What To Do if You Have One Day Transit In Melbourne

After our 8 days holiday in New Zealand, we had to transit in Melbourne before flying back with Air Asia (Melbourne to Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur). We intended to visit Melbourne Zoo, and stayed in Ibis on Therry St. which is located near the zoo. During school holiday, zoo ticket is free for children. We only had to buy adult ticket which cost AUD 30 p.p.

We walked from Ibis to the tram station. We were waiting for the free circle tram in Melbourne when we met a family from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "What is your plan today with your kids?" the mother asked me. "We'd like to go to the zoo. How about you?" She answered "We're planning to visit Melbourne Museum" Then the City Circle tram (free tourist tram), both of our families stepped into the tram.

Kiddos were happy to see the tram

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Review of Ibis Therry Street, a Family Hotel in Melbourne

I was looking for a kids friendly hotel or apartment in Melbourne through booking.com when I found a reasonably priced family hotel in Melbourne: Ibis Hotel on Therry Street. Ibis has standard double or twin rooms, and it also has one or two bedroom apartments. The two bedroom apartment was above our budget, but the one bedroom apartment was not. 

Our budget for a night stay at Melbourne was at maximum AUD 150, and the one bedroom apartment was AUD 139. It has a separate living room, provides a kitchenette with a microwave and refrigerator, and a bathtub. Just perfect for our kiddos who love swimming so much.

at the lobby of Ibis

I sent an email to the hotel prior to the room reservation asking whether we were allowed to take two kids, because in the hotel's policy which is written on booking.com, only 1 child was allowed. The email was promptly replied and yes we could take our both of our kiddos to the one bedroom apartment:) I made the reservation through booking.com after receiving the email.

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Transit Hotel in Melbourne Tullamarine: Cilom Airport Lodge

Do you have a plan to transit in Melbourne Tullamarine Airport and looking for an affordable hotel or motel to stay? Our flights from Indonesia to New Zealand transit in Melbourne, as we took Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne. We arrived at Melbourne Tullamarine airport at around 12.20 am, and our connecting flight from Melbourne to Queenstown was at 10 am. After a long flight from Jakarta, we didn't intend to wait or sleep at the airport. We needed a room for our short sleep.

Ibis Hotel which is located near the budget terminal of Tullamarine Airport was my first choice. I walked passing this hotel when I was looking for a cheap public transport from Melbourne Tullamarine to the city. So I thought, it would be easy to find the hotel as I knew the place already. A room at Ibis Hotel cost around AUD 130, it was within our budget. But I changed my mind after reading reviews on tripadvisor regarding the self check-in process and the lift. Guests checking in after 11 pm will have to do their self check-in, and there was one review saying the hassle of a traveler who failed to do the self check in, and had to make several calls to the hotel staff. Other reviews mentioned that this hotel doesn't have a lift. 

Then I searched for another hotel with better reviews. I came across a motel called Cilom Airport Lodge. Although not in a walking distance from the airport, the reviews say that the motel provides free return shuttle bus from and to the airport. How about the price? Double room cost AUD 138 while Twin Room cost AUD 148. We took a twin room as it provides one single bed and one queen bed. 

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