Where to Stay Melbourne is part of the TPOL Down Under Trip Report.
The US dollar is too strong to justify paying in points in Australia (see Too Cheap for Points, Too Much for Cash: DoubleTree Darwin). My bank account is too weak to pay $120 a night for Holiday Inns. That’s why when I saw the Holiday Inn on Flinders Lane for $80 on Kayak I pounced on the deal, hoping to make use of the best rate guarantee if the booking went through. Thanks to lousy T-Mobile data which is complete garbage (a post for another day), some gnome snagged the booking.
Since I had already told the airport shuttle driver to take me to the Holiday Inn (see Con-X-ion: How to Get from Melbourne Airport), I waited until I arrived to try to find something else. The cheapest option came from searching ‘hotels near me’ in Google Maps. I found Aura serviced Apartments which were $63 on Maps and $100 on Google. Very strange that the prices are different, but who am I to understand how Google works?
I walked around the corner and checked in with no problem. I was given a fob to enter the building and to enter the room.
View
I’m doing it backwards this time because I want to showcase the Australian Open view I was given. I was able to enjoy a leisurely game of tennis and see the skyline on Flinders Street. Note that Flinders street and Flinders Lane are different, but they are all Flinders just the same!
Living Room
I couldn’t live in Australia. It feels more isolated than Montana. If I did have to come here for work, I wouldn’t mind living in this serviced apartment. This was the smallest unit available, but it would do the job for a short term stay.
Bedroom
The weather in Melbourne is erratic. It can be 44C then turn into 44F. The bedroom didn’t have an A/C unit, and I happened to be in Melbourne during a warm spell. That made sleeping unpleasant. 
Bathroom
Another international shower where the water leaks everywhere. For long-term living, that would be annoying. The water pressure, an essential for waking up or snapping out of a hangover, was very good (see Vineyard Crawl: My Yarra Valley Wine Tour).
Location
Flinders! Flinders! I’m lucky that my hotel query landed me on Flinders, the main artery for everything I did in Melbourne (see Fantastic Pho on Flinders).
Overall
Save your money. Save your points. Stay on Flinders. Book an Aura serviced apartment.
