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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Vulcan Hotel Sydney is a stylishly renovated heritage listed hotel; the ultimate city retreat. The Vulcan Hotel Sydney features 46 well appointed ensuite rooms that cater for travellers who not only appreciate its quality accommodation but also its personal service and charm. The Vulcan Hotel Sydney is centrally located a few minutes walk away from the heart of Sydney's famous Darling Harbour and within short walking distance to Chinatown, Broadway, and the Universities. A quick walk to the monorail or train station and you are in the heart of Sydney City within 10 minutes. The property is also a completely non-smoking establishment.
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The Vulcan Hotel garners appreciation for its comfortable rooms and central location, with the added bonus of an inclusive breakfast, though the variety of breakfast items may not impress everyone. Guests consistently commend the cleanliness, from the spotless accommodations to the meticulous housekeeping. While the hotel's proximity to Chinatown and transport makes it a hit for urban explorers, its location may not be ideal for all tourists.
Visitors are charmed by the hotel's atmosphere, blending contemporary art with Victorian elegance, and the warm service provided by the staff often receives high marks. Opinions on the hotel's value do vary, reflecting a balance between reasonable rates and extra charges for certain amenities.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We stayed for 3 nights before our cruise. Vulcan is in a quiet neighborhood, about 25 minutes drive from the airport and with the Broadway shopping centre less than 10 minutes walk away (Aldi and Coles supermarkets, other shops, pharmacy and various eateries there).
Friendly and helpful staff. The hotel owner also came by every day to check in with guests and staff.
Room amenities included TV, fridge, kettle with teabags/coffee/sugar and toiletries. We paid a little extra for a microwave in our room. We forgot that the plug sizes in Australia are different to Europe and USA but were able to borrow a USB charging cable from reception.
Continental Breakfast was included in our room rate and included juice, tea/coffee, cereals, fruit, breads, muffins and croissants. This was ample for our needs, and clearly also popular with non guests as people came in just to have breakfast at Vulcan.
For public transport we walked the short distance towards Chinatown and got onto the light rail (L2 and L3 service direct to Circular Quay). Tip: the Opal card is the best way to access all public transport services in Sydney - trains, buses, light rail and ferries , with a capped weekend fare of $9.35 per day. But to get the Opal card you first need to get to a main station such as Central Station. Then just top the card up with whatever credit you need for your stay.
At the end of our stay the hotel booked a local taxi to take us to the cruise port terminal; this worked out fine with a 20 minute transfer time and the fare was reasonable.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Get the Opal card to access Sydney's public transport services
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fantastic value! A great location -10 min walk to Central Station train and Haymarket light rail stop. Room was most comfortable and clean. Included breakfast was generous and well cooked/presented. Staff were welcoming and friendly. Will return here again.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Fantastic stay at Vulcan, the staff were really friendly, helpful and approachable, always smiling. I would suggest getting a room on floors above and not ground floor so not as much traffic noise (but it wasn’t that bad). Really cute hotel, continental breakie was basic but all we needed. The location is awesome, quiet and walking distance to city (25 mins) but you can get bus and light rail too - lovely tree lined streets in area. I will definitely stay there again.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I would advise anyone considering staying here to think carefully. This was not what I would have expected for a $340 per night hotel. We booked based on recent reviews, and it sells itself as a luxury boutique hotel. It seems the hotels interpretation of boutique is to charge more and deliver less. On reception, the staff were ok but lacked any of the usual welcome pleasantries. The room we were initially given was really dingy. The carpets appeared ancient and very stained. I'd booked this as a special night away for my wife and I, something we dont do often. On walking into the room my heart sank. We asked and received an upgraded room, but this was still nowhere near value for money.
The pictures on the website are very cleverly taken. The room furniture was more in line for a backpackers hostel but not in an expensive hotel. The bathroom was mouldy and unpleasant. The provided shampoo, etc, was really cheap and unpleasant to use. The towels were also tiny. There were cables everywhere, just not well thought out.
The mini-bar provision was inadequate a single 500ml bottle of water. In most hotels at this price range, you'd get several bottles of sparkling and still water. A single bottle of beer and a single Mars bar in a room that ostensibly slept 3 people seems poor.
Brekfast was offered from 8am, so we went along shortly after 8. The continental breakfast only consisted of some cereals and some tinned fruit. We weren't offered any fresh coffee, despite breakfast being based in the cafe, the coffee machine was not being used (not sure if the barista was off sick). Hot food wasn't an option. In response to a query about gluten-free bread for toast, we were offered wholemeal bread.
Generally, the staff seemed a bit clueless. Value for money was horrendous.
