Where to Stay in Melbourne CBD: 5 Places for Inspiration

If you’re trying to figure out where to stay in Melbourne CBD, this is the post for you.

I’ve pulled together first-hand opinions and ratings from five fantastic travel bloggers that will help you make a decision.

Each have been rated on their affordability, friendliness, location, view and amenities.

They are all within touching distance of Melbourne CBD and make a great base for exploring this fantastic city.

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Map of Where to Stay in Melbourne CBD

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Break Free Apartments on Collins

Review by Paula from AustraliaYourWay.com

Break Free Apartments on Collins offers serviced apartments that have everything you need for a short to medium stay in Melbourne. 

These one and two bedroom apartments have standard and deluxe fit-outs available. We usually book a standard apartment and always find them very comfortable. The main difference between the two options is that the deluxe apartments include a balcony and updated sofas and linens. 

All apartments feature full kitchens with dishwasher and laundry facilities are included in the bathrooms.  

We have now stayed here three times and it is our go-to property for our regular visits due to its location and the size of the apartments themselves. 

Affordability – 9/10

The property is very well priced – you basically have a full-sized apartment for the price of a standard hotel room in Melbourne. There are often deals for stays over 3 days long.

Friendliness – 8/10

Staff were welcoming and helpful. On one visit we requested a room change to a higher floor as we felt our 2nd-floor apartment was a little dark and they happily obliged.  Staff also offered good dining suggestions and great tips for getting around the city.

Style – 7/10 

These are functional apartments with basic IKEA style furnishings and very comfortable beds. The colours and fabrics are fresh and pleasant.  Rooms on lower floors can be a little dark so if this is not appealing, I suggest you request a higher floor.  We found our 8th-floor apartment very quiet.

Location and View – 9/10

The location on Collins Street is excellent. There is a tram stop literally at the front door of the building making it very easy to get around the city. You can join trams here for St Kilda, Docklands, Richmond, Box Hill and Fitzroy. 

You are less than one minutes’ walk from some of the city’s best laneways and arcades. The Yarra River is a 3-minute stroll and Bourke Street Mall shops are only 2 blocks away. There are supermarkets less than 5 minutes away on William Street. 

Our apartment faced Swanson Street and had a partial view of Collins Street and some the skyscrapers that looked pretty lit up after dark. 

Amenities 6/10 

While the apartments themselves offer everything, you need for a self-contained stay the property does not have any shared facilities. This was not really an issue for us as the property is surrounded by cafes and restaurants.  The reception desk is open 24 hours and the staff were helpful. On-site parking is available for a fee. Free wifi was not offered on our visit but was available at reception. 

Break Free Apartments
>>> CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT PRICES <<<

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Ovolo Laneways

Review by Josh from AustalianDad.com.au.

The Ovolo Laneways is my pick for the best place to stay in Melbourne because it’s fun and affordable with spacious rooms and many extras. It also has its own style.

Rooms are apartment style with studio, one and two bedroom apartments plus some special penthouse style apartments. They are well equipped and have their own flair and character.

While the rooms are great, where this hotel really stands out as a top choice is all the extras that a make a stay here so fun. There’s free minibar,  snack bag, free drinks at happy hour, a free breakfast which you can collect and have in bed if you want, free laundry and a free lolly bar where you can get a sugary treat whenever you want. All of this leads to a great fun vibe that makes me keep coming back to this hotel.

Affordability 7/10

For apartment style accommodation in the city with lots of extras, it’s a great place but there are cheaper options out there.

Friendliness 10/10

The staff are very friendly. There are welcome notes. They serve you free drinks at happy hour. There’s nothing not to like.

Style 9/10

This hotel is very stylish with its own flair. I’ve stayed in a few different rooms types and they are have their own flair

Location & View 8/10

The location is good at the top end of Little Bourke Street but the one negative of this hotel is that only the top rooms have a view and the other rooms can be dark.

Amenities 8/10

The rooms are very well equipped especially with the free minibars and snack bags and the free breakfast and happy hour. However, there aren’t extras like restaurants and gyms (but there are restaurants everywhere outside the door).

Ovolo Laneways
>>> CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT PRICES <<<

Recommended Reading: What is Melbourne Known For?

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Radisson Flagstaff Gardens

Review by Dave from DaveChant.com.

The Radisson is regularly rated as one of the best hotels to stay in Melbourne. It currently ranks #12 on Traveller Ratings on Tripadvisor and the modern hotel combines “value, comfort and convenience” in Radisson’s own words. 

Official rhetoric aside, it’s decent value (costing around $130 for a night) and located in the Central Business District making its location great for exploration of the city. The rooftop gym and spa make a nice outing at the end of the day, with views out over Melbourne’s oldest park, the Flagstaff Gardens. Rooms are comfortable, room service 24 hours, and an onsite restaurant and bar caters for meals and drinks. 

