Hotel Review: Pan Pacific Melbourne, Australia

Have you ever wanted to play tourist in your own city? Well that is what I did one weekend by staying two nights in one of Melbourne’s newest hotels. Pan Pacific have arrived in Melbourne taking over from what was the newest Hilton Hotel in Melbourne right in the heart of the city’s convention and exhibition percent. You too can stay with Pan Pacific at the impressive Pan Pacific Melbourne on the south bank of the Yarra River opposite the Docklands.

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The Pan Pacific Melbourne is located in an ideal part of the city right next to the newly developed Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, an ideal hotel to base yourself for business trips or if you’re coming to the city for an exhibition The hotel is only a short stroll from one of Melbourne’s biggest landmarks, Crown Casino the largest casino in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can easily make your way to the hotel using public transport and then a short stroll on the number 96 tram or for those who like a bit of a scenic walk you can easily make your way down from Southern Cross Station.

The hotel also offers on site parking for an additional charge of $20 per day by utilising the large carpark for the South Wharf DFO Shopping Centre, you’ll need to inform upon check-in that you wish to utilise this.

I arrived to check-in at the hotel shortly after 6:00pm on a Friday night, the process was seamless. On my reservation I had opted for an optional upgrade to a high floor room which would cost an additional $19 per night and would be confirmed when checking in if available. Nothing was said at the time of check in so I assumed that this upgrade was not available and was a little surprised I was given a room on level 15 of the 19 floor building.

Later I found out when being billed that I was charged this, although I was fine with this it would have been nice to know on check-in so I would know what I was going to be charged for my stay. The additional charge was well worth the amount paid given the impressive views over the Melbourne skyline even getting a front row seat to the casino flame throwers that light up the Crown River Walk.

As I also had my own car I wanted to park at the hotel, Pan Pacific Melbourne offers valet parking for $50 per day or you can self park for $20 per day. I opted for the self parking option and once again the information provided on this was very vague. At check-in I was only told to take a ticket from the machine as I entered, no information was provided on how the machine knows how to charge me the hotel rate.

Make sure to ask for the Pan Pacific parking ticket which was not provided to me on check-in otherwise you will pay $40 per day for parking rather than $20 as it is using the shared space of the South Wharf DFO Shopping Centre.

Staying within the Pan Pacific Melbourne’s Premier King City Skyline View room was impressive to say the least, located in room 1506 on the 15th floor this room hotels crowning moment is the glorious view of the city skyline. With the location of the hotel on a curve of the Yarra River it really opens up the view of the city looking straight down the river. The view takes in Princes Bridge, views of the Melbourne CBD, Flinders Street Station and even Federation Square in the distance.

Breakfast in the morning is at the Nuevo37 restaurant located in the lobby and close by the Convention Centre and the Yarra River side of the building. Diners are treated to a wide selection of items on the buffet menu from a breakfast staple in bacon and eggs to fresh croissants, muffins fruit, cold meats and a wide selection of cereals.

The Pan Pacific Melbourne also offers a comprehensive room service menu, light items are available 24 hours a day and an extended dinner menu is on offer from 6:00pm. With the location of the hotel there are many restaurant offerings very close from the hotels own restaurants to the many high end restaurants within the Crown Casino complex, there isn’t really a need to go for the room service option but it is still there if you are looking for a relaxing night in.

During my stay at the Pan Pacific Melbourne I was able to base myself here to check out some of the attractions of Melbourne that I would normally not take the time to see during my everyday travels around the city. The Dreamworks exhibition was on at the time at Federation Square showcasing the creative genius behind favourite Dreamworks animation films. The Hilton was also a great base to check out the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel at night and also the Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium just a couple of blocks away.

Checking-out in the morning was fast and simple with plenty of staff on hand waiting to assist. I really enjoyed my stay at the Pan Pacific Melbourne, in all honesty it’s way out of my budget to be staying here but I really wanted to stay here for the view and it didn’t disappoint.

Looking for a couple of nights of luxury at a reasonable price, the Pan Pacific Melbourne is in a  fantastic location and will allow you to make your time in the Melbourne city a time to remember and views to match the experience.