Mantra on 2 Bond Street: Hotel Review

I will be reviewing the hotel I just stayed at on my recent trip to Sydney. The Mantra on 2 Bond Street in the Sydney CBD. I certainly loved the location, being within walking distance to Sydney Harbour, Westfield, Martin Place etc.

The lobby

Business centre towards the rear of the lobby

Lobby bookshelf

I arrived super early, at around 8-8:30am, so check in wasn’t till 2pm, but hotel concierge was happy to check me in and get acquainted in my room and leave my suitcase there . The lobby looked very welcoming and comfortable with nice lounges, marble flooring and old books, along with the restaurant “Memento”, which I didn’t get to try. My room was on level 3 in 317, an Executive Studio Apartment. I liked the contemporary decor of my room, (which had recently been refurbished). It had a separate lounge and dining area with a full kitchen, 2 LCD TVs , tea and coffee, a minibar, air conditioning, and safe. Though the bed was furnished very nicely, I was disappointed it wasn’t comfortable, as my head just sagged into the pillow and gave me a sore neck each morning.

Chic looking bed in my apartment number 317

Comfy lounge in my apartment number 317

Trendy armchair with some small paintings hanging on the wall

One of the biggest pros, was the prime location of the hotel. It is within easy walking distance to Sydney Harbour, Westfield, Martin Place and more. The drawback to being in such a central location , well, in my case, the time I went was in the middle of a construction blitz, which sees Sydney build tramlines and also further building development, as the need grows. In addition, there is no complementary wifi, you have to pay, though the room prices are not bad to not justify for having to pay for wifi.

Overall :

PROS: Within walking distance to Sydney Harbour, Westfield, Martin Place etc, modern and cosy room recently refurbished, with separate lounge and dining area, balcony, two LCD Tvs, full kitchen, lovely art decorations on wall of lounge room, nice comfortable and welcoming lounge at entrance of hotel with “Memento” restaurant.

CONS: Lots of construction happening waking me up, bed is not comfortable, woke up with a sore neck, you have to pay for wifi, hard to get to with Uber/Taxi or self park.

#hotelreview #travelblogger

Rating:3/5

Sheraton Towers Singapore:Hotel Review

The second and final leg of my trip saw me stay at the Sheraton Grand Towers in Singapore!.

The location isn’t much to be wowed over by, as it isn’t in the heart of the city, but is only a 2 minute walk to Newtown Mass Rapid Transit station , which is a reasonable consolation, as the MRT is the most efficient, easiest and cleanest way to get around Singapore.

Staff immediately helped me after I arrived at the hotel, check in was a smooth process, and the lobby is very spacious and furnished nicely with the buffet/a la carte facing the beautiful gardens filled with greenery and a water fountain!. My room was on the 13th floor, Room 1317 with views of the city!!. The bed was a very generous King Size , which I consistently got good sleep in, with a desk nearby the window and Samsung TV.

Reception Area

Staircase in lobby

Water Fountain in the lobby

Garden Area outside the lobby

I did have minor issues at the commencement of my stay , a broken tile in my bathroom and musty smell in the room, however, that was quickly rectified, and I settled in quickly to enjoy my stay. Extra kudos to the staff!. In addition, the hotel rooms looked dated and the hotel itself aged. However, these were my only gripes with the hotel.

On the night I did stay in at the hotel to have dinner, I enjoyed a great buffet with a good selection of foods including both Asian and Western . My favourite feature of Sheraton Towers was definitely the pool area also with a fitness centre and sauna, surrounded by palm trees and a pool side bar that gave off a Balinese vibe!. Last but not least, my second favourite feature was the Eucalyptus Day Spa on Level 5, the same level as the pool, fitness centre and sauna. I highly recommend getting a massage treatment here, it has a relaxing peaceful atmosphere and great masseurs.

Pool area

I would re visit Sheraton Towers Singapore!.

Rating 3/5

#hotelreview #travelblogger

Sheraton Grand Da Nang: Hotel Review

After having had an almost 8 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh from Melbourne and then a connecting flight from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang, a quick hour flight arriving at night time, I was very much looking forward to settling in to my accomodation, which is only 14 kilometres from Da Nang International Airport!.

Overview of the sprawling hotel !!

I have stayed at many Sheraton properties around the world and of course, my home country of Australia, but this was my first time to Vietnam and stayed at Sheraton Grand Da Nang, which is a very impressive looking property on the outside. On arrival, I was greeted by a very grand hotel lobby with flights of stairs on either side , Table 88 all day dining and the Tea Lounge, where you can enjoy high tea or simply a hot/cold beverage I was offered ginger tea and a warm towel by one of the many very friendly hotel employees!. Perfect way to kick off my stay!.

The grandest lobby if I ever saw one!

The elegance of the "Tea Lounge". It is almost straight out of the Great Gatsby!.

My room was on the 4th floor, in Hotel 1. It had partial ocean views and views of an extremely long pool, the biggest of the pools there. There is also Hotel 2 and 3 on the same site but in different buildings. One of the biggest selling points of the hotel is that it is located right on the beach with life guards on duty and water sports equipment available for hire, if you simply aren’t content by lounging by the pools.

The infinity pool looking out onto the South China Sea!

The inside of my room was very inviting with a wall mounted flat screen high definition TV, 2 Double Beds, marble furnishings on the floors and desk, decorative wallpapers on the wall, a balcony, ottoman by the beds and a lengthy bathroom .

My luxurious bed

Wall mounted flat screen with decorative wallpapers

Throughout my stay, I have noticed it is very quiet during the cooler season, and there a few perks to this. 1. You have more space and peace 2. Though it is supposed to be the cooler season, the reality is that during the day it is still very much pool or beach weather because of Vietnam’s (particularly the South’s) close proximity to the equator.

As if the hotel couldn’t already score brownie points already with its location , luxurious decor, several pools on offer, spa and attentive , welcoming staff, it is also very family friendly with dedicated play areas with a ball pit, slide, drawing area and PlayStation to keep little ones busy!.I found it extremely difficult to fault the Sheraton Grand Da Nang, which helped shape my stay to be a memorable one!. I will definitely be back again!.

#hotelreview #travelblogger

Rating: 5/5