Hotel review: Pullman Adelaide

This city stay offers modern comfort and sophisticated style.

An unashamed business plus leisure hotel, the Pullman Adelaide is an unfussy Goldilocks hotel, not too luxe and not too beige and boring. Originally opened as a Crowne Plaza hotel, the property was rebadged and rejuvenated to fit the more premium Pullman label in 2017.

In 2025, the hotel still holds its own as the safe Adelaide option with a surprising eatery delight. Here’s everything you need to know about staying at the Pullman Adelaide.

Location

the exterior of Pullman Adelaide at night — Pullman Adelaide is in a prime location moments away from Rundle Mall.

The Pullman Adelaide’s location is the best of both worlds. On Hindmarsh Square around the corner from Rundle Mall this is a neighbourhood of Adelaide CBD with enough pulse to make it interesting but not exhausting.

During our Sunday night stay, the LOC Wine Bar and Restaurant next door drew a crowd for an upmarket Sunday evening meal while The Griffin on the other side of the Pullman served up a decent pub dinner.

Younger and more enthusiastic revellers could have easily strolled to Rundle Mall or just across the square to one of the longest-running live gig and comedy clubs in the city, the Rhino Room.

Adelaide Airport is a 15-minute drive away.

Style and character

a look inside the lobby at Pullman Adealaide — Touches of brass and marble bring the luxe.

This is a hotel where the lobby promises a lot and the rooms…. Not so much.

The lobby is full of vibrant colours and fabrics. The houndstooth black and white armchairs contrast against burnt orange lounges, making for a great welcome.

The newly refurbished PARC Brasserie & Bar exudes Belle Epoque Paris. A black marble bar top with gilt gold framed recessed alcoves with high shared table for execs slaving away on laptops is a space to be enjoyed.

the Hindmarsh Lounge at Pullman Adelaide — The Hindmarsh Club Lounge offers a tranquil haven for business travellers.

Great small service touches add to the experience. The fresh popcorn served daily is a nod to the hotel being on the site of the former Academy Cinema.

And drawing on the Pullman rail association, a bell is rung every night at 5pm to signal the beginning of Happy Hour.

Facilities

the pool at Pullman Adelaide — The hotel features a 13.5-meter indoor lap pool, spa, and sauna.

Pullman Adelaide is primarily a business hotel brand that can undo its top button on Friday evening for the ‘bleisure’ market (don’t blame me for that horrible word, I believe we have Expedia US to thank for that crime against English),

So the standard business requirements are all dutifully served up and maintained.

Gym? Tick. Executive club lounge? Tick. Pool? Tick. Sauna? Tick.  Peloton bikes? Tick. 24-hour front office? Tick? In-room dining? Tick. Laundry services? Tick.

Rooms

There are six room types. Entry-level Superior Rooms are more spacious than comparative entry-level rooms for business hotels. Stepping over the Deluxe to the Premium Deluxe adds a balcony while suites are a battle in size, Junior weighs in at 35sqm while the Deluxe Suite has an oversized 72sqm, separate lounge and bedroom and wrap-around balcony. All suites come with club lounge access.

As previously inferred, the rooms are a little… underwhelming.

Great hardware in bedding, toiletries, desk and chairs.  All are highly functional and ultra-comfortable. Great for the road warrior who is in and out in a flash, but a little bland for those who like a little more character in their rooms.

The bathroom follows suit; muted grey and dark floor tiles. Highly functional and spacious. Just a little lifeless.

Food and drink

the restaurant inside Pullman Adelaide — The modern brasserie serves seasonal dishes focusing on South Australian produce.

The PARC Brasserie & Restaurant is far more than a perfunctory tick-a-box-to-get-the-corporate-accounts eatery. The award-winning French brasserie serves up far more than staples but some classic Gaullic dishes like duck crépinnete, paté with cornichons or a petite courgette tart to start.

Mediterranean and Euro favourites like paella, chicken Kiev and seafood linguine sit next to French classics like braised beef cheek or a 2-kilogram côte de boeuf and then the mandatory travelling exec steaks and fish.

the bar counter at Parc Brasseries and Bar, Pullman Adelaide — Pull up a seat at the PARC bar.

It is an absolute pleasure to read a wine list in any Adelaide establishment and the PARC is no different with the added delight of perusing some French vin as well.

The PARC Brasseries & Bar is a highlight.

Does Pullman Adelaide have access for guests with disabilities?

The Pullman Adelaide has 11 rooms for travellers with reduced mobility.

Is Pullman Adelaide family-friendly?

It is not family unfriendly with a pool, sauna and spa and there are 36 interconnecting rooms.

Details

Address: Pullman Adelaide, 16 Hindmarsh Sq Adelaide

Best for: Extending business trips to a gorgeous Adelaide weekend stay.

Cost: From $219

Discover the best things to do while you’re in Adelaide

Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow.

There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley , the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.

Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur , is one of my favourite road trips.

The Black Spur

Location: Yarra Ranges
Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes

The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.

In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn , a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.

Victoria’s Silo Art Trail

Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.

The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud , making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.

Metung to Mallacoota

Location: Gippsland
Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours

The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance , where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch.

Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea.

Great Ocean Road

Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.

Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast.

Bellarine Taste Trail

Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Bellarine Peninsula
Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours

The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.

You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate , sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote

Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling

Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail . The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.

The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular.

Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling

The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.

As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.

Pullman Adelaide: The perfect blend of business and leisure in the CBD