We needed to stay in Melbourne for three nights and needed two rooms, kitchen facilities and be close to public transport and the CBD. These apartments do all of that.

However, Australia must have a different standard of property rating in comparison to the rest of the world. If one is looking at features, ensuite, fridge, views etc then these apartments have got all that. But, the quality and comfort of bedding and lounge furnishings was of the most basic 2 Star Motel standard. Paintwork was shabby in parts and even the TV and air-con was very basic the latter not even working properly. To their credit, management did supply us with some portable heaters which did work.

Docklands is close to the CBD and has a lot of nice restaurants, but the location is cold and uninviting. It has no real atmosphere. The buildings are to close together and thus create a wind tunnel effect and there are not enough trees. The rooms are very sterile and frankly boring. The description of Luxury is definitely highly overstated and to be honest I feel sorry for the punters who have actually bought one of these apartments to live in! A lot of these comments are probably skewed due to the price paid. The standard offered is available elsewhere for a lot less(and not called Luxury!) and you can get a lot better for the same money.

Definitely not my cup-of-tea; definitely over priced; definitely won't be back!

Great friendly service on checking in. So helpful and down to earth. we loved everything about our stay. Nice quiet location but so close to the city. We would stay here again for sure. Only problem we couldn't find the toaster!!lol!

Parking included in the very reasonable tarriff was a big plus - as parking fees can add a lot of dollars to a stay in Melbourne - well, anywhere for that matter. Initial 'phone booking was easy and friendly. Although we only needed a one bedroom apartment for four nights, rather than refuse our booking, we were upgraded at no extra charge. On arrival, we were delighted to be given a large three bed apartment in the Arkley Building, with marvellous views from the balcony, across the marina to the city. Very pleasant indeed. Meticulously clean with nice touches such as 'upgraded' coffee - how thoughtful is that, and a good quality non-stick pan, amongst all the others, for our breakfast omlettes. Happy too that there was gas for the small amount of cooking that we might do. The Flat Screen TV/Foxtel are also things one appreciates when on holiday.
A thicker mattress overlay would have made the bed more comfortable, and, yes, the air-con, or whatever, was rather 'loud' - however, it didn't spoil the experience..
Although Docklands in winter is not very crowded, the ease of transport into Melbourne city makes it a great location. With Harbour Town almost complete, it will be an added attraction for bargain shoppers.
We didn't eat at the local restaurants, although they did look very inviting, with reasonable charges.
For drivers - easy access from either Calder or Eastern Freeway.
We have stayed in the Docklands area before, and would most definitely stay with the Star group again. A fabulous opportunity to experience rather grand apartment living.

I was part of a group of 5 who had travelled to Melbourne for a 3 day weekend 21-23 May 2011. We booked this apartment through wotif.com because it looked spacious and had a bedding configuration that suited us.

LOCATION:
Firstly you should know that Docklands Accomodation Star is a business that manages apartments in various buildings around docklands, these include the Conder building, Arkley Tower, Boyd Tower, Nolan Tower, and Palladio tower.
The Docklands Accomodation Staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful, including being able to recommend shopping areas and restaurants. You will be asked to check in at their offices on Caravel Lane and all the towers are within walking distance.
This review is for apartment 201 Conder Tower which is a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms. The Conder building has a sauna and heated pool (I don't know if the other apartment buildings offer the same).
The apartment was a 2min walk to the nearest Tram stop on Harbour Esplanade (cnr La Trobe). This tram stop includes access to the Free Circle Tram - we used this tram 90% of the time as it takes you near most of the major shopping areas. The apartment is a 2min walk from Etihad Stadium also.
There are plenty of restaurants along docklands serving dinner, but we found the breakfast options to be quite limited.

APARTMENT FEATURES:
The 3 bedroom apartment was very spacious and modern with a large open plan kitchen/dining/lounge area that overlooked the docklands marina. The apartment was clean and comfortable and well equipped, including utensils in the kitchen. The lounge had a large flat screen TV and Foxtel. The lounge/dining area had floor-to-ceiling windows which offered great views (see photos). There was a small balcony off the lounge with 2 chairs and a small table. There was a laundry room which included a washer, dryer, airing rack and iron/ironing board.
The 3 bedrooms consisted of a Master w/ ensuite, a medium sized room with 2 single beds and a third bedroom with a double bed. All bedrooms had double wardrobes to allow for plenty of storage. The beds were comfortable, but on the firmer side. One of our group slept on a roll-away bed which had a regular sized matress but she said it wasn't overly comfortable as you could feel the springs.