East Hotel Canberra review

East Hotel Canberra, A Highly Recommended Stay, ACT

Whoever said Canberra was boring was wrong!

Gone is the image of dull politicians and not much to do. It’s quickly being replaced with a happening gourmet scene, the arts, and an explosion of fun activities in the great outdoors. Entrepreneurs seem to be flourishing in Canberra, and are creating some concepts worth traveling for.

Changing the landscape of accommodation options in the country’s capital, East Hotel has reinvented the hotel experience with its vibrant vision of providing not only a comfortable, but truly memorable stay. Contemporary design with a focus on both functionality and style define the hotel, and the friendly service makes us feel at home throughout our stay.

East Hotel Canberra review
Fun Design

Surrounded by the historic districts of Manuka and Kingston, a multitude of dining options, boutique shopping, sporting facilities, the arts and entertainment are all at the hotel’s doorstep. The airport is a 12-minute drive away, and the train station is only a three-minute car ride or 15-minute walk. Canberra’s planned streets make driving a breeze, and most hire a car when visiting. It’s also a very easy city to walk around (or cycle – bikes provided by the hotel), and for those (like me) who love to see a city on foot, wetlands, parks, lakes, nature reserves and Parliament Triangle are all within a 30-minute wander.

east hotel review, canberra
Bikes for the Borrowing
East Hotel Canberra review
Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery – Lots to See, Do, Eat and Drink in Canberra

The hotel itself hosts some facilities worth exploring. Of note are modern meeting and event spaces (if I wanted to snag a client or inspire staff I’d bring them here!), two excellent restaurants and a well-equipped gym. The free range reading room and funky lobby are welcoming spaces to pass the time, and bikes provided by the hotel are a fun way to explore the city.

East Hotel Canberra review
One of the Meeting Rooms – The Perfect Spot to Snag a New Client
East Hotel Canberra review
Meeting Lounge

As mentioned, the food and beverage outlets are superb.Β We have a chance to dine at Joe’s Bar during our stay and you can find our recommendations here.Β Known for making everything from scratch, a good valueΒ Italian menu and an extensive range of Italian wines and grappas, Joe’s Bar should be high on your list of places to dine in Canberra. We have breakfast at Muse on a couple of mornings too and can endorse a quality range of brekkie options. Coffee is good and there’s something on the food menu to satisfy most tastes, including dad’s preference for bacon and eggs, and my healthy tastes with house made granola and a delicious veggie plate.

Joe's Bar at East Hotel review
Joe’s Bar at East Hotel Canberra
East Hotel Canberra review
Bacon and Eggs at Muse
East Hotel Canberra review
Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon, Breakfast at Muse
East Hotel Canberra review
House Baked Granola at Muse
East Hotel Canberra review
Vegetarian Breakfast at Muse

Our Luxe Apartment is roomy! Separate living room, bedroom, balcony, bathroom, kitchen and laundry make it ideal for a group of friends and family, or for longer stays. Rollaway beds allow sleeping options for up to five guests, and with the living room opening up to a wide balcony there’s plenty of space to move about.

East Hotel Canberra review
Bedroom in the Luxe Apartment
East Hotel Canberra review
Living Room in the Luxe Apartment
East Hotel Canberra review
Apartment

Extras such as a spa in the bath, quality toiletries, HD digital television with a bunch of in-house movies, iPod dock and espresso machine make the stay extremely pleasant. A daily allowance of complimentary Internet usage is too appreciated. Australia has not yet caught up with Asia in providing unlimited access and most hotels still charge high fees for the service – so thumbs up to East Hotel for this consideration.

East Hotel Canberra review
Appelles Bath Products – Nice!

What I appreciate most about the apartment however are the facilities not usually found in hotels. It not only contains a washer and dryer, but washing liquid is provided as well. Being able to do a load, means I can pack light, and being on the road so much, this is a real blessing. Canberra’s dining scene is booming, but so too is the delicious amount of local produce, gourmet products and mushrooming wine scene, so having a fully-equipped kitchen allows us to take advantage of the abundance of fantastic local goods.

East Hotel Canberra review
View from the Luxe Apartment

Our time at East Hotel Canberra has not only been comfortable, but highly refreshing. The contemporary approach to meeting guests’ needs with practical facilities partnered with vivacious design and good-natured service is a commendable combination.

Reasons to visit: convenient location; contemporary approach to accommodation; excellent in-room facilities; friendly service; vibrant and comfortable design; the perfect combination of apartment living facilities with hotel service.

East Hotel Canberra
69 Canberra Avenue
Kingston ACT 2604
+61 2 6295 6925
[email protected]
www.easthotel.com.au

22 Comments

  1. Lovely place. Oooo…bacon!

    • The BEST bacon here – smoked by Pialligo Estate – an award winning smokehouse in Canberra. πŸ™‚

  2. lovely place! and i could go vegan every morning if i get the Breakfast at Muse.

  3. That sure is a healthy breakfast option! I was always under the impression that Canberra is a place only dedicated to politics, but your post has definitely debunked it.

    • Me too Ciana! I was pleasantly surprised by the city. Lots going on here and a vibrant food and wine scene more than excites.

  4. And you don’t get LOST when driving around Canberra?????????
    C’mon that is for a non-local a darn impossibility. Going around in
    never ending circles and if you don’t get in the right lane, then you
    can get giddy from the circling.
    However for visitors the tour buses will take you everywhere and are
    not that expensive and you get a running commentary on the
    places of note. The Embassy tour is really well worth taking.

    What’s this bumpkin business of not being alive when I got my
    Wedgewood Trophy – I am sure you were that screaming little kid in a stroller
    who gave me the “present” in the lobby.
    Cheers
    El Colin Cordobes ( who does get lost on the ring roads of Canberra).

  5. My comment maybe is somewhere – maybe on one of those
    infamous ring roads of Canberra that you seem to have brilliantly
    navigated…………… are you really being truthful????

    Hope first comment is “somewhere” and not in cyber-space???
    El Colin Cordobes

  6. Can I have the bacon and eggs breakfast, please?

  7. This “hotel” looks a bit like my office?!? πŸ˜‰

  8. that looks like a very satisfying vegetarian brekkie … definitely no need to add any bacon! πŸ™‚

  9. The ambiance is lovely and welcoming! Bacon and eggs, Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, homemade granola…all of those dishes look extremely appealing to me!

  10. Looks a convenient place to stay.

  11. Good choice of stay

  12. Convenient to have a kitchen and washing machine.

  13. Cail White

    Having a washer dryer makes such a difference – no need to pack so much.

  14. The room looks so much more spacious than a hotel and similar price too!

  15. Way better than staying in a hotel.

  16. Jeremy Myer

    Hotels are just not cutting it for stays longer than a day or two. Apartments, air bnb and so on are giving hotels something to think about.

  17. Thanks for the recommendation. I stayed here when I visited recently with a couple of friends. So handy to have a washing machine and kitchen. You were spot on with your suggestions for breakfast and dinner too. Great experience all round.

  18. Marion Lin

    Agree with the above, washer, dryer and kitchen are huge bonuses.

  19. I don’t remember the last time I stayed in a hotel. I always choose an apartment for the convenience. With all of the sites that help you find holiday rentals these days, I will never go to a hotel again. East Hotel fits my needs perfectly.

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