Hotel Review: East Hotel, Canberra | Australian Traveller

A review of one of Canberra’s most distinctive boutique hotels, from rooms and dining to location and lived-in details.

East Hotel is a family-owned boutique hotel that is one of the best places to stay in the nation’s capital. As soon as you walk in the door you’re engulfed by its ‘edgy’ feel, and the location is perfect for those who want to be close to the city. I checked into the Canberra stay to see if it’s still my favourite place to stay in the nation’s capital.

Where is East Hotel?

the front exterior of East Hotel Canberra — East Hotel is in the leafy suburb of Kingston. (Image: VisitCanberra)

East Hotel sits in the city’s inner south suburb of Kingston, an easy 10 minutes from the airport and popular Parliamentary Triangle. Corporate travellers will find it close to the city but far enough out of the hustle and bustle to allow a breath of fresh air.

The surrounding leafy suburb of Kingston is known for its dining and shopping scene, with patisseries, wine bars, homeware stores and the occasional pub lining the streets. The award-winning Old Bus Depot Markets are within close walking distance, while Lake Burley Griffin (with its popular walking circuit) can be reached in 15 minutes.

For families, Canberra institutions like Questacon , Old Parliament House and the National Museum are easily accessible by bike, which are available to hire from reception. Ubers are also affordable and frequent, and the hotel offers underground parking at a small nightly fee for those with a car.

What is the style and character of East Hotel?

the lobby of East Hotel Canberra — The stylish lobby where guests feel truly welcome. (Image: Adam McGrath)

I’ve been staying at East Hotel since it first opened in 2012, back when my kids were tweens and Canberra felt like a very different city. More than a decade on, East Hotel remains my favourite place to stay in the nation’s capital – and is very much a hotel that has grown up alongside the city itself.

The first thing I notice when I enter the soaring central atrium in the lobby of the family-run East Hotel is the warmth and ambience. Hotels are notorious for high staff turnover. But many of the East Hotel team have been working at the hotel long-term and welcome us like family. Knowing that this is a workplace where employees feel valued and happy always adds to the experience of staying here.

This is not just a place to go to have a good meal and rest your head. By stepping into the lobby of East Hotel, I feel like I’m being welcomed into the embrace of my long-lost, somewhat eccentric Italian family with a big theatrical kiss on both cheeks.

a chandelier hanging at the hotel lobby, East Hotel Canberra — A stunning chandelier hangs from the ceiling of the hotel lobby.

Kelly Ross of Kelly Ross Designs recently reimagined some of the places and spaces within the East Hotel and in doing so further realised the vision of siblings Dan and Dion Bisa. The boutique hotel feels like somewhat of a passion project for Kelly, who has been working alongside the Bisa Hospitality group from the beginning.

While the lobby has always had a lot of warmth to it, Kelly has taken Dan and Dion’s design cues to the next level. The rejuvenated reception and soaring lobby space is all warm tones, moody lighting, modern furnishings, sumptuous textures and colour. It’s a place for guests to mingle and relax. A place to have fun in, as the complimentary lolly jars and bicycles at reception suggest.

What facilities does East Hotel have?

the stylish lobby of the East Hotel Canberra — East Hotel Canberra offers a comfortable and chic stay for families. (Image: Adam McGrath)

Following a wonderful dinner with the family at Agostinis, I head to the gym bright and early in the morning. It is small but efficient, with shower facilities (complete with Capri amenities from cult fragrance band 19-69) available for those who may have already checked out. There is no hotel pool, but in warmer months, guests can visit the nearby Manuka Pool for free.

Later that night, I take a long soak in the large, oversized bathtub ahead of a hectic schedule of work over the weekend. It’s a ritual that continues over the next few days after I discover the Appelles-brand bath salts are replenished daily.

What was equally exciting to me when my two active sons were younger, was the full-sized washing machine and dryer, complete with washing powder. A communal laundry is also available for those staying in studio rooms (just ask for washing powder at reception). Business travellers are also catered to with eight conference and meeting spaces on offer and wi-fi that is fast and free.

The lobby has evolved in line with the award-winning designer’s brief to create a space that is now a venue more intertwined with the hotel’s existing places and spaces. It includes a small library of magazines inviting people to stop and relax while lingering in the lobby. There’s also an open fire where visitors and guests can kick back before or after dinner at Agostinis or Azuma Den.

It’s a thoughtful touch to provide guests with a handy guide at check-in that details the surrounding area (the lively ‘inner-South’, aka suburban Manuka and Kingston) and the best local eats and activities. Bikes and maps are also available from reception.

