Rydges Newcastle - Newcastle, NSW

Blddr

A beautiful and centrally located hotel with views of Newcastle's working harbour. The Harbour view suite we had was spacious and clean. Reception was friendly and cooperative. We had to leave early and they were so accomodating. I rate them highly just for that. ||If there is a negative, it would be the restaurant experience. The food was excellent but what was a disappointment was the wait time for the food to arrive. It seemed that this was what was expected because apparently we were on some sort of coastal time warp. ||The hotel is close to restaurants in the Honeysuckle precinct of Newcastle. Parking is always a challenge in Newcastle. Wilson's car park is a very short walk from the hotel. The valet parking was $35 a day. A little pricey even for a sydney sider!||Tip: Opt for the harbour view suites. The working harbour left us mesmerised for hours.

Jennifer M.

LOVED our stay here! We’ve traveled all over the world (in nice hotels) and this was one of the best - were shocked others rated it poorly. We stayed one week and wish we had longer there. Our room was modern, clean, spacious and well-appointed. Service was fantastic all-around (front desk, bar, restaurant, valet). The food and drinks were fantastic. Atmosphere so bright, airy, lively and relaxed but upscale. The pool was delightful and sooo clean. And the location really can’t be any better. A special shout out to Fergus (valet) who helped get/park our car multiple times - such a wonderful and friendly person who we always enjoyed chatting with. We HIGHLY recommend this hotel for business professionals and couples. (Families seemed to enjoy it as well.)

Carolyn S.

Housekeeping let themselves into the rooms of 3/5 of our party at 9am, well before checkout, without knocking or checking if rooms were occupied. Room smelled moudly/like feet. Visible mould spots on curtains and a layer of mouldy dust all along wall next to windows, hasn't been cleaned in a long time. Crappy kettle and ironing board. View is nice and rooms are spacious.

BeckyJ132

Rooms are clean, beds and pillows are super comfy, pool is fantastic, view is lovely. ||Breakfast and dinner were great and make a weekend away from the city so easy. ||The thing that really made our weekend break so enjoyable was the staff. Incredibly friendly and nothing is too much trouble. In particular, Kiara on reception and David who served us (and our very tired toddler!) in the restaurant for dinner were superb. Alex was also great with our little boy.||We will be back!

Andrew

Good location and value. Staff are pleasant and the rooms are satisfactory. For business travellers in particular, the internet and WiFi connections in the hotel are terrible. As a business travellers who visits 20+ countries per year, this by far is the worst connection I’ve had for a long time. If you need to be connected, it’s not a hotel for you.

Kerrie L.

Now my husband and I live on the Central Coast, we often plan a couple of days away to Newcastle. I am so glad to have picked Rydges for our first trip because it ticks all of the boxes.
I would definitely recommend getting a harbourside room as it is so calming to watch the tug boats as they manoeuvre ships around the harbour.
The rooms are really nice and spacious, and the bed is super comfy.
The restaurant has delicious food, and a poolside cocktail is a must.
Lastly, if you need to workout, the gym is excellent.
So many things to do in Newcastle!

Me

Mutton dressed up as lamb. Avoid.

Arrived to find no cover at front of building so get soaked in rain unloading bags.
Noise was unbelievable at reception line up to check in and restaurant / bar area so noted to order room service.
Room service menu was ridiculously lacking and took over 100 minutes to get a burger and steak delivered. It was cold and rubbish. I could drive a pizza from sydney there faster and hotter
Juliette balcony had no cover so again soaked in poor weather.
Sheets ripped.
TV not working next morning.
Received express checkout text. Went to settle bill and was told your now checked out housekeeping are on the way. Your a pack of idiots.
Mysterious room charges on card days later. Rang to ask why and was asked if I'd checked out before or after 6am as it might be a mini bar charge for a previous guest. they said they would investigate and so far no refund on card. 6am? What. Sort your systems out
Soaked again on leaving.
Valet retrieved car in what appeared to be a not so secure warehouse. There is no reason why guests can't park their own car.
Shower head is in stupid spot where it splashes the floor or you bang your head on wall trying to wash your head.
Public walkway on harbourside looks directly up into rooms so zero privacy
I travel weekly across 3 states and rydges will not be on the list ever again.

krisann J.

First time staying here, an awesome location and the staff have been super lovely. But….. man the room is in desperate need of an update. It’s large and has a great view but it’s giving 1970’s motel vibes.