Best Hotels in Balaclava

Chose the apartment primarily for the location, close to the location of the wedding we were attending. Booked the basic 1 bedroom but were upgraded to a premier one bedder. It is on the top (5th) floor and has lovely 270 degree views of the district and a huge deck. The interior is tasteful furnished with adequate cooking and dining equipment - but no food items except for some tea and coffees and a small milk. There are supermarkets, cafes and the like just a few minutes walk away and parking is easy on the street. The neighbourhood seems very safe and is nice to walk around. Minor annoyances were that the front desk is no longer manned and our key was delivered - after we had to wait for 40 minutes or so - by a third party key drop service. Correspondence said we would receive a welcome call from the property owners but we didn’t. There was also supposed to be a room guide but there isn’t. The public areas of the property appear to be a little neglected.

Stayed as a last-minute business traveler. Price was very affordable, and I soon learned why. Extensive building works made everything very difficult to navigate- understandable. However, the setup with parking was a nightmare, as you need to checkin before you park, and need a roller door fob to access car park. Lifts don't go back to the car park (its took 2 lifts to find my room), so thank God I didn't put my key in the box before retrieving my car. Room was clean, but the grubby, worn remotes are not very covid-friendly. Even checking out was difficult, as you need the fob to get to the check-out box. Possibly the most convoluted security setup I have seen, and I have stayed in some pretty rough places around the world. Certainly don't book if you have any mobility issues, small children, vision impairments or claustrophobia....

Part gorgeous bayside locale, part one-of-a-kind bar and restaurant strip, St Kilda is a pure Melbourne icon. And when you stay at MAC St Kilda you’ll feel part of the fabric, staying opposite the greenspace of St Kilda Botanic Gardens, just a short walk to the Palais Theatre, Luna Park, Cafe Di Stasio and the Prince of Wales Hotel.Each studio apartment is designed to give you a feeling of home away from home with abundant natural light, modern kitchen and new bathrooms. While a king-sized bed, blockout blinds and windows that open to let in the fresh sea air, make sleeping a dream. You’ll also enjoy the convenience of WIFI and secure on-site, open-air parking included.The property has 3 floors, access to the upper floors is via stairs only. There is no lift.Please note: There is no reception desk, remote reception is available from 9am - 5pm daily. Remote registration is to be completed prior to your arrival date (including providing photo ID and payment of refundable security deposit). Once completed the self check-in instructions will be sent on the morning of arrival day.

If you don't mind taking the tram to the beach, you can consider making the tram a few stops. You can experience unique traffic. Walk in a quiet residential area for 3 minutes. There is No. 16 car to the beach. The beach is empress station. There is a swimming pool and fitness facilities in the city. The laundry room can wash all the dirty clothes during the trip. It ’s so cool. The garden-style hotel is better than those on the beach. I like this peaceful beach a lot of mental illness because St Kilda has a lot Weirdos and marijuana beggars are not as good as living in this area. What are the bad things to say? I think some people may think the room is a bit old-fashioned? My room is a SPA room. The door opened is a small yard. It is very comfortable. My son likes it. It is better than the seaside ridges. The space is larger and more casual. The best is two nights. Enjoy the facilities.

We booked our stay via bookings.com in September 2019 for three weeks during the start/middle of October. After our booking was processed, we were asked what time we would arrive, we let the owner know we would be there around 8pm. When we arrived, no one was present. There was a number left on the wall for us to ring when we arrived, we rang the number and got no answer. We waited an hour and a half and no one turned up. Both the back and front doors where open, hence how we where able to get into the building. The front door was unable to be closed due to a busted lock. There where no locks on any of the dorm rooms and every single bed was covered in dirty linen which contained faeces and urine, the smell was horrendous. There was piles of dirty washing left around the hostel, it was clear the place had been neglected for some time. There where nitrous oxide canisters covering some of the beds and although I understand it is a hostel and things like this do happen, that combined with faeces stained linen though isn't acceptable.The sprinkler system had gone off in the past and not been replaced and live wires where hanging out of the walls. Bookings.com initially said there was nothing much they could do and the owner was refusing to refund us, when they emailed her about our complaint, she was very quick to respond saying 'we had 'no basis for a refund'. We then contacted the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal who explained we would need to message the owner and give her some time to come to an agreement with her. Unfortunately, making a case through them can take time so we contacted the bank, who agreed (because they where based in the UK) they would do a charge back to our card and our money would be returned to us. When we tried to message the owner to come to an agreement, her exact words where that the property 'has no electrical issues whatsoever, is properly looked after on a daily basis and is totally safe'. The lights didn't turn on properly, the place was nearly pitch black and we had to use our lights on our phone. There was faeces on beds and dirty linen everywhere, I wouldn't exactly call it hygienic and the sprinklers where broke. The toilets didn't have proper locks on and the kitchen was revolting. My advice, stay clear! We won the charge back claim and our money was returned to us via the bank two weeks later!

My sister and I had the best time at Base St Kilda! It’s an extremely sociable hostel and we met some of our best friends here that we have continued to meet up the east coast! (The bingo is a must do!) While we had some a minor issue with our booking for an excursion with Happy Travels, it was resolved and we are super grateful for the both teams for accomodating and helping us sort it all out! Highly recommend staying here, especially if you’re solo and want to find some friends for life! Thank you Base!

Location is excellent. A short walk to both ends of Acland St and late evening food available at several spots. Room was very clean but bedside tables needed an extra wipe down. Great selection of quality tea and coffee on offer. Tram noise is definitely audible from early a.m. but if you’re looking for a city experience, it just sits in the general hum of urban Melbourne sounds. Front Desk shuts 8pm sharp, so be aware of this as Trip will not pass out your contact details for reception to call you and confirm this info. Needed to contact reception after we got into our room: no answer. After ringing 3 times, gave up. Be aware, when the Cosmo takes your $150 room deposit, they charge you 2.5% which they don’t refund ($3.75). This is very dodgy business practice (illegal, we believe) and we told them we would contact Consumer Affairs, as they also refused a cash payment alternative to avoid this fee (due to Covid). The senior receptionist was very understanding and kindly overrode the fee, but it is something to be very aware of. Tarnished what was, essentially, a great stay in a good value hotel.

The live situation of the accommodation is reasonable in Melbourne for such a price. The service at the front desk of the hotel is very good. The towel will be thoughtfully windy.

My wife and I had a nice stay here a few weeks back. It is pretty centrally located and reasonably priced which are the redeeming features. The location and rooms definitely look nicer in the photos, the rooms whilst large and well appointed are very old and worn… dented fridges, damaged furniture, bedside lights that don’t work etc. it’s all perfectly liveable it’s just not what I expected from the photos. Staff were friendly but the place just needs some TLC. If you think this is a nicely restored boutique hotel you’ll be disappointed, but if you’re seeking conveniently located, reasonably priced accomodation with low expectations it will be perfectly suited.

This is the second time for me at this hotel. There are many things that make it suitable, certainly for me. Firstly the location is good, close to St Kilda Junction and trams to the city and elsewhere. There is a bus that runs down Barkly St that will take you to St Kilda proper. Secondly, the rooms are good value, spacious enough, good modern bathrooms with plenty of hot water flow, heating (aircon), good wifi, and they are clean and quiet. They have a comfortable bed which provides good sleep. The only downside is the location does not have too much nearby in the way of places to eat, although the Crest Hotel next door does have a restaurant and coffee shop. There are no close places like a 7-11 to get drinks or snacks, the nearest is a 10 minute walk. The only other thing I can fault on this stay was the room was in need of some TLC with a few minor repairs needed. Other than that, this is a good priced hotel offering most of what you will need.