Mantra Southbank

September 15, 2019 Ivan Teh - RunningMan 0 Comments

Mantra Southbank
31 City Road
Southbank
Melbourne
Victoria 3006
Australia

https://www.mantra.com.au/victoria/melbourne-and-surrounds/melbourne/accommodation/hotels/mantra-southbank/

Convenient & Quaint Hotel With Rough Edges

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Visited: Sep-2019
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 6
Value for Money: 7
Budget about AUD $830 / SGD $775 per person.
- $725 Accomodation 4D3N
- $50 Room Service

Nearby Attractions: Flinders Street Railway Station, Federation Square, Melbourne Museum, Shrine Of Remembrance, Eureka Tower, Yarra Bend Park, Docklands, Queen Victoria Market, Immigration Museum, Police Museum, Old Melbourne Gaol, Royal Exhibition Building And Carlton Gardens, Melbourne Zoo, Luna Park, St Kilda Pier, Royal Botanic Gardens, Woodlands Historic Park, Brighton Beach, Koorie Heritage Trust, Hosier Lane

Hotel Facilities: Business Centre, Paid Wi-Fi, 1 Restaurant (Spire Restaurant & Bar), Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, 1 Lounge (Lobby Lounge), Spa, Cable TV, Partial Equipped Kitchenette, Self-Service Laundry Washer & Dryer, Meeting Rooms, Tour Arrangements Service, On-Site Parking, Currency Exchange Service

Hotel Activities: Work Out, Internet Surfing, Swimming, Tours, Meetings, Spa

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Introduction
Located about 40 minutes drive away from the Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia, the Mantra Southbank is a modern 4-star hotel whose main selling point is its convenient location. Just minutes walk away from the Central Business District (CBD), the Southbank area, and numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment options, the Mantra Southbank is well positioned. As a hotel on its own merits, it's decently comfortable.

Ambience
Ambience at Mantra Southbank has a quiet refinement. The warm lighting and dark panelled walls, along with contrasts of deep coloured cushioned furnishings (yellow, purple, white, black, wood) in the Lobby Lounge, all lend a premium, sophisticated feel. This contrasts starkly with the simple, plain narrow corridors (white, grey) with bright motion-sensor fluorescent lights. The place has a unique triangular architecture, and the sharp edges of the building are cleverly designed as balconies.

Room
Rooms at Mantra Southbank are spacious, and comfortable. I stayed at the one-bedroom spa apartment, which featured a nice size bathroom with a combination shower and jacuzzi spa. The bedroom is comfortable with a large king size bed, but the wardrobe was small, a larger clothing space would be better. The kitchenette is, oddly enough, partially equipped - they provide utensils, cooking wares, an oven, and a stove, but you'll have to purchase all seasonings and condiments. The living room has a nice-sized smart television, small working desk, and comfortable sofa. They provided an in-room washer and dryer for self-service laundry, but my washer was slightly faulty, and couldn't drain all the water - I ended up having to hand rinse my clothes again. Another quibble; the room isn't properly soundproofed, and you can hear conversations along the corridors.

Food
Food at Mantra Southbank is provided by the Spire Restaurant & Bar. As far as restaurants go, the standards are underwhelming, with a limited menu that is executed to a passable, edible standard, but you'll find better almost anywhere else. The complimentary breakfast is small but sufficient, but I find it odd that coffee and tea is separately chargeable, and not included as part of the buffet (juice is included). They seem rather popular as a cocktail bar though, as nearby office workers come over for drinks in the evenings.

Service
Service at Mantra Southbank is friendly, professional, and polite; good but not great. While I appreciate the happy interactions and engagement by staff, they aren't particularly meticulous, and paying more attention to details would help. For example, the entire duration of my stay, the kitchenette only had spoons and knifes, they gave me 0 forks. To be fair, I only noticed this mid-way through my stay, and resorted to eating noodles using a spoon, but housekeeping should have checked earlier. Similarly, the faulty washer should have been maintained / repaired. In the restaurant, staff sometimes clear up at a leisurely place, so new guests have limited clean tables to dine at. On an occasion, they put cups with half-drunk beverages into the dishwasher. I appreciate the helpfulness, but some attention to detail would be good.

Facilities & Activities
The facilities and activities at Mantra Southbank are basic and functional. The best facility is the well-equipped gymnasium, with a good variety of workout equipment. The indoor swiming pool is functional and nicely heated, and offers some view outside. There aren't many meeting rooms here, and these only hold groups of up to 25 or so. Beyond these, Mantra Southbank is so conveniently located, it's easy to walk or tram or bus around town.

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Mantra Southbank 06 - Self-Service Laundry Washer & Dryer

Mantra Southbank 09 - Spire Restaurant & Bar

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The Sampan 2019

September 12, 2019 Ivan Teh - RunningMan 0 Comments

The Sampan 2019

63 Boat Quay

We visited as regular paying customers, and paid the full standard prices for our meal here. However, they discovered who we were, and rolled out the special treatment, even though we insisted they treat us like any other customer. We still received several complimentary dishes and off-menu dishes.