Name: Novotel Darwin CBD
Address: 100 The Esplanade, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, Darwin, Darwin Municipality, AU
Price range: $79–$208 per night
Rating: 7.5

What guests think

At Novotel Darwin CBD, travellers repeatedly praise the friendly staff and central Esplanade location with harbour views, while also noting that the property is dated, with inconsistent housekeeping and maintenance concerns that affect comfort for some stays.

Room size and views vary, with some spacious options for families, but several guests reported air-conditioning performance or noise issues. The leafy atrium and bar areas earn compliments, though the pool can feel cold, the hot tub isn't heated, and parking arrangements next door confuse some. Breakfast is frequently described as basic or limited, yet a few found it good value; wider dining ranges from very good to disappointing, and service can be slow. Overall, it suits travellers prioritising location over polish.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Guests like the leafy atrium and bar areas, and there is a pool; however, the pool can be cold, the hot tub is not heated, and parking access next door can be confusing or inconvenient.

Related guest reviews

10

Rui Moreno

Sep 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Front customer service was excellent. The lobby was very quiet and was amazing to look at

6

David

Oct 8, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff overall slack, A/C in room blowing back into room from rear hot air, had to run hot water for 10 minutes before required temperature was obtained, car parking was to be organised but unfortunately late at night could not access car park, parked hire car right in front of the hotel thinking it would be safe only to have the left hand door mirror smashed and ripped around, now going to cost me heaps to have repair, over all thanks for nothing

8

Peter

Feb 15, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Parking was a little confusing having to park next door. Otherwise a nice overnight stay.

6

Wendy

Jan 19, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Friendly staff, safe parking

6

Nick

Sep 6, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Bathrooms and Rooms seem a bit tired and in need of a spruce up. Atrium area of the hotel is really cool with all the live plants hanging down the balcony walls and the creek running through the sunken lounge area.

8

Jason

Jul 22, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

The hotel is in a good location with the Waterfront, shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance. Waterfront about 15min walk away. Although the hotel looks a bit dated, the rooms are clean and well appointed, there is a nice bar and restaurant on the ground floor. The pool and area around it is good to enjoy on those warm days. The hot tub is not heated so is the same temperature as the pool. Overall, a great hotel especially the 2 bedroom apartments for families.

8

Joanne

Jul 9, 2025

·

Stayed 7 nights

Great location and clean, the lobby is lovely but it all needs refreshing and updating.

10

Joanne

Aug 21, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location. Lovely dining and bar areas

6

Jackie

Jul 15, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Loved the hanging gardens in the atrium inside the hotel. Food and bar were good. Pool was cold even for Darwin! Staff were friendly. Bathroom ceiling mouldy. Some cracked and missing tiles. Otherwise clean and comfortable. View of the harbour was nice - could see the sunset over the water.

6

Fabian

Oct 28, 2024

·

Stayed 7 nights

Just needs some updates. Front of property messy in garden, torn canopy over restaurant. Tired looking. Needs a pool bar,zero ambiance there. I was the only person in the pool most of the time. Cleanliness was great. Housekeeping staff amazing, front of house fantastic and bar staff. Clean rooms and crispy white sheets. Lovely. Just needs new carpet and a spruce up because location is fabulous away from noisy Mitchell st, near the harbour. Food was fantastic, shout out to the chef. Most amazing steak dinner. The atrium is absolutely beautiful. Great ambiance there. Would definitely recommend this hotel if you can look past its tiredness. Higher floor would be amazing view of harbour.

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is inconsistent: multiple reviews cite mouldy bathrooms, stained floors, damp smells, cockroaches, and missed or delayed housekeeping, while others reported clean rooms and crisp linens.

Related guest reviews

8

Annette

Nov 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Yes had a great stay, room was clean and staff provided a fabulous services. Thank you

4

Josef

Jul 4, 2022

·

Stayed 5 nights

Awful experience. Dirty room. No bath towels at all provided for more than 24 hours. Family of five staying in a two bedroom apartment. Room was not cleaned on arrival. Kitchenette and bathroom were dirty. On check-in, staff mentioned no issues with room despite knowing that the hotel had no towels. Family of five paying a premium rate and we were expected to manage with one hand towel. Management were inept, offering a belated apology but no action.

4

Lea

Jul 18, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Stayed 4 nights with friends. Hotel is grubby and rundown and very short staffed. The rooms were dirty and dank with tiny showers it needs a whole deepclean ! Very dissappointed. The manager needs to be fired.

