No matter where you stay in Perth, you are likely to get sticker shock from the prices.  This is where having a free night certificate from the Chase IHG Visa comes in very handy!  At the time we stayed, room rates were over $300!  Not a bad deal for a $49 annual fee!  Of course you can always use 35,000 points for a free room as well.

The location is excellent – right downtown and walking distance to almost everything.  What you can’t walk to, you can get to using the free CAT buses.  There are plenty of restaurants in all price categories nearby and we enjoyed our dinner of Mexican takeaway from across the street.  If you aren’t up for a taxi fare, bus # 37 will drop you a couple blocks away.  The Rottnest Ferry terminal is also only a few blocks away.

1 – Mexican Takeaway
2 – Bus 37 from airport
3 – Rottnest Ferry

The staff were very friendly and happy to show us things like where to catch a CAT bus or how to get to Hertz and the Coles Supermarket so we could stock up for the trip.  Rooms are pretty much cookie-cutter Holiday Inn, clean, reliable and free internet for IHG Rewards members.

The one criticism I have is the cost of parking.  They offer $20 self-parking nearby or $35 valet under the hotel, both of which I thought were too expensive.  The cheapest I could find was the Wilson garage at 517 Hay Street.  If you know your rego number (unlikely if you are renting a car) you can book online for $7.  Otherwise there is a night rate of $10 if you only park between 1700-0600.

I also have a full guide to using Perth as a gateway city to Western Australia and a guide on how to get to Australia using airline miles.