What are the rooms like?

an open-plan living room at East Hotel Canberra — Families with young children can spread out in the open-plan living room. (Image: Adam McGrath)

My husband and I could not have been happier with our luxe one-bedroom apartment during our last stay in Canberra. There is something enormously luxurious about an apartment that is flooded with light and sunshine. The apartment is also pleasantly spacious, with its own fully equipped open-plan kitchen and living area, separate bedroom and bathroom.

a guest room at the East Hotel in Canberra — The rooms feature a king-size, custom-made pillow-top bed. (Image: Adam McGrath)

The plush carpet and occasional pop of colour in a throw rug or cushion made the self-contained room feel warm, homely and inviting. It’s like visiting your cool cousin’s crash pad in Milan. Here, every fixture and fitting has been carefully thought out. The room feels like an extension from the lobby; it’s textured and layered and elegant. The large balcony looks out over parks and mountains, and we step outside to the constant sound of cockatoos, screeching in regular crescendos.

What are the dining options at East Hotel?

Agostinis, East Hotel Canberra — Agostinis serves up handmade pasta and pizza. (Image: Adam McGrath)

Canberra is spoilt for choice when it comes to great breakfast and brunch spots. Agostinis , located on the ground floor, is one of them and it’s the perfect example of how cool, cosmopolitan and sophisticated the nation’s capital has become. It’s also one of the most popular restaurants for lunch and dinner in Canberra.

It was nearly impossible to leave the apartment with its comfortable couch, bathrobes and smart TV. But we managed to gather the energy required to roll downstairs for some pasta at Agostinis, which is perennially packed to the rafters with families.

Although there are plenty of too-cool-for-school places in Canberra, Agostinis is not one of them. In fact, the Italian restaurant welcomes a happy mix of families, couples and groups celebrating special occasions. Executive chef Junho ‘Luffy’ Koh leads by example and his passion for Italian food is evident in the consistently great execution of each dish. Many of the wait staff also have Italian accents, which adds to the family-friendly feeling. It’s like going to Nonna’s for gnocchi. Everything from the pasta to the gelato is made in-house, and we find ourselves ordering pizza as well; the dough is Roman-style and rested for 72 hours.

Although he has been professionally trained in Italian techniques, chef Koh grew up cooking Korean food at home with his family, a personal connection that now shapes the menu at Azuma Den . This move marks the first time the executive chef has brought Korean and Japanese flavours into his professional cooking, blending precision, restraint and emotional familiarity.

the dining interior of Azuma Den — The warm and inviting Azuma Den nods to East-Asian cuisine. (Image: Adam McGrath)

Kelly Ross Designs was also behind the design, gifting the Canberra community with another luxe warm space from which to do business or pleasure.  And the opening of the new Japanese-Korean eatery has changed how the hotel feels after dark. Centred around a hibachi grill, Azuma Den also brings additional warmth and a sense of occasion to East Hotel. It’s cemented the hotel’s status as a place where you can ease into breakfast, lunch and dinner without ever leaving. And it is very much in step with East Hotel’s layered, design-led personality.

Alongside chef Koh in the kitchen is Jun Kim, whose path to the kitchen began in the Korean army, where he cooked three meals a day for 150 soldiers. After moving to Australia, Kim honed his skills in a Japanese restaurant, learning knife work, discipline and respect for simple ingredients. That grounding informs his approach to cooking over fire at Azuma Den.

Does East Hotel have access for guests with disabilities?

Yes. The Luxe Studio Easy Access room is specifically designed for people with accessibility needs. The apartment is fully wheelchair accessible, from wider doorways and a lower bench height to accessible cooktops and showers fitted with handrails and foldable bench seats. The hotel has ground-level accessibility, as does Agostinis.

Is East Hotel family-friendly?

Yes. Families with young children can request an apartment with a Kids Cubby, an interconnecting playroom fitted out with bunk beds, bean bags, a play table with art supplies and even an Xbox console. The minibar is (dangerously) stocked with child-friendly goodies, too.

The verdict

After more than a decade of stays, East Hotel remains my home away from home in Canberra, a place that continues to evolve without losing its sense of self.

Details

Best for: Families and couples looking for a comfortable yet chic stay that everyone will enjoy.
Address: 69 Canberra Ave, Kingston ACT

Cost: Starting from $209 per night.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

East Hotel: why I’ve been staying at this Canberra accommodation for more than a decade