4

Ian

Dec 29, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Air conditioners were full of mould

4

Jeane

May 13, 2022

·

Stayed 2 nights

I am terribly disappointed with our accomodation at the Novotel Darwin. We arrived and our rooms were not ready till after 5.00om. They charged us for breakfast twice and the showers and shower curtains were filthy. I’m sorry but I would not recommend anyone to stay there.

6

Tara

Jul 22, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This property was conveniently located on the Esplanade. Check in was simple and quick however zero engagement by the person checking us in. The rooms we stayed in (2 bedroom apartment) was pretty average and I was expecting more from Novotel especially considering the cost ($1100.00 for 2 nights). Floors were heavily stained. Rooms were very tired. Greeted by cockroaches in the kitchen and the bathroom was really not up to standard with lots of mould present in the shower and toilet (can scratch off easily with a fingernail so surely can clean off by scrubbing - clearly had not been scrubbed for a long time). Makeup from the previous person was on the tiles around the basin. Overall was disappointed and glad we were booked informed the remainder of our stay elsewhere.

4

??

Oct 3, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

バスタブありということで予約しましたが、ありませんでした。バスルームのアメニティが足りておらず、タオルにシミが残っていました。ゴキブリも出てきました。ベッドは広くて快適でしたが、エアコンから高い音がウェーブするような騒音が出て眠れず、天井扇で何とかしのぎました。レイトチェックアウトを頼んだのに、１１時過ぎに掃除スタッフに起こされました。１泊だけだったので辛抱しましたが、４つ星ホテルとしてはおそまつに感じました。

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4

Carla

Dec 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It was not as clean as we were expecting. There's a damp smell in the room. We found two cockroach inside the room. The bedsheet smells like they were not fully dry. Disappointing

6

Jeremy

Aug 5, 2022

·

Stayed 6 nights

The hotel is in a great area of Darwin. Its an old-sh hotel but still nice. Bar area is great. I found the service confusing. Many times I got mixed messages about my bill. Also, my room was hardly cleaned over a 6 day stay. Finally, the staff at Novotel need to communicate better to their guests. For instance, I booked accom for a group of 9 people and it was near on impossible to get a clear picture of our room bookings. Many times I got incorrect info via email that was later fixed. The problem was if I didnt pick up thier mistakes then I was paying the incorrect price at hefty amount.

6

Fabian

Oct 28, 2024

·

Stayed 7 nights

Just needs some updates. Front of property messy in garden, torn canopy over restaurant. Tired looking. Needs a pool bar,zero ambiance there. I was the only person in the pool most of the time. Cleanliness was great. Housekeeping staff amazing, front of house fantastic and bar staff. Clean rooms and crispy white sheets. Lovely. Just needs new carpet and a spruce up because location is fabulous away from noisy Mitchell st, near the harbour. Food was fantastic, shout out to the chef. Most amazing steak dinner. The atrium is absolutely beautiful. Great ambiance there. Would definitely recommend this hotel if you can look past its tiredness. Higher floor would be amazing view of harbour.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are generally dated, though some are spacious with harbour views and suited to families. Several reviews mention weak or noisy air-conditioning and occasional external noise.

Related guest reviews

10

Douglas

Sep 1, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location, good size room.

8

Robyn Joan

Aug 15, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

The room wasn’t always made up on the day. The building and rooms need a face lift.

8

Geoffrey

Mar 28, 2024

·

Stayed 7 nights

The hotel although very dated and in need of some TLC iit had everything we needed for a week's stay. On the downside the aircon in our room wasn't very efficient and the fridge was just short of useless.

8

Pasqualino Taglieri

Jan 6, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great location with a room overlooking harbour & views along the esplanade. Easy access to CBD.

4

Steve

Jan 10, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

we left a list of grievances at the room but have not been contacted. sums it up. -air vent running through the room/bay window at 45 degrees & heating the room up unbearably, probably why the air cond was set at 18 degrees & on full time. -air vent was very noisy which made it hard to sleep. -mould in bathroom. -vent in bathroom not working, probable cause of mould. -odd smell in room generally, mould ? -some panel in bathroom wall not secured.. -coffee sachets out of date & rock hard. -no milk in room. -were informed by staff that there is a POD coffee machine in the room. nope. -definately not value for money, have had better & cheaper rooms australia wide. -would not waste my money again.

8

Toby Nicholas

Oct 15, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were friendly and great. The hotel needs work and a refresh

10

Jaclyn

Oct 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Comfortable and safe, family room very spacious.

8

Shannon

Nov 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Decent rooms. Starting to show its age.

6

Christopher William

Aug 29, 2023

·

Stayed 9 nights

Very dated, airconditioning useless and Noisy, breakfast totally over priced. Such a Shame as it's a great location.Shower very small with over spray.

