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  • #16
    Originally posted by 9V-JKL View Post
    Q: IC or Shang?

    I can get a rather good rate @ both and the difference is that the Shang is S$33 more than the IC.

    Which would you choose?
    Depends what you are getting? If it's a basic room, I'd choose the IC. If it's a club-level room, Shang all the way.

    Mind you, I'm biased, I got upgraded last time to a one bedroom corner suite on the 34th floor. because there were no Horizon Premier smoking rooms available. One of the few times when smoking has gotten me a better room rather than a worse one.

    For that, the Shang has earned my short stay business in SYD (the longer ones will still be split between SOTP and Hilton depending on price).

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    • #17
      Both are basic rooms.

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      • #18
        IC for me... It's easier to stumble home after a night out (i.e the hill isn't so steep)... I also find the rooms at the IC larger but this could be down to personal perception...

        Aside from that, I find the staff at the IC slightly (only just though) a lot more personable...

        as an aside, iainbhx - what is your reasoning behind choosing the SOTP?

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        • #19
          Originally posted by Gunnar Smithsen View Post
          IC for me... It's easier to stumble home after a night out (i.e the hill isn't so steep)... I also find the rooms at the IC larger but this could be down to personal perception...

          Aside from that, I find the staff at the IC slightly (only just though) a lot more personable...

          as an aside, iainbhx - what is your reasoning behind choosing the SOTP?
          A combination of factors - I've stayed there twice and the Hilton twice for week long stays, the room size in the SOTP helps a lot, the internet access is better quality, it's a bit closer to my preferred nightlife venues and the price was a little keener.

          You are right about the hill for the Shang though.

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          • #20
            I've always enjoyed the Observatory, including watching the big container ships come and go as well as being in a more residential and gentrifying area of the rocks, a bit away form the tourist mobs but just a short walk from it all, albeit up and down a small hill and through a small tunnel. Very large rooms and a beautiful indoor pool with the southern stars on the ceiling. It's a smaller hotel than most of the major ones. However, it might not be the place for 20-somethings who want a trendy scene and night life.

            An Aussie friend of mine is very fond of the IC and always stays there when he visits Sydney.

            Which is the one that's on the wharf on the other side of the botanical gardens and the old floating swimming pool? Interesting location/restoration, but not quite in the center. Is it (still) a W? I think it would be fun for someone who has already done most of the tourist things in Sydney.

            I would avoid the old CBD area (Hilton, etc., which at least used to have a historic pub and a pretty decent lounge for what it is). AFAIK there are no promising hotels around Bondi or Manley.
            Last edited by MSPeconomist; 7 August 2010, 12:18 PM.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by MSPeconomist View Post
              Which is the one that's on the wharf on the other side of the botanical gardens and the old floating swimming pool? Interesting location/restoration, but not quite in the center. Is it (still) a W? I think it would be fun for someone who has already done most of the tourist things in Sydney.

              I would avoid the old CBD area (Hilton, etc., which at least used to have a historic pub and a pretty decent lounge for what it is). AFAIK there are no promising hotels around Bondi or Manley.
              The hotel on wharf that used to be the W is now called Blue, which is part of the Taj Hotels & Resorts group... Not really as cool as it was when it was a W (IMO)

              As for promising hotels around Bondi and Manly, you might need to take a visit sometime soon as both the Swiss Grand (in Bondi and now managed by Accor) and the Novotel Manly Pacific have both undergone extensive renovations and are quite impressive for their beachside location.

              I remember when I worked in Manly (2007), pre-renovation that the Novotel Manly Pacific was nothing short of a cockroach infested shithole, but 2 years later it's quite the opposite - the cockroaches have taken up residence elsewhere!

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              • #22
                Originally posted by 9V-JKL View Post
                Q: IC or Shang?

                I can get a rather good rate @ both and the difference is that the Shang is S$33 more than the IC.

                Which would you choose?
                Shang is great and has an awesome bar on the 36th floor with nice views of the harbour bridge. The locale is also rather decent if you want to be near Circular Quay and the Rocks, and it's also within stumbling distance to some of my fave bars in Sydney like Hemmesphere and the Ivy (try getting into the members-only rooftop Pool Club at The Ivy - v cool place, they sometimes offer day passes if you cajole the bouncers enough and dressed appropriately). But as mentioned you have some steep hills to climb up from the general CBD area to get to the Shang, not that great after a huge night out.

                I've not stayed at the IC but friends who do like it v much, have never heard any complaint.
                All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by Gunnar Smithsen View Post
                  as an aside, iainbhx - what is your reasoning behind choosing the SOTP?
                  Personally - SOTP for the Starpoints, and for a nefarious night out at King's Cross , which is just a short stroll across Hyde Park. Westin as a property is much nicer but the locale is a little quiet/eerie at night, even if it's only a couple of blocks away from the SOTP.
                  All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

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                  • #24
                    but KeithMEL it's only a hop, skip & a jump from your favorite haunts on George Street!

