Make Sydney a breeze

MAKE Sydney your "home away from home" and stay in an apartment hotel on your next visit, writes Greg Hackett.

Bright and cheery ... a one bedroom apartment at the Medina Grand Harbourside, Sydney

ACCORDING to Toga CEO Rachel Argaman, the Medina apartment hotels "should be home away from home".

My room at the Medina Grand Harbourside has the comforts of home, next to the dining and entertainment of King St Wharf at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

Seemingly whatever you need is only a 10-minute walk in any direction - the harbour precinct's attractions, city centre shopping, Circular Quay ferries and the restaurants of the historic Rocks precinct.

That's a good thing, given Sydney CBD's woeful public transport. The one-way streets make it much quicker to walk across town than catch a taxi.

The buses are efficient, but working out the routes is perplexing.

Anyway, walking is healthy and environmentally friendly. Plus you never know whom you will bump into in central Sydney - I found 1980s rock idol Cyndi Lauper leaving a club appearance and hopping into a people-mover.

The Medina Grand Harbourside has 114 one-bedroom apartments and studio rooms. The apartments live up to the family-friendly expectation and have a kitchen with oven, microwave, large fridge and dishwasher. There's a fully equipped laundry, Foxtel and in-room movies, broadband, voicemail and a spacious balcony with city views.

The bed is comfy and the furnishings are modern. If your schedule precludes time to purchase provisions, use Medina's grocery delivery service - just fill in a form next to the mini bar and staff will do your shopping for you. Babysitting is also available.

As some hotel chains move towards automated check-ins, I think it is handy to know that help is always at hand with 24-hour reception.

There is a heated swimming pool, licensed restaurant, room service, in-room safe and car parking.

The business facilities make Medina apartment hotels popular for meetings and small conferences.

Toga Hospitality lays claim to being the first Australian-owned hotel group to venture into the European market. Its European brand, five-star Adina apartment hotels, has properties in Copenhagen, Budapest and Berlin. Ms Argaman recently announced that Adinas would open in Frankfurt, Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg during the next two years, taking the number to six. Similar to Medina, the Adina properties aim to provide the comforts of home while in exceptional city locations.

Toga has 22 Medina properties in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Wollongong and Canberra, and one opening on Darwin's waterfront early next year. Other brands in the Toga stable are Vibe and Travelodge.

Sunday Herald Sun