There is nothing quite like a weekend getaway in Canberra during winter to remind yourself that Sydney isn’t as cold as you think it is.
At the end of July 2020 I headed to Canberra to visit some friends and was lucky enough to book into the 5 star “The Avenue” part of the Capital Hotel Group of Hotels.
The hotel is located in Braddon right on the door to the Canberra CBD located front and center on Northbourne Avenue, with many clubs, pubs and restaurants located within a few minutes walk from the hotel for those into the night life and the CBD not much farther away for those in town on business.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and our southern state of Victoria being on lockdown hotels are super affordable at the time of booking and on arrival my King Suite was upgraded to a 1 Bedroom Apartment Suite at no cost. Winner.
The hotel features parking, a gym and a 24/7 room service restaurant (and of course I didn’t get around to trying to food). Free wifi is available throughout the hotel.
The 1 Bedroom Suite consists for a kitchenette, lounge room area, separate bedroom with king sized bed and a bathroom plus a small laundry inside the bathroom. There’s also standard rooms with different bedding configurations, 2 bedroom apartments and spa suites.
The kitchenette was almost full service featuring a refrigerator/freezer, hotplates, dish washer, a compliment of plates, cutlery and cooking utensils, there’s not much you couldn’t do in this room.
The bathroom featured a large walk in shower with a hand held shower head and a rain shower head that could both operate together or independently.
The laundry features a washer/dryer combo unit which I have never liked. In fact I tried doing a load of laundry and could just never get it to to dry the clothes properly.
Where the room really stands out is the bed. The mattress sinks when you sit on it and molds around you like cloud so no matter how you sleep you feel like you’re being caressed by the angels. The pillows were nice but if you’re not keen on them a pillow menu is available to choose from other types of pillows and housekeeping with bring them to your room at a moments notice.
There’s a large TV on the wall and access to the balcony. Of course you won’t be going out there cause it’s cold in winter. There’s a separate air conditioner for the bedroom so you can adjust the temperature to your liking to sleep.
Back to the living area and you’ll find another large TV, another air conditioner, a work desk and more access to the balcony. There’s also a fully stocked minibar and snack tray that operates through an automated system so the housekeeping know what you’ve consumed when you take it out of the minibar. They can then restock it the next day and there’s less confusion over charges when you check out. The drinks and snacks on offer were varied and priced very well for a hotel minibar.
Outside on the balcony is a table and chairs if you’re up to facing the cold and you can get some great views towards the CBD from the Northbourne Avenue side of the building and out towards Black Mountain and the Telstra Tower.
You can book a night (or more) at The Avenue on their website avenuehotel.com.au which I would highly recommend above any booking websites. You’re more likely to get an upgrade booking directly. I also found that the per night parking fee was waived because I had booked through their website.
Let me know in the comments below if you found this review useful and be sure to let us all know if you’ve stayed here and what you thought.