2

Fenella

Jun 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Unfortunately, our stay at this Novotel was not up to expectations. The room we were allocated backed onto a neighboring hotel that played loud music until 3:00 AM, accompanied by disruptive noise from individuals outside well into the early morning. What was most disappointing is that we were moved from our original waterfront view room at the front of the hotel to a room at the rear, facing the source of the noise. This significantly impacted the quality of our stay.

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly and helpful, but service delivery can falter with slow restaurant service, delayed room readiness or housekeeping, billing mix-ups, and occasional unhelpful front-desk interactions.

Related guest reviews

8

Annette

Nov 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Yes had a great stay, room was clean and staff provided a fabulous services. Thank you

4

James

Jul 15, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Once a nice place. A little run down but fine. Very expensive. Mediocre service at front desk.

10

stephen

Aug 5, 2024

·

Stayed 11 nights

All the staff were very helpful, always happy and courteous,

8

Elisha

Oct 15, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

It was quiet and stress free, the staff were amazing and went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable.

8

Karen Lee

Aug 25, 2024

·

Stayed 9 nights

Nice big room ,junior suite, bathroom needs a refurb, otherwise good, front desk staff very helpful restaurant service extremely slow, 1.5 hrs wait for burger and schnitzel with very few customers

10

Srinivas

Dec 31, 2022

·

Stayed 19,356 nights

Excellent staff. People at reception helped a lot in planning for local visits. The cleaning staff did well too

4

Jeane

May 13, 2022

·

Stayed 2 nights

I am terribly disappointed with our accomodation at the Novotel Darwin. We arrived and our rooms were not ready till after 5.00om. They charged us for breakfast twice and the showers and shower curtains were filthy. I’m sorry but I would not recommend anyone to stay there.

6

Joan

Jun 5, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Did not have any tea in room said they had run out was there for 4 nights never got any & on the morning of leaving tried to charge use for some chocolate that we had not had

6

Jeremy

Aug 5, 2022

·

Stayed 6 nights

The hotel is in a great area of Darwin. Its an old-sh hotel but still nice. Bar area is great. I found the service confusing. Many times I got mixed messages about my bill. Also, my room was hardly cleaned over a 6 day stay. Finally, the staff at Novotel need to communicate better to their guests. For instance, I booked accom for a group of 9 people and it was near on impossible to get a clear picture of our room bookings. Many times I got incorrect info via email that was later fixed. The problem was if I didnt pick up thier mistakes then I was paying the incorrect price at hefty amount.

10

Eahab El

Jul 5, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great property great staff enjoyable stay

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Consistently praised Esplanade position within easy walking distance of the CBD, Waterfront, shops and dining, with some rooms offering harbour views.

Related guest reviews

10

Douglas

Sep 1, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location, good size room.

8

Lesley

Sep 30, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Good location, hotel a little bit worn but had everything I needed, friendly staff easy check in and out

8

Pasqualino Taglieri

Jan 6, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great location with a room overlooking harbour & views along the esplanade. Easy access to CBD.

8

Amelia

Jan 13, 2024

·

Stayed 12 nights

Great location, close for walking along the Esplanade or into town. But the property needs a general refurb & freshen up

8

Jason

Jul 22, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

The hotel is in a good location with the Waterfront, shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance. Waterfront about 15min walk away. Although the hotel looks a bit dated, the rooms are clean and well appointed, there is a nice bar and restaurant on the ground floor. The pool and area around it is good to enjoy on those warm days. The hot tub is not heated so is the same temperature as the pool. Overall, a great hotel especially the 2 bedroom apartments for families.

10

Joanne

Aug 21, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location. Lovely dining and bar areas

8

Paul

Jun 18, 2024

·

Stayed 9 nights

Great hotel to stay the staff were excellent and perfect location. Only a few minutes walk to the city. Differently stay again. Thanks Novotel cbd.

10

Paul

Jun 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Good hotel well located.?

8

Cynthia

Aug 26, 2023

·

Stayed 6 nights

Close to everything and great view

6

Fabian

Oct 28, 2024

·

Stayed 7 nights

Just needs some updates. Front of property messy in garden, torn canopy over restaurant. Tired looking. Needs a pool bar,zero ambiance there. I was the only person in the pool most of the time. Cleanliness was great. Housekeeping staff amazing, front of house fantastic and bar staff. Clean rooms and crispy white sheets. Lovely. Just needs new carpet and a spruce up because location is fabulous away from noisy Mitchell st, near the harbour. Food was fantastic, shout out to the chef. Most amazing steak dinner. The atrium is absolutely beautiful. Great ambiance there. Would definitely recommend this hotel if you can look past its tiredness. Higher floor would be amazing view of harbour.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

Breakfast feedback is mixed and often called basic or limited, though some found it good value; overall food ranges from excellent dishes to poor room service, and the restaurant can be slow.

