Is Crystalbrook Kingsley Worth It? | Newcastle’s First Five-Star Hotel Review

If you feel like Sydney is a bit too busy, then Newcastle might be the perfect getaway — it has the same ocean views, great food and culture, but at a much more relaxed pace. Newcastle is a coastal city about a 2.5-hour drive from Sydney. It’s known for its surfing beaches, industrial heritage, arts scene and laid-back lifestyle — a place with sea breezes and plenty of stories to tell. Today, we’re staying at Crystalbrook Kingsley, a five-star luxury hotel located right in the heart of Newcastle. The hotel is set inside the historic Roundhouse, the former Newcastle City Hall, and it’s also the city’s very first five-star hotel. The concept here is “luxury with sustainability and cultural connection.” Crystalbrook Kingsley is part of Crystalbrook Collection, an Australian-owned independent luxury hotel and resort group. Their properties are located across Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Newcastle and Cairns. Each hotel blends local character, modern design and their “Responsible Luxury” philosophy — including eliminating single-use plastics, using sustainable materials and offering digital, eco-friendly guest experiences. The group is still expanding, with new projects underway in Adelaide and Canberra. The hotel’s location is excellent. Civic Park is right across the street, and you can easily walk to the City Hall, Civic Theatre and Newcastle Art Gallery. Newcastle Beach is only about a five-minute drive away. The lobby itself isn’t very large, but it does have character. Right next to the lobby is Ms Mary Restaurant. To be honest, the check-in experience didn’t really feel like a five-star hotel. The staff were quite reserved, with minimal conversation, and there wasn’t that sense of a warm welcome. The elevators, however, are quite unique, and each floor is equipped with a water refill station, which is a nice sustainable touch. The room key is also interesting — it’s round. Looking at the floor plan, you can tell most of the rooms have very similar layouts. When you enter the room, the washing basin area is right at the entrance, which is a bit unconventional but interesting. There are no dental kits provided, so make sure to bring your own. The bathroom amenities are from Origins, which is a mid-range brand. The shower and toilet are combined in one space, and it’s clear this is an accessible, disability-friendly room. The downside is that when you shower, the water will inevitably splash onto the toilet paper. The bedroom itself isn’t very large. Instead of bedside tables, there’s a very small walk-in wardrobe. Bathrobes are provided, but there are no slippers. One of the drawers was blocked and couldn’t be opened. The minibar has a tile-inspired design. Tea and coffee are provided, but there’s no cutlery. The fridge contains drinks as well as complimentary refillable water. The bed is quite high, but overall very comfortable. On the right side of the bed, there’s no charging point, although there is a tablet that provides access to the hotel menu and services. The TV offers some free movies as well as local channels. One thing worth complaining about is that the room only has one chair. In the evening, when we wanted to eat and drink something in the room, it was quite inconvenient. From the window, you can see the square downstairs. There’s a Korean fried chicken restaurant there, which I highly recommend. Overall, I think this is a nice hotel, but honestly, in terms of both service and facilities, it doesn’t quite meet true five-star standards. We went in and out of the hotel many times, and at several points, the front desk was completely unattended. I can only say that the Australian hotel industry still has a long way to go, and hopefully local hotels will continue to improve. I hope this episode has been helpful. See you in the next one. Country Cue 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/