bensyd

Very easy access to the CBD, gardens and up to Kings Cross. That hotel is pretty good, although I haven't stayed I have been there for drinks a few times. FYI, The area bounded by say the M1, William St and Victoria St is one of the few places in Sydney I wouldn't wander around at night on my own. There's nothing there that would have you walking through, but I'd just be careful if you do stumble into it.

Mike2K

So the immediate area is okay? I'll probably stick to the more "touristy" areas around CBD, Rocks, etc, but don't want to feel weird walking back to hotel at night.

bensyd

Yeah around Cowper Wharf Road and the bars and restaurants surrounding it you will be fine. The area behind there, which I am referring to, still has large sections of government housing and is adjacent to Kings Cross so you can get some interesting types at night hanging around.

Walking back to the hotel through the Domain and down the steps that run into Cowper Wharf Road will be fine too (although I'm not sure how well lit that part of the Domain is at night.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay at that hotel because I was worried about my safety.

ETA: Opposite that hotel is the Bells Hotel (pubs in Australia are called hotels). If you want a real, traditional Australian pub, and there aren't many left in inner Sydney, that's where you want to go for a schooner.

aztimm

Can any locals in Sydney give me an idea if the Darlinghurst area would be OK for tourists? I'm looking at an Airbnb that is just south of Kings Cross station, on Victoria Street.

We're fine with walking and using the public transit. It sounds like there are tons of restaurants right there.

Also--the Airbnb has a car stacker, but sounds like it could only hold a small car. We won't hire a car for the entire time but are thinking of some daytrips and possibly an overnight or 2. Would parking be difficult to find in that area? Probably a mid-size SUV like an Audi Q5.

JClasstraveller

aztimm

Ok, thank you!

There's 2 of us, and we'll be there for a week. This is toward the end of the trip, after time in Melbourne and Cairns.
The rate at the Airbnb is similar to a room at the Hilton...but the size of the Airbnb is much larger. It has A/C, washer/dryer, WiFi, a small gym on-site (plus there's an Anytime nearby), a small rooftop pool. The downside to the Airbnb is no free breakfast and no lounge. But we can pick up some things at the nearby supermarket. There is a concierge for the building at the Airbnb.
I think after 2-3 days at the Hilton, we'd be ready to drive each other crazy. At least with the Airbnb we'll have 2 bedrooms/bathrooms, kitchen, dining, lounge, so space to get around. They won't reveal the address until I book, but based on what I can see in reviews it appears to be in an apartment building at 227 Victoria St.

Nugget_Oz

Parking is going to be atrocious, if you're only going to use the car for a day or two there is a Bayswater about 5 minutes walk away on the opposite side of William Street. That area of Darlinghurst is mainly fine and even now the Cross is fairly tame. There's a Coles across the road under the Coke sign which should have most of the staples.

number_6

If you do rent a car be sure to be well insured, likelihood of some sort of damage is close to 100% if you park there. Also while the neighbourhood is mostly fine now and much improved over past years, there is still a drug problem and car theft is the norm, just look at all the broken glass in the gutters. It is not Sydney at its best, but great location and cheap real estate (for Sydney), hence Airbnb (great investment but not where the buyer would want to live).

bensyd

Wow. This is so misinformed.

aztimm, the likelihood of damage to your vehicle in a week long period is nowhere near "close to 100%". Car theft is not "the norm" (is it the norm anywhere these days???). According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics the rate of motor vehicle theft in Darlinghurst is half the state average. The suburb itself has rapidly gentrified in the last decade, especially as the Cross has been cleaned up. You might still see street walkers as you get into East Sydney, but it's overall a very safe area to be. Great bars and restaurants too, you can easily walk to Oxford Street and either down toward the city or up toward Paddington/Woollahra. Plenty of people buy apartments in Darlinghurst to live in. It's actually a pretty desirable location.

The biggest problem you will have wrt having a car is finding unrestricted, non-resident parking. I would say that will be near on impossible. All the major car hire companies are a short walk from where you're staying so you might consider getting a car when needed and returning same day. Bayswater Car Rental are very cheap.

aztimm

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. The Hertz downtown office (according to Google maps) is a 10 min walk away. I'm not sure if they allow after-hours returns, which was my concern for possibly needing to park overnight. But otherwise, I agree just walk down the street and pick up a car when needed.

I've been to Sydney--and all over Australia--but it was ages ago, back in 1991. I don't remember exactly, but I think I stayed at a hotel near Kings Cross for 2-3 nights when I first arrived, then moved to a hostel that was about a 15 min walk west of the Rocks. I do remember there being a few bars and maybe even some sex shops. But I was very young and that was my first real trip alone. I pretty much just walked from hotel to the station and hopped on the train for downtown.

Since our travel isn't for a few months, for now, we'll stick with our plans to stay at the Sydney Hilton. But I'll continue to look at other options periodically and may come back for more advice. As I said earlier, for a week stay, I think we may be more comfortable in an Airbnb where we'd have space to stretch out, versus a hotel room.

bensyd

Where are you planning on going with the car? Do you need it at night, or are you thinking long day trips? I live one suburb over in Paddington, and there are places you can park cars unrestricted if they don't do after hours returns. From where you are it might just be a bit of a walk or a bus trip in the morning/evening (20 minutes or so).

ETA: I just plugged where I'm thinking into Google and it said a 20 minute walk or 10 minutes on the bus. (I'll personally guarantee the car's safety )

That area between then and now are like chalk and cheese, you'll be amazed how tidy and clean it is. The Cross was seedy and so was Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Potts Point etc. Back in the early 90s as a 11-12 year old, I lived in Woollahra, when we used to ride our bikes or go walking after school our parents used to tell us that we were not allowed to go further down Oxford Street than Paddington Town Hall, and no further than Glenmore Road on New South Head Road. While some of it was over-parenting, it was a pretty dodgy part of the world that deserved its reputation.

Annalisa12

Glad there are some smart and knowledgeable Sydneysiders on the board helping.

JClasstraveller

number_6

I was referirng to damage to the car from parking, not from theft or malicious. Just my personal experience in Sydney, the drivers are careless and they ding the bumpers etc. ... not so important for your personal car, but these days rental car companies can charge $1000 for a scratched bumper as they charge for the time the car is out of service as well as the repair cost. Parking a rental car long-term on the street in Sydney is a HUGE risk, it will pick up some damage which may or may not cost you depending on your rental car company. As for all the broken glass in the gutter, I presume it is from breaking into cars to steal items, but have no personal experience with this. I just notice that Sydney is a lot worse for car damage than Brisbane or Melbourne, by contrast.

bensyd

You said the risk of damage was near 100% for someone parking their car on the street for seven days. That is totally incorrect. My car is seven years old, it's parked on the street all day and night. It's got a few nicks and scratches on the bumpers but nothing more. If what you said was remotely true, I'd be replacing my bumpers every year. You also said car theft is the "norm". Again totally false. Car theft isn't a thing anymore unless your car is so old it doesn't have an immobiliser. In any given year the probability of being a victim of car theft in NSW is 0.17%, in Darlinghurst it's 0.09%. Unless you're driving a car that is fast enough to be used to evade police, you can probably reduce the risk of car theft to approaching zero.

It doesn't appear to be any riskier than any other city I've lived or driven in. Tone down the hyperbole a bit.