Serviced Apartments Bondi

Three apartment buildings within walking distance of Bondi Beach give a travelling family real choices, and they differ more than the shared postcode suggests. One looks straight over the water, one trades hotel extras for a lower price and a free car space, and one is a full apartment hotel with a pool and the largest layouts. Campbell Parade, Hall Street and O'Brien Street are only a few blocks apart, so the decision comes down to budget, group size and whether you are bringing a car.

How the three Bondi buildings compare for a group stay:

• Bondi 38 Serviced Apartments is the pick for sea views: it faces the beach from Campbell Parade, and every two-bedroom apartment looks over the ocean.
• Ultimate Apartments Bondi Beach keeps costs down by skipping a daily maid, room service and a concierge, and gives each apartment its own off-street car space at no charge.
• Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach Sydney has the biggest single apartment of the three, a 101 square metre three-bedroom for six or seven.
• A family of four fits a two-bedroom at any of them; Bondi 38 and the Adina stretch to five, while Ultimate's two-bedroom stops at four.
• Laundry is handled differently: a washer-dryer in every Bondi 38 apartment, a washer and dryer in the larger Adina apartments, and a coin laundry with a rooftop drying terrace at Ultimate.

Groups too big for one apartment can have units linked together at Bondi 38, and the Adina takes requests for interconnecting rooms. Ultimate's single three-bedroom apartment, with two queen rooms and a twin, is the one to book early, since the building has just one. Pools are at Ultimate, with a sun deck, and at the Adina, alongside a spa and gym. Anyone planning to cook most nights should note that Ultimate's studios have kitchenettes and its two-bedroom apartments a full kitchen, while every Bondi 38 apartment, studios included, has a full kitchen with a dishwasher.