20 January 2010

Cheap accommodation in Canberra

| divion123
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Well here am I in Wollongong & contemplating a few days in Canberra. I am solo, kids have now grown up! As a single dad, we used to visit Canberra at least twice a year as they were growing up. Just got over major illness so $ are at a premium.

Wondering where are the value places for accommodation these days?

Don’t want to spend $100 plus for a room just for a shower & 8 hours sleep

Thanks for your help

Ed

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Hey divion123,
An ex colleagues and his family came here to Canberra for the floriade last year and stayed in furnished apartments for a short stay.

I helped them finding accommodation and had used http://accommodatecanberra.com.au/ . Still got them bookmarked as it was a a very good and will surely use them next time when any one probably comes from interstate for a short visit.

As the apartment had a kitchen it was very handy as they had young kinds and one of them was vegetarian.

My 2 cents.

Forgot about these ones:

http://www.victorlodge.com.au

For free or cheap accommodation:

http://www.couchsurfing.com
http://www.airbnb.com

An O/S relative stayed in a single room at Hotel Kurrajong for $77 per night room only (plus booking fee through wotif.com), older wing of hotel, very small, not glamourous compared to rest of hotel but clean, own ensuite and within walking distance of Galleries, parliment house etc. See: http://www.wotif.com/hotel/View?hotel=W63541

Holden Caulfield11:15 am 22 Jan 10

The Lodge, Adelaide Avenue, Forrest.

I’d say they have rooms available, but the screening process is a bit tough. You pay your taxes though, so it might be worth a try.

Whoa, I just looked up prices at the Statesman Hotel in Curtin. Can you believe that their prices start at $135p/n. That is crazy!

You could look at pub-style accomodation, such as Kambah, Curtin and another one on Belconnen way whos name escapes me at the moment. I cant find any prices online for them, but pub rooms were pretty cheap when I was travelling in the past.

If you’re thinking of staying at the Formula1, then I guess you have a car.

If you have a Car, the Motel Margeurita in Qbn has rooms from $80 a night, and its just off Canberra Ave, get you to Parliament House in 10 min or so.

http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/nsw/canberraact/regact/accommodation/motels/margeurita-motel

Cheers

Brindabella said :

Young man, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you’re short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys …

Who would have thought that Village People song lyrics could sound so gay……

haroldbeagle9:18 am 21 Jan 10

Various University halls of residence make their accomodation available during term break (and summer break)

see http://accom.anu.edu.au/UAS/1042.html for details (sorry I don’t know prices – but the location is good)

Dont know what happened then

Should have read

Love this site other cities should have an informative site like this one

thanks for your help
Ed

Isn’t life funny? we live in difficult times! I’m 57 years old & own my house, no debts no credit card & no cash lol! Asset rich but cash poor they say! Hard when you are doing it on a pension when you have been so ill.

Will follow up backpakers & YHA & YMCA

Makes you think about Canberra tourism, the good things about Canberra is that once you get there everything I want to see is free: the mint, old & new Parliament, National Museum, War Memorial, National Art Gallery, Sound Archives, National Library, National Archives, etc etc

I think that $100 a night for a room is outrageous! Just to let you know have had 2 short trip lately, 7 nights in Bangkok: my son got me a flight ($799 return)> world class hotel was only $48 a night & had trouble spending $20 a day on amazing food & drink.

Also a trip to Mudgee. Pubs offer night accommodation in lovely room with breakfast thrown in for $45 a night. Pub lunches & dinners are about $5/$10. Had a superb steak lunch for $5!

By the way verlove this site eI

Young man, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you’re short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys …

Top Pub at Queanbeyan (aka Hotel Queanbeyan) is very cheap, and they also serve meals around the $8-12 mark. Assuming you have a car, it’s good. If you are arriving by train, it’s passable as it’s less than five minutes walk from Queanbeyan Station and has a bus stop at the door.

Just keep in mind that it’s rather basic, and, erm, Historic.

My ‘long time ago’ would have been about 25 years. Hells-Bells74 wins by a decade.

