What a wonderful opportunity to stay in the city of Melbourne over the long weekend of Melbourne Cup.  After checking out a couple of different hotels around Melbourne, I decided to book into The Crown Metropol as I have heard some great reviews about the hotel complex.  Crown Metropol is located in Melbourne’s Southbank precinct and is located adjacent to the Crown Entertainment Complex.

We knew the hotel was going to be busy when we drove up into valet parking and there were cars lined up everywhere. As we got out of the car, the valet attendant was very quick to help unload our luggage which was very surprising as the area just looked like complete chaos, but I guess it was organised chaos.

We walked into the hotel lobby and yes, the line was out the door. I was okay with that and kind of honestly expected it to be busy as we were checking on probably one of the second or third busiest long weekends of the year. After all, it IS the race that stops the nation.

As I proceed to line up, I noticed there were two queues, one for normal check in and the other for Level 28 access. Thank god, that’s what we had booked and we just walked right up to the counter. Check in was very fast and after signing in, we had the key card to our room.

The package we had booked had access to the Sky Lounge on Level 28 where pre dinner drinks and canapés are served in the evening and breakfast in the morning. Valet parking and standard in room internet are also included in the room rate.

We stayed in a King Luxe room on the 17th floor on Sunday Night. The room was immaculately clean and well appointed.

 

After we unpacked our luggage, we decided to check out the swimming pool. And WOW, what a wonderful swimming pool it was. It definitely had the WOW factor when you walked in. The pool was pretty busy and there were lots of other kids there too. Now I must say if I was on a romantic getaway, I would of probably been annoyed at all the kids jumping in the pool and screaming and shouting, but because I have a child myself, I can now adapt.  My tip, if your planning a romantic getaway, try and book mid week when its less busy and not as many children.

We decided to go up to Sky Lounge at around 5pm because from 5.30pm to 7.00pm they had complimentary drinks and canapés for all guests who were checked in with Level 28 access. The lounge is a beautiful area and has a balcony that you can go outside and sit down and take in the gorgeous views of Melbourne.

The drinks available were standard spirits, wines, beers, soft drinks and juices. The staff were very quickly to tell you that it was only one drink at a time. Okay, thanks for that info. I’m not planning to get drunk as I have my 23 month old daughter with me. It was a little bit hard for us because we had our daughter with us and I must honestly say that although the Sky Lounge welcomes kids, its honestly not kid friendly. If you were here with friends or your partner, then this area is fantastic to enjoy and kick back.  The canapés, well if you call bread and dips canapés, then that was great, but I was kind of expecting some other nibbles as well. Maybe small quiches, sausages rolls, sushi or something??

The next morning we woke up nice and early and headed for breakfast. I must say we have become accustomed to the fantastic breakfasts that Crown offer. The buffet breakfast had all the yummy options but minus the one most important thing. There was NO chef to cook your eggs as we have always enjoyed. I immediately asked the staff why there was no chef and they told us that at this time, there was no chef available but we could order from the downstairs restaurant which would take 35 minutes. Seriously, any parent who has a small child is NOT going to wait 35 minutes for eggs. I was completely disappointed. Apart from the NO chef, we enjoyed the food that was there on offer.

After finishing breakfast we decided to go downstairs to Mr. Hive Bar and Restaurant to see what their breakfast was like. Honestly, it was much better then Level 28. I was a bit confused because I thought Level 28 was supposed to be more exclusive.

I enquired about why there was no chef up at Level 28 and they told us that they were unavailable this weekend but we could have breakfast downstairs instead. Well unfortunately as we had just finished our breakfast, I couldn’t fit anything else in. My disappointment was that at check in, they had failed to tell us this information, which was very disappointing because this package actually costs an additional $65 per person. If we were just told from the start, I would of gone to the restaurant downstairs and been happy, but it made me more upset that we paid extra and wasn’t given the choice.

My overall stay at Crown Metropol was great. I was just abit disappointed with breakfast but other than that it was really good. I would definitely recommend this hotel to my viewers with or without kids.  Level 28 is fantastic as long as you are not bringing the kids with you.  If you are, then the downstairs restaurant at Mr Hive will be just perfect for them.  At the time of writing this, I was approached by the Crown Metropol Restaurant Manager to apologise about the breakfast and lack of communication at check in and was asked to come back for a complimentary breakfast to review.  I will keep you posted on the outcome.

I stayed as a paying guest at The Crown Metropol, and my opinion as always, is definitely my own.

For more information, please visit:

Website :www.crownhotels.com.au/crown-metropol-Melbourne

Facebook: www.facebook.com/crownmetropolmelbourne

 

1 Comment

 

  1. January 26, 2017  12:03 am by Pat Reply

    What a great looking hotel.

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