Hotel Review: East Hotel, Canberra - Australian Traveller

Don’t expect your average CBD accommodation experience, East Hotel is outside the box.

East Hotel is a family-owned boutique hotel that is one of the best places to stay in Canberra. As soon as you walk in the door you’re engulfed by its edgy but homely feel, and the location is perfect for those who want the best of the city (almost) on their doorstep.

Location

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 the Lake Burley Griffin (with its popular walking circuit) can be reached in 15 minutes.

Lake Burley Griffin at sunset — Walk along Lake Burley Griffin for epic sunset views. (Image: VisitCanberra)

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.

a dinosaur fossil display at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra — See dino fossils on display at the National Museum of Australia. (Image: VisitCanberra)

Style and character

The first thing you notice when you enter East Hotel’s soaring central atrium is its warmth and ambience. This is not just a place to go to have a good meal and rest your head. By stepping into the lobby, you’re being welcomed into the embrace of your long-lost, somewhat eccentric Italian family with a big theatrical kiss on both cheeks.

a receptionist at the lobby of East Hotel Canberra — The receptionist will welcome you with a warm smile.

Kelly Ross of Kelly Ross Designs reimagined some of the places and spaces within East Hotel, and in doing so further realised the vision of owners Dan and Dion Bisa. The boutique hotel feels like somewhat of a passion project for Kelly, who has been working alongside the Bisa’s 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 reception and lobby space are all warm tones, moody lighting, modern furnishings, sumptuous textures and pops of colour. It’s a place for guests to mingle and relax – a place to have fun in, as the obligatory lolly jar at reception suggests.

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

Facilities

Following a long night of negronis and pasta at East’s onsite restaurant, I head to the gym bright and early in the morning. It is small but efficient, with shower facilities (complete with Appelles amenities) 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 fairly 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.

Appelles Ginger Lily Bath Salts, East Hotel Canberra — Add Appelles Ginger Lily Bath Salts to your warm bath.

Equally exciting is 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) and eight conference and meeting spaces are available for business travellers. Wi-fi is fast and free.

a mini working space inside the room at East Hotel Canberra — There’s even a space to work on with your laptop.

Rooms

I couldn’t have been happier with my luxe one-bedroom apartment during my stay in Canberra. There is something enormously luxurious about an apartment that is flooded with light and sunshine. It is also pleasantly spacious, with an open-plan kitchen and living area, separate bedroom and bathroom.

The kitchen is so well equipped – from the large Smeg oven to the steak knives – that my friend and I almost (but not quite) consider cooking up a storm the next morning rather than heading out for breakfast.

the living room interior at East Hotel Canberra — Some rooms at the East Hotel feature an open-plan living room.

The plush carpet and occasional pop of colour in a throw rug or cushion make the self-contained room feel warm, homely and inviting. It’s like visiting your cool cousin’s crash pad in Milan. Every fixture and fitting has been carefully thought out.

The room feels like an extension of the lobby; it’s textured, layered and elegant. The large balcony looks out over parks and mountains too, and we step outside to the constant sound of cockatoos, screeching in regular crescendos.

a huge bed inside the suite at East Hotel Canberra — Rest easy on the comfy bed.

Food and drink

Canberra is spoilt for choice when it comes to good food. It’s nearly impossible to leave my room with its comfortable couch, bathrobes and bottle of red. But we manage to gather the energy required to roll downstairs for some pasta at Italian restaurant Agostinis, which is perennially packed to the rafters.

the dining interior of Agostinis — Nab a spot for some pasta at Agostinis.

Located on the ground floor, it’s one of the best restaurants in the city and is the perfect example of how cool, cosmopolitan and sophisticated the nation’s capital has become.

Although there are plenty of too-cool-for-school places in Canberra, Agostinis is not one of them. In fact, it’s is always crammed with a happy mix of families, couples and groups celebrating special occasions. Many of the wait staff boast Italian accents, which adds to the family-friendly feeling. It’s like going to Nonna’s for gnocchi.

a charcuterie board at Agostinis, Canberra — Agostinis serves up excellent Italian fare.

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.

Despite the hotel’s location in the suburbs, the adjacent Joe’s Bar seems to also attract a large mix of locals. Sweeping chain curtains, retro leather lounges and Old Fashioned cocktails served in smoking glasses prove it has earned its place as one of the top spots for a drink in the city.

an eclectic and colourful interior at Joe's Bar — Have a tipple at Joe’s Bar.

Does East Hotel have access for guests with disabilities?

The Luxe Studio Easy Access room is specifically designed for peopel with accessibility needs. The apartment is fully wheelchair accessibly, 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.

Details

Best for: Families and couples looking for a comfortable yet chic stay that everyone will enjoy.

Address: 69 Canberra Ave, Kingston ACT

Phone: (02) 6295 6925

Cost: From $199 per night.

Read our ultimate travel guide to Canberra for more on where to eat, stay and what to do while you’re there.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

East Hotel in Canberra feels like a home away from home