I was delighted on my arrival on The Hughenden on 23rd Dec 2007. The staff were very helpful having arrived at 7am. Though our room was not ready another room was offered to freshen up in with a cuppa tea or coffee in the Victorian Lounge. "Sir Victor" as he is known was tinkling on the grand piano. So sad we had eaten on the plane because the English breakfast was delicious but too much to eat. Loved the Reading Room, the corridors full of artifacts, the "moon/sun" deck and arty-antique feel. A real part of Australian English heritage!
Room ready, bags unpacked and just like home not quite enough wardrobe space!
Great location with buses at the door to the city or Bondi Beach. Oxford St and Queen St - a Saturday stay is a must with Paddington Markets just around the corner.
We indulged in a dinner at the restaurant - thought the selection was not big the quality and atmosphere was delightful
We are coming back.

Yes the rooms are small... and the bathrooms smaller. The rooms I've stayed in have had a small wardrobe but I found it easier to simply live out of the suitcase, which slides easily under the bed. You wouldn't want to spend much time in a room as small as most of the Hughenden's seem to be, but then that's not why you come to Sydney.

And if you want to hang round the hotel there's the lounge (sometimes complete with piano player), the reading room (with an eclectic a mix of books as I've ever seen anywhere), or the outdoor mezzanine area.

The beds are perhaps the best thing about this quaint and charming place. They're firm, comfortable, and a delight to sleep in.

The staff are harried at times - I heard the girl who seemed to be in charge of breakfast mention that she'd been the night porter the previous night!! But they brought in two delightful girls to help her and I didn't see anyone go without their breakfast. Breakfasts, by the way, are incredible - be careful what you ask for. I asked for "a little bit of everything" and received a plate so full I didn't need to eat till dinner! Great value considering breakfast was included in the very reasonable tariff.

Overall the cleanliness was good. I left a pizza box outside the door late at night because I didn't want the smell in the room and it was gone early the next morning. The room was always well serviced and spotless except in those "hard to reach" places like the fan blades on the high ceilings which clearly hadn't been wiped down in a while... quite how they'd managed when the bed occupies 90% of the floor space and you'd need a 2 metre ladder to get up there, I'm not sure!

They also made an error in my bill but I picked it up when checking out and they corrected it quickly and cheerfully.

The owners perhaps need to care about their staff more and their friends a little less (there seemed to be an 'elite' set of guests known personally to the owners, then 'the rest') but if you're sick to death of chipboard furniture, bland rooms, tasteless decor and tasteless food, then the Hughenden is great.

Haven't seen the larger rooms, so can't comment as to whether it's any good for more than a single traveller.

And my one complaint isn't with the hotel, it's with some of the guests... it isn't a multi-storey building with lots of "public" areas where you can create noise without disturbing other guests. So to sit in the outdoor area outside someone's window at 3.30am discussing your domestic problems at the top of your voice is inconsiderate.

Testament to the Hughenden's popularity is that I had to delay my trip by a week to wait till a room was available and then, when business took longer than expected, I couldn't stay the extra 4 days because it was fully booked again. That's an occupancy rate that 5 star hotels would kill for.

The best way to view the Hughenden is to think of it as a large bed and breakfast. It has a welcoming, warm atmosphere that definitely veers towards the artistic and antiquey. The breakfasts are huge (think eggs, bacon, fruit, yogurt, danishes, coffee, tea). The newspapers are free. And the beds are ultra-firm (a shame as you don't want to leave them to get the more than filling breakfasts!) I stayed here 8 years ago, and my husband and I happily returned last week. It is true, there are a few tiny rooms, and I made sure to book the Victorian Suite this time. Bathroom was large: roll top bath, massive shower and lovely Victorian details. The bedroom was spacious too...though TV was very small. I found the service to be very good happy to book taxis for us, happy to welcome us in at midnight when we arrived from London and happy to suggest local venues. The weekend we were there, they were hosting an Organic festival: the owners are very involved with local art scene. It is a 35 minute walk into center of Sydney and the local area is just gorgeous (packed with boutiques, chic restaurants and the splendid Centennial Park). Think B&B and you'll love it! Think Hilton, you'll be disappointed.

My family has stayed at the Hughenden since 1998 whenever we are in Sydney, normally for about a week each time before we head to regional NSW. Each time we have been warmly welcomed and Victor, the manager, has always been helpful and friendly, plus he'll occasionally play tunes on the piano as you have afternoon tea in the cosy restaurant. Breakfast is consistantly good, although I occassionally miss it due to sleeping in on the plush beds they have! The only drawbacks are that the hotel is a bit small if you have lots of luggage, there aren't the flash extras you'd find in 5-star establishments and the bathrooms are a little tight. However, if you're looking for a place with a little history and more than a little charm, this place is more then satisfactory. We will be staying there again when we visit in June 2006!