As a travel writer, here’s where I stay in Melbourne when I’m paying

The hotel

The Victoria Hotel, 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Check-in

The Victoria – long where this travel writer stays when he pays – has two easy check-in options. Go online for a QR code that you scan on arrival at a lobby kiosk, swipe your credit card and receive the room key card. Or the reception desk, staffed 24/7, can be just as fast. Checking-out, whether in-person or online, is equally simple.

The look

The decor of this city landmark is clean and functional rather than flashy or channelling any design trend. An eight-storey building right behind Melbourne Town Hall, “The Vic” stretches 80 metres along Little Collins Street. The fawn, 1920s modernist facade is unremarkable other than for its length. Meanwhile, the lobby has an impressive chandelier and a central staircase leading to a spacious mezzanine and the popular Vic’s Bar. Four lifts take you to the labyrinthine but well-signed upper floors. The hotel’s four interconnected buildings were fully refurbished in 2008, followed by constant updates to facilities and tech.

The room

The Vic has 371 rooms in various categories. The largest suite has two bedrooms and a lounge. I’m at mid-range in a heritage king room, which includes a wall-mounted television, desk, air-conditioning, uncomplicated lighting, en suite (with shower, not bath), blackout curtains and safe, free Wi-Fi, plus tea-making and ironing facilities. Hanging space is adequate but ideally would have more shelf or drawer storage. My windows face the large central lightwell, but I stay here for convenience and cost, not the views. Many other rooms have a street outlook.

Food + drink

The original Victoria Coffee Palace was founded in 1880 as a temperance hotel on Collins Street by teetotaller James Munro, who later became premier of Victoria. He realised that non-boozers weren’t big spenders and the hotel soon reincarnated, with a new name and liquor licence, around the corner in Little Collins Street, where it has prospered and grown ever since. The founder is name-honoured in the Mister Munro restaurant. Breakfast can be a la carte or a fairly standard buffet ($32 walk-in, $25 pre-ordered). The lunch and dinner offerings are much better. My lunch, an excellent pan-seared barramundi, plus local pinot gris and an affogato, costs a reasonable $57. Specials include a two-course “pre-show” menu for $59 a head, or a “Go Green” $10 food and beverage daily credit for opting out of room housekeeping services. The mezzanine-level Vic’s Bar is both spacious and intimate, a city pub for those who don’t much care for city pubs.

Out + about

Generations of country Victorians and others have based themselves here for shopping visits, the Melbourne Cup, tennis, cricket, football, Formula 1 and theatre events. A 100-metre stroll takes you to Flinders Street with its trams to everywhere (including free travel within the CBD); a few minutes more puts you at the new Metro Tunnel stations, Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, the MCG or the Yarra River, with the Victorian Arts Centre just beyond. Step out in the other direction you’re soon amid the emporiums of Bourke Street Mall or Chinatown and the theatre zone. Melbourne’s spectacular parks are within easy walking distance.

The verdict

An enduring, Australian-owned gem. Built before the era of big gyms and pools, the hotel’s versions of these are minimal. More importantly, The Vic is cosmopolitan, unpretentious and calm. A pleasure to return to.

Essentials

From $130 a night. Limited undercover parking at $55 a night, electric charging available. There are seven mobility accessible heritage queen rooms. EVT Stays membership includes special rates and other benefits. 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Phone: (03) 9669 0000. See victoriahotel.com.au

Our score out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Exceptional convenience. Casual ambience. Competitive rates.

Lowlight

Limited storage space and view in some rooms. Crowded restaurant at breakfast peak hour.

The writer stayed at his own expense.

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