A stay at the Limes Hotel

My previous hotel trip report A stay at the InterContinental Wellington has started a bit of a trend that will continue with my next trip report titled “A stay at the Limes Hotel”.

This trip report covers my stay between Friday the 22nd of October through to Sunday the 24th of October 2010.

I usually stay in the Brisbane CBD when in the area, however as the purpose of my visit this time was personal and my first night had me in Fortitude Valley for dinner and drinks I decided to try something different and after some research I settled on the Limes.

The Limes Hotel is a boutique hotel in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane with only 21 rooms. It also features a rooftop bar and a rooftop cinema.

The location on Constance Street is convenient to the bars and restaurants of “The Valley”, and it’s also just around the block from the Fortitude Valley railway station.

Booking Time

I booked the room through the hotel site which uses a third party booking system. While the bookings are flexible up to 48 hours before the stay, all bookings are prepaid.

This would limit my use of the hotel for business travel, but for a personal trip this wasn’t an issue. I have not checked to see if bookings made over the phone to the front office can be more flexible.

The rate I received was $309 for Friday and $279 for Saturday.

Upon Arrival

When I arrived at the hotel my room keys were already set aside and waiting. After the standard registration, ID and credit card check I was asked to sign a form agreeing that I wouldn’t smoke on the balcony or in the bedroom lest I pay a cleaning fee (I did not take note of what the fee is as I don’t smoke).

I was informed that while the hotel does not have a pool/gym, I can use the facilities at Fitness First around the block and to come back if I wanted a pass. I was also given a voucher for a free cocktail or drink on the rooftop bar during my stay.

After that I was shown to the elevator that would take me to my room on the 2nd floor.

The Room

The actual room itself was smaller than I am used to. There was a bed, a long bench with an espresso machine, a kettle and a sink and a single person seat.

There wasn’t a desk, and it would seem that the expectation is that if you were to do any work you would use the bench and sit on one of the stools.

When checking in, I was advised to try the brownies which were delicious.

The Bathroom

The bathroom was small but well appointed and I loved the L’Occitane toiletries. Everything else was fairly standard, except there wasn’t a bath (which didn’t bother me as I only use them if they are spa baths - and I hate combined shower baths).

The next morning

I had a fantastic sleep on the bed in the room and couldn’t complain. Some of the reviews I have read previously indicate that noise from the rooftop bar is an issue, but I did not notice this.

Breakfast

The only room service available in the hotel is for breakfast which is prepared by a nearby cafe. On my first morning I settled for the breakfast pide and fresh orange juice.

This was quite acceptable and satisfied me until having lunch elsewhere.

The Bar

I went to the rooftop bar for a “nightcap” on the Friday night. It wasn’t too busy and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

I sampled a few Mojitos which weren’t amazing, but I’ve had many mojitos that were worse.

Unfortunately a friend of mine who went to the bar the next night said that it was far too busy and drinks were not being mixed properly.

Check Out

Check out was fairly standard, and I was asked if I wanted transportation. I declined as I wanted to walk for a bit, and the hotel is close by Fortitude Valley station with direct service to the airport.

Observations and Conclusions

While the rooms were adequate for my requirements during this trip, I was somewhat disappointed with the overall services provided by the hotel.

The Limes Hotel purports itself to be a self rated 5 star hotel, and the rates charged are on par with or even exceeding 5 star hotels in the Brisbane CBD yet services offered under the AAA Tourism STAR Ratings system would have it as 3 stars.

While this suited my requirements for this trip where the sole purpose of the hotel was to provide a comfortable and clean place for me to sleep, I would not stay here for business.

Another noted observation was that I did not see or hear anybody else on my floor during my stay and only seen one other person who appeared to be a guest - everybody else in the building was there for the bar. I am not sure what their occupancy rate is, but it did not appear to be high.

The pod espresso machine was definitely a nice touch and used during my stay. I would like to see more hotels provide this option.

Other Photos

Here’s a gallery of some of the images that I took in the room.