SD › Melbourne › Best Hotels › Crown Towers Review
Updated: January 5, 2022
Essentials
• Location: Whiteman Street, Southbank, on the bank of the Yarra River.
• Hotel website: crownhotels.com.au
• Hotel phone: +61 (0)3 9292 6868
• Check prices for Crown Towers
The luxurious and riverside Crown Towers hotel features bright, chic, and opulent rooms and bathrooms, a casino, a heated indoor pool, and a world-class full-service spa.
Crown Towers – Opulent, inner-city, and riverside, but it’s mostly about the casino.
This is the mainstay of the remarkable Crown complex which includes a massive casino, two other hotels (including the state’s largest), and endless ways to spend money. In an impressive high-rise soaring over the scenic Yarra River and only a five-minute walk from the city center, the accommodations are luxurious (including sumptuous two-bedroom villas) and the amenities are among the city’s finest (including a superb pool). For many, however, it’s all about the casino, which is virtually downstairs, and the stretch of riverside bistros and bars surrounding the hotel.
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Crown Towers – The Location
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(Not to be confused with the associated and nearby Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade hotels or the separate Crowne Plaza hotel just across the river.)
- Area: Lovely area facing the river with water-side bistros and bars in both directions. Walkable to all the amenities and attractions in downtown and, of course, the casino.
- Address: 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank. An icon known to all Melburnians, it doesn’t really have an address. A quick walk across the Yarra River from the city center.
- Nearest Transport: Bus & Tram – Casino East/Queens Bridge St (150m).
- How to Get There: Taxis to/from the airport (25 km) cost around A$80. For about A$20, SkyBus Docklands Express (every 30-60 minutes, 5.30 am-7 pm daily) drops off/picks up airport passengers opposite the Crown Metropol hotel (250m). Otherwise, Starbus shuttles (5 am-10 pm daily) travel directly between the airport and the hotel (about A$30).
- Handy to: Crown Casino (see below).
Crown Towers – The Basics
- Guests: Weekenders who want entertainment options nearby, business people during the week, and casino-visitors at any time.
- Pets: Not allowed.
- Views: Reasonably built-up area, so some views are obstructed by high-rises.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Villas feature luxurious marble jacuzzis.
- Parking: Valet parking available for a high fee. Can also self-park in the Crown Casino car park.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +61 (0)3 9292 6868
- Email: reservations.mct@crownhotels.com.au
- Website: crownhotels.com.au
Crown Towers – Amenities
- Pool: The extra-long indoor pool is heated and airy, not stuffy. Unlike most hotel pools, it also features a sizable, shallow, and separate area for children. No views but plenty of sunbeds and cabanas like those found at a tropical island resort.
- Spa: The Crown Spa claims to be ‘undeniably Australia’s most exclusive and sophisticated’ spa. Certainly opulent and world-class, offering a superb range of treatments and amenities.
- Fitness Center: One of the finest in Melbourne. Split-level and overlooking the pool, with all the latest equipment.
- For Families: Children’s pool.
Crown Towers – Food and Drink
- Restaurant & Bar: The only restaurant in the hotel building is Conservatory. Bright, airy, and grandly positioned at the top of a staircase, it’s where breakfast is served. Also, buffets for lunch and dinner and lavish afternoon teas. A bar/lounge is at the lobby level. Plenty more options can be found in the extended Crown Casino complex.
- Breakfast: Served in the charming Conservatory bistro but not normally included. This does, however, depend on the room and how it was booked. Included for Club Lounge members.
- Room Service: Available 24/7.
Crown Towers – Rooms
- Room Types: Deluxe Rooms (King/Twin beds) • Premier Rooms (King/Twin beds) • Studio Rooms • Executive Suites • Executive Club Suites • Premier Suites • Premier Club Suites • Tower Suites • Deluxe Villas • One Bedroom Crystal Villas • Two Bedroom Crystal Villas • List of all Rooms
- Smoking Rooms: Some floors are dedicated to rooms where smoking is allowed.
- Best Room: The opulent Crystal Villas (with one or two bedrooms) radiate style and grace. Each villa comes with a marble bathroom, butler’s pantry, separate entertainment area, and breathtaking views.
- For Families: An extra single bed can be added to most rooms and many have connecting doors. Some villas and the Tower Suites feature two bedrooms and separate living/dining areas.
