Urban Surf Garden Hideaway

Hotel Description

Look, I’ll be honest – when I first heard “Urban Surf Garden Hideaway,” I rolled my eyes a little. Sounded like marketing gone wild, you know? But actually staying here in Olympic Park… well, it sort of lives up to the quirky name in unexpected ways. The place sits on Amalfi Drive, which is this surprisingly quiet street considering you’re basically in the heart of where all the 2000 Olympics action happened. You can actually see ANZ Stadium from some of the upper floors, and there’s something oddly cool about waking up where world records were broken.

The hotel itself feels like someone took a standard business hotel and decided to have some fun with it. There are these random surfboard installations in the lobby (I mean, we’re not exactly at Bondi here), but they’re done tastefully – not cheesy tourist trap stuff. The garden aspect is real too; they’ve got this internal courtyard that actually blocks out a lot of the traffic noise from the Olympic Boulevard. I spent a stupid amount of time just sitting out there with my morning coffee, watching the ibises wander around like they own the place – which, honestly, they probably do. The rooms are solid for a 4-star spot. Nothing groundbreaking, but the beds are comfortable and the air conditioning works properly, which matters more than you’d think during Sydney’s summer months.

What really won me over is how the staff actually knows the area. When I asked about getting to Parramatta for dinner, the guy at reception didn’t just point me toward a taxi – he told me about the ferry connection from Sydney Olympic Park Wharf, which turned into this lovely little river cruise I never would have discovered otherwise. The hotel’s positioned really well if you’re doing anything at the sporting venues or ANZ Stadium, obviously, but it’s also surprisingly decent for exploring western Sydney without dealing with city center prices. Parking is included, which saved me about $40 a night compared to staying in the CBD. The train station is maybe a 10-minute walk, and you can get to Central Station in about 45 minutes. Sure, it’s not the most glamorous location – Olympic Park can feel a bit sterile during the day – but there’s something peaceful about it, especially in the evenings when the crowds thin out. The hotel restaurant is actually pretty good too, though I’d recommend heading to nearby Lidcombe for authentic Lebanese food if you’re feeling adventurous. Would I stay here again? Yeah, definitely. Especially if I’m catching an event at one of the venues or just want somewhere comfortable that won’t destroy my budget. It’s got character without trying too hard, which is rarer than you’d think in Sydney’s hotel scene.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $6,922. One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 large double bed and 1 sofa bed for Max persons: 3

Reviews

• Very close to Sydney Olympic Park. Quiet and beautiful. The apartment is clean and cozy, kitchen well set up, with good – Hung-wen from Taiwan – 19 February 2025 (10/10)

  Location is very good. Quiet and beautiful.
  
  What could be improved: Non

• Neat, tidy and peaceful – Santo from Australia – 8 February 2025 (10/10)

  The size of the apartment was great. The location was fantastic. The surrounding area was peaceful and quiet.
  
  What could be improved: .

• Exceptional – Amber from Australia – 15 January 2025 (10/10)

  Great apartment. Very clean and comfortable. Perfect location for Olympic Park. Very cute piazza only a few steps away with mini mart and eateries. Nice balcony area with direct access to play area outside. Perfect for a small family.
  The owner was extremely accommodating and facilitated an early check in so we could get to our plans on time. Easy check in and very clear instructions. Private secure parking for free. We will stay again.

• The location was great and close to most places. – Wilmah from Australia – 11 May 2025 (7/10)

  What could be improved: The apartment was not too clean. I think the carpets need a clean and there was hair and particles in the carpet. Cushions were not clean and dining room chairs were stained.

• Perfect place to stay for URBNSURF conference. Will stay again in future. – Martin from Australia – 17 March 2025 (8/10)

  Purpose of my stay was a 3 day conference at URBNSURF Sydney. This apartment is perfect. Only 1.5km walk or you can UBER if you have heavy bags etc. Quite a few UBER drivers actually live at those apartments so they arrived in less than 3 minutes everytime i booked. The apartment has shops, cafe and pharmacy, childrens playground nestled in the centre of a group of apartment buildings. Clean, quiet and relatively new. The apartment was clean, comfortable with all amenities. Carpet is getting dated but otherwise very good. Could do with a coffee POD machine. Communication is prompt and getting the keys was so easy. Great idea.
  
  What could be improved: Nothing. Was perfect for my stay.

• Central location – Lisa from Australia – 6 March 2025 (9/10)

  Excellent location. Cute little apartment with shops close by. Lock up garage for our vehicle. Easy access to where we needed to go to.
  Great instructions to access the keys and the property.
  
  What could be improved: My only thing I didn’t like was it could do with more thorough cleaning for the price.
  Hand and finger marks smudged on cupboards, tv, bathroom and glass sliding doors which is not pleasant. That’s all.

• Good location if going to the wave pool – Christie from Australia – 3 March 2025 (8/10)

  Close to the wave pool
  
  What could be improved: Just a little confusing with bike locks and codes
  
  Maybe just text the code

• Pleasant – Lisa from Ireland – 7 July 2025 (6/10)

  The location was ideal for what we wanted
  
  What could be improved: There wasn't enough bed linen, pillows and towels provided.

• Exceptional – Casey from Australia – 28 February 2025 (10/10)

• Very good – Wenli from Australia – 18 March 2025 (8/10)

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities