I finally managed to get off the train here to have a look around. Okay, it's not as if I couldn't…read morehave before, but Chatswood has always fascinated me - the suburb that is, not the railway station. The reason being is that it is a suburb but it has really tall buildings. Well, that isn't all that uncommon these days, but back when I was a teenager (or at least in my early twenties) it was. It sort of made Sydney to feel like a real city. As for the station, well it's pretty cool, and quite large as well, and the trains come by quite regularly as well.

I feel like Chatswood Station's proud father. Over the course of 30 years I've watched it go from a…read moresmall, haphazard concrete craphole to mature and urbane transport hub, efficacious and surrounded by a retail megalopolis that has sprung up around. There are gyms, bars, cafes, and more shops and restaurants than you can throw a tourist at. The gateway to the north-west, Chatty station is still one of my favourite train stations in Sydders (in your face, Wynyard!)

As far as train stations go this one isn't anything special…read more Its proximity to Westfields and the Parramatta Interchange make it a handy stop. Lifts to each platform are good for the mobility impaired (like me when I busted my ankle that time) and most each platform is under cover which will keep you dry when it's raining. With only four platforms though, the real question will be how it will continue to handle the growth of western Sydney. This station can be a nightmare at peak hour already.

Parramatta Station - gateway to Westfield Parramatta. Yay! Has a good feel to it and you can get…read morean express train to the city. On the north side of the station is a great Chinese restaurant that opened in 2012. Forgot the name of it, but remember their roast duck was ono. It's really big so you can't miss it. If you are heading west from Sydney, you can get the Jetcat catamaran from Circular Quay and walk up to Parramatta station at the jetcat terminus on the river. Takes a little longer, but what a nice ride along the Parramatta River.

We were out at Bankstown to dine in the food precinct there and stayed one night in the travelodge…read more Bankstown sports club is like a mini vegas - so many restaurants, bars and gambling, you don't need to go anywhere else. As you enter the complex you find the travelodge to your right. The front of house staff are welcoming and check in was hassle free. We were given our swipe card and explained where to find our way to the rooms. We were in an executive room so lucky to have free wifi (but if you don't, the club has it too). The amazing glass lift takes you up to your rooms with wonderful views of the surrounding areas, as did our executive suite. The room was spacious, a huge comfortable bed, futon/couch and it was extremely clean and well decorated. There was a kitchenette, microwave and POD coffee machine for the traveller which was convenient. We were also lucky enough to receive complimentary water, chocolate and a hand written card to wish us a wonderful stay. This was a lovely touch. Everything about the experience was great and extremely hospitable. Make sure you book, I understand it gets very busy with customers to the sports club and workers in the area.

omg bro best station ever. like everyone hates it but its actually an amazing interchange and no…read moreone gives credit for that, the closest t1 stop to here are redfern and lidcombe which means that most t1 commuters interchange here as well as merging the t9 line, ccn, and bmt like thats so cool, it was probably the station home to the most memorises and the suburb itself isnt actually trash like epping, like whenever someone says strathfield it makes me so happy :)

I thought this was a major station, but often waiting an hour for trains, as many skip this…read morestation. It's also grubby, busy, with people smoking on platforms.

I LOVE THE HOTEL. When we checked in Sam helped us and she was amazing so friendly and helpful…read morecouldn't have asked for better. She literally went above and beyond. Since check in everyone in the lobby has also been really friendly and nice but none as personable as Sam. She made us feel like she was our personal concierge. The room is amazing!! I want to live there. The decor is very stylish and high end. The room is large and lots of tech features. You can control most everything in the room from the phone by the bed. There's an iPad with hotel info and Netflix you can air play to an Apple TV. We had a bit of trouble with the wifi dropping out every so often which was a bit annoying but whatever. Our room had a really nice bathtub that seperated the bathroom from the rest of the room so you can sit in the tub drink champagne and watch Netflix!! I dropped a star because we did not have a lot of luck with the restaurants. As a guest in the hotel they encourage you to eat in their restaurants by offering a bit of vip perks. The first we tried was Establisment bar. We stopped in for a light afternoon snack and some champagne. When you order food you have to pick it up yourself and the prices don't support this type of service. A burger was $20. The bartenders didn't really seem like they wanted to serve us either. We weren't dressed in suits like the rest of the clientele, we felt a bit profiled. We actually felt the profiling happened a lot but weirdly it was mostly by female servers, almost if they thought it was part of their job description to be catty. I strongly believe that women should stick together and be supportive of one another, so this behavior was a bit disappointing. After we finished we left and went to Palmer & Co, their food menu was better and we wished we had eaten there instead but their drinks were super expensive (I guess that's Sydney for you, $20 a drink). The service we received at Palmer & Co was much better. The following morning we had breakfast in the Garden which was good and our server was ok but she wasn't very friendly. Our next Establishment restaurant experience was at Tank Stream Bar and the woman who served us was super unfriendly. She even charged my partner for his wine separately and then turned to me and said "So, how are you going to pay" in a tone that was almost like she didn't think I could pay. I don't even know what that was about. Finally our last restaurant experience was at Mr. Wong's from the moment we walked in the hostess treated us kind shitty. She was going to seat us at this really horrible table in a hall way. I asked if we could have a better table and she said we could wait at the bar for a better table. I told her we had a reservation and we shouldn't have to wait. She then asked if we were guest of the hotel and since we were sat us at an extremely better table. I felt a bit profiled here too. The wine server was also not very friendly although we could hear her chat it up and be super friendly to tables around us, coincidentally she barely came by to refill our wine. On the other hand our sever (who was male) so nice and helpful. He gave us plenty of recommendations and even did his best to make special accommodations for us. In spite of this the food at Mr. Wong's was amazing and surprisingly authentic. TL;DR Stay at this hotel!! You won't regret it. It's the #1 hotel in Sydney for a reason. Don't eat at the restaurants their a bit overrated.

