Haymarket Hotels with Bars

The hotel was completely and meticulously renovated. 😀 I am blown away by the sleek and simple yet modern and elegant hotel lobby . The high ceiling and the bricks give a voluminous feel. The hotel reception very friendly and proactive. The room floor consistent in terms of design and use of colour. Very eye soothing. The location unbeatable and surrounded by heaps of eateries and shops. Distance to central station only 5 min by foot. Super nice hotel and will come back

When I booked two Deluxe Family Rooms at Furama Darling Harbour for a 6-day stay with family, I had high hopes for comfort, convenience, and a pleasant experience. Here’s how it went. Location: Convenient, but Parking Woes The location of Furama Darling Harbour is undoubtedly one of its highlights. Nestled within walking distance of numerous restaurants offering cuisines from all over the globe, it was a food lover's dream. Finding the hotel wasn’t a challenge either, thanks to clear signage and central placement. However, the parking situation? That’s another story. The hotel doesn’t have an on-site parking lot. Instead, we had to park about a five-minute walk away, which isn’t ideal when lugging bags or dealing with Sydney’s occasional drizzle. Plus, the cost added up—$244 AUD for six days. If parking convenience matters to you, it’s worth factoring this in. Cleanliness: Mixed Experiences Cleanliness was... average, to say the least. While the first day seemed fine, housekeeping didn’t exactly shine as the stay went on. On Day 2, we were surprised (and not in a good way) to find dirty towels left after the room was cleaned. Fast forward to Day 5, and we found toilet paper and stray hairs under the blanket after housekeeping had supposedly “refreshed” the space. Not exactly the five-star housekeeping you’d hope for. To be fair, we didn’t raise the issue with reception that evening—it was our last night, and we figured housekeeping staff would already be off-duty. But, as a guest, you shouldn’t have to weigh these options. Service: Quick and Friendly, But a Breakfast Mishap Service at Furama Darling Harbour was a bright spot overall. The staff were warm, responsive, and accommodating, whether it was resolving issues with the TV or bringing up extra towels. That said, we hit a snag with the included breakfast. Our booking clearly stated breakfast for four people per room, which should have covered eight of us across two rooms. Yet, when we went down, they claimed the booking only covered four breakfasts total. After some back-and-forth with both hotel staff and Trip’s customer service, the issue was resolved. But it wasn’t exactly a stress-free start to the day. Facilities: Functional, But Nothing Fancy The gym was basic but functional—a single machine covering major muscle groups, though no free weights were in sight. It’s fine if you’re just looking to get in a quick workout. The laundry room was handy, though a bit pricey: $5 AUD each to wash and dry, plus $3 AUD for detergent. Breakfast, while initially enjoyable, became repetitive after two days. A buffet should ideally offer more variety, but here the options changed only slightly. Updating the in-room TVs to include smart features wouldn’t hurt either; it felt like the tech was stuck in the past. Rooms: Spacious and Comfortable Now, for the standout feature—the rooms. They were impressively spacious, with plenty of room for our luggage and still enough space to move around comfortably. The beds? Absolute heaven. I slept like a rock every night, with no noise disturbances or distractions. The bathroom mirrored this sense of space, steering clear of that cramped, claustrophobic feeling that some hotels suffer from. It’s refreshing to stay somewhere that values comfort this much. Final Thoughts: Worth a Stay, Despite Flaws Would I recommend Furama Darling Harbour? Absolutely, especially for families. The spacious rooms, friendly service, and fantastic location make it a strong contender. Yes, cleanliness and parking could use improvement, but the positives—comfortable beds, quiet nights, and accommodating staff—outweigh the negatives. If you can overlook a few quirks and minor inconveniences, Furama offers a good home base for exploring Sydney. Just be ready for some parking acrobatics and keep an eye on those housekeeping details!

I usually do not post reviews, but I had to this time to share my experiences. I stayed for a total of 5 nights, Tue and check out on Sunday(7-12 Feb 2023) Plus point -Location is really good , plenty of thai/chinese restaurants and room is huge. -Bed is comfortable, -Yoshie is one that was one more friendly staff that I remembered her name , please give her a raise or wine on me.(she is a Japanese, in case i got her name wrong) Hotel staff, is a on and off experience. The night ones tend to be more ”cold” and the day ones are much better.( again, Yoshie was the ”better” ones, there are more, but I couldnt remember their name) Now on to the exciting part... Tuesday- Checkin day, A smooth day but without hand towels and when I asked for them before leaving the place for a concert. ( they claim they were in laundry or something and I find it hard to believe for a 5 star accommodation) We were without a frying pan as well( they send it up though when i called for it) Wed- Requested for toothbrush/Toiletries and had to request again after waiting for more than an hour, as it was forgotten ,I presumed Thu- Requested to change towel when we went out in morning, nothing was done when we were back in evening. I especially informed the morning reception guys to not forget it, but someone in the middle must have forgotten it. Evening time, The staff upon informing said they will have it there in 10 mins, which they did. By the way, the phone became faulty but I didn't bother to inform as I thought I wont have much trouble with it not in use. I was wrong. Friday- The express cleaning end-up with all the towels taken away and, thats it. We found out when we were back in evening. We were left with no towels and on top of that the phone was not working so I had to go downstairs to inform the reception/staff , on night shift i suppose. Again they said would be there in 10 mins, which more or less they did. Saturday- There was a huge cockroach and I had to kill it myself, informed the staff downstairs but honestly I dont expect change of room or anything, just to feedback. From the above, you can see there were full of dramas and I think these are basic expectations.(especially the towel part) Would I be back there if I ever go Sydney again? Unlikely.