Caroline Serviced Apartments have exceeded our expectations on what we thought we would get in Melbourne. Warwick, our host was amazing, from the moment we called to make the booking until the moment we checked out he was most helpful and informative. He went out of his way to ensure our stay was 100%.
The apartments are very, very clean and comfortable. Fully equiped with full kitchen, laundry, sep living and carpark, and free wifi, we wanted for nothing more. The location is perfect, in a quiet leafy street, but only a short stroll to excellent resturants, cafes and shops. The famous Botanical gardens are also a short walk away.
We will definitely stay here again next time in this wonderful city. 10 out of 10 Caroline apts.

There were three of us from Mumbai, India - my wife, my son aged 22, and myself. My daughter got married to an Australian national on 26th Nov, 2011. We were in Melbourne from 24th Nov through 27th Nov, departed early morning of 28th. It is a well-maintained place to stay, just like home away from home, very clean and quiet, with all the facilities which we have in our own home in Mumbai. All facilities like restaurants, etc are within 5 - 10 minutes walk. Even for recreation the Botanical Gardens are just about 10 minutes walking distance. City centre is also nearby, with the towering Eureka Towers giving a breathtaking view of the whole city of Melbourne from the 88th floor. And all this at a very reasonable price. Excellent Caroline staff, always very helpful, specially Mr Warick. What more could one ask for?

Recently my partner had to go into hospital overnight for a minor procedure and was staying at an East Melbourne hospital. I had looked at accommodation nearby (as I was driving him home afterwards, and in case anything happened), but a lot of it was pretty crap and on busy city feeder roads.

I didn't want to go to a CBD hotel (as much as I like them) because parking always becomes the issues - it can get overly expensive and you have to pay for each entry/exit, which wouldn't work for me if I wanted to take a drive to go get dinner or get out of the place for a while.

The good thing with Caroline is that there's secured off street parking undercover (in the block I was in at least) and direct access to the units. There's also at times spots out the front you can use overnight if need be.

I found Caroline apartments, and was pleasantly surprised - got upgraded to a terrace room, which was quite spacious, and set myself up. I had to do some work on my laptop and the main kitchen table was ideal - I didn't use the internet, I tend to tether my iPhone and use it's dataplan, I'm not a big user of hotel Wifi (often overpriced).

There was a bit of passing traffic in the evening and morning but apart from that it's a great location (I'd call it a side street), and close to everything, including the city which was about a 10 minute drive at the most, Richmond is 5.

Cons :
* I did notice the fittings were getting a bit manky (floorboards with glue on them), the couches in my room were vinyl and showing some wear,

* The toilets in the room I was in were way too close to the doorway and the toilet roll holder/roller is almost impossible to reach (down and back) and were quite noisy when flushed.

* No lift - not so much an issue for me, but may affect others if you're on the upper levels and haven't got so much mobility.

But - I had a good sleep, and that's my most important thing.

I first began staying at the Caroline Serviced Apartments when they first opened. At that time the staff couldn't be more helpful, and I was frequently upgraded etc. I recommended the place to all of my fellow travellers and soon found that they were routinely fully booked. Since the I've been a regular at the Art Series hotels, however, this week I stayed at Caroline Street again.

Whilst the greatest feature of this place is its excellent location, I couldn't help but notice that the interiors of the place are not aging well at all.

I also note that the staff just aren't as friendly as they once were. Why do they need photo ID for example? They eventually realised that I had stayed there many many times before and stopped that silliness. I had arrived an hour earlier than the official check in time. I knew they weren't full, yet they made it seem like they were doing me a favor!

The place remains generally comfortable, but I feel there is much better value available at other nearby venues if you are a business traveller. I would only recommend this place these days to people needing to travel with their family.