8 Best Hotels in Sydney, New South Wales

The award-winning Adge Hotel + Residences is nestled in the lively Surry Hills, close to the energetic neighborhood of Darlinghurst and offers a vibrant blend of fashion, music, art, food, and culture right at your doorstep. Each room features bright decor, including patterned carpets, geometric lamps, colorful joinery, and bold tiles, with options ranging from cozy 17-square-meter rooms to spacious two-bedroom lofts with private balconies, full-size Smeg refrigerators, and ample living space.

On a quiet stretch in the trendy shopping precinct of Paddington, this small, friendly, family-run hotel has simple accommodations at an outstanding price. Garden rooms overlook an Italian-style central courtyard and pool; they are the largest and the most quiet. Triple-glazed windows mean rooms overlooking bustling Oxford Street aren't bombarded by traffic noise. Those on the third floor have harbor views. All rooms have Foxtel (cable TV), free Wi-Fi, and guests can use bicycles (perhaps for a cycle around nearby Centennial Park) for free. Discounts are given to guests when dining at the nearby Rose, Shamrock and Thistle pub and bistro. The location, close to shops, restaurants, and nightlife, is a 15-minute walk from the city center and just under 30 minutes from Bondi.

"Simply comfortable and affordable" is the slogan at this 1920s-style hotel at the leafy end of Potts Point, and it's hard to disagree on either count. Location and price are also major draws at this friendly hotel, which has been recently upgraded with the addition of 17 new rooms (converted from a former first-floor restaurant), each with modern facilities and Wi-Fi. All rooms now have flat-screen TVs, new drapes, and desk furniture. Flexible "dynamic rates" can see a standard room sell as low as A$89 so check online for deals. Some rooms have balconies; studio apartments include kitchenettes. A Greek restaurant, the Apollo, on the ground floor is open for dinner and lunch on Friday and weekends.

In its character as well as its dimensions, this friendly B&B on a quiet part of a bar- and club-lined street is reminiscent of a European pensione. Simple, tastefully outfitted rooms come with high-quality beds and linens, as well as wooden blinds over the windows. Access to the four floors of rooms is via a small staircase, and there is no elevator. There are single, double and superior rooms, the latter suitable for a family. Despite its proximity to the heart of Kings Cross, the hotel has a relaxed, serene atmosphere. There's a two-night minimum stay; book online for cheaper rates.

At the Kirketon, where there's a slight Parisian boutique hotel feel as you walk into the foyer, the staff are friendly and the rooms are contemporary and chic, with each room having air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs. Most of all, the location makes it easy to tap into the lively nightlife of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. Guests can also enjoy on-site facilities such as the basement bar but there's no on-site restaurant.

If your idea of heaven is sleeping above a pub that brews its own boutique beers (or ales, as they're rightly called), this is the place. The hotel, hewn from Sydney sandstone, has been a popular watering hole with Sydneysiders and visitors for decades. Built in the early 1840s, the building has been restored to its former grandeur. While the nine guest rooms and the first-floor Lord Nelson Brasserie restaurant have exposed sandstone walls, their fittings and design are very contemporary. All rates include continental breakfast, and the hotel is a stroll from the Harbour Bridge. The bar is always busy on Friday night and most weekends as the craft beer is excellent.

If you're tired of the standard travelers' rooms, this renovated Victorian terrace house may be just the tonic. Having undergone a massive conversion into 21st-century cool, it sports a decorating scheme of brash colors—blues, yellows, and creams splashed against reds—and furnishings (platform beds and chaise lounge) that might have come direct from a Milan design gallery. Every room is slightly different, has a kitchenette, and was recently fitted with a new flat-screen TV. Behind the glamour is a comfortable, well-run hotel with friendly, attentive staff. This is one of the few city hotels that welcome guests' dogs, and it's near many good restaurants.

Even though it's been around for a few decades, this hotel with its low-key facade is still a bit of a secret. It's in a great location (right in The Rocks and about a two-minute walk from Circular Quay), and the rooftop pool and terrace have spectacular views of the Opera House, bridge, and harbor. The eight-story hotel has a dramatic central atrium topped with a glass roof; the guest rooms open out onto passageways that overlook the reception desk, lobby bar, and restaurant several stories below.