All of this makes the hotel a pleasant stay for any time in the city. 

Affordability 7/10

There are cheaper places to stay in the city but the combination of facilities and locations make the Radisson a great contender, and not expensive. 

Friendliness 8/10

On our stay, all of the staff were friendly and inefficient. The service is delivered in a “business fashion” with a smile that informs guests that anything you want can be done, without being too overly friendly or informal. 

Style 6/10

The hotel won’t win any accolades for its style. The presentation is very similar to Novotel but what it lacks in character, it makes up for in comfort and elegance. 

Location and View 8/10

Nestled on the side of Flagstaff Gardens makes the location ideal to visit many of Melbourne’s centre. It’s in the CBD, the Yarra River is also just 0.7 miles away. Views from the rooms look out over the park and the surrounding business district. Higher floors obviously command superior views, with the rooftop gym and spa having some amazing views across the city. 

Amenities 7/10

There’s almost everything you need at the Radisson. Rooms are equipped with flat screen TVs and minibar, free tea/coffee facilities. There is an onsite restaurant and bar with 24 hour room service. Parking is available onsite for an additional fee and the gym and spa on the rooftop are a good addition. 

The hotel only drops points based on the fact that the spa is quite small, consisting of sauna and jacuzzi (so no pool unfortunately) and the rooms could have benefitted with balconies.

Radisson Flagstaff Gardens
>>> CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT PRICES <<<

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Oaks Melbourne

Review by Nicole from GoFarGrowClose.com.

What type of place: This is an apartment hotel offering one or two-bedroom apartments.

The Oaks Melbourne on Market Street is a contemporary well priced 4* hotel offering large and comfortable apartment-style hotel rooms in the centre of downtown Melbourne. You are only a couple of blocks from the water and walking distance to amazing restaurants and shopping. The hotel staff is friendly and goes out of their way to make your stay the best it can be. The food offered at the restaurant is delicious and the cocktails at the bar are excellent. You will love the panoramic views of the water from many of the hotel rooms and have a brilliant night’s sleep in the comfortable beds.  

Affordability 8/10

This was a 4* hotel in the centre of Melbourne, walking distance to great restaurants and the shopping district. Compared to other 4* hotels in the area or in other areas offering similar amenities, this accommodation was very well priced. 

Friendliness 10/10

The staff were exceptionally friendly. Our room was not available when we arrived and we were exhausted. The front desk staff offered us a different and nicer room that was available for the same price. In addition, we forgot to return our key when we left. Rather than charge us for it or hound us for its return, they waited more than 6 weeks for us to get home and send it back. 

Style 7/10

The rooms are contemporary and stylish. The reception is too, but it is a little cramped so the styling doesn’t work as well as the rooms.

Location & View 10/10

The location is excellent. It is in the downtown core, easy walking distance to the water, shopping and excellent restaurants. The view from many rooms is over the water and it is fantastic.

Amenities 10/10

The kitchen in the apartment was filled with everything that you may need. There is a fitness room, pool, restaurant and bar.

Oaks Melbourne
>>> CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT PRICES <<<

Visiting Melbourne? Why not do some thing a little different and go Axe-Throwing?

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The Space Hotel

Review by Cassie from CassieTheHag.com.

Hostel with hotel-quality private rooms – one of the best hostels I’ve stayed in, and undoubtedly the cleanest, quietest, and best laid out one I stayed in in Australia. I felt comfortable chilling out in my spacious bunk and using the amenities.

Affordability 9/10

Although it isn’t the cheapest hostel in Melbourne, it works out much, much cheaper than actual hotels (even for a private room) and was very clean. I stayed in a 6-bed dorm and got a discount for 7-day stays.

Friendliness 8/10

Being a hostel with many rooms, you won’t get super personable service but they were always friendly and happy to answer my questions.

Style 7/10

If you’re after something boutique with a lot of character, The Space Hotel won’t be for you. But for a cheap, cheerful stay I found it to be very well laid out. They didn’t cram bunk beds together like some hostels and it felt fairly fresh and modern.

Location and View 8/10

Right in the centre of Melbourne, around the corner of Carlton Gardens, the hostel is walking distance from many attractions and close to a tram line. I didn’t have a view from my room, but there’s a wonderful city view from the rooftop, which has a hot tub. 

Amenities 9/10

Private rooms have everything from mini-fridges and tea facilities to TVs and ipod docks (transforming it from a normal hostel into a hotel). The dorms were very well thought out – next to every bed is a personal shelf, with hooks and a plug – larger than other hostels – and huge lockers. There are kettles on every floor and group bathrooms were clean with nice, warm showers. There is a movie room, rooftop kitchen, gym and internet cafe.

The Space Hotel
>>> CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT PRICES <<<

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