Perth is the most isolated major city on earth. The nearest city of comparable size is Adelaide, 2,100 kilometres away, and it is closer to Jakarta than to Sydney. That isolation shaped it: a small, wealthy, low-rise city built on a bend of the Swan River, with a beach coastline running north from Fremantle that would be world famous almost anywhere else.
The awkwardness for visitors is that the city and the coast are twenty minutes apart and the hotels are almost all in the city. Perth's accommodation is concentrated on the river and in the CBD, while the beaches at Cottesloe, Scarborough and City Beach have very little at the standard this list requires. That is a real constraint rather than an oversight, and it is worth knowing before you plan a beach-based trip here.
How to handle the split
Base yourself on the river in the city, and treat the coast as a train ride. The Fremantle line runs from the centre to Cottesloe in about twenty minutes and to Fremantle in half an hour, several times an hour, and it is a genuinely easy journey.
Within the city the variable is which side of the CBD you are on. The southern edge, along the river at Elizabeth Quay and Barrack Street, gives you the water, the ferries to South Perth and the walk into Kings Park. The northern side, around Hay and Murray Streets, gives you the shopping and Northbridge's restaurants and bars.
The eight below are grouped that way.
The river side
Facing the Swan at Elizabeth Quay or along the foreshore, with the best views and the shortest walk to Kings Park.
COMO The Treasury occupies the restored State Buildings, a nineteenth-century sandstone complex converted with unusual care, with a courtyard, a rooftop pool and the best restaurants in Western Australia in the same building. It is the finest hotel in the country outside Sydney.
COMO The Treasury
State Buildings, river side · 5★ · $$$$
Sandstone conversion with the best restaurants in the state
Check availabilityThe Ritz-Carlton, Perth sits at Elizabeth Quay with river views from most rooms, a large pool and a very good spa. It is the most comfortable modern hotel in the city and the position is the best of the towers.
The Ritz-Carlton, Perth
Elizabeth Quay · 5★ · $$$$
River views with the best pool and spa in the city
Check availabilityCrown Towers Perth occupies a tower on the river with the largest rooms in Perth, a rooftop pool and the deepest facilities. It is the most straightforwardly luxurious option.
Crown Towers Perth
Burswood, north bank · 5★ · $$$
Largest rooms in Perth with a resort pool complex
Check availabilityThe Westin Perth sits on the northern bank at Burswood, across the river from the centre, with a large resort operation, several pools and its own restaurant strip. It is a short train ride or drive to the CBD.
The Westin Perth
Hay Street, city · 5★ · $$$
Heritage frontage with a rooftop pool and good spa
Check availabilityPan Pacific Perth faces the water on the foreshore with reliable rooms and river views from the upper floors, at a considerably lower rate than the three above.
Pan Pacific Perth
Adelaide Terrace, foreshore · 5★ · $$
River views upstairs at a lower rate
Check availabilityThe city side
Around the shopping streets and Northbridge, a few minutes from the river.
QT Perth sits on Hay Street with a rooftop pool, a good bar and the most design-forward interior in the city. It is closest to Northbridge and the nightlife.
QT Perth
Murray Street, city · 5★ · $$$
Rooftop pool and the most design-led interior here
Check availabilityDoubletree By Hilton Perth Waterfront occupies a heritage building on Hay Street with a rooftop bar over the city, contemporary rooms and a lively ground floor.
Doubletree By Hilton Perth Waterfront
Riverside Drive · 4★ · $$
On the foreshore path at the best value on the water
Check availabilityInterContinental Perth City Centre by IHG sits in the centre with a large pool and a straightforward, well-run operation. It is the value pick in the CBD.
InterContinental Perth City Centre by IHG
Hay Street, city · 5★ · $$$
Central, well run, closest to Northbridge
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The Cottesloe pubs are excluded, and both of them are Western Australian institutions with the best sunset terraces in the state. They are pubs with rooms above them rather than hotels, and the rooms show it.
What to do
Kings Park is 400 hectares of bushland on an escarpment above the river, larger than Central Park, with the best view of the city and genuine native vegetation. Go at sunset.
Take the ferry to Rottnest Island, 30 minutes from Fremantle, where there are no cars, excellent swimming, and quokkas. It is the best day out in Western Australia.
Spend a day in Fremantle for the port, the markets, the prison and the breweries, and get the train to Cottesloe for the swimming.
Drive south to Margaret River if you have three days, which is one of the better wine regions in the southern hemisphere and about three hours away.
Eat and drink in Northbridge and the small bars along the laneways, which is where Perth's food improved dramatically over the last decade.
Practical notes
Perth airport is 20 to 30 minutes from the centre and now has a rail link. Flights from Europe and Asia arrive at awkward hours.
The seasons are inverted. September to November is the best window: wildflowers, warm days, and the sea warming up. December to February is hot and dry with a reliable afternoon sea breeze locals call the Fremantle Doctor. June to August is mild and wet.
The UV is extreme. Perth is a long way from everywhere, which means flights are long and often expensive; build in enough nights to justify them.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Perth Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Can you stay at the beach?
Not comfortably at a four or five star standard. Cottesloe and Scarborough have limited options. Stay on the river and take the twenty-minute train.
Perth or Fremantle?
Perth for the hotels and the river. Fremantle for atmosphere, and it works as a day trip from the city.
Is Perth worth the flight?
As a destination in itself, for three days, plus Rottnest and Margaret River. As a two-night stop it is a long way to go.
How many nights?
Four in and around the city, or a week with Margaret River.