What on earth is this place? ... In South Australia we reward those with curious hearts. Start in the boutique city of Adelaide and you’ll find over 200 cellar doors on our doorstep, a labyrinth of bars and city laneways. Venture further afield and discover incredible array of natural landscapes in every direction.
Join Sam Wallace as he heads ‘outback’ to discover the vast ancient landscape of the Flinders Ranges. Follow along as he meets a couple of Kiwi locals, and discovers the best places to sleep, eat, and watch the sun go down on this breathtaking region. The Flinders Ranges is located just 5hours drive from Adelaide. Come and reward your wonder in South Australia.
Melissa Nightingale stays in the heart of the city at the Adelaide Marriott Hotel
Location: Right in the centre of Adelaide city, the Adelaide Marriott Hotel is set within the colonial-era General Post Office building. It’s easy walking distance to lively hospitality streets, the open pedestrian mall of Rundle St, and the bustling, colourful Adelaide Central Market. It’s also only a 15-20 minute drive from the airport.
Style: Striking a delicate balance between elegant and comfortable, the hotel’s interior is a lovely mix of spacious, high-ceiling lobby and lounge areas and tidy but cosy couches and armchairs, where guests can relax with a book or chat with friends. The rooms are sleek, with warm, inviting lighting, and the restaurant areas have a polished and luxuriant touch to them.
Adelaide Marriot Hotel is built into the old General Post Office building.
The exterior is a combination of modern and historical, with the new hotel built into the post office building. Glassy walls give way to old stone and a looming clock tower, making for stunning views depending which room you’ve booked.
Perfect for: Anyone wanting a spot in the centre of the action, while still appreciating a hotel that offers all you need, including restaurants and bars if you don’t feel like venturing far.
Price: Costs start from about $332 AUD (A little over $360 NZD) for a basic room and range up to $4849 AUD ($5375 NZD) for the nicest suite, which includes executive lounge access.
First impressions: When I park my car outside the front doors I spend a minute gathering my belongings from the front seat, and jump with surprise when I look up to see a valet patiently waiting at my driver’s window with a warm smile on his face. He’s friendly and efficient, and welcomes me quickly into the glossy lobby.
The reception staff breeze quickly through check-in while I soak in my surroundings and look forward to the moment I can flop down in my hotel room and recover from my 3.30am start and 4.5-hour flight.
Rooms: I stayed in the deluxe guest room with a city view. Mine comes with a stunning, close-up view of the clock tower, the Australian flag atop it fluttering gently in the breeze. From my window I can watch the city traffic buzzing past below, zipping past the giant Christmas tree set up in a nearby park. I stayed at this same hotel a week earlier, and woke that morning to see a crane moving pieces of the tree into place. It is nice, on the tail end of my journey, to see the finished product all assembled.
The room comes with a king-size bed, a cushioned sitting area from which you can watch the world go by, and a spacious bathroom with a shower.
The lighting at times takes a bit of work to figure out - I struggle to find the button that simply turns off all lights, and am momentarily perplexed at why my room isn’t dark until I realise there are floor-level sensor lights under the bedside tables that turn on whenever I set my feet on the rug.
The cupboard has a suitcase-sized shelf and can be accessed from both the bedroom and the bathroom, handy for getting dressed after the shower without needing to plod back and forth.
Bathroom: There’s a decently-sized shower with options for regular or rainfall heads, plus a ledge in the wall that looks like it could be either for sitting on or resting your foot to shave a leg. Alas, I did not figure out which of the two it was constructed for. There’s a roomy vanity, a magnifying mirror, and toiletries including vanity kits and mouthwash. I always appreciate a hotel that includes some type of dental or oral hygiene offering for guests so this is a nice addition.
The deluxe city view room has a view of the building's clock tower.
Food and drink: I think the first time I ever ate at a hotel breakfast buffet was on my honeymoon. It awakened in me a love for these humble offerings - the juices! The pastries! The little machines that roll your bread on a conveyor belt until it emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon, untoasted no longer! The breakfast buffet at Adelaide Marriott does not disappoint.
It’s in the hotel’s main restaurant, Penny Blue, a sophisticated dining area accented with deep blues and low lighting. Penny Blue is open for breakfast and dinner, while its next-door neighbour, Exchange Lane, is open for all meals, and serves as a bar as well.
If you’re looking for more selection, you only have to step a few feet out the hotel’s door to find multiple eateries clustered nearby, with customers perched on outdoor tables enjoying the late afternoon sun.
The bathrooms have plenty of space and roll-in showers.
Facilities: Aside from the two dining spots, including a bar, the hotel has a 24/7 gym, an 18m swimming pool, and a meeting room. There is also a ballroom and the executive club lounge available to elite members and guests on the executive floors. They also run a valet service, and dry-cleaning.
In the neighbourhood: From the hotel it’s a short, flat walk to many great spots for shopping and dining. The Adelaide Central Market is just a couple of streets over and is packed most days with fresh food vendors, cafes, and numerous tasty offerings such as coffee bean stalls, wine shops and lolly stores.
Rundle Street shopping is also just a brief walk away, and you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to where to eat or go for a drink.
Penny Blue restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner.
Sustainability: Like many hotels these days, Adelaide Marriot now uses refillable shampoo and soap bottles attached to the wall rather than tiny disposable sample bottles. They encourage guests to keep towels hung up if they’re planning to reuse them. There is also an empty water carafe in the rooms that can be filled up at a chilled water filter near the lifts on each level.
Accessibility: The hotel has lifts to all floors, a sloped entry to the swimming pool, and plenty of space to manoeuvrearound the guest rooms. The roll-in shower is a good size.
