A friend and I recently stayed for 5 nights at the Macleay, we thoroughly enjoyed the visit...great location we walked through the Botanical Gardens to Circular Quay on several occassions, we ate at surrounding restaurants.
We found all the staff to be most friendly and helpful and would definately go there again, would always pay the extra for a room with a view.
The room and pool area was smaller than we thought it would be from looking online but both were adequate for our needs.
We both thought it was good value for the money we paid.

We booked this hotel in May '07 for NYE '07. It wasn't our first choice because of reviews and location (was concerned about the red light district). It was also very expensive - but you have to expect that in Sydney on New Years Eve. When we booked, we were told that there were only rooms with city views left, but that that would get us an invite up on to the roof for the fireworks at both 9pm and 12pm. However, when we checked in, we were gobsmacked by the view we had. Unobstructed views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to our left, and the north headlands to our right (7th floor, can't remember what room). We literally could have sat in our room and had one of the best views in the city! We had an Australian friend staying in the room with us who lives just outside of Sydney, and she said that it was one of the best view of the fireworks that she had experienced, and without having to fight your way through the crowds to get a drink. In the morning, we went down to collect the local newspaper and found that the photo of the fireworks on the front page had been taken from the roof of the Macleay for the 3rd year running!! Yes, the rooms are a bit dowdy, but the staff were polite and helpful, and the hotel is not actually in the red light district. We walked through that area a couple of times, but it was amusing rather than threatening!! Actually didn't see anything to write home about other than a homeless man being propositioned for $8!! The rooms are compact - especially for 4 adults, but we were warned of that by the hotel before booking. The kitchenette is small with few amenities, however, with some creativity, we managed to cook a full English breakfast for 4 adults on New Years Day!! If you are thinking of heading to Sydney for New Year, and don't want to get caught up in the crowds, we would highly recommend the Macleay.....but don't expect the Ritz!!

We stayed at this hotel from May 31 to June 1, 2007. The staff was very friendly, helpful, professional. The asked what we wanted to see
and gave us a map and made recommendations. I did some washing and they were very keen to give me change.

The view was awesome! We had room 910 with an unobstructed view of the opera house and bridge. Even saw the flying foxes from our room at dusk. We paid US 135.00 per night. Maybe this room is always occupied due to the view and that is why it was in need of updating. Overall the room was a bit small for 2 adult and 2 children ages 9 and 4 but we did not spend much time in it. I would not let them play
on the floor. It needs updating bad. If it were not for the view one may want to reconsider. We were not in the room but to sleep.
Woolworths grocery store is across the street and there are restaurants and bakeries very close. It was a nice walk from the hotel to the gardens and opera house. Noise was not a problem.

My photos are too large to attach but if you would like email me and I can send somee of the viewe from the room.

First of all, you should definitely pay for a room with a view. It is maybe an extra A$15 (EUR10) per night, and for that you also get a quieter room, away from the traffic. How many times will you be coming back to Sydney?

Over the course of a week, we stayed in 3 rooms here, all of them different. The Marriott it ain't. The air conditioning broke in the first room, after it was unable to cope with being turned off for an hour (huh?). The second was slightly less convenient - on which more below - and since we hadn't fully moved in we plumped for the one next door to our original room.

The staff are excellent and were able to check us in at 11am - rooms are cleaned in an order which suits the guests, which sounds obvious but rarely happens.

It's fair to say that the accommodation is a little basic and could probably do with some renovation. You are not going to be able to cook a gourmet meal here, but it's fine for an omlette and toast. Chief amongst the problems are a lack of storage space in many rooms. Our first room - a wooden floored space - had drawers within the bed. The second had basically nothing, and the third was ok.

There are two types of room with a view. Some face the eastern end of the harbour, others face the Bridge and Opera House. (The hotel won't guarantee which you will get by paying for the view, but it's worth asking anyway.) The latter is, as you would expect, spectacular. However, the rooms here seem to be more dated, and they are also over the road, which means more noise, though 9 floors up that won't bother anyone used to living in a city. The views facing the other way are not so bad either, it should be said.

The location is not bad. Most people, including my 70 year old mother-in-law, could walk into the CBD and back comfortably, though it's rather hilly (hence the views). Kings Cross station is a 10 min walk away, and from there you can get to Bondi or to the central district. If you're trying to get to the main tourist attractions, walking might be more convenient than changing trains. Since the bus only runs every half hour, we didn't bother with it. Taxis run past all the time, including 5am when we had to leave for the airport. Don't bother booking.

Yes, Kings Cross is a red light district, but it isn't so bad (and it's one of the few places in the city where you can eat late - everyone else seems to go to bed early here). Anyway, the hotel is outside that strip, in a fairly pleasant mainly residential street.

Overall, we'd be happy to stay here again and probably wouldn't bother looking anywhere else, unless the rooms with views were all unavailable. But there's no doubt that the rooms are of variable quality, and it's worth asking to see a couple if there are any free.