Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

DARWIN 405
Season A$115 (US$75) double. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Bus: 4, 5, 6, 8, or 10. Amenities: Restaurant; 3
bars; outdoor pool; tour desk; room service; babysitting; laundry; same-day dry cleaning/laundry service. In
room: A/C, TV w/free movies, fridge, coffeemaker.
Value Inn Value The cheerful rooms at this neat little hotel in the Mitchell Street
Tourist Precinct are extremely compact but tidy, and have colorful modern fittings.
Each room is just big enough to hold both a queen-size and a single bed,
and a small writing table. The views aren’t much, but you’ll probably spend your
time in the cafes along the street. Smith Street Mall and the Esplanade walking
path are 2 blocks away. There is a public pay phone, cold drink and coffee vending
machines, and an iron on each floor, and a very small garden pool off the parking
lot.
50 Mitchell St., Darwin, NT 0800. & 08/8981 4733. Fax 08/8981 4730. www.valueinn.com.au. 93 units (all
with shower only). Dry Season A$75–A$89 (US$49–US$58) double. Wet Season A$65–A$69 (US$42–$45)
double. No charge for extra person. AE, MC, V. Limited free parking. Amenities: Outdoor pool; tour desk; dry
cleaning; laundry. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, no phone.
SUPER-CHEAP SLEEPS
Darwin City YHA Value The single and double rooms at this upbeat backpacker
hostel in the Mitchell Street Tourist Precinct are basic, but the mattresses
are firm, and the communal bathrooms are clean. Guests laze elbow-to-elbow
around the pool; a second lofty sun deck and an open-air kitchen and dining area
overlook the pool. The hostel also has TV rooms, a game room, Internet access,
and barbecues. Reception is open 24 hours and has safes. Shenanigan’s Irish pub
(see “Where to Dine” below) is in the complex, and coach terminals, cheap cafes,
the Smith Street Mall, and the Esplanade are steps away. The air-conditioning is
noisy and is turned on only between 7pm and 9am, so think twice about staying
here in Darwin’s horrifically hot summer.
69 Mitchell St., Darwin, NT 0800. & 08/8981 3995. Fax 08/8981 6674. www.yha.com.au. 130 units, 2 with
bathroom (shower only). A$50 (US$33) double without bathroom; A$60–A$65 (US$39–US$42) double with
bathroom. A$16–A$17 (US$10–US$11) dorm bed. A$12–A$13 (US$7.80–US$8.45) children under 18. Linen
A$2 (US$1.30) for length of stay. MC, V. Ample on-street parking. Bus: 4 or 5 (6 or 10 citybound only). Free
airport shuttle. Amenities: Large outdoor pool; tour desk; bike rental; coin-op laundry. In room: A/C.
WHERE TO DINE
Cullen Bay Marina, a 25-minute walk from town or a short cab ride, is packed
with trendy restaurants and cafes. If it’s Thursday, don’t even think about eating
anywhere other than the Mindil Beach Sunset Market , and on Saturdays
head to the suburban Parap Markets for Asian goodies (see the box, “Cheap Eats
& More!”). The cool crowd hangs at Roma Bar, 30 Cavenagh St. (& 08/8981
6729), for good coffee and cheap nosh; it’s open Monday through Friday from
7am to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 2pm.
Hanuman CONTEMPORARY THAI/NONYA/TANDOORI Elegant
black walls and a moody Eastern atmosphere make this city restaurant popular
as a business-lunch venue by day and as a rendezvous for couples, families, and
more business folk by night. You can rely on it to serve up interesting dishes such
as roasted duck in a red curry of coconut, fresh pineapple, kaffir lime, and sweet
basil, or fish baked whole in banana leaves, Melaccan-style, with ground galangal,
hot chili, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves. There is also a separate tandoori
menu. Service is prompt and friendly.
28 Mitchell St. & 08/8941 3500. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$17–A$24 (US$11–US$16).
AE, DC, MC, V. Mon–Fri noon–2:30pm; daily 6:30–11pm.