Discover Melbourne Accommodation Tennis Choices, Short Walk From Tennis Centre

The first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year is the Australian Open. This competition, "The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific" is held every January (summer in Australia) at Melbourne Park Tennis Centre, in the state of Victoria. The most recent singles winners (2010) were Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Mens' Singles, and Serena Williams (USA) in the Womens' competition. This short Melbourne accommodation tennis article examines some hotels in the city which are within easy walking distance of the tennis centre. As the Melbourne Cricket Ground is also near, these hotels might also be considered by cricket fans.

The Australian Open is hosted by the Melbourne Park Tennis Centre, which is on Batman Avenue, near the south eastern corner of the city's Central Business District (CBD). The Medina Executive hotel (4.5 stars) is on Flinders Street in that part of town, and is about 700 metres from the Tennis Centre.

The Medina Executive is therefore within easy walking distance of the Australia Open venue (also the Melbourne Cricket Ground for cricket Tests and One Day Internationals) while still being near to city centre landmarks such as Federation Square.

The accommodation at the Medina is in the form of one, two and three bedroomed self contained apartments. All apartments have city views, some have views over Port Philip Bay (just "The Bay" to the locals). Rooms have cable/satellite TV, and guests can make complimentary use of the hotel's gymnasium facilities.

The Medina Executive is in an area of town with some of Melbourne's top restaurants and best theatres. Nearby restaurants include the Press Club, Fifteen and Movida. The Circle Tram line runs just past the Medina, and it is just a short ride to some other Melbourne sights such as the Queen Vic market, and Docklands.

Early booking at the Medina Executive is advised for stays during Australian Open time, or during Melbourne Test and One Day Cricket internationals. Bookings in advance can be made online via any Australia/New Zealand specialist hotel booking website.

The Hotel Lindrum is another good spot for sports fans. It is quite close to the Medina (also on Flinders Street). The Lindrum is a four star establishment, with 59 rooms and suites. All rooms have satellite TV, broadband internet and CD/DVD players. The hotel's restaurant serves full breakfast, and rooms have tea/coffee making facilities.

In addition to being convenient for Australian Open and test match fans, the Medina and Lindrum are both just a short walk away from the Crown Casino complex, on the opposite bank of the Yarra River. The Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex opened in 1997, and has played an important part in regenerating Melbourne's Southbank.

Although the Crown complex boasts three hotels (Crown Towers, Crown Promenade, Crown Metropol) and many shops and restaurants, the largest business is the Crown casino. The Crown Casino has over 2000 poker machines, and 350 gaming tables, which make it the largest casino south of the equator. Hotels in the Crown Complex are a bit further from the tennis ground than the Medina and the Hotel Lindrum, but still within reasonable walking distance.