This weekend my sister leaves from Canberra to make her way to Japan for work. We haven’t had a holiday since January, so we decided to take the opportunity to go away for a couple of days after work on Friday and enjoy ourselves. After looking around it was evident that everything in Canberra is fairly expensive but ironically is cheaper on weekends than weekdays. I guess there are fewer politicians and business people coming through on weekends. A little bit of hunting around though and we found a great deal on Rydges “Weekends and Offers” page to stay at the Rydges Capital Hill Canberra for two nights in an Executive King Spa Suite.
Rydges actually have reasonable room photos on their website that are reflective of the room, unfortunately, many hotels/motels don’t. I thought I’d take a few on my phone to share anyway though because there are some things you can’t see in the photos on their website that might be helpful for those choosing where to stay. Now, on to my thoughts.
The Bed
Yes, it is on a raised platform. I understand there are accessible versions of the rooms though that are not raised. The bed itself is a king size Rydges Dream Bed which I have to say is extremely comfortable.
Study/Work Area
The desk is a good height (for me anyway) and the chair is one of the most comfortable desk chairs I have ever used. Free wi-fi is available as well, so it makes getting online and doing a few jobs very easy. When I say free wifi too, it’s not one of those dodgy ones that you can barely get coverage for or that has a limit on how much data you can use before you have to pay, or that you can connect to for free but then have to pay for to actually do anything. It is actually a decent, usable, easy to connect to free wi-fi connection. Just connect to the guest SSID and enter the password. That’s it, you’re on.
Wet Bar/Living/Eating Area
The wet bar is not much use to us since we don’t drink, but there is plenty of storage there if you are staying for a while. The bar fridge is hidden away in the cupboard under the TV. The downside which we half expected is there is not only no way to heat any food you bring yourself, but there is also nothing to eat it with. The room comes with:
- 4 regular glasses (2 in the bar, 2 in the bathroom)
- 2 champagne glasses
- 2 white wine glasses
- 2 mugs
- 2 teaspoons
That’s it for eating with. There is also a kettle for heating water. It is obviously anticipated that most people staying here (or at least in this room) will eat at the restaurant, get room service, or dine out somewhere else. So if you plan on bringing your own food to eat, better bring your own cutlery and crockery too.
In terms of living space, there is heaps of room. The lounges are comfortable and the space is nicely decorated. The TV seems a little small given how far away it is from the lounge and bed, but that’s not really a complaint.
There is a balcony, but there is no table or chairs so you can’t really use it for much except to look out from. Our view is of buildings though so there is nothing much to see.
Bathroom
Let’s be honest, if you pick a spa suite you are picking it for the bath.
The bathroom is quite pleasant and the light colours make it feel more open than it is. This is nice since it’s an internal room with no windows. The shower is quite large and the spa bath is huge. Judging from the marks, the bath is obviously well used but everything appears to have been well cleaned. The bath has plenty of room for two people to share quite comfortably which is excellent. The only down side is that there are no arm rests, but that also means you can sit wherever you like.
The toilet is inconveniently placed behind the bathroom door. I suppose if the door is being closed it is fine, but if not you have to walk around the door to get to it. The same can be said for the hand towel which is also behind the door.
Photos
I forgot to grab my camera on the way out, so they are all taken on my phone.
Parking
As with most places in Canberra, parking is not free. There were a few deals that included parking, but ours wasn’t one of them and the standard rate also does not include it. Parking is $12/night that you stay and is limited so you are not guaranteed a spot even if you have paid for it.
The Experience So Far
Booking online was quite straight forward and easy. By joining their free rewards club, Priority Guest Rewards, you can get 10% off accommodation. This includes deals, so we were able to get an additional 10% off our booking. It also allows you to earn points towards free accommodation and get discounts on other services (food, etc). When we booked the website gave us a free upgrade, which according to their website should have meant we actually got upgraded to the honeymoon suite (if available). Unfortunately, though we were disappointed we did not receive the promised free upgrade despite the website suggesting that there were rooms available.
Reception was quick and easy with the usual credit card imprint, and off we went in about 2 minutes.
So overall, a positive experience, the only real downside was not getting the free upgrade we were promised and not having any cutlery to eat the food we brought with us. Overall though it’s a great room with great facilities that we have quite enjoyed so far and we are looking forward to checking out more of the hotel!
