Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach, Sydney

Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach offers a small choice of rooms, ranging from a studio room which looks more like a standard hotel room, to a two bedroom apartment. For my stay, I went for the middle-sized one bedroom apartment with twin beds.

Getting to my room was easy and straightforward. However, I thought that the walkway to the room and the lift lobby looked rather boring. As soon as you exit the elevator, the lobby you see is spacious but dull, with only a couple of mirrors and a chair that I don’t think guests actually use. I thought that the decor was put up without much thought put into it. The corridor leading to the rooms is also quite different compared to the lobby of the hotel. The corridors actually seem to lack the warmth that is so strongly emitted in the hotel lobby and though the paint colour of the corridor is able to bring across a beach resort kind of vibe, it just isn’t as special as the main lobby.

The main door is unlocked by and electronic key than is read by a scanner on the door, instead of the conventional key in key-hole system that is very common in serviced apartments. And though the walk to my apartment wasn’t that all exciting, I was truly pleased when I first saw my dwelling place. The apartment is clean and nice smelling and I liked the amount of natural sunlight that is introduced by the large balcony doors.

Stepping into the apartment, you will first come to the kitchen area, which is right by the main entrance. The area is will lit with bright light and looks very clean and tidy. Though it might look a little barren at first sight, guest can rest assured as there are several amenities and utensils that they can make use of. There is a electric induction stove with 2 cooking points that guests can utilize in preparing their own meals. The kitchen is also equipped with a tap with dual sinks, making it convenient and easy for guests to clean up after preparing a delicious meal.

Given the small area allocated to the kitchen, it is hard to squeeze in kitchen apparatus without taking up too much space, but the management of the apartment is able to do so through some crafty methods. Underneath the sink lies two cabinets that guest will have no use for. Hence, hotel has decided to install a dishwasher there and also place a trash bin that swings out when you open the door of the cabinet. It is a good use of space and though such a design is very common and might not seem special at all, I am sure that many will appreciate the convenience of these items.

The kitchen area is also home to many more drawers and cabinets that hold numerous indispensable kitchenware. Take a short moment to search the storage spaces and you will find all you need to make your stay at Adina Apartment Hotel a pleasant and convenient one. Guests can fully utilize the boiler, microwave oven, cooking pots, Pyrex glasses and classy looking glassware. The equipment provided are all easy to operate and require no dummies guide and guests can look forward to whipping up their own meals in their own apartment. With such an abundance of kitchenware and equipment, it is a pleasant surprise that all these are actually very well organised and stored neatly in their respective compartments. This clearly shows the amount of effort the staff put in when tidying up the apartment. Though this is a serviced apartment, I have no doubt that this kitchen can even rival the kitchen in many homes all over the country.

There are surely some guests that do not wish to cook during their stay at the Adina Apartment Hotel but that isn’t an issue due to the myriad of dining options near the hotel. Some other guests might wish to purchase some groceries and snacks from the supermarkets nearby and can store them with ease in the kitchen. There are also some tidbits provided in the room ranging from potato chips to cup noodles and they should be sufficient in treating a late night hunger pang. The refrigerator is also home to a small selection of drinks, and guests have a good range of drinks to choose from, from milk to juices to alcohol. That being said, in-room snacks and drinks are not free of charge except for water, and guests can expect to pay a slightly higher price for consumption. Hence, those on a budget should head to do some grocery shopping instead and at the same time make full use of the well-appointed kitchen.

Situated between the kitchen and the main door of the apartment is an inconspicuous looking cabinet. Open it and you will find a relatively well-sized washing machine and and dryer. They function well and serve their good purpose of allowing guests to wash their clothes themselves. On a side note, should you have no time to do such chores by yourself, or just do not feel like having to do such work while on vacation, Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach does offer laundry services albeit at a small fee. The presence of a washing machine and a dryer serves guests who are here to stay well. The only thing is that I did not find any complimentary washing detergent or washing powder provided. That being said, these items can be purchased at nearby supermarkets or convenience shops at a low price.

Step further in from the kitchen and you will come to the main living area of the apartment. The interior design and decor brings to guests a light and refreshing feeling mostly by the use of light neutral coloured paints. The furniture all seem to be of the same colour theme and it all gives the apartment a chic and contemporary look which I personally liked.

The dining area is nice and the seats are well spaced out and not in the least bit cramped. Guests will also find it convenient to have a nice dining table so that they can consume their home cooked meals. However, I did feel that the placement of the dining table itself is a little weird and perhaps not the best way to place it. For instance, many guest enjoy having a meal while watching the television or movies concurrently. In this case, the television is set right above the dining table, fixed stiff on the wall! Either guests have to give up watching television while dining or they have to crank their necks to awkward angles and risk suffering a neck ache later on. Also, due to the space constraint, the table provided is a little narrow and width and those who want to have a party and cook up many dishes might potentially face difficulties in placing all dishes on the dining table while retaining sufficient for individual plates. Perhaps the management should look into re-arranging the layout of the room so as to fit in a slightly larger dining table in a more efficient position.

