Check-in was warm and pleasant. Staff interactions were always met with smiles and courtesy. The hotel was however very run down. The lamp under the tv had broken off years before and was tucked away under the TV and fell out on the first day when we grabbed the TV remote from its pocket. There were no toiletries, bar five sheets of toilet paper and a tiny bar of soap. We went and bought our own as reception is shut almost all of the time. Two flat pillows were provided, but staff provided more on the second day upon request. The AC never worked. Seemed it was on a timer to save energy or had a faulty fuse. It turned itself off after 20 minutes on the first day and never turned back on for the remaining three nights. No privacy with the windows opening straight up to the KFC drive-thru on ground floor. Couldn't leave the window open for fresh air for fear our stuff could be stolen by someone reaching in. Curtain was left drawn the whole stay. Bathroom was smaller than a cruise ship cabin bathroom. Toilet saturated when having a shower and nowhere to put the toiletries we purchased. No hand towels are provided, so had to walk backwards and forwards from sink to bathroom where towels hung. Housekeeping commence around 6am, so you are woken each morning by vacuums and slamming doors. If that didn't wake you up, the crows outside fighting over leftover KFC or McDonald's did. The hotel was sandwiched between the KFC and McDonald's, with access to the hotel via the KFC drive-thru. I honestly should have looked online for Street view before booking. The door to the shower was mouldy and severely water damaged. It looked like it was made of MDF, which swells up when wet. Not the most ideal or hygienic door for a shower. The fruit flies throughout the room and the marks on walls and a build-up of dust were the last straw. We understand that this was not a premium service, and I've noticed the manager's usual response is to stay somewhere else to similar reviews. However the basics were not even closely met, therefore this stay didn't even meet the basics promised.

We stayed for one night at the ibis Budget - St Peters as part of our self-organised tour of Australia
The welcome was warm, the staff helpful and the room clean –room size etc as for a standard ibis but equipped with a fridge
WiFi (Free) was good
The hotel have a breakfast room – we enjoyed the good value breakfast ( about $10 each ) standard ibis breakfast with the French bread being replaced by toast including fruit loaf but in particularly I enjoyed the pancakes from the pancake making
Parking is $5 / night – you may find Free parking available in side roads near by
Would happily use this hotel again on any future visit
In the evening we ate at the Pub adjacent to the station( good food / value)
From the station you can catch a local train into the centre of Sydney ( using a credit card to tap on / off about $7 / day ) – directions - turn right onto main road then a ten minute walk
In Sydney –
... either lunch or dinner I can recommend the ship inn on circular Quay pizza $10 at lunch time
... within walking distance of circular quay all the main sights including
... ... the anzac memorial – 11 oo for the last post
... ... parliament (NSW)– free tour
... ... Government house ( the governors residence ) located in the excellent Botanical gardens
... .... Opera house
... Plus from circular Quay
... ... the bus to Bondi – need I say more other than have lunch at Icebergs and watch out for second hand celebrities
... ... ferry service from circular Quay ( ferry part of the tap on / off public transport system )
... ... ... to the navy museum in Darling harbour – take the ferry under the harbour bridge
... ... ... or to Manley beach – have lunch and relax and watch the surfers
... if you have a car a little further out are two National trust properties ( UK National trust members have free access by presenting their UK membership card – and our experience always receive a very warm welcome)
... ... Old government house
... ... the experimental cottage
... further out still are the blue mountains where you will find
... ... botanical gardens
... ... everglades house near katoomba – wonderful – this is a national trust property
From the hotel we travelled to Canberra
... visiting two national trust properties on the way
... ... Harper’s Mansion
... ... Cooma Cotage
... Plus a sweet local museum at Yass
A point to be aware of - Melbourne / Sydney via the A1 ( princes highway - Coast road ) is excellent drive on rural roads – but two days was simple being too optimistic not allowing time to stop and enjoy
Worth knowing is that fresh ground coffee is $1 a cup at seven eleven and pie face outlets
PS – Finding way around Australia was made easier with sat nav -- I used the Free Navigator app on my phone having downloaded the map for Australia – excellent

Positives- Excellent location to get to the airport. 10 minute walk from the station to get to the city. Comfy bed and a warm shower. Next to fast food chains if you arrive late and need some food. Free luggage storage at all times so perfect for arriving early in the morning before check in and leaving late after check out. Bus stop to the city also located directly outside. Milk, tea, hot chocolate and coffee also provided for free.

Negatives- there is NO LIFT so prepare to tackle a lot of stairs like we had to do with 30kg suitcases! Our mugs were filthy on arrival and it’s noisy due to the location and the sink is located out of the bathroom? The WiFi also did not work despite it being advertised as free WiFi provided. It’s ideal for 1-3 nights. 7/10