Travelbeat Editorial Review At the Centre of Everything Crowne Plaza Canberra Australian Capital Territory Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan Canberra's sparkling winter-blue skies welcomed us to the Australian capital. Not bad for the end of July Down Under, particularly given the city's location - at the northern end of the Australian Alps, just two hours drive from the famous Snowy Mountains. We'd already seen them from our in-coming Virgin flight, and they did indeed live up to their name! Despite the easy access Canberra affords to most of its major attractions, via walking/hiking, biking and driving avenues, a 'home base' close to the commercial centre makes getting from A to B just that much simpler. Travelscene International was booked into the Crowne Plaza Canberra on Binara Street, which backs on to Glebe Park, with its trees, lawns and monuments. An evening stroll to inspect the statue of Gandhi (below right), and another of an intriguing Lithuanian snake goddess, gave us a chance to meet the local magpies who were busily stalking worms and not at all concerned about our presence on their patch! Our twin room at the hotel actually overlooked Glebe Park; in the mornings it was inevitably covered by an icing sugar-like dusting of frost, and on our final day in the city, was shrouded in fog. (It burned off by midmorning, fortunately.) Originally constructed as a Travelodge, the Crowne Plaza Canberra is a member of the InterContinental Hotels Group. It boasts a towering atrium at its heart, with a glass wall allowing sunlight to flood the restaurant and lounge areas below (pictured top right). There are 295 guest rooms, 7 of them suites, plus 6 function and meeting rooms of various sizes, capable of accommodating groups numbering up to 120 individuals. All the necessary conferencing equipment is available on-site. For larger groups, the National Convention Centre is located adjacent to the hotel. Most recently renovated in 2000, the Crowne Plaza Canberra has all the latest technology for the business traveller - including in-room high-speed internet access. For pure escapism, there is cable TV on tap (even the Fox Footy channel, for fans of the AFL) and pay-per-view movies, in addition to the local free to air networks. Our twin room (pictured below) afforded ample space for two people to move about and store their luggage, accumulated tourist information, writing and photographic equipment. The beds were of a generous size (doubles) so there was no need to toss for who got the single (or the rollaway, in some instances). Don't laugh; this sort of thing is often an issue when you have two individuals travelling together on a tight budget! The decor was tasteful without being memorable, though some of the colourful daubs framed and hung as art prints had us scratching our heads. But they at least exercised our imaginations! The bathroom was blissfully spick, span and operational, and came complete with full size bath. The bath gel provided by Housekeeping was gratefully used for soaking aching muscles after our more energetic daily outings. A couple of the bathroom's fittings had pealing seals, and the floor tiles were a little 'speckled' from wear and tear. But we weren't about to nitpick when everything worked so well. For in-house dining there was an extensive Room Service menu, while the hotel's signature restaurant, Redsalt, commanded the lower floor, below the lobby. Every evening the table candles were lit for its many patrons. By morning Redsalt was transformed by the breakfast buffet, which, judging by the tables still occupied when we late risers surfaced, was extremely popular. Overlooking the hotel driveway the Binara one bar served up drinks and snacks and was always a lively spot from early evening onwards. After-hours we did venture into the adjacent Casino Canberra (below right), which is actually under the same roof as the hotel and accessible from the Crowne Plaza's lobby. The Casino's restaurant is another dining option for hotel guests, without them having to go out into the crisp night air! Our rental vehicle was safely housed in the Crowne Plaza's on-site undercover lock-up parking station when not in use, which was whenever we went for a stroll along the City Walk - the hub of the downtown shopping district and location of the Canberra Centre multi-level mall. We not only made trips to the many beautiful boutiques and different ethnic eateries nearby - even one of our personal favourites, Montezuma's - but attended an evening screening at the Electric Shadows cinema (Akuna Street) and then spent money in their excellent adjoining bookshop, which keeps late shopping hours. For more exercise we visited the hotel fitness centre at basement level. Regrettably the pool was closed for winter, but we were offered passes to another under cover swimming complex nearby. The reality is, in Canberra, with its proximity to the Australian snowfields, some outlets, activities and facilities are seasonal and may not always be available. But with the city at our doorstep, our stay was none the poorer due to any winter closures. Would we stay at the Crowne Plaza again? Absolutely. I doubt there could be a better or more comfortable property so ideally situated in the commercial heart of Canberra City. Granted, the political capital was across the other side of Lake Burley Griffin (a short drive across the bridge) - but some of us would say that's a blessing! For further information contact: www.crowneplaza.com For ACT visitor information visit: www.canberratourism.com.au Back to Front Page