APX Darling Harbour

I called ahead and notified them I was arriving at 7am and requested an early check-in. They said they would note it down but couldn't guarantee it. They hung up the phone before I could ask if they could notify me if I could not get an early check-in. I arrived from a 17 hour international flight and was going straight to work so I asked if I was able to get the early check-in. The response was no. I then asked if there was a room I could take a quick shower in. Again the response was no. I was happy to use a room that was yet to be cleaned. But the clerk didn't seem to want to help at all and said "there is nothing I can do" In my stay the following things were broken: Internet was unstable - Was important to me as I didn't have a local SIM and needed it for work. It would drop in and out. TV was broken - I notified a staff member about this and took 2 days and calling reception again for them to swap it out. Dryer on the floor I was on was broken - Had to dry my clothes in my room as the dryer on my floor didn't work.

I brought my wife and kids to this hotel for New Year’s Eve. We were finishing up three weeks in New Zealand and figured we’d jump over to Sydney for a few days before heading back to the USA. I spend about 75 nights a year in hotels so I’ve seem the range of what’s out there around the world. Here’s what I would want to know about the place: Room: Spacious but not “modern” in any way. Large balcony but no view of note (just an alley with a lot of Asian restaurants. Air conditioning was functioning but lacked adequate power to cool the room adequately. Despite it being NYE, the room was still very quiet. In fact, I called it surprisingly quiet. Beds: Main bed was comfortable enough but certainly not one of those mattresses you would ever buy for your own home. We also had to utilize the sofa bed for the kids. It was thin and no adult would EVER find it comfortable in the least. Bathroom: Clean but otherwise not notable. Shower only; no bath. Linens: Average. Not enough pillows (only two on the bed) Amenities: None to speak of. No Wi-Fi (so make sure you have a device that takes an Ethernet cable if you want to use the internet). Our TV was not functioning but that was not a huge problem because we didn’t spend much time in the room. The hotel is not staffed from 10pm to 8am so make sure you resolve any issues prior to 10pm. Location: The edge of Darling Harbor; not in the center of the action and that could be considered a good thing or not, depending upon your taste. It’s located on a street with nothing but small, inexpensive Asia walk-up restaurants. Price/Value: New Years Eve in Sydney is very expensive and we paid way too much for this room (about $700 per night on this site). Thus my review is based on my experience at that price. It is absolutely not worth even half of that amount. I would have left immediately if there were other options. That said, if you can pick this room up for $200 per night or less you will probably be happy with your choice. Additionally, expect to be charged for every possible service you might request. We even had to pay $45 to use the sofa bed (“for the sheets” we were told). So, come prepared to spend more than the published room rate.

This was an average hotel and could use a bit more lighting in the room, but set perfectly in the Darling Harbour/CBD area. Worth the value I got online. The most difficult part was just finding it. It recently went through a name change from Quest to APX but the staff didn't let me know. I called the staff for directions but they couldn't provide me with any landmarks.Ended up asking a local policeman who pointed it out to me. It was smack in the middle of a restaurant strip for all kinds of Asian foods and bustling with patrons. Darling Harbour just 2 minute walk and CBD trains etc all nearby.

It was a great experience from the moment I arrived. The apartment was clean and welcoming. It had a kitchenette which enabled me to cook and store drinks.