Related guest reviews

4

Sarah van

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 10 nights

I’ll start with saying the reception and restaurant staff are so good but they are having to put up with a substandard product.. this isn’t a 4 star hotel It’s dated and run down .. even the “renovated”rooms are still poor .. our initial room I wouldn’t stay in due to the smell and cleanliness of the room .. staff were great and moved us .. the room we moved to was cleaner but not fantastic housekeeping is terrible and really needs to improve attention to detail .. refolding towels that were put out for replacement not the best !!! breakfast was ok but very basic offerings Hotel is also run on mimimal staff as an example bar staff was having to run restaurant also but the staff were amazingly friendly and were always happy to help Close to Mitchell street where the bars and shops are

10

Terence

Jan 7, 2024

·

Stayed 6 nights

Friendly staff and excellent service. Buffet breakfast was surprisingly good.

8

Karen Lee

Aug 25, 2024

·

Stayed 9 nights

Nice big room ,junior suite, bathroom needs a refurb, otherwise good, front desk staff very helpful restaurant service extremely slow, 1.5 hrs wait for burger and schnitzel with very few customers

6

Seo Lung

Jul 18, 2024

·

Stayed 10 nights

Close to CBD, walking distance. Breakfast option limited, hotel is old and run-down.

6

Jackie

Jul 15, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Loved the hanging gardens in the atrium inside the hotel. Food and bar were good. Pool was cold even for Darwin! Staff were friendly. Bathroom ceiling mouldy. Some cracked and missing tiles. Otherwise clean and comfortable. View of the harbour was nice - could see the sunset over the water.

6

Christopher William

Aug 29, 2023

·

Stayed 9 nights

Very dated, airconditioning useless and Noisy, breakfast totally over priced. Such a Shame as it's a great location.Shower very small with over spray.

2

Nikki

May 1, 2022

·

Stayed 3 nights

Please do not stay here. It is awful. The rooms are dirty and musty. The mouldy looking shower curtain was unpleasant every morning, as was the hole in the ceiling around the down light. It was hot and musty and all round terrible. The front doors seemed to have easilt removable dirt the entire stay. I ordered room service, steamed veggies and dips. The veggies were frozen veggies that were still cold and one of the dips was chutney. The service was less than satisfactory, rude I would say. The one plus was I was able to check in upon my arrival from the airport at 10.30am however that seems to be held over me like I should have been exceptionally grateful. I ca not stress this enough - DO NOT STAY HERE. I cannot believe it is an accor hotel

8

DARREN

Jul 26, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

It was a very pleasant stay. The breakfast is really nice, and great value. My only issue is i need a tax invoice from Hotels.com to claim the expense back from my employer - and the hotel themselves are not able to provide as i did not book directly with the hotel.

8

Billie

Jun 26, 2023

·

Stayed 6 nights

Good location and clean. Rooms definitely outdated and need a renovation. Buffet breakfast very basic.

6

Fabian

Oct 28, 2024

·

Stayed 7 nights

Just needs some updates. Front of property messy in garden, torn canopy over restaurant. Tired looking. Needs a pool bar,zero ambiance there. I was the only person in the pool most of the time. Cleanliness was great. Housekeeping staff amazing, front of house fantastic and bar staff. Clean rooms and crispy white sheets. Lovely. Just needs new carpet and a spruce up because location is fabulous away from noisy Mitchell st, near the harbour. Food was fantastic, shout out to the chef. Most amazing steak dinner. The atrium is absolutely beautiful. Great ambiance there. Would definitely recommend this hotel if you can look past its tiredness. Higher floor would be amazing view of harbour.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$94
February	$103
March	$103
April	$119
May	$173
June	$203
July	$226
August	$243
September	$175
October	$116
November	$98
December	$92

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $142	2 $192	3 $181
4 $98	5 $125	6 $208	7 $123	8 $123	9 $117	10 $112
11 $112	12 $139	13 $149	14 $150	15 $144	16 $121	17 $117
18 $112	19 $117	20 $123	21 $123	22 $79	23 $113	24 $112
25 $113	26 $118	27 $123	28 $123	29 $118	30 $107	31 $107

Novotel Darwin CBD

Prices for Novotel Darwin CBD

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Guest reviews of Novotel Darwin CBD

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Novotel Darwin CBD

Considering this hotel for your Darwin trip?

Prices for upcoming dates

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21 $194	22 $200	23 $178	24 $167	25 $147	26 $147
27 $151	28 $186	29 $194	30 $167