking A$30 a day
Pool: No
Wi-fi: Yes, Free
Rates: Cosy rooms are priced from A$265 per night and Meandering rooms from A$425 per night.
Hyatt Canberra – A Park Hotel
Traditional luxury
Hyatt Hotel Canberra is in Canberra’s most expensive suburb of Yarralumla and not far from Parliament House.
In your lodgings
The hotel’s spacious 252 rooms and suites are styled in a heritage-inspired Art Deco look. All the rooms have hi-speed internet and morning newspaper delivery. Deluxe rooms have espresso coffee makers and iPod docking stations.
Out and about at the hotel
The Promenade Café offers two and three-course set menus for lunch and dinner. The Tea Lounge is a favourite meeting place for a lavish afternoon tea of finger sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, slices and cakes and a glass of sparkling wine. Speaker’s Corner Bar lights up an open fire in winter.
You need to know this
Breakfast is an additional A$58 per head, unless you book with breakfast included. There’s a flood-lit tennis court out the back and bike hire available at the hotel. Concierge can arrange a babysitter.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: Yes
Airport Transfers: Private limousine transfers start from approximately A$85
Parking: Yes, additional charge
Gym: The Clubhouse Gymnasium’s weights room and cardio theatre
Pool: The Clubhouse at Hyatt Hotel Canberra has a 15-metre heated swimming pool, spa and sauna
Wifi: Yes, free
Rates: Rooms are priced from A$266 per night.
canberra.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
Burbury Hotel
Luxe for less
Burbury Hotel is part of the Realm Precinct, and guests can access all of Realm’s amenities.
In your room
Strictly speaking, Burbury is not a luxury hotel but it is design-savvy and rated 4.5 stars. You’ll find in your room interactive Apple Mac Mini in-room system, (set top box functionality streaming TV, Foxtel and video on Demand, also providing a computer mode and USB dock) CD/DVD player and Wi-Fi.
Out and about at the hotel
Malamay is in the Burbury Hotel and serves food from the unique culinary style of China’s Great West. The Burbury Terrace is where you’ll have breakfast with sweeping views across over Canberra.
You need to know this
Without all of the trimmings of a fully luxury hotel, Burbury asks for a cheaper nightly rate but guests are allowed the use of all of the nearby Realm Hotel’s facilities free of charge.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: No
Airport Transfers: Yes
Parking: Undercover car parking is available at a charge of A$15 per day for in-house guests
Pool: No but The Realm precinct has a 25-metre pool, spa and sauna
Gym: No but you can use the Realm precinct’s health club
Wi-fi: Yes, free
Rates: Rooms are priced from A$405 per night and suites from A$595 per night.
East Hotel
Groovy and kid friendly
East Hotel is in the upscale Canberra suburb of Kingston and is walking distance to Manuka Village and Kingston shops and the National Gallery of Australia.
In your room
There are studios with spa tubs and one- and two-bedroom apartments with fully equipped kitchens, laundries, Nespresso coffee machines, Wi-fi, more than 100 in-house movies and organic amenities by Sprout Out.
Out and About at the hotel
At Ox Eatery you can order your own suckling pig (three days in advance) cooked on a French rotisserie and served with all the trimmings. It’s also where you have breakfast and in the evening it serves drinks and tapas-style share plates. Free Range Newsagency is in the lobby where you can pull up a comfy chair and spend an hour or two with magazines and newspapers.
You need to know this
If you’re travelling with children you should book a specially appointed Kids Cubby/Xbox room. Lots of fun.
24 hour… reception: Yes
Room service: No
Airport Transfers: No
Parking: Yes, A$10 per night
Pool: No
Gym: Yes
Wi-fi: Yes, free.
Rates: Studios are priced from A$400 per night and apartments from A$450 per night.