'Hotel' My A*se

Advantages: Central, cheap, free 'breakfast'
Disadvantages: Tatty, grubby, impolite staff, very busy at all times

...Though I don't like to believe it, some things in life simply are too good to be true. I booked to stay for 3 nights in Melbourne and my criteria were: · cheap · my own room (a backpacker hostel was ok, but a dorm room was not) · centrally located · preferably with breakfast included With these things in mind, I surfed the net until I came across the Hotel Bakpak. It had its own website, which I always prefer, and looked reasonable. What's more, STA Travel were offering me a single room there, including breakfast, for a mere $70 for the entire duration of my stay. This is equivalent to 30 GBP, or a mere 10 GBP per night. That's probably the point I should have known something was up, but I didn't want to know, so went ahead and booked. **- Getting There -** About 6 weeks later I arrived in Melbourne. The Hotel offers...

zoe_page 29.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Bakpak, Melbourne

Beware of LastMinute Top Secret Hotels

Advantages: They often have really good cheap deals which can't be found elsewhere on the web
Disadvantages: Their customer service is very poor and they are unwilling to go the extra mile

...Beware of Lastminute.com's top secret hotels deal - so secret that their partners won't even put their names to them! For good reason. I booked a 5* luxury hotel in Mayfair for my father's honeymoon only to find out I had booked a construction site! Once I found out the name of our top secret hotel choice (Radisson Edwardian Mayfair), I surfed round a few websites and found out that the hotel is undergoing a major program of construction and refurbishment. The reviews from recent guests are terrible! Yellow water coming out of the baths, plaster rubble on the floors, workmen/scaffolding outside the windows, unacceptable noise and even hard hats next to the bed, just to mention a few! I tried to cancel and found lastminute.com don't advertise a phone number so I tried their email address. When I did eventually receive...

JengaJenga 28.09.2005 · Read review
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Marvellous Melbourne

Advantages: The Most Liveable City in the World
Disadvantages: A long way away from practically everywhere else!

...all the Art Deco treasures to prove it. Things went spectacularly wrong in the 50's and 60's and the area degenerated into a haunt for vice in all the usual forms. It's still a little rough around the edges in places, especially at night, with tranny streetwalkers & the odd junkie begging for change, but all the run-down mansions and apartments have been lovingly restored & the yuppies are well & truly ensconced. St.Kilda's also home to Luna Park, another relic of the decadent 20's, an antique amusement park with an entrance underneath a massive, gaping mouth. The Esplanade hotel, a Victorian monolith opposite the beach, is a Melbourne institution. There's no better place to be on a Sunday afternoon than on the front porch at the Espy, drink in hand, waiting for the sunset. It's also a brilliant live venue, mainly alternative and scene acts...

snowbunni 07.11.2005 (15.01.2006) · Read review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

Great Central Hostel to see Melbourne

Advantages: Friendly Hostel, clean and cheap
Disadvantages: Can get noisy

...The Melbourne International Backpackers The Melbourne International Backpackers is in a great location for the CBD. Located on Elizabeth and Franklin Street, the nearest station is Melbourne Central just 5 mins away and Flinders Street station is only (15 mins away). Rooms: Hostel dorm rooms are available from 4 ? 10 bed, these are all priced the same, the winter prices are $24 a night or $143 for a week. You will need to give a refundable $20 deposit for your key card. All rooms are bunk bed style with free linen and blankets, all rooms have a full length mirror and lockers. Social Areas: This hostel has a large kitchen which was part of the appeal for me, clean and tidy with enough pots and pans for everyone. You can get a cutlery box from reception; you just have to make a $20 deposit which you will receive back...

LIZKEMPO 04.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Melbourne International Backpackers, Melbourne

Melbourne's Crown and Glory

Advantages: Lots to do
Disadvantages: Hard to see it all

...and although it pains me to say it Crown beats Sydney?s casino, Star City hands down when it comes to an all round entertainment complex. After a long day and several too many drinks we stayed till about one before staggering back to the hotel via the 7/11 for a meat pie (I know? all class). If you?re in Melbourne for whatever reason you must visit Crown at least once, in fact you could probably come here every night for a good few months and not do the same thing twice. Thanks for reading!...

