Melbourne - Claremont hotel

What would be your worst nightmare while staying at a hotel? Surely the fire alarm going off while you were in the shower would be close.

This happened at the Claremont while I was staying there. I was already dressed when the fire alarm went off, but others were not so lucky. The sight of bleary-eyed guests standing around reception in towels was not one I will forget in a while.

But it is a very good hotel. Without a doubt, it was one of the best things about my stay in Marvelous Melbourne. For starters, the location is brilliant, only a few steps west to the entrance to South Yarra train station. The entrance is simply a door on to the street--one, however, with Victorian wrought iron work, leading into a reception with a rich quilted carpet, portraiture on the walls and a grand staircase leading up. The staircase leads up to two floors of rooms. I had a single room without a bathroom, and it was tastefully decorated with pine floors, white linen, and a wrought iron bed and shelves.

The bathroom across the hall is clean and well looked after. Downstairs is a very helpful reception where tours to the "Twelve Apostles" and Phillip Island can be made. The staff is very helpful and a security code is given for the door at night. Due to its modest rates, it has a lot of families or school parties, and these can be encountered in the restaurant area. Breakfast is part of the deal and consists of cereal, orange and toast, which you can spread with the very Australian vegemite. There is also a webcafe, small library and reading area.

But the main attraction is the location--smack bang in the middle of trendy South Yarra. This is one of the most expensive and hippest parts of Melbourne, and the Claremont looks out onto the boutiques and restaurants of the Toorak Road. The Toorak Road is sprinkled with beauty salons, designer shopping and expensive restaurants. A couple of steps to the west is the train station, which whisks you into the Melbourne CBD, and a 5-minute walk to the east is the trendy Chapel Street, which is the address to be seen at. Chapel Street is full of Australian fashion "names" and the uber-trendy Jam Factory,with its boutiques and one-off shops.

The Claremont is in the heart of the action. I was very impressed.