My partner and I spent the last 2 nights (22 and 23 January 2008) of our month in Oz at Blue - and it was a brilliant stay! Check in was easy and attentive - indeed all of the hotel staff, from housekeeping to reception to concierge to bar staff - were all very friendly, attentive and professional.

The hotel is built into the largest timber building in the world and our room - with a view of the city skyline - was excellent; one of the best beds that we have slept in in a long time. Modern decor, clean bathroom with both separate bath and large shower; good amenities. We thought that the condoms and lubricant were a neat touch!

The hotel has no formal restaurant, which is a surprise at first, but when you see the immense selection of excellent restaurants (and bars) that line the west side of the hotel it is clear that any restaurant inside would be entirely superfluous! And inside, the space has more usefully been used to accommodate one of Sydney's best bars, the Water Bar. It makes excellent Tanquery 10 Dry Martinis and has a decent selection of champagnes.

Breakfast is served until 11 am (which we never had time to sample) but the menu looked great.

The location of the hotel was a great pleasure - after spending a previous week in the intensity of the CBD, Blue's location in Woolamooloo was absolutely perfect; not an emergency siren was heard during our complete stay! Taxis are always available outside the door of the hotel and it is a very short trip to the CBD, Kings Cross, or Oxford Street area.

We will be back at Blue next time we are in Sydney, for sure!

Stayed in a King Duplex room for 4 nights and couldn't have wished for a better start to our holiday in Australia. Check in was efficient with staff very helpful. The room was great: large living area with a spectacular view towards the city, and a mezzanine bedroom with a very comfortable bed. Both the bedroom and the living areas had flat panel TV screens. The bathroom was next to the bedroom with an extra WC on the lower floor.

Walking off the jetlag was easy given the BLUE's location in Wolloomooloo: it's a short walk to the botanical gardens and the Opera House and very quick to trot up to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (well worth a visit). The wharf location of the hotel is replete with Sydney's best (if rather expensive) restaurants (Aki's Indian was some of the best Indian food we've ever had) and there are plenty of other choices in the immediate area.

The bar in the BLUE opens from 4pm and is more focused on cocktails and wine than beer, which suited us fine. Clientele were a mix of those staying at the hotel and business types, and prices were high but the cocktails (I recommend the Emburey Martini) great. The bar also has a tapas-style menu -- again, prices are not cheap but the quality and quantity is worth it. Room service was also worth trying: this was the best in-room dining we'd ever had.

Other elements of the service were fine: valet parking was efficient and the front desk dealt with my queries quickly. A missing bathrobe was replaced in a couple of minutes, for example. Check out was fast and efficient.

Overall, the BLUE is probably one of the best hotels we've stayed at, combining high quality service with a great location if you don't mind stretching your legs for the walk into the CBD.

I arrived late into Sydney and was delivered to Blue at Woolloomooloo by my taxi. I was impressed by the check in. My bag was whisked out of the taxi and the staff escorted me to the hotel reception…had to go up some stairs to reception so not sure how disabled people get there….check in was very good with a very nice lay back atmosphere and I was very quickly in my room.
The room was really spacious with very pleasant décor of white walls, white blinds and very crisp white linen on the bed. This was complemented by dark brown desk and benches, chaise lounge and seat at the end of the bed and the original structures of the building which gives it a really great feel. The first effect was one of yes this is nice!!! Nice touches of coffee plunger and small packs of coffee to make the ubiquitous pot of coffee …very, very nice.
The fridge was very well stocked ….a bit of a laugh were some of the things one could purchase from the stocks in the room….large container of lubricating gel and the like…. which was different.
Bed was just so wonderfully comfortable!!!! Need to take that home with me!!!
The flat screen TV was excellent, not that the offerings on the TV were very interesting…not the fault of the hotel.
The bathroom on first appearance was very slick but when you looked a little closer there was mould and rust in the shower bay…needs some maintenance!!.
Shower was excellent with the water wonderfully hot!!!

The view from the room is over the water which is always pleasant to see the movement of boats on the water although as it is a pier the view is not expansive….but very much nicer than looking at brick walls or rusty roofs.
Downside: The service when having breakfast was not good, very tardy and very slow and the cost of the breakfast is unbelievably high….Go for a wander to some of the other eateries around and you will get a far better breakfast and far better service!!!
Upside: The staff on reception were most organised, pleasant and always ready with a smile and genuinely were happy to help with any request re storage of luggage.

Having read one bad review of this hotel I was hoping to be prooved wrong - unfortunately I was not!

The room was tired - the handle of the fridge broken.

Dirty tape stuck to the floor of the shower.

Went to the bar for a drink and bar staff were rude, unhelpful and then charged a standard 10% for tip.

During my 4 week trip to Australia this was the only disappointment.