Limes Hotel, Brisbane review: Narrow and groovy.

Brisbane, Queensland

142 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley

Phone: (07) 3852 9000

Email: info@limeshotel.com.au

Web: limeshotel.com.au

The location Fortitude Valley is Brisbane's nightlife district, so best stay away if you'd rather spend the weekend with a book. Limes Hotel, which is 1km northeast of the CBD, is close to local bars, clubs, cafes, restaurants and shops, and is a good base for people who want to stay up late and party.

The place Limes has 21 "design-conscious" (in other words, small) rooms. The kitchenettes have benches that double as work space, and there are iPod docking stations and large LCD TV sets, as well as free Wi-Fi access. However, to save water, there are no bathtubs. The roof-top bar with its view of the city lights is the big drawcard.

It's open to the public as well as to guests (there's a retractable roof if it rains), and yes, noise from the bar may drift into some rooms. The staff are all young, charming and helpful.

The experience It's really all about the roof-top bar and socialising. You can also watch movies in the open-air cinema on the roof. Size-wise, Limes is a narrow hotel, with narrow hallways and a narrow lift. All very groovy - think small hotels in certain parts of Paris and bumping into interesting strangers. Limes isn't the right place for those who expect the wide-open spaces of a lobby and a choice of lifts when they stay in a hotel.