With hearty pub fare, enough room to swing a cat, and views to rival some of Melbourne’s highest skyscrapers, the comfy Oaks Melbourne on Market will tick many a box for the budget traveller.
Traveller: Kirstie Bedford
Room: 1901. A one-bedroom apartment with city views
Address: 60 Market Street, Melbourne
Date: February 2023
Price range: $180 – 419
Best for: Multi-gen or group travel
Location
You won’t hear the trains if you’re 19 floors up like we were, but you’re only a stone’s throw from Melbourne’s iconic Flinders Street Station.
Love dining out? Southbank Promenade and its string of restaurants and bars overlooking the Yarra River is just 500 metres away; and if you’re travelling with little ones, Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a short walk (downhill).
Claim to fame
Choose room 1901 and you will be treated to some of the city’s best views where you can gaze through large double windows from the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on one side to Port Phillip Bay where cruise ships bob.
The showstopper
Has to be the view, but the location is pretty good too. While you’re not in the Paris-end of town, you’re just a short walk to many a Melbourne eatery.
The room
Our room had a long hallway leading to the kitchenette and living space, with those spectacular windows. There was a large separate bathroom with a shower over the bath and a separate bedroom with a super-king plush bed. There was everything you’d need for a comfortable stay, a full-length mirror to check you got the outfit right, a two-seater couch and a table for two.
Staying in
When we arrive there’s a ‘hen party’ in play, where revellers have gathered outside, glow-in-the-dark sticks wrapped around heads as hats, some with heels in hands, while an American family check-in for a long stay.
It’s a no-pretence place with an onsite bar and restaurant where you can fill up on large plates of Aussie fare, have a cocktail (or two, who’s counting) and head down the road to one of the many great bars that line the Yarra River. Wake the next day and burn off some of the calories at the onsite gym, or swim some laps in the indoor heated pool.
Stepping out
From Michelin-starred restaurants to casual bites of Vietnamese, there’s something to suit every palate in Melbourne.
As Australia’s cultural capital, it’s also packed with theatres and on any given night there are multiple shows. Think: The Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or Mary Poppins.
Before booking
If you’re after a great city view ask for room 1901 (or similar) and watch boats meander down the river, the sun sink behind skyscrapers, and toast to twinkling lights as night falls.
If only
We’d had more time to take in some more of the city sights.
V&T expert rating
7.5 out of 10
Where to find Oaks Melbourne on Market
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