Mantra Hotels in Sydney

Great location and overall an amazing stay, but soundproofing could be much better. Take note that there are rooms without the balcony , which I should have asked prior checking in. The hotel is in a fantastic location — very convenient and accessible, which made exploring the area super easy. The room itself was clean, comfortable, and well-equipped. However the housekeeping service, the blanket’s sheets were removed by us but she just left on the floor instead of cleaning it up and the vanity kit was not restored. (I’m not entirely sure how is housekeeping like in AUS, but it’s not the best) That said, the walls are extremely thin, and noise was a consistent issue throughout. You can hear people talking and walking in the hallway, the housekeeping trolley rolling by, and even the closing of nearby doors, which is surprisingly loud and jarring. The other rooms are very close to each other, so you can even hear the other rooms alarm(which kept snoozing 3 times from 7am) the doors do not have a soft close to when it closes it keeps banging— it gets disruptive. If you’re a light sleeper or sensitive to noise, this might be something to keep in mind. But if you’re okay with a bit of background noise, the hotel still offers great value in a prime location. REMEMBER to ask if there’s any renovation works happening prior to booking (we had ours on the last day and the drilling was so loud)

The location is unbeatable – just a short walk to Darling Harbour, Town Hall Station, and plenty of cafes, shops, and restaurants. Perfect for both work and sightseeing. The room was clean, spacious, and well-equipped with a kitchenette, which was great for a longer stay. Only minor downside was that the room felt a bit dated in parts, but everything was functional and tidy. 

Central Mandela Hotel is in the city center, very conveniently located! It is less than 10 minutes walk from the train station. Take the intercity train L8 line from the airport to the central Station train station, and then walk to the hotel. The day trip meeting place is also at this train station. There is a light rail line 1/2/3 at the hotel entrance, which can go to Darling Harbour. The ticket is 2.75 and it takes 5 minutes. There is a small platform in the room for ventilation, and the room is spacious and bright. Before leaving, please ask the front desk to ask for a taxi to the airport for 46 Australian dollars. The service is very good. The air conditioning in the room is easy to use, and there is a microwave and a stove to cook some simple meals. There are bowls and plates. There is a large supermarket in the market city opposite, which has everything! There is an Italian restaurant 100 meters walk from Mandela, which serves super delicious pizza and pasta. There is a seafood restaurant diagonally opposite, which is very expensive. A 1.1 kg Australian lobster costs 320 Australian dollars, and there is an additional fee for noodles.

It belongs to the same group as Sofitel and Novotel. The room is relatively spacious and comfortable, but there are no toiletries and slippers, which is normal in Australian hotels. Convenient transportation and various restaurants and convenience stores nearby are the plus points for this hotel.

We stayed at Mantra because it's about a 15-min easy walk to T3 at the airport, and safe even at 5am (at least there happened to be other walkers with us, so we felt fine). The room was definitely sparse, no frills, but we got there at 9pm and were leaving at 5am. The guy who checked us in was very friendly and nice, but the bartender older woman with short hair was very unfriendly when we asked for our water bottle to be refilled. The front desk guy had indicated that was where water bottles were refilled, so maybe there was a miscommunication, but she refused and then fumed about it to other coworkers.

Overall it is quite a nice place to stay, good location. Unfortunately I was charged incorrectly, (I had paid when I booked through Trip.com), and then charged again when booking in. After being told numerous times that they would organise a refund, they then said that I had to contact Trip.com, who I had booked through, so not very good at resolving their errors. In saying that, I must commend Trip.com on getting the refund through for me in approx 3 hours, very impressed!

The location of the hotel is quiet and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Within 10 minutes drive to the Castle Tower shopping center, not far from the Hills Showground subway station, satisfied!