Brisbane Hotel Reviews
Brizzie is a wonderful laid back destination, a very pleasant change from the hustle bustle of Sydney. Our group visited Chinatown for dinner, the Treasury Casino, Southbank Park, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Anzac Square, the Botanical Gardens, took River Cats up and down the river through the city, and the highlight, I must say was watching Queensland beat NSW in "The State of Origin", game I at "The Pineapple Hotel". Wow! What an experience!
Brisbane while nice does not call out to be explored. However as a point to access the Goldcoast and Sunshine Coast, it can''t be beaten. Also a very liveable city.
Brisbane is a very compact city and everything is within walking distance. Queen Street Mall is the place to go for shopping. The only downside is that shops close too early.
Missed out on the markets as I arrived there too late. The SouthBank markets close at 5pm during weekends except for Friday (10pm) & the Brunswick St market closes at 4pm.
The location was 15 mins walk from the centre of Brisbane City. Opposite the apartments are KFC and MacDonalds, 5 minutes further down there is an excellent B.Y.O. Thai restaurant, accross the road from there, there is a Grill and Steak House, with a friendly atmosphere pub.
As others have said, don''t miss the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary if you have kids. Our 11 year old was just as thrilled as our 5 year old to hold a koala and handfeed kangaroos. It''s a low-key setting and a fun chance to see some of Australia''s native wildlife. The South Bank area is fun and lively, and we had a great meal at Il Centro (expensive, AUD$18-30 for main courses).
Lots of good eateries at Eagle Pier. We tried Opus, Centro and Pier 9. Food are fresh and tasted excellent. Big selection of oysters at Pier 9.
Spent most of my time in the Queen Street mall area (Myer Center). If you happen to be in Brisbane on a warm Sunday afternoon or evening, and like to have a drink with friend, make sure you go to the Victory. I made all my travels by either foot or taxi.
Lone Pine Koala santuary is Boat Cruise away (M.V.Miramar). Boat Quay is 10min walk away from hotel. Brisbane City Tour (on Public Transport City Sights) is recommended. Superb introduction to Brisbane. Bus stops at Adelaide St, again 5 min walk from hotel. Queen Street mall is 7 min walk away too! Hotel in super location.
The hotel is very close to the Queen street mall which has lots of good places to eat and shop around. Number of city tours as well as train services are available from this place so it''s also convenient to go on tours to nearby places.
Brisbane is great and our hotel is in a good location we could walk down to South Bank and a walk along the river is highly recommended. From there you can catch ferries across the river. We arrived on a Sunday so wandered around the South Bank Markets and then caught the ferry to Riverside Markets - what a great way to spend a sunday - good food lovely restaurants - friendly people - and very interesting markets. Next day we caught the train from central up to Caboolture and wandered around there and then a bus to Bridie Island to visit friends at Woorim. Because we were there in the off season the beaches were empty but people were still swimming and what a beach --fabulous. For a getaway, go there! Brisbane transport is excellent and it is rally good for walking and biking. You can walk, bike or skate across the Goodwill Bridge from South Bank into Central City. It''s a good walk and I recommend it.
Good location - convenient to the public transport, great view of the city and the immediate area is clearly developing fast as shops, restaurants and the park develop.
Brisbane rocks! In my book, it totally lives up to its tagline of "Most Livable City in Australia." It''s clean, has many areas to visit that are either free or inexpensive, including all of the activities on the South bank. Coming from San Diego, California, "America''s Finest City", and having traveled and/or lived in much of Europe and parts of Asia, I''d agree. I think that Brisbane would be among my top choices for a great city to both visit in a live in. We have nothing but great things to say about this city.
Brisbane is a beautiful city. The waterfront & ferry service were delightful. The performing arts/museum complex was terrific. Especially loved the children''s section of the art museum -- it was wonderful for adults!
Had a woderful dinner cruise on Paddlesteamer Kookaburra Queen (for a wedding but avilable to general public also). Car park at adjoining Mercure Hotel very handy and quite good value at $10 overnight.
Take City Cat and go Bulimba at night. The night view from the ferry is very nice and you can explore many cafe in Bulimba.
The walk to the city center was longer than I had expected but it''s a nice walk along the river. I had dinner several times at a place called Opus (or something similar) at Eagle Pier. The best meals I have had so far in Australia.
I have nowhere to go during the stay but a short stroll may take you to South Bank Exhibition Centre.
Great place especially south bank where it was fun to swim at night with the city light on. Very surreal.