This was definitely much, much better than the last pub that I paid a visit to. In fact, as a pub,…read moreit was pretty cool, though it is pretty much one of those innercity style pubs that I tend to really quite appreciate. Yeah, as a pub it is definitely one that is worth checking out, especially since they have a pretty cool beer garden out the back, and the beer selection is pretty spot on. Definitely a place that is worth spending a couple of hours at.

Our accommodation is part of a fantastic prize I was privileged to win at the Melbourne Good Food…read moreand Wine Show so it's all a bonus really! That said, although the facade looks a bit tired, the rooms are clean and comfortable and the location is within a kilometre or so to the city's main attractions. My past experience with the Mercure brand has proved the greatest asset is their staff and Geelong does not disappoint. Dinner at the Brasserie was adapted to my crazy dietary needs (without tasting bland) and the range of wine was great. Staff were also friendly and openly accommodating. Parking is outdoors (which makes for a soggy walk if raining) and there are limited leisure facilities but it all depends what you're after. As far as I'm concerned, my stay has been great!

I was in Geelong overnight for a cousin's 30th birthday party, and booked a room at the Mercure…read moreusing Velocity reward points to pay for about half of it. If I'm not paying full price for a room (reward points, last minute/wotif/hotels combined), I expect to be placed in a room that is less than the hotels best. The experience I had at the Mercure Geelong certainly reinforced that view. I won't be returning, and should you have the misfortune to be allocated room 107, I suggest you request being moved. Another tip, parking in the hotel is $18 a day, but it is free overnight on the street out the front, with three hour limits during business hours. The bed is a chiropractor's best friend, and sounds like it is four days older than god. I have not heard springs groan so much in a hotel ever. I didn't notice any roll together, but the mattress felt like the section under my waist had been removed. Even after a number of beers, it was uncomfortable. The next morning we were awoken by the sound of wailing children next door. The walls were seemingly not designed to contain noises. I could even hear the TV through the wall. Poor. My highlight was the bathroom goodies. Room temperature was nice. When we checked out, a man named Phil was rather helpful, so that at least we left on a pleasant note.

I like the Cremorne Hotel. A solid pub menu with your traditional favourites (Parma, burgers etc)…read morein addition to more adventurous selections that I was surprised to find in a Geelong pub, for example, a generous Nasi Goreng and a seafood platter for one (sometimes I hate sharing). The wine list is more than sufficient and the seating is comfortable. It is in Geelong, so if the football is playing, see the large screen. A casual and popular local haunt.

Good decent pub food. Eye wateringly expensive as is everything else down here…read more Soooo much better than the Portsea Hotel

The Sorrento Hotel is certainly a pretty big pub. In fact it seems to have a reputation down in the…read morearea for being one of the best pubs there (if the gossip on the bus was anything to go by). Well, I certainly can't argue with that, particularly since the two times that I have been here for a beer I have been pretty impressed. There are a number of bars here, including a couple of decent outdoor and roof deck bars. Oh, and there are decent number of craft beers on tap as well.

The Commun Da Fein Hotel, known as "The Commo" by Geelong locals, is a fantastic local pub with…read moreseriously good pub grub. This place is packed with youngies and oldies every day of the week, so you need to book early to get in. We had the fish and chips and an eye fillet steak. The fish was flake and superbly cooked. Crisp batter, and the flake was immaculate, fresh and tasty. The eye fillet, medium rare with pepper sauce, was mouth wateringly good and cooked to perfection too. The wine list was acceptable but could do with a slightly broader selection. One of my dining partners prefers Pinot Noir but there was none on the list (surprising given the Bellarine is renowned for its Pinot). The service was good, but one young chap taking orders at the counter gave us an unwanted serve of attitude when we made a mistake with our order. We put it down to the general busyness of the evening trade. We will nevertheless return here as we had a fantastic time and it's close by. Highly recommended. 4.1

Great place if you want a large feed at a reasonable price. Can sometimes get a bad meal but…read moreoverall the quality is pretty consistent. Highly recommend the calamari.

The thing that stood out about this pub were the particularly helpful staff, but then again a…read morebartender that is more than happy to call a cab for me is always a good one in my books (and I've only ever had one actually turn me down, and I just went to the other part of the pub and they called me one). Mind you, there is more to this pub than just a cab calling service because they had a nice beer garden, and some good beers on tap as well. It's a bit of a hike to get to, but still a rather lovely place nonetheless.

I'll be the first to admit that this place looks incredibly tacky, but the thing is that anything…read morethat takes an ancient Egyptian theme, even if it is tossed together like this place, is still going to grab my attention. It certainly isn't like any of the other pubs that I have visited, that is having a huge sphinx sitting on top of it, even if it is made of fibre glass. Oh, and the walls are all modelled after an Egyptian temple. The only real issue is the lack of decent beers on tap.

The Sphinx is a bar / bistro / entertainment complex in North Geelong. It's exterior is actually a…read morepretty decent rendition of the real thing! We have gone here a few times for lunch on Christmas day (giving Mum a much deserved break from cooking the family roast!) and they do a pretty good job. It's generally a set menu, with a few options to choose from for entre, main and dessert. This year there was a prawn medley or soup for starters, a traditional Christmas platter or Atlantic salmon for main, and the choice of Christmas pudding or pavlova for dessert. The food was good without being extraordinary. My lemon, lime and bitters was sickly sweet. The place has a good atmosphere (Santa always makes an appearance) and the servers were amiable. Plenty of parking in the dedicated carpark.

Great service. Very friendly and honestly the best steak I have had in years. Cooked medium rare to…read moreperfection, crusty on the outside and perfectly pink in the middle. Thank you chef, lovely. Chips were great and crispy, home made not bought in. I had the pepper sauce and there was plenty of it, covered my steak and was beautiful. That's not always a great sign as sometimes that's to cover up an average piece of meat however definitely not the case this time. I loved it and will definitely be back. A+ and melted in the mouth. Trish had the caeser salad and really enjoyed it. Great value and quality we'll be back Highly recommended. Martin & Trish

My friend and I went there for lunch yesterday 28.8.23 and ordered the entree' Salt and Pepper…read moreCalamari. It was with out doubt the worst meal we have ever had at a restaurant. You couldn't taste the pepper or the calamari but you could taste the salt!. It was bathed in it. It was truly disgusting. Usually a group of us go there for dinner every couple of months and the food is without fault. We were going there in September for dinner again but after our experience with the Salty Calamari we are now going somewhere else. Taste Your Food Before You Send it OUT!