Review | Crown Metropol Melbourne

The Crown Metropol is a glossy luxury hotel, which presides over the Southbank precinct of Melbourne. It is home to the most magnificent indoor swimming pool, and walls of windows that allow breathtaking views from every room. 

Crown Metropol review

The Crown Metropol is a family-friendly hotel. It has standard rooms which can accommodate 4 in two queen beds, the best pool in town and plenty of attractions surrounding it, like the Aquarium and Polly Woodside. But we love it as a romantic destination for just the two of us.

Hubster and I recently spent a blissful almost-24-hours at the Metropol, never leaving the hotel the whole time.

Crown Metropol review – Our room

We were beyond lucky to score an upgrade to a Loft Suite, which is the ultimate in luxury…

The corner location and huge size means two walls of windows surrounding a spacious lounge and dining room, with a separate bedroom and two bathrooms! Why leave your room when you have surroundings like this?

I could have stared at this view for hours!

As fabulous as the Loft Suite is, we stayed in a standard Luxe King last year and loved that too. The external wall is floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window, which I adore. And the room size feels generous, with the same type of stylish, modern furnishings and glamourama bathroom, just on a smaller scale.

It was practically an apartment. And the windows continue through to the bedroom. With remote control curtains! So luxe!!

The king-size bed is super comfortable. Heaven!

And check out this bathroom! Sliding doors allow oceans of natural light to flood through, with double basins for synchronised teeth-brushing …

… and the biggest bath I have ever seen! We could fit in lying side by side, with the 80’s and 90’s music videos on TV taking us back to another lifetime.

I just adore this view. The space, the sky, all the glittering skyscrapers. This was taken from our window.

Same pic with all the nearby landmarks labelled. The Aquarium is one of the 9 best bits of Melbourne for kids and there it is just across the Yarra, 10 min walk away.

After a swim and a sticky beak around Level 28, we headed back to the room to order dinner. For a Luxe King room without the dining setting, the room service trolley converts to a table.

I highly recommend room service for dinner while watching a light movie. So relaxing. We chose Trainwreck. Easy watching – silly and fun. And the food was delicious! I’m currently addicted to Pulled Pork Burgers and this one was hard to beat.

Same view from our window as above, just after dark. And yes we could see the Crown Gas Brigades when they went off, but I couldn’t drag myself off the couch to take a pic. Sorry!

Crown Metropol review – Indoor pool

This is why the kids were mad at us. They love this pool and rightly so. (We stayed at Crown Promenade with kids earlier in the year when that pool was being renovated, so we came here with them then.)

I’m not sure that indoor pools get any better than this. Even when it was busy it wasn’t too noisy to enjoy curling up on a sun lounge with a book. And it’s just the most beautiful light-filled, temperature-controlled environment.

I found it absolutely joyous seeing families with little kids floating around in blow-up rings, older couples cuddling and chatting, teens taking selfies, and all the sizes, colours, nationalities and types of couples and families you get in a magnificently multi-cultural city like Melbourne.

There’s also a luxury spa and comprehensive gym on the same floor. Treadmill with a view anyone?

Crown Metropol review – Level 28

Level 28 exudes an exclusive yet relaxed vibe. You will likely be greeted upon arrival – no gatecrashers here! But if you book the Escape to 28 package (see below), you can come up here anytime and enjoy complimentary drinks all day – non-alcoholic during the day, and alcoholic during happy hour.

Thanks to daylight savings, these pics were taken at about 7.30pm, with plenty of people enjoying a pre-dinner drink.

These lounge areas were filled with families during the day, but turn into snug, romantic corners after dark.

And the outdoor terrace is really something special.

Crown Metropol review – Breakfast

There is a restaurant downstairs where we had breakfast last stay, but this time our package meant we headed back to Level 28 for complimentary breakfast.

We enjoyed the wonderful full buffet selection. The quality and freshness were perfection.

And it was another opportunity to soak up that gorgeous Melbourne sunshine.

Website – Crown Metropol Melbourne

As with all city hotels, breakfast and parking can be expensive, so get the best value by booking a package. We love the Escape to 28 package, which includes –

• Accommodation in your choice of room
• Valet parking
• Access to the exclusive 28 Skybar Lounge including full buffet breakfast and complimentary pre-dinner drinks
• Access to the indoor infinity pool and gym
• Dedicated check-in/out counter
• 12 noon checkout

What do you think? Is it a with-kids or a without-kids hotel?