The apartment was fantastic! Comfy bed, a balcony, fully equiped, and lots of space. The only downside to the room was the bathroom. There was no shower screen so water went all over the toilet, which was right next to the shower, and over the floor, making it a serious slip hazard. Even though our room wasn't cleaned while we were there, Pauline the cleaner asked if we had everything we needed and if anything needed topping up. She was lovely. We got return airport transfers and our driver Michael was brilliant. Great guy, friendly and helpful. He drove us in a cool black electric Lexus SUV. We felt very special and the transfers worked out cheaper than taxis. Sadly, the reception staff seemed disinterested and not very helpful with being forthcoming about details. The hotel runs on a series of codes (no keys/key cards) for after hours entry, pool and gym entry, and even our room door. If all this had of been communicated to us clearly at reception, and not by SMS, it would have saved a lot of confusion. There's no phone in the room so keep your SMS because it has reception/hotel numbers if you need them. The SMS also told us to download an app that we didn't end up needing.The hotel is close to everything including the light rail (you can take it to the beach) and beautiful walks along the wharf where there's lots of cafes and bars. Newcastle is a beautiful city and we had a fabulous stay. I would have given 5 stars, but the reception staff and bathroom brought it down.