Fab hotel. Super swanky and rooms are huge but priced accordingly. Great if you don't want to…read morequeue for the attached bars to the hotel. And very handy to popular restaurants like Mr Wongs. If you don't mind splashing out the cash go for it.

great location! rooms are wonderful and front desk helpful. Elevators need to be reprogrammed they…read moredo not work as they should.

I stayed her for a few nights while my partner's work had her up here from Melbourne for a month…read more It's not a bad place to say the least. Kept very tidy and has all the necessities for a long term stay with a kitchen and laundry facilities in the room. The apartments are also at the doorstep of the Parramatta restaurant strip. I would recommend that you request a balcony room as you can watch the planes fly over & is nice to sit out there on a warm summers night. For all those smokers out there, you are also able to smoke out on the balcony. The apartments do have this new computerised elevator system, however I think it takes a long time to wait for the elevator which designates which elevator you need to get in by a swipe of your room key. Biggest downside to the stay here is "What is that smell?". I can't precisely put my finger on the smell, but the other half thinks it smells like cabbages - probably the worst part of this hotel. The bathroom is also a little on the small side, but hey, I try not to spend that much time in there.

After the recent renovations the station looks much better. Its clean and I have noticed recently…read morethat we even have some new big pot plants to make it the station even peatier. The station is very straightforwards so you will never get lost (like some at central station) and have only one entry/exit too. There is a space to lock and leave you pushbike (I wish it was more of that, I don't think that's enough) and there is a toilet too (yay!) Sydenham also have fast trains to the city which I am a big fan. Only one thing is missing....a good coffee shop at the station or just next door... anyone willing to open one??

This station is pretty awesome, particularly the architecture, or at least the part of it that made…read moreup the old station. Mind you, much of that has been replaced by the newer section up along the road, but the old main building is nothing short of gorgeous. Mind you, I was somewhat annoyed that the toilets were closed, but then again that does happen every so often, but it was a nice place to sit at while waiting for my train.

Private room, third floor…read more Pros: Nice people, good location. Wifi is good. Lots of sponsored and structured activities. Clean. Safe. Cons: No air conditioning in the rooms, only central. No way to make the room dark or open the windows. Bed is horribly uncomfortable. Not enough power outlets. Showers suck, you have to make out with the wall to get under the spray. I did not enjoy it but it was bearable. A good place if you're looking to get laid, save money, or what to share with some very close friends. The beds were awful, and having no in-room air con puts this on the no list for me, but others may find it perfectly suitable.

I booked an all-girls 4 beds, for 4 nights. I got lucky being alone for all of those nights. That's…read morevery rare. Standard bunk beds and lockers in room. Men & Women bathrooms, along with laundry room, on each floor. A bit noisy, with doors closing loudly and the window from outside (as it really is super central Sydney), so maybe some updated noise cancelling in those areas. They do at least offer free ear plugs as requested. Attached bar for dinner and drinks / fun, and cafe for breakfast / lunch. They sell the basics if you forget - locks, adaptors, etc so that is a perk! Vending machines downstairs just in case. I never felt dirty anywhere. Friendly front desk and a few of the items listed on website and brochure they don't have currently but they do offer some cool free activities - yay city guide walking tour! Pretty fairly priced for location / accommodation. I spent about $150 USD for the 4 nights (with a breakfast voucher included - hot drink & a toastie). I would've spent that on 1 night in a hotel. You give up a little privacy and you save some money. I'd stay here again.