Looby5 19.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Crown Casino, Melbourne

what lastminute.com offer will you take up?

Advantages: Great website, easy to use, good layout, lots of offers available.
Disadvantages: None

...lastminute.com enables people to book last minute deals on a range of products and services to hopefully find the best deal possible. However, it can also be used to book weeks or months in advance and has quite good deals on these offers too. They offer car hire, hotels, holidays, flights, spa days, theatre tickets, gift ideas etc. The website is very easy to use and each service/product provided has it own section on the website and you can use the search criteria options to select the amount of people, the preferred dates or times etc. This is very easy to use and the options that you've selected work well and load up in well under a minute (internet connection dependant of course). The homepage will show all of the latest deals and offers such as 2 for 1 on nights in a hotel and theatre tickets for Wicked, Grease etc from...

katyeverett 15.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lastminute.com

A tour of Melbourne ... by food

Advantages: Slower pace ... most livable city
Disadvantages: At the other end of the world

...I visited Melbourne over the Christmas break and what a break it was! Instead of doing a usual what a wonderful city this is, I thought I will give a tour of Melbourne based on food. Getting hungry already? Well, here we go! Lets start at the airport. Upon arrival, the immigration officers were very efficient and before long, we were through and collecting our bags. Just a word of warning; because Australia is an island, they are very strict about bring flora and fauna products into their country. So, if you have food items, plants or even animal skin, do declare it. Upon exiting the arrival hall, you have 3 choices. One, someone is there to meet you, whereupon transportation is already taken care of. Two, you are in Melbourne by yourself and have already decided where you are staying (in the city), and so the airport shuttle (Airbus...

petitesquirt 25.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

More Melbourne Please

Advantages: Lovely city
Disadvantages: A little hard on the wallet

...Lovely. Absolutely 100 percentey lovely. The first thing you notice when you arrive in Melbourne is when you're flying over it in a plane all the streets are like in New York - all criss-cross, so it's easy to find your way around. So after collecting your bags, you jump in to a taxi and go to your hotel. May I reccommend you stay at the Rockman's Regency - it's 'One of the best Hotels in the World.' The food is fantastic, but you can also rent a flat for a week in the building on a self-cooking basis. I must point out that the flats are very nice, and that supermarkets are available near to the apartments. People are very welcoming and charming, and you'll find a lot to do. Perhaps you want to go and see the set of Neighbours, a street which does exist and is lived in. Or maybe a boat trip takes your fancy. Or maybe, you want...

danieletheridge 08.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

Use lastminute....lastminute.

Advantages: Good for inspiration, usually find a good deal.
Disadvantages: Not always neccessarily a good deal.

...Lastminute.com is good for what its name suggests?.last minute ! I have been using last minute.com for about 3 years now. I have bought many theatre tickets, a very lastminute Europe city break (complete with flights and hotel), tickets to theme parks, and gifts (ranging from driving experiences to health spa pampering vouchers). Each and every time the service was good fast and reliable. To use the website you need to register. This is simple. You are asked for your email and a password. You are sent emails after any purchases, which are informative and give you all the details you require, ie booking reference. Payment is by Mastercard or Visa ( American Express and Switch for a few select items) Depending on the product bought, you are sent relevant tickets in the post first class. Its good for last minute gift ideas...

randhawa 28.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Lastminute.com

Cheap but not cheerfull

Advantages: Great Location, Friendly Staff
Disadvantages: Not the cleanest, noisy, in need of refurbishment

...When I was looking round for a cheap but cheerful hostel to stay in, Hotel Bakpak caught my eye as it offered a free pickup from the airport. ( 5 times a day ) The hostel itself is in the middle of Melbourne in Franklin Street just a few minutes walk away from the Queen Victoria Market and the Central Business District. The free tourist tram also stops just a couple of minutes walk away as well. The exact room rate depends on how many people you are prepared to share with, the more people in the room the cheaper the rate. A 4 bed is $27 a night and $161 a week, a 6 bed is $26 and $154, a 8 bed is $25 and $147 etc Because of the rate and that it called itself a backpacker hostel I wasn't expecting the Ritz and 5 star luxury. If it was going to be basic but clean that would suit e fine as I wouldn't be in the room that much...

ultras67 17.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Bakpak, Melbourne