Too Cheap for Points, Too Much for Cash: DoubleTree Darwin

DoubleTree Darwin Hotel Review is part of the TPOL Down Under Trip Report.

Cash vs. Points 
Don’t you hate when a hotel is too many points to validate booking and not cheap enough to validate paying? The DoubleTree Darwin was 19k points a night or $88. It didn’t meet the 0.6 cent valuation. This required me to come out of pocket. Sure, $88 a night is not bad but this is the second time I’ve paid cash on this trip to stay at an average place (see Hyatt Regency Sydney: Not My Favorite Hyatt). It certainly adds up.

Rainy Season?
Coming to Darwin during rainy season (November through April) is like going to Scottsdale in the summer. It’s hot and there’s no sign of life. The hotel was empty and the streets were deserted.

Hotel Itself
From the outside, the hotel looked like it belonged in the Middle East. It had that old school Benghazi look to it.

Room
The room was quite nice for the rate I paid. The pool looked like a perfect place to spend an afternoon if my reason for being here weren’t croc hunting (see Croc Jumping Darwin: Keep Your Hands Inside at All Times).

Bathroom
These showers with no doors drive me crazy. Can someone explain why I want water leaking into the bathroom?

Breakfast
I’m fairly sure I was one of only a handful of people staying at the hotel based on the number of cars in the parking lot. The Hilton Gold included breakfast that was easily enough to serve more people than showed up that morning.

I experimented with the juicer and, despite the nice taste, will not be buying one anytime soon.

Overall
Good enough chain hotel in Darwin if you want the perks of a familiar brand. I just wish the room rate was twice as much so I could’ve used my points with confidence.