QUEST RIVER PARK CENTRAL in Brisbane - Hotel Review with Photos

SD › Brisbane Hotels › Quest River Park Central Review
Updated: January 3, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Mary Street.
• Hotel website: questapartments.com.au
• Hotel phone: +61 (0)7 3838 1000
• Check prices for Quest River Park Central

The family-friendly Quest River Park Central hotel offers spacious studios and apartments in a central location.

Quest River Park Central – Convenient apartments with hotel amenities, ideal for families and long-stayers.

Along a heavily built-up side street in downtown Brisbane, the Quest is certainly central. Part of a countrywide chain, the studios are like hotel rooms and feature kitchenettes; the rest are apartments with up to three bedrooms. All apartments are spacious and feature separate living/dining areas, fully-equipped kitchens, and laundry facilities, and many have balconies, too. (These can be rented overnight or long-term.) Apart from four-star facilities like a pool and a gym, the Quest also features a mini-cinema. It’s close to Queen Street Mall, the extended pedestrian street with fabulous places to eat, drink, and shop, and an easy stroll to amenities and attractions in the city center and along the river.

Quest River Park Central – The Location

Address: 120 Mary Street.
Area: Very convenient position in the city center, but the vicinity is now heavily built up and under construction.
How to Get There: The Brisbane international and domestic airports are 15 km away. Taxis take 25-30 minutes and cost about A$50. Shuttle buses ($20) direct to the hotel are available through Con-X-ion. Airtrain (20 minutes) connects both airports with Central station. (See Local Transport below for more information.)
Nearest Transport: Bus – Mary St Stop 169 near Albert St (150m), Ferry – Eagle Street Pier (500m).
Handy to: Queen Street Mall. City Botanic Gardens.

Quest River Park Central – The Basics

Guests: Mix of families and business people, often on long stays, but overnight guests welcome.
Pets: Service animals (e.g. guide dogs) allowed. Pets may be permitted for long-term stays after obtaining permission.
Views: These have been affected by construction in every direction.
Kitchen: Studios feature kitchenettes, while all apartments contain fully-equipped kitchens (and laundry).
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of apartment complex.
Parking: Available on the first 4 floors for a reasonable daily fee.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +61 (0)7 3838 1000
Email: questriverparkcentral@questapartments.com.au
Website: questapartments.com.au

Quest River Park Central – Amenities

Pool: The pool is outdoors and heated, but very narrow – more for laps rather than splashing about. Buildings are extremely close by, greatly affecting privacy. Nearby is a compact terrace with barbecue facilities for guests.
Spa: Not expected or provided at this sort of inner-city apartment complex.
Fitness Center: Part of the Leisure Centre, it’s a good size, with a separate men’s and women’s sauna attached.
For Families: Guests can book the mini-cinema to view their own movies or use the DVD library.
Other Facilities: Laundry/dry-cleaning. DVD library. Barbecues.

Quest River Park Central – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: The Quest is part of a countrywide chain of apartments that provide kitchen facilities but no café or bar. Plenty of options nearby.
Breakfast: No breakfast as there no café onsite and every accommodation has kitchen facilities. A basic continental breakfast pack can be ordered for an extra cost.
Room Service: No room service. A ‘pantry shopping service’ is offered where the staff buys and delivers groceries as ordered.

Quest River Park Central – Rooms

Room Types: Studios • One Bedroom Apartments • One Bedroom Executive Apartments • Two Bedroom Apartments • Two Bedroom Executive Apartments • Three Bedroom Apartments • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: Officially, no smoking anywhere on the premises, but allowed on the apartment balconies if windows are closed and no mess is left.
Best Room: More appealing than the studios, the apartments contain 2 or 3 bedrooms, spacious living/dining areas, full-sized kitchens, and balconies.
For Families: The Quest is a fabulous option for families. A rollaway single bed can also be included, so apartments with 2 bedrooms can accommodate 5 guests, and those with 3 bedrooms, up to 7.

Quest River Park Central – Local Transport

Walking & Cycling: Within a heavily built-up area, so walking and cycling are not that pleasant. The exceptions are the paths in the City Botanic Gardens (see below), at South Bank (1 km across the river), and parallel to the river via Eagle Street Pier. Two companies – Lime and Neuron – rent electric scooters. However, there’s no obvious pickup point.
Buses & Trains: Train and boat services are excellent, so buses are less useful for tourists. From Central station (800m), trains head to the airport (see above) and all over the city and state, including the Gold Coast via a connecting tram.
Taxis & Ride-shares: Most taxis belong to two companies: Black & White Cabs and 13cabs. These can be hailed down from city streets or arranged through the respective websites. Uber also operates throughout Brisbane.
Ferries: Three companies operate boats along the river to the city and nearby suburbs: City Cat, the most extensive and frequent service; CityHopper, free and very useful for tourists; and Cross River Ferry, limited to Kangaroo Point. The most convenient terminals are Eagle Street Pier and North Quay.

