Melbourne’s CBD is not lacking in options when it comes to accommodation – however with a family there are plenty of advantages for staying south side in one of the Crown Resorts.  We had an amazing city staycation at the Crown Promenade.

Where:  Crown Promenade, 8 Whiteman Street, SOUTHBANK

Cost:  From 11 April – 29 September 2016 enjoy a winter getaway at family-favourite Crown Promenade including overnight accommodation, valet parking and buffet breakfast from $288 / night.  Click here for all the details.

The kids and I had a fabulous time at Crown Promenade.  As far as accommodation goes it’s very comfortable and stylish.  But it’s more than just a fabulous pool, quality service and a lush fit out – it has the added advantage of its location and easy access to an array of local amenities as well as the CBD.

Crown Promenade is next door to the Crown Towers and Crown Metropol – but unlike her sisters, she is purely a hotel and offers no thoroughfare to anywhere else, which means the people in the foyer are most likely hotel guests or staff.  Also the layout is straightforward and the overall tone fairly quiet and subdued.

When you head to the ground floor you are in the foyer of the hotel – which opens out onto the driveway entrance out front.  The concierge offers valet parking and when you arrive your luggage is transferred from your car onto a trolley and transferred to your room.

Also located on the ground floor is Promenade’s only dining facility – which offers a fantastic breakfast spread (well worth including in your stay) as well as lunch and dinner.  There are chefs on site to cook your eggs to your liking and plenty of dietary options.

The fact that the Promenade is free of bars, venues and multiple restaurants is part of its charm – because next door (which you can access via covered walkways – or by crossing the road) is a plethora of dining options to suit any mood or fancy as well as a number of major venues,  a nightclub precinct, cinemas and the casino.  All along Southbank, from the main Crown complex through to St Kilda Road, are restaurants, bars and food courts – from sought after fine dining to the very casual.  And the weekend we happened to be staying it was the Food Festival River Graze event happening along the river – so we had food options on steroids.

While the Southbank area itself is constantly reinventing itself with the next Melbourne festival or major event (ensuring visitors plenty of colour and variety) the Promenade also has all of the Crown facilities at your fingertips.

During our visit, we managed to take a kayak tour along the river, played some games at Galactic Circus (which also offers laser tag and ten pin bowling), explored a bit of Southbank and had plenty of pool time!  Actually the kids would have been happy to watch the city pass by outside our window, order room service and just swim.

The infinity pool is a wonderful space – just sitting at the tops of the plane trees outside it feels like an oasis.  We visited it numerous times – sometimes it was busy with other people and on one occasion we had it completely to ourselves.  The pool is staffed (there is even a cafe and shop selling bathers and goggles) and you need to sign in and supervise children.  The change facilities include sauna and steam rooms.  There are also outdoor courtyards (where I sat one morning while I drank my coffee – it’s heated in the pool area and so on a warm day a little stuffy if you’re not in the water) and a gymnasium.

As for our room we had a twin room and the beds were incredibly comfortable – after our kayak tour I was very grateful to sink into my bed and enjoy a very good nights sleep!

And then finally the view.  Obviously, every room has a different aspect – but we loved watching the cityscape change from day to night.  We could spy the flames at the front of Crown and we could watch pedestrians and cars move around downstairs like a model world.

Commercial Disclosure: we stayed at Crown Promenade as guests of Crown Resorts.  We were invited to test out the winter family getaway package.