Oaks Maestri Towers Sydney

Stayed in a studio for two days on business. Very good position close to Darling Harbour, shopping etc. Two supermarkets very handy and convenience store across the road. Friendly reception and everything clean and tidy. A few issues made a good stay problematical. King bed is two singles one with soft mattress the other a hard. Supposed to be non-smoking but an ashtray in cupboard and furnishings smell of smoke. Take slippers if you stay in winter - very cold stone floor and no rugs. Take a ladder if you are shorter than 5'8" cupboards in kitchen too high. A modem plug on phone which is on bedside table. Unless you want to connect in bed take a LONG phone cord. Not user friendly for business. No desk and tiny table with basic kitchen chair. All appliances are quality and plenty of crockery etc . If you like salt and pepper put it on your shopping list as none supplied. Coffee, tea sugar and milk but no sweetener. No shower cap but shampoo and bath gel. No views from my apartment and had to keep blinds down because offices look straight in.

We were here for two 3-night stays either side of a trip to Queensland. We were able to get into our apartment earlier than 2pm which was great. We had asked for a view of Darling Harbour if possible and the view from our first apartment was fantastic by day and night. The second apartment was in the Kent Street annexe and was not so good- tower blocks and construction work, but still interesting and colourful at night.

Both apartments were two bedroomed, with two shower/bathrooms. The first was split-level and very spacious. It was very well -equipped. The decor and carpets downstairs were looking in need of some updating but upstairs was fine. There was a king-sized bed in the larger bedroom which could be split into two singles. As we have two teens they got to have this room ,with an ensuite, and my husband and I had the smaller room with an unsplittable double bed. It was not a problem as there was plenty of space. The second apartment was on one level and the decor was more recent. The bedroom arrangement was the same. The bathrooms were very good and the apartments are serviced every day.

Reception staff were very helpful and friendly and the location was great, for Darling Harbour obviously, but also for shopping, food courts, markets etc.

The pool and gym area were very clean and the equipment looked fine although we did not try to use it. The children were happy with the pool.

As tripadvisor is my travel bible, I always consult it before booking. I specifically requested and paid for a hi floor studio as I was alone and read your reviews. I was given a low floor 1 bedroom and told them that I preferred the studio. Not gonna happen. It was nice but felt sterile, could not leave blinds open as office workers were on view directly across street. Not crazy about location either. The worse part was at 3am the security guard opened my door! The locks are not self-locking so I was confused and thought it was locked. This was scary to say the least and he left a note under the door that he locked it, after waking me up at 3am and scaring me half to death. Also I find all jacuzzis in Sydney warm not hot so don't base your stay on that.

This place is just rather oddly run- and we moved on after two days to the Somerset down the street, which was much more pleasant. ( a business was paying, so I don't know the cost difference) The one bedroom apt I had was really beautiful.... granite countertops etc, but the gray brown carpet wasn't clean. The beds were not changed daily (that was made clear up front)- the lock had been replaced, but raw wood was exposed around the edge, instead of being painted. The closets were fitted so that short folk (under 5' 5") had to really work at hanging clothes up. The work out room was next to the swimming pool - so all the equipement was rather damp and getting rusty- i.e., the single treadmill worked, but wasn't accurate. The wiring was also kind of oddly exposed in places. The front desk was young and friendly, but did not feel seasoned . I met several out of country students in the elevators, who said they lived there during the school year at University. However, considering all the students that appeared to live there, it was very quiet. I really think that tourists are just an after thought in this hotel, that somebody put up this building in a hurry to make some bucks from kids who come to Sydney to study. The location is very convenient to downtown Sydney, cabs, buses etc.

We booked a one bed apartment, but the tiny bedroom is not a separate room, and merely separated from the lounge by a partial wall. I queried this with reception, thinking we'd been given a studio by mistake, but was told that the partial wall meant it was a one bed apartment. This partial wall prevented you from watching tv from the bed, and one person couldn't watch tv in the lounge without disturbing the other. Otherwise, it was an ok apartment with no view, but in a good situation. WE averaged a rate of $155 a night for 5 nights, (ratestogo.com) which was reasonable. I would stop at the Maestri Towers again only if I got an exceptional deal.

We stayed here in August 2004, and would definitely go back. We had no problems with the front desk - they were friendly and very helpful with booking tours. Our room had no view (offices!!), but it wasn't a problem. The room itself was extremely well-equipped - dishwasher, tumble dryer, DVD player etc, and would be particularly good if you were planning to stay for a while. My only gripe was the cleaning service, which seemed to get earlier everyday. I think they were supposed to come at 11am, but by our last day they were knocking before 8am!!! They were happy to come back, but it was a pain, especially if you were jet-lagged. Still, at least they kept it clean! The location was brilliant - you could walk everywhere, and Darling Harbour was particularly close. This was handy, as there are so many delicious and reasonably priced restaurants there (I recommend the Blackbird Cafe!).

