Weddings Hotels In San Diego|"Australia's First Tune Hotel"

Source           :     smh.com.au
Category      :     Weddings Hotels In San Diego 
By                :     Robert Upe
Posted By   :     Hotels in Virginia Beach North Courtyard

Weddings Hotels In San Diego 

You'd expect some jitters when checking into a brand-new hotel on its opening day, but the young reception staff at the low-cost Tune Hotel are well rehearsed and oh so polite. There's no indication of stage fright from them at all. If I closed my eyes, I could be checking into one of Melbourne's finest and most seasoned hotels, such is the greeting at the counter.It's a budget property but everything is new and spotless. With brave colours of red and white, modern minimalist furniture and groovy music playing, this could be the deal of the year with an introductory rate of $39 a night, plus extras, almost in the middle of town.But the question is whether the rooms stack up to the excellent first impression.The Tune Hotel in Swanston Street, Carlton, is the first in Australia. It opened on October 21 with 225 rooms including twins, doubles and family size. The Tune Hotel Group is an offshoot of budget airline AirAsia and has a payment model similar to budget airlines.

Hotel guests initially pay a minimal room rate and then add on extras such as towels, toiletries, Wi-Fi and satellite television.

There's a downstairs lounge with sofas, tables and chairs, computers and even expensive fresh flowers neatly arranged in vases. When Melbourne heats up, there is also a sizeable and inviting courtyard scattered with chairs and tables. A restaurant and a cafe are scheduled to open. Car parking is available, but trams conveniently and constantly rattle by the front door into the CBD and there are bike racks close by where you can rent one of the city's blue bicycles.Now, for those rooms. They are small and basic and the bed almost fills the space that I pace out as nine steps by five steps on the vinyl flooring that looks like floorboards. There's also a small desk with lamp, a red moulded plastic chair, a luggage rack and a safe under the bed. There's a flat-panel TV on the white wall, a floor-to-ceiling mirror and digitally-controlled air-conditioning and heating. The bathroom with charcoal floor tiles and white wall tiles is tight but the actual shower space is large.A cafe serving wraps, sandwiches, pastries and coffee is scheduled to open on October 23 and a restaurant serving buffet breakfasts and Malaysian cuisine is scheduled to open in 6-8 weeks.

Just two blocks away, is Lygon Street with its Italian restaurants, pizzerias, cafes and bars. The street is book-ended by two Italian institutions - Toto's Pizza House at the city end and Tiamo towards North Carlton. But anywhere in between, there are countless touts willing you to pull up a chair inside or outside under the heaters and umbrellas that line the footpath on both sides of the street. Toto's, with its classic red-and-white checked tablecloths, was the first pizzeria in Melbourne (opened in 1961) and a large pizza costs about $17.90. Service great, portions large, but pizza quality could improve. Others to try include University Cafe and Papa Gino's.Melbourne's key city attractions - including its bustling lanes, Chinatown, Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne Museum, Queen Victoria Market and even the City Baths - are just a few tram stops away.

Source : smh.com.au/travel/review-australias-first-tune-hotel-20131022-2vy4r.html