The only good thing was that the bed was comfy. But we could expect that in a hotel for half the price.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â If you're thinking boutique luxury, then don't stay here. I would rather have gone to a major...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here for 4 nights. The hotel is situated in a very easily accessible location, which makes travel to and from the CBD very easy. The room itself is quite small, however it has all the necessities, with the added bonus of daily housekeeping. Outside noise was never an issue, and staff were very polite. Couldn't ask for much else for the price.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I contacted hotel in regards to parking and they directed me to UTS parking complex (they validate and its 25$ night, you're welcome!) Its then a 200m walk to hotel which is located on a one way street corner. I was traveling with my brother so we got a twin room, which upon check-in was incredibly small and not really like the pics listed on booking.com and for 252$ for the night we were a little disappointed. The room was a little dated, the beds were comfortable, the air-con had a constant tick, it was clean. The bathroom was very small, my brother is a big boy and found it a very tight squeeze in the shower. Being on the first floor and so close to the street it was incredibly quiet. Breakfast was included in our room price but i still dont think that makes up for the price of the room. Breakfast started from 8am so we could not have that early getaway like we would have liked (we had a long ass drive home) It is a buffet of scrambled egg, bacon, baked beans, instant coffee/tea, cereals, breads, lamington bites (these were yummy). I was a little disappointed a barista coffee was not included in the breakfast, which we did purchase separately and was yummy. When i travel breakfast is something i try to either get with hotel or find a local cafe, it just sets the mood for the whole travel experience. Broadway shopping complex was 350m walk away which is 4 levels of stores including a food court even though we used Menulong! I had never been to this area of Sydney before. Glad I went? Yes. Would i come back again? Perhaps if we got a bigger room. I cannot fault the staff and the friendly service we received.
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Review collected with Tripadvisor’s Reputation Pro
Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had a great time in Vulcan hotel in Sydney. I arrived at 9am and was super tired after an overnight flight, I was so tired I asked about the pay extra and check in early service. I was super delighted that Lupita tried her best to get me a room ready at 10:30am. She is amazing! The hotel room is clean and spacious. Staff are very nice and they even let me borrow an adaptor cos I’ve forgotten mine. Will definitely recommend :)
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The most outstanding feature of this hotel is its amazing staff; I stayed a week & everyone I met was incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful.
My room (216) was fine. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as a ‘boutique hotel experience’ as my room was pretty simple but it was spacious for one, quiet (despite the water pipes banging from time to time - I think when guests used the showers?) , and the bed was very comfortable and the shower excellent. The continental breakfast was basic but met my needs.
Location-wise it was a 15 min walk from the ICC in Darling Harbour but 45-50 min walk to the Harbour Bridge & Opera House, although there were lots of public transport options. As a solo female traveller I felt very safe walking around including after dark.
I would stay again for sure.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â Traffic noise was high at the front of the hotel
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in the Vulcan Hotel three weeks ago for one night. We booked the hotel directly through the hotel's website. Before booking the room we called the hotel that we would like to use the Stay NSW voucher and the person on the reception at the time instructed us on the phone to include a note in the booking that we would like to use the voucher and it would be deducted from the payment when we submit the booking. This didn't happen and the full amount was deducted. The receptionist at the time of arrival apologized and scanned the voucher and promised to refund the $50 voucher value, which was fine. However, whilst $50.50 were refunded, $50.50 were simultaneously taken out of our account. When we queried this the next morning at checkout the receptionist ensured us that this will be refunded within the next two days. 3 weeks later the funds are still not refunded plus the Vulcan Hotel is still holding a $50.50 security deposit (We have confirmed that the Vulcan hotel is the merchant withholding $50.50 with our bank twice). We understand that mistakes can happen and we have emailed and called the hotel several times to resolve this amicably and the staff asks us to provide our bank statement! Whilst this is already questionable, we have sent the transactions which clearly show that $50.50 were first deducted before credited, which cancels it out. We tried to kindly explain this but the staff was rude and condescending and suggested we call our bank who can explain it to us. We did call the bank and they confirmed that Vulcan hotel is still holding the security deposit and that there was no actual refund. At this stage the Vulcan hotel has charged us the full fee and has taken an extra $50 from the NSW government. Whilst we still think that this was likely an honest mistake and hope that the hotel will resolve it, we are writing this review mainly to warn other customers to double check in case they use the Stay NSW voucher, so it doesn't happen to others. We have also made contact with Service NSW to alert them to this. Additional, we had breakfast at the hotel and witnessed how the owner shamed the chef in front of our eyes when she stated that the chef made the breakfast too big for other customers, which was very embarrassing especially as the breakfast portions were very small! We also witnessed that the owner asked the chef to reuse the butter from one table for other customers. Whilst it is certainly reasonable to reduce waste it may not be to the liking of some customers and the health department particularly during Covid times. Other than that the rooms were fine and very clean and the location is great, and the owner gave us some helpful tips in the evening of our arrival. We have waited three weeks to write this review, because we hoped that the Vulcan hotel would have the courtesy to resolve the issue, but unfortunately they still haven't.
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Review collected with Tripadvisor’s Reputation Pro
Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Michael,
Thank you for getting in touch.
We do have car parking available at the nearby secure UTS Car park in Thomas Street. We offer a discounted rate of $20 for 24 hours. Alternatively there is street parking available outside the Hotel.
For any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind Regards,
Christine Schauer
Hotel Manager
Dear Guests,
We offer a laundry service for $25 per load.
Do not hesitate to contact our welcome desk for further information.
Kind regards,
Gonzague Cohoner
Duty Manager
There are more places to choose from in the Sydney area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$178 - AU$307 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
vulcan hotel sydney
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesSydneyCity West
NUMBER OF ROOMS
46
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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