Just got home reading your comments, Will follow up on the net! Thanks for your help

Hells_Bells743:57 pm 20 Jan 10

housebound said :

We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before, and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep. But that was a long time ago.

To most people this comment would go down as intended.. But for me to read it, it’s interesting to say the least.

“We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before” – Yep, I did used to live there.
“and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep” – Wasn’t the case for my late brother and I.
“But that was a long time ago” – Yep, you are not wrong there, 34 years ago for me.

I did go back once to see a friend and I was ok, still haunts me to drive past though over the years. But I could never stay there, but know plenty of people it works for.

Good luck to the OP finding ‘nice’ cheap accommodation, definitely not an easy task in most cities.

Greenleigh Motel @ Curtin

We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before, and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep. But that was a long time ago.

the ymca lodge in dryandra street, o’connor, has always apparently been good value and still close-ish to town…

there are other yha’s and hostels in civic, braddon and dickson, as far as i know… google will find them.

There’s the Greenleigh Central Canberra Motelout the back of Curtin (Cotter Road), near the riding school.
Yes, its the very essence of spartan.
A Review
They charge $65 a night.

Slum it at the Dickson backpackers for $30? (beware, reviews are mixed) or one of the other YHAs?

Mike Bessenger1:08 pm 20 Jan 10

http://www.canberravillage.com/

Caravan sites are $31 per night so I assume tent sites would be half that.

Wotif.com.au should have something.
The caravan park in O’Connor is pretty good, they have cabins as well as campsites.
Australian Hotel School is also pretty good, it’s in a heritage-listed hotel a short walk from the Parliamentary Triangle (Art Gallery, Questacon, Parl Houses etc).
Or check stayz.com.au for a holiday apartment or B&B.

YHA‘s are usually pretty good. I’ve no experience with the Canberra City one – but the price is right. If you are driving up be aware there is no on-site parking. Plenty nearby, just add $9 a day during the week to pay for it.

If it’s basic accommodation you are after, you couldn’t go past the trusty Formule 1 at the Northern enter to Canberra;

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3505-formule-1-hotel-formule-1-canberra/index.shtml

Have a look on wotif.com and search for maximum price and you will come up with a few places less than $100. Formule 1 in Watson, Australian International Hotel School (Hotel Kurrajong) Barton, a couple of other places. I was curious to see what is around ACT under $100 and it turns out – not much! Hope you find somewhere suitable.

or the YHA in the city – you could share a dorm with 9 other people and only pay about $30!

Have you considered the Youth Hostel in Civic? Friends of mine have stayed there when visiting and found it quite acceptable. Another friend camped at the Caravan Park in Fyshwick, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. It was cheap and suited him fine. He had breakfast everyday at the markets and loved it, but it seems a bit down market for me.

YHA at the back of lyneham/o’connor.

neanderthalsis9:39 am 20 Jan 10

Cheap accommodation is not something that is generally not heard of here in Canberra. You can normally get a serviced apartment during peak season right on the beach at the Gold Coast for cheaper than you can get a dodgy motel room here in Canberra or Queanbeyan. Low supply, high demand type scenario and a lot of business travellers.

Going by the wotif website, there are not too many options under $100. Greenleigh Central Canberra Motel had rooms for $65 a night (have driven past it, looks very Hitchcockesque…) while the formule (so called because the rooms are like stabling for mules) is $84.

You could try one of the caravan parks.

Wotif.com.au has rooms at Formula 1 (Antill Street, Watson) for $85. You probably won’t find anything cheaper. Premier Inn Belconnen around $115 or Pavillion on Northbourne also $115.

Mike Bessenger8:55 am 20 Jan 10

I’d be bringing a tent and camping down at the cotter. From memory it’s around $6. Not sure what the fee is for (maybe firewood). But basically it’s cheap, and about 20-25 minutes from the city.
Other wise http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3505-formule-1-hotel-formule-1-canberra/index.shtml from $79 per night.
There is a backpackers in civic, but not sure what the criteria is.

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