11 Best Hotels in Inner City and the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney

Set in Sydney’s trendy dining and drinking hot spot of Surry Hills—and sharing the former headquarters of Paramount Pictures with the Golden Age Cinema and Bar, Paramount Coffee Project, a rooftop recreation center, and a coworking office space—Paramount House Hotel's loftlike rooms with plant-filled balconies is the coolest place to stay and play in Sydney. Rooms feature kilim rugs, cement ceilings with exposed pipes, and bespoke furnishings, as well as luxe bathrooms with Japanese-style wooden baths, copper pipes, and terrazzo tiles.

This luxurious boutique hotel is the gem of inner Sydney. Tucked away in a street lined with stately apartments, and a mere 100 yards from the area's hip restaurants and cafés, this lovingly restored 1892 structure is reminiscent of a Queen Anne Victorian, with all of its nooks and crannies. Each room has a different shape and is furnished in muted autumn tones, with plush drapes, table lamps, fireplaces, king or queen beds, flat-screen TVs, and an array of interesting artwork. The Cloud Suite is the best room in the house, with a double Jacuzzi bath and a DVD. One of the king rooms has a big balcony overlooking the street, and one of the two family rooms has a small courtyard. If you don't want to hike up the stairs, request one of the several ground-floor rooms. A continental breakfast is included in the tariff and is served in a light-filled conservatory.

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.

This hotel apartment complex, several hundred feet from Bondi Beach, includes more than a dozen restaurants, bars, and stores. The lobby is abuzz with holiday makers enjoying a home-away-from-home stay in sleek accommodations, most with fully equipped kitchens and laundry facilities. The 111 rooms comprise 56 one-bedroom apartments, eight two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom apartments; the remainder are studio rooms with microwaves, tea/coffeemaking facilities, and fridges. All have clean, white minimalist looks set off with bright, beachy cushions and wall art. Sofas convert into extra beds while lounge and bedroom have flat-screen TVs; all have balconies. There's a lap pool, Jacuzzi, and small gym, and a grocery store and wine store just across the road. The beach is a five-minute walk away along a street lined with restaurants, ice-cream parlors, and bars. There's limited free Wi-Fi in the lobby.

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.

This hotel is opposite Coogee Beach and has many rooms with balconies looking out to fabulous ocean views. The rooms are bright and spacious and there's a heated outdoor pool, on-site tennis court, and well-equipped gym as well as secure undercover parking). Shutters, the on-site bar and restaurant is a great place for a cocktail or casual meal. While not quite as buzzy as Bondi, Coogee has a great selection of cafés and restaurants and they are all within a few minutes' stroll from the hotel. If you do want to head to Bondi it's only a short taxi drive away, or step out on the clifftop walking trail via Clovelly and Bronte Beach—it's a fantastic half-day walk.

"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.

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 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.

This ultrahip hotel occupies a former wool shipping shed that includes authentic structures of the former wharf (pulleys, giant trusses, and brontosaurus-like machinery), a great location (a stone's throw from the Opera House), and the chance to be on the harbor but in a quieter location. Guest rooms, decorated with trendy fish prints, are arranged like the cabins on a luxury liner, rising in tiers on the outside of the central cavity. The entire hotel is 100% smoke-free and all meals are plant-based. There are five restaurants in the adjoining wharf complex, known as the Wooloomooloo's Finger Wharf.

Boutique hotel meets cool apartment: QT Bondi is for the modern traveler who cares less about spas, gyms, and room service, and more about a great location, creative design, and home-away-from-home amenities (which at QT Bondi means everything from kitchenettes with dishwashers and washing machines to shoehorns and beach bags). There's no pool or on-site restaurant but you won't even notice with Sydney's best beach across the street and insider recommendations—along with skip-the-line privileges—at some of Bondi's coolest restaurants and cafés. The style and vibe is true Bondi beach, with white-washed interiors, bright pops of color in furnishings and local art, and warm hospitality.