There is a comfortable couch and an individual chair in the living room and their are paired with some round, contemporary looking and minimalist coffee tables. There are some magazines available on the coffee table and they make for a good read to go with a nice drink.This comfortable setting makes for an excellent condition for guests to mingle and relax in the apartment and this is a highly desirable aspect of the apartment. One downside to the living room is the layout of the furniture. When you sit on the couch and try to watch a show on the television, the sight of the dining table seems to just get in the way and personally, I was not used to it at all. Also, the television screen is not exactly of a huge size and given the distance the couch is from the television screen, it can be  a little hard for some guests to enjoy the experience.

I thought that the living room which is also the main part of the apartment was thoughtfully designed. The theme of the room makes it feel relaxing and homely, but yet never fails to remind guests that they are on a vacation. What I thought could be improved was the furniture layout and if more though is given in that aspect, the living room of the apartment in Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach will be amazing.

There is a small balcony right beside the living room and I must say it is really tiny in size. The balcony is sufficient in fitting two chairs and a small stool and that is all the space used up. Clearly, the presence of seats makes the balcony a nice place to relax at and I can see myself and many other guests sipping on some drinks while taking in the fresh air on the balcony. It does actually make for quite a calm and tranquil area to be in at night. The only limitation is its diminutive size, making the balcony a no-go zone to hold a small gathering.

The balcony offers a decent view as well, albeit not as fine as I had hoped for. Guests will be able to view the compound of the Adina Apartment Hotel, and even the lobby of the hotel. Given its close proximity to Bondi Beach, I am sure that many guests would love to have a view of the bustling and exciting beach, but this is not the case. After all, Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach is not a skyscraper and with the thick greenery surrounding the edges of Bondi Beach, it is impossible to have a good view of the beach. Then again, the balcony is not a place that guests would spend too much time in and so, perhaps a view of the beach is not as important as actually visiting the bustling activity hub. One this I noticed was that from the balcony in my apartment, I could look across the complex into the living rooms of several other apartments. This can actually work two ways depending on the taste and preferences of guests. Some might view this as a potential catalyst for invasion of privacy, while more extroverted and outgoing guests might like the “communal living” feel from such a design.

The bedroom is separated from the living room by a wooden sliding door. It is accessible from two ways, via the living room and also through another door which lies right next to the main entrance of the apartment. I thought that this design is very intelligent, as it creates a sense of space and makes the entire apartment seem more commodious than it really is. During the day, you can slide open the wooden divider doors to extend the living area all the way to the bedroom. Doing so not only makes the apartment seem larger, but it also allows for the huge amount of sunlight coming from the balcony to enter the bedroom. Should you wish to hold a small gathering or party in your apartment, the practical sliding divider allows for the bedroom and living room to blend seamlessly together, giving you and your guests more space and also making access to the bathroom easier. This design is definitely uncommon but very practical and well thought out.

The bedroom by itself is actually a pretty small space. In my apartment, I opted for twin beds but you also can have the option of a king sized bed. Should there be a total of three guests, you can opt to add an extra bed or a sofa bed at a fixed price of AUD$50. If the third party is a child sharing the existing bed, he stays for free and new parents can get a free crib should they have a baby that requires one.

The bedroom carries on the same simple, clean and contemporary theme that is ever so present throughout the apartment. The beds are rather comfortable, a little to the hard side and quite springy, and each bed comes with two pillows and also a giant cushion which makes for a perfect piece of equipment for bedtime reading. Some guests might prefer a slightly softer bed, but this still does fine as it is by no way uncomfortable. With all the lights turned on, the bedroom is really well lit and makes for a pretty good reading spot. To further brighten up the place in accordance to guests’ needs, perhaps the bedside lights should be replaced with more flexible reading lights and I believe this will only add to guests’s comfort and convenience.

The bedroom is also relatively updated with some modern equipment for use. One of which is the cordless telephone, which gives guests the freedom of moving around the house while talking on it, or taking a long conversation to the comfortable couch in the living room. Also on the bedside table is an iPod docking station, which is capable of blasting out high quality sound from your iPod or iPhone. Unfortunately, it is only compatible with Apple products and users of Andriod gadgets will not be able to enjoy the docking station. Sitting on the bed, you will probably notice that even with the wooden divider doors slid all the way back, it is hard to even catch a scene on the television set in the living room. Fortunately, the hotel has considered the fact that many guests love watching shows while lying in the comfort of their beds and thus, there is a television set, albeit a smaller one in the bedroom. Due to the small area allocated to the bedroom, the screen isn’t all too far from the beds and watching a show is not strenuous on the eyes.

At night, draw the curtains and close the sliding door to isolate the bedroom from the rest of the apartment and the bedrooms transforms into a more cozy place. Being located on the hip and happening Hall Street makes Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach more prone to noises from the busy street and it is evident if you take a walk along the hotel’s outdoor areas or along Hall Street. As a result, guests might have to put up with having some noise from the street permeating their apartments, and this is more applicable for those with street facing rooms. However, shutting the windows and closing the sliding door to the bedroom should be sufficient in keeping most if not all of the noise out. Since my one room apartment faces the inside of the Adina Apartment Hotel complex, I was pretty well isolated from disturbances.