                    Personally, I find the walk back along Elizabeth or Castlereigh to be more eerie in the wee hours...

                    Hardly a short stroll to the SOTP from the Cross - I hate strolling let alone walking down the hill from the Cross... Mind you Sydney cabbies make it damned near impossible to do anything but...

                    And unfortunately the "Underbelly" franchise has seemingly made it exhorbitantly fashionable to the kiddies these days to hang out in the Cross and now as such I give her a wide berth...

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Gunnar Smithsen View Post
                      Hardly a short stroll to the SOTP from the Cross - I hate strolling let alone walking down the hill from the Cross... Mind you Sydney cabbies make it damned near impossible to do anything but...
                      It's literally a mere hop/skip across the park and you're at the start of Darlinghurst Rd? Or is that considered Darlinghurst, not King's Cross? I don't know, that's where I start when I do my bar hops across various establishments of certain infamy when not on George St. I somehow end up in the Cross or vice versa and have managed to conflate the 2 together.

                      Sorry, my sense of geography is poor enough in my own suburb let alone in a strange city. Anyway, for aforementioned establishments that I frequent on Darlinghurst Rd and surrounds, the SOTP is in the perfect spot for a stumble home when impossible to find a cab (which, as you said, is totally impossible in the wee hours).

                      Oh and of course - SOTP is far more generous with SPG Plat upgrades than the Westin IME.
                      Last edited by KeithMEL; 8 August 2010, 07:38 AM. Reason: more thoughts
                      All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

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                      • #26
                        deleted
                        Last edited by trekkie; 23 September 2010, 11:42 PM.

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                        • #27
                          Not sure what KeithMEL means by the Starpoints (and I don't think he meant 'stays' either). If the higher price (and hence, more Starpoints) was the aim, Westin of course reigns supreme. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the delightful Four Points (horrible location unless your aim is to cover Darling Harbour) - that helps in terms of stays, and they do great upgrades (even when I was SPG Gold), so thumbs up to them.

                          Perhaps KeithMEL, you're referring to starting on Oxford St and making your way through Darlinghurst into the Cross? Frankly, it's not that hard hopping into a train at Museum or St James (Gunnar Smithsen, it's not that bad! I used to live on Castlereagh, so from experience I can attest to this) - and pop up to the Cross or vice versa. (oh, speaking of which - I had a great 21st bash at Ju Ju's)... Transportation back, however - problematic, as you say...

                          The bus system doesn't work as well in that regard. Oxford St also has its share of 'interesting' establishments. On the fine dining side, Salt used to be quite good as well!

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                          • #28
                            I never have trouble getting to the Cross, it's getting back that's the hassle and usually results in making the trek down Williams Street (for those playing at home)

                            Mr Kyo, for one to utilise the services of Shittyrail, you've got to travel back to Town Hall from Museum or St James then change trains... I do agree with you it's much more interesting heading up Oxford Street and then over to the Cross - it also feels quicker, but that could be merely perception issues...

                            As an aside and to also clarify my cooments, I've also lived in the CBD - George Street to be exact and no how (un)well the transport in the CBD runs...

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by Kyo View Post
                              Not sure what KeithMEL means by the Starpoints (and I don't think he meant 'stays' either). If the higher price (and hence, more Starpoints) was the aim, Westin of course reigns supreme. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the delightful Four Points (horrible location unless your aim is to cover Darling Harbour) - that helps in terms of stays, and they do great upgrades (even when I was SPG Gold), so thumbs up to them.
                              I meant earning Starpoints/SPG stays generally cf staying non-SPG (Shang and IC were discussed earlier in the thread). FP on Sussex St was a decent option when it was cheap, but now you can often get SOTP for not much more.

                              Originally posted by Kyo View Post
                              Perhaps KeithMEL, you're referring to starting on Oxford St and making your way through Darlinghurst into the Cross?
                              *bulb goes off in head* Yes, exactly! Some fine establishments on Oxford St too. See what I mean about poor sense of geography. But seriously, I reckon the SOTP is in the perfect locale for the whole Oxford/Darlinghurst/Cross sojourn. Admittedly the Westin is only a couple of blocks away but at 5am in the morning after a massive night it can feel like an age! Besides, my credit card protested being in such close proximity to all those boutiques on Martin Place.
                              Last edited by KeithMEL; 9 August 2010, 05:55 AM.
                              All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by KeithMEL View Post
                                Besides, my credit card protested being in such close proximity to all those boutiques on Martin Place.
                                I'm sure it didn't protest... too much...



                                Great entertainment/foodie options around SOTP, agreed... also a good start for a midnight tour around town, going past Bot gardens round to the rocks and back upwards. You definitely see a different side of Sydney late at night! Westin closer to Establishment tho..

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