Marriott Sydney Harbour - Sydney, Australia 

We stayed here for 3 nights at the start of our month-long trip to Australia and were very pleased with the hotel. - Room was not huge but was of sufficient size so you don't feel cramped. - We had access to the executive lounge, and the views from the lounge were absolutely fantastic. - The location of the hotel is fabulous, 1 minute walk to Circular Quay and the harbor, ferries, etc. - There was a Wagamama's restaurant just behind the hotel, which was great for a cheap quality meal. We would definitely stay here again and recommend it to anyone. Its especially great if you can use your marriott points for a free stay!

I stayed in the hotel on 21 June 2008. I was a bit disappointed because I originally booked (through the Marriott website) a non-smoking king bed room. We checked in very early on 21 June and our room was not ready, so we came back late in the peace. When we came back to the hotel, we were given a double bed smoking room. I was extremely disappointed with this, as I specifically asked that my preference would be a non-smoking room double bed, but I got smoking. I had previously stayed at the Marriott in Victoria, Canada in 2007 and was very impressed with the facilities and location. Unfortunately, with these expectations in mind, I was expecting that the Sydney Harbourside Marriott would be the same - unfortunately, it wasn't as good. I do have to say that the Marriott in Victoria was recently renovated in the last year, but the Harbourside Marriott has not been and I saw this in the room. For those who were thinking of staying in a opera house room (I stayed in one of these rooms on the 19th floor), it is not quite what you think. You can see the opera house, but the view is seen through in between 2 buildings to the left and right of the window - you don't have a 180 degree view which looks directly onto the opera house (if that makes any sense). Also, your room faces east, so when you go and open the blinds in the morning, the sun comes directly into your room/face and blinds you. I do not recall seeing in the room a USB port (which I saw at the Victoria Marriott) which would have been handy to charge an ipod (for example). The reason why I'm posting this post is because of something that happened on the evening of 21 June, which I was a bit concerned about. I went down to the health club on Saturday evening around 7pm. Firstly, the spa was empty and did not have any water in it (was covered up). So if you have expectations of having a spa in the winter at this Marriott, forget it! Secondly, for those who have children and were thinking about using the pool, the pool does not have a "shallow" depth for you to stand on (I was planning to do some aqua exercises and couldn't, because I'm short and couldn't touch the bottom of the swimming pool without my head being submerged!). The pool is 1.4 metres deep all the way around. Nice pool, despite this. Finally, the biggest concern for me was that I was there for 40 minutes and the health club in that time was not manned. I was appalled because of the swimming pool and the dangers of children drowning - too bad, no one was there to save you if you drowned. Also, there are lockers, but at the time I was there, there was no keys for the lockers, so you could use them. I went to the desk and because it wasn't manned, I couldn't get help, The sauna was very nice, I must admit (though it was not steaming when I was there - it was nice and hot!). With the Bvlgari pack you get, you only get one soap bar, bath salts and something else for ONE person (not for 2 people). We also didn't have bathrobes in our room, so that was a bit sad. Finally, the buffet breakfast is good (on the whole). The fruit was very sweet and nice (given the fact that it is winter in Sydney). Don't go at 10am - we had to queue for 10 minutes before getting a table! I forgot to mention - the location is excellent - 2 minutes walk from the airport train and circular quay. Loved the location of the hotel. You pay for the location though. Walking distance to many things.