Crown Towers – Local Transport
- Walking & Cycling: Riverside paths head in both directions. The paths are flat, lined with bars, bistros, and boutiques, and ideal for strolling and cycling. Stay on the riverside paths and avoid the city center.
- Public Transport: Every few minutes, trams shuttle along Flinders Street (and other roads), just across the river from the hotel. Trams also head to suburban areas like South Yarra, Docklands, and St Kilda Beach. All trams are free within the city center (i.e. just across the bridge) and to Docklands.
- Taxis & Ride-shares: Arrange a taxi through reception or find one along the streets. Uber and Ola operate all over Melbourne.
Crown Towers – What’s Nearby?
Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars
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The hotel is in an area called Southbank, part of the vast Crown Casino complex. Plenty of places to eat and drink inside and out, but there are better ones along the riverside path.
- Rockpool Bar & Grill – World-famous steakhouse run by celebrity chef Neil Perry. Expect chic décor, excellent service, and hefty prices. Also, open-plan kitchen and impressive wine list. (400m).
- Ging Thai – Bright and airy setting and freshest possible Thai food with a contemporary slant. Lively service and always packed. (300m).
- Nobu – Internationally-known Japanese restaurant, also popular for its cocktails, wine list, and flamboyant open-kitchen cooking. (400m).
- The Atlantic – Spacious and nicely decorated, it’s the best place for seafood in Melbourne. (500m).
- 400 Gradi at Crown – With a swish setting and foliage offering privacy, it’s won international awards for pizza. Also on the menu are plenty of other Italian dishes. (500m).
Nearby Shops
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Plenty of options in Southbank, South Wharf (1 km west along the river), Southgate (800m east), and in the city center, a 5-minute walk (400m) across one of several bridges.
Nearby Attractions
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The Vegas-like Crown Casino complex features oodles of places to eat, drink, and shop, as well as games arcades, bowling alleys, and cinemas. For many, however, it’s really all about the casino, which is virtually part of the hotel building. (75m).
Crown Towers – The Hotel
The mainstay of the massive casino complex, the Crown Towers hotel soars over the Yarra River.
The hotel is one of three that are part of the incredible Crown Casino complex.
The entrance of this 5-star hotel is opulent.
The bar and lounge at the lobby level is an ideal place to meet and enjoy a drink.
At the top of the staircase from the main hotel entrance is the only restaurant in the hotel: Conservatory.
The Conservatory restaurant in the Crown Towers hotel offers buffet breakfast to guests, usually for an extra charge.
The hotel pool is long, heated, and airy, and not as stuffy as those in some rival hotels.
The area around the pool is spacious enough for lounge chairs.
As opulent as the rest of the hotel, the Crown Spa offers a world-class selection of treatments and products.
The décor and furnishings in all types of accommodations are likably chic.
All categories of rooms offer extensive views of the city and, usually, the Yarra River.
The bathroom is exceptional in every category of room.
The Crown Towers hotel offers an impressive range of rooms, suites, and villas, including some with two bedrooms.
The suites are so comfortable and roomy, and feature optimum floor-to-ceiling windows as possible.
The more luxurious suites come with additional windows for jaw-dropping views.
Larger suites also feature colorful and spacious living areas.
The two-bedroom Crystal Villas also have large dining rooms.
Some villas feature marble jacuzzis.
The hotel is part of the massive Crown Casino complex that incorporates the Southbank precinct of shops, restaurants, and bars.
With all its amenities, there is often no need to venture too far from the Southbank area that surrounds the hotel.
The enormous Crown Casino complex (of which the hotel is just one part) is packed with places to eat and drink, but those alongside the river are better.
Also part of the vast Crown Casino complex, but in a building over the street from the hotel, are games arcades.
For many guests, the main attraction is the proximity to the Crown Casino, which is virtually downstairs from the rooms.
The hotel dominates the Southbank area alongside the Yarra River which separates the hotel from the city center.
Part of the Crown Casino complex at Southbank is the world-renowned Rockpool Bar & Grill.
One of several terrific places to eat along the riverside path in Southbank is the bright and airy Ging Thai restaurant.
Regarded as the best place for seafood anywhere in Melbourne is The Atlantic.
Cycling is a popular way to explore the southern edge of the Yarra River, which includes the Southbank precinct.
The inner-city Yarra River which the hotel faces is attractive.
The cheapest way from the airport to the hotel is by the SkyBus Express service.
Offering a direct link between the hotel and airport is the Starbus shuttle service. Check rates and availability: Crown Towers
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