Our favourite hotel to stay at in the Sydney area is, without a doubt, the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Membertou.
A newer hotel, it's absolutely beautiful, the amenities are great and there are some excellent perks that come with staying there.
Good to Know
Location: Sydney, Cape Breton
Distance from causeway: 140 kilometers (1 hour + 45 minute drive)
Family friendly? Yes
Pet friendly? Yes (surcharge)
Wi-fi? Yes
Amenities: Pool, waterslide, complimentary breakfast, exercise room, laundry room, business centre, free coffee, restaurant on-site.
Air Conditioning: Yes
Restaurant / Bar on-site: Yes
Best Time To Go: Open year-round.
Cost: Varies
To Book: Contact
Getting to the Hampton Inn (by Hilton) Sydney
The Hampton Inn (by Hilton) is located in Membertou, which is a part of Sydney. It's about a 5 minute drive from the Sydney waterfront or Sydney downtown area.
Amenities at the Hampton Inn
There are a lot of things I love about this hotel, but one of the things I find most special is the beautiful nature-oriented, earthy decor.
This hotel was built in conjunction with the Membertou First Nation, a progressive Mi'kmaq community in Sydney. Many of the artistic touches in the hotel are a nod to the Mi'kmaq culture and heritage of the area, which I think is absolutely lovely.
As soon as you walk into the lobby there is a large living wall type display with plants and running water on your left. As you walk in further you encounter soaring ceilings, lots of sunlight and many artistic displays that fit the space and the cultural heritage of the community so well.
Tip: The lobby also features a coffee/tea/hot chocolate station that is available 24 hours/day, and a touchless water bottle filling station - both of which I really appreciate.
There is a breakfast room/seating area that has an enormous live edge table/bar that is probably 40 feet long (it is gorgeous) and one of my favourite features.
From the second floor you can access the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre through the pedway, which has a gorgeous display of dream catchers and a number of fascinating displays on the history of the Mi'kmaki people in this part of Unama'ki/Cape Breton.
The Pool
Our kids also really love the pool here, in particular because it has a large water slide adjacent to it. The water slide has a large staircase leading to the top and features an enclosed slide with a separate splash pool at the end.
The kids LOVE it.
The pool itself is great too, although it can be a little bit crowded and echoey when the hotel is busy.
Right next to the pool there is a fitness centre that has treadmills, eliptical machines and stationary bikes, as well as hand weights, a weight bench and some other equipment, along with banks of tvs.
There is a coin operated washer and dryer available for guest use on the main floor, as well as a business centre.
Room Review
I love the rooms at this hotel too!
They are fairly spacious and don't feel cramped, and I love that there is a little mini kitchenette in every room, with a fridge, sink, microwave and coffee maker! It is honestly so convenient! I love having a place to put leftover food if we order takeout or take some back from a restaurant.
The beds are comfy and so are the pillows, and the shower is good too.
The bathroom offers little mini toiletry kits with cotton pads, q-tips and makeup removing wipes, in addition to the usual soap/shampoo/conditioner/moisturizing cream, which I think is great.
They also have a little sign saying that if you forgot anything (like a toothbrush, etc) to contact the front desk and they will help you out. Super nice!
Each room has a large flat screen TV, and the wi-fi is excellent.
Breakfast Review
The breakfast room is the main location for one of my other favourite amenities at this hotel: the free hot breakfast.
The breakfast has varied quite a bit over the past few years due to the pandemic, but I find recently it has started to return to the way it was.
It's a buffet style breakfast serving scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, sliced ham, sausages, home fries, bagels and bread, yogurt, fresh waffles, oatmeal, cereal, fresh fruit, baked goods like muffins and cinnamon rolls, as well as juice, milk, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
The food is great, you can eat as much as you want, and honestly the value it provides makes this my hands-down choice for where to stay in Sydney.
Personally I like to have a good breakfast before we head out to explore for the day, and having the buffet style breakfast included in the room rate means we can all eat what we feel like, until we're full.
Hampton Inn FAQs
Check in is 4:00 pm and check out is 12:00 pm.
Some of the room amenities include a small kitchenette (sink, microwave and mini-fridge), air conditioning, wi-fi, a large flat screen tv, complimentary toiletries and more.
The hotel features an indoor pool with adjacent water slide, an exercise room, a business centre, free breakfast buffet, 24-hour coffee, tea and hot chocolate station in the lobby, touchless water bottle filling station, and a laundry room, among other things.
What to do near the Hampton Inn Sydney
Where to Eat
We've had great meals in Sydney at the Flavour restaurants (Flavour on the Water, Flavour Downtown and Flavour 19) and the Olive Tree (Mediterranean food).
We've also really enjoyed both the food and the patios at Governor's Pub (the view of the harbour from Governor's Pub is fantastic on a nice day)and The Old Triangle Pub.
For a quick bite of something tasty we like the Lebanese Flower, Indian food from Mian's, and Naru Sushi.
We've also enjoyed a flight of cold craft beer at Breton Brewing, along with a tasty lunch from Little Rollin Bistro, the excellent food truck that sometimes parks outside.
In time, I hope we'll have posts on all these restaurants! 🙂
Outdoors
The Sydney waterfront has a lovely, several-kilometre-long boardwalk, leading to the Big Fiddle (the world's largest fiddle). It's a beautiful place for an afteroon ice cream or after dinner stroll.
Wentworth Park is a small, charming park close to downtown Sydney. A path around a pond ringed with beautiful old trees makes for a pleasant stroll on a hot day. Cool off with an amazing ice cream creation from Annie's Ice Cream Truck, which normally parks next to the park in the summer.
Open Hearth Park is an excellent spot to visit if you have kids. Sprawling playgrounds, a splash pad in the summer, walking track and multi-use fields mean that the park offers something for everyone (including a canteen in the summertime).
Sightseeing & Culture
Located in downtown Sydney, the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design offers a beautiful display of art made by Cape Bretoners, as well as a gallery shop.
Cossit House is one of the oldest houses still standing in Sydney, and may even be one of the oldest in all of Cape Breton. Open during the summer season, the museum features costumed interpreters and a modest entry fee.
Sydney makes a decent jumping off point for the spectacular Fortress of Louisbourg (40 minute drive) or the Miner's Museum in Glace Bay (30 minute drive). It's about a one hour drive from Baddeck, which is an excellent place to start the Cabot Trail.
Final Thoughts
The location of the hotel is slightly outside the downtown core (about a five minute drive) and has lots of free parking available for guests. They have a number of adjoining sets of rooms and have always accommodated requests to have rooms placed near each other.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, as well as very professional. The whole hotel has always been extremely clean when we've stayed there.
The website lists a large number of amenities to accommodate accessibility requests - contact the hotel directly for more information.
They also have some pet-friendly rooms, which is important to many people.
There is a well-rated restaurant, Kiju's, located in the complex and accessible via pedway from the second floor of the hotel. I haven't eaten there yet but I'd really like to!
Have you stayed at this hotel? How was your experience?
Leave a Reply