We stayed 5 nights at the Maestri over Xmas 2004.

We arrived around 10 pm and the reception desk was still manned and the doors open (other reviews I read indicated it can be difficult to gain entry "after hours").

I had rung the hotel prior to booking to discuss our requirements - a room with a view, quiet and sunny. We had our 20 year old son with us so decided to pay extra for a one bedroom apartment that had a small, separate "study" with a single bed.

We were disappointed on arrival to be advised that all these apartments are in fact on the first and second floors of the hotel - a "small" detail which the hotel had overlooked telling me when I spoke to them - so none have a view. In fact, ours was on the first floor, directly above a busy road and looking straight into retail shops and offices opposite!! The room was double-glazed so at least it wasn't noisy. The "patio" attached to these rooms is completely glassed in. The little room with the single bed only has the bed in it - there's an alcove where a set of drawers could easily fit which would be of great assistance. There is a good-sized double wardrobe in the bedroom which all have to share.

We paid $300+ a night, so were expecting a little bit more for our money. After two nights we'd had enough, and requested another room. This was obligingly arranged and we moved to the 13th floor - my son had to give up his bed and sleep on the sofa - but it was a small sacrifice to be where we had some view out over the city and could see the sky and the beautiful sunsets. The balcony (very small) was uncovered and had a small table and two chairs. There were towering apartment blocks opposite, but these were less intimidating than the shops and offices of the 1st floor!

The apartments themselves are large, well equipped, modern, clean and comfortable. The king size beds are excellent, as is the shower. Didn't quite get to master the air-conditioning, it was very noisy at night but we never got around to seeking assistance as to whether it could be adjusted!

Didn't have time to suss out the spa, peaked in at the indoor pool on the ground floor, looked to be a good size.

So all in all, the rooms are very good. We were just peeved that the hotel didn't come clean when we spoke to them directly about the locality of the 1 bdrm deluxe apartment - we paid the extra money for nothing.

Locality is quite good, close to Darling Harbour and the Town Hall train station, probably a 10 min walk to the Pitt St Mall and a little longer to Paddy's Market.

Cab fare from the airport was around $40 by the time all the "extras" were added. Got the shuttle back which was cheap (less than $10 pp) but a long tedious journey so allow plenty of time if you book a shuttle.

PS While at the hotel, we were led to understand that all the apartments with the best views are on long-term lets so casual stayers have very little hope of securing them.

Stayed 7 nights in June 2004 and paid about $A130 per night. This apartment is very convenient as it's only 2 minutes walk from the QVB and the Town Hall Station. The price is good for this location and the facilities in the room are to quite a high standard considering the cost.

However it's not all a bed of roses. If you are unlucky and get a low floor inside room, then your view of the office block and the services in the courtyard will be less than stellar (on the other hand you will be out all day so it won't matter??). If my room was anything to go by, third floor non-resident side, then it will be quite small and strangely shaped, and with a very cold and shiny stone floor. Also the pool and gym are not nearly as nice as the Goldsborough on the far side of Darling Harbour, which is owned by the same group and costs roughly the same. (The rooms are better too)

Back to positive things. The aircon works very well, I had no problems with a late arrival (as reported elsewhere), and the lock seemed fine to me! You are very close to Woolworths, which is effectively in the Town Hall Station, and since it opens to midnight you can get anything you need quickly.

The question is, would I stay again. Maybe, but I'd like a view and a bigger room, so perhaps I'd try to find somewhere else nearby.

We spent 4 nights in Sydney, stayed at the Maestri. That place is the BEST! We are probably never going to stay in Hotels from here on and opt for Full service apartments instead becos of the amenties it provides. We had a FULL Kitchen (Microwave and hotplate with all nec utensils), including washing machine & Dryer (great for those who choose to travel light), a dishwasher (for the real lazy ones :p) and coffee/tea making facilities. It even had a DVD player, mini-hifi and a TV couch!! The apartment was well appointed, very clean and the staff were friendly and professional. Rates can be lower but I guess paying peanuts may result in monkeys and lemons, but thats my personal take. The location of the place was also great. Walking distance to every attraction in Sydney. We had a truly enjoyable time :)

The price and location of this property is what hooked me. Yes it is in the CBD, but didn't seem to be the best part of the CBD. Do whatever you can arrive during business hours, because after hours the front desk is locked up tight and you have to deal with the security guard that is less than helpful. Our room was nice; the carpet had seen its better day and the couches were a little dirty or worn also. The room had a nice small balcony that looked over the street with 2 chairs and a table. The pool and hot tub were plain and simple but clean and not very busy which was nice.

The rooms DO NOT have deadbolts or chain latches, they use a single key (and not even electronic key card)... that didn't make me feel very safe.

If you want a nice location for a good price, this is your ticket as long as you can deal with some of the issues stated above.