Quest River Park Central – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants

Deliveroo

The Charles Restaurant – Super-swish bistro/bar on the ground floor of The Westin just across the street. Tapas, and live jazz most nights.
Raw Energy – Prime corner position just 150m up Mary Street. Al fresco tables and plenty more inside. Lots of healthy juices, breakfast, wraps, and burgers.
Café Mondial – Classic French-style café with plenty of tables along a sidewalk and Egyptian art on the walls. On the pulsating corner of Albert and Elizabeth streets, 300m away.

Best Nearby Bars

Buffalo Bar – Popular corner position in a heritage building. US-style bar/diner/beer garden offering all sorts of food and drink specials. Less than 200m down Mary Street.
Gilhooleys Irish Pub & Restaurant – Inviting décor, friendly staff, live music, and pub meals. Fun vibe all day and evening. Just around the corner on Albert Street.

Nearby Shops

Queen Street Mall

Nearby Attractions

City Botanic Gardens

Quest River Park Central – The Hotel

The Quest River Park Central is in a busy neighborhood.

Part of a countrywide chain of apartment complexes, the Quest River Park Central (center of this photo) is within a congested part of the city.

The neighborhood has several new buildings.

The hotel is along a side street that has recently become very built-up with numerous lofty office blocks and 5-star hotels.

The entrance is a little easy to miss.

The Quest does not have a regular lobby as it offers only apartments, many rented long-term.

All apartments are far more spacious than is usual at this inner-city location.

Apartments come with dining tables and kitchens.

All apartments feature dining tables and full-sized kitchens.

Bedrooms are nicely furnished and bright.

Bedrooms are compact but nicely furnished and feature windows.

Most apartments have balconies with outdoor furniture.

3-bedroom apartments have large balconies.

The balconies and outdoor furniture are larger in the 3-bedroom apartments.

The only downside is that the area has become increasingly built-up, obstructing views of the river and city streets.

Apartments can be rented for any length of time and are often furnished with leather lounges.

One surprise is the mini-cinema which guests can book to watch their own movies or choose from the DVD library at reception.

The self-labeled Leisure Centre features a sizable gym.

The pool is narrow and suitable for laps.

The narrow pool is mostly suitable for doing laps. Buildings are very close by, which affects privacy.

The city centre features old and modern buildings.

The Quest is in the middle of the city center, which is a nice mix of old and new.

The city center has several small gardens.

Among the many high-rises across downtown Brisbane are refreshing pockets of greenery.

One way to get around is by electric scooter.

Queen Street Mall is ideal for shopping.

Walking and shopping along the shady Queen Street Mall is very pleasant.

The Regent is located along Queen Street Mall.

Some old buildings remain among all the skyscrapers in downtown Brisbane, including The Regent movie theater which is now part of the tourist information center along Queen Street Mall.

There is more than just shopping and eating in downtown Brisbane: there’s also a multi-screen cinema complex on the corner of Albert and Elizabeth streets, 400m away.

On the ground floor of the 5-star Westin hotel opposite the Quest, The Charles Restaurant is very sophisticated.

On a prominent corner 150m from the Quest is the health-focused Raw Energy café.

Café Mondial is a classic French-style café with many tables along the sidewalk at a vibrant corner.

Always loads of fun, the Gilhooleys Irish Pub is very close to the hotel.

Several buses to downtown and inner-city destinations are free.

Several buses provide free services around the city center and to nearby suburbs like Spring Hill.

Eagle Street Pier offers boat connections to the city center and suburbs.

About 350m further along Mary Street is the Eagle Street Pier from where boats and catamarans head along Brisbane River to many inner-city locations.

South Bank is a great leisure and culture precinct.

One of Brisbane’s prime attractions is South Bank, a leisure and culture precinct along the river about 1 km from the hotel.

Within South Bank is Streets Beach, a remarkable swimming lagoon surrounded by sand.

South Bank is the prime place in Brisbane for cycling. Bikes can be rented from spots along the river.

Two blocks down from the Quest are the extensive City Botanic Gardens.

The word-class botanic gardens are alongside the river and offer plenty of paths for walking and cycling. Check rates and availability: Quest River Park Central

Quest River Park Central Hotel in Brisbane, Australia

See Also