Urbanest

If you’re looking for a comfortable and enjoyable place to stay within the city of Adelaide, then look no further. Urbanest is known to be one of the best located and decent quality places to live for students in Adelaide. This accommodation is located on prime real estate.

To the north, Urbanest is located in front of North Terrace. This is one of Adelaide's busiest streets. You’ll have the Adelaide Casino a thirty second walk and the Adelaide train station. There are a couple of 24/7 convenience stores located a minutes walk away. It is also just a five minute walk to the Adelaide Oval stadium where all the AFL, cricket and many concert events are placed. The residence is also a ten minute walk to the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

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The actual street that leads to the entrance to the Urbanest is filled with different restaurants and the underground entrance to the train station. There is also an underground club called Fat Controller which plays great tunes on party days. Another convenience store can be found here. There is also a very hipster-esque coffee shop that offers great hot beverages. There is also a bottle shop (alcohol shop) called the Thirsty Camel just across the street.

On the southern side you have Adelaide’s largest party street, Hindley street. The location is absolutely striking as you have a 24/7 McDonald's and a Hungry Jacks (Burger King) ready for your convenience. There is also a very student friendly Indian store called North Indian Cuisine. You could also find many other different restaurants within a few minutes walk away such as Nandos, Burp (Mexican restaurant), Afghan Charcoal etc. There are also a few shisha lounges for you to enjoy a smoke.

Concerning bars you have the Little Pub which provides a small bottle shop that is open till midnight. That makes it convenient to shop for alcohol late into the night to have at the Urbanest. There are many little bars here and there and streets that host many iconic bars. Peel street is one of the most popular bar areas. Most of Adelaide’s most popular clubs can be found here such as HQ, Reds etc.

The inside of Urbanest is pretty large. As you enter into the reception you will pass a few comfortable lounge chairs. To your right down the hallway you will find an elevator and a bike storage area. To your left there are stairs, a few computers that allow you to connect to your student university account and another elevator. This area is also where most of the mail is kept.

Up the stairs is the most exciting part of Urbanest. Directly on your left you’ll have a gym with everything you need. Access to this gym comes with being a resident of this student accommodation. As you walk further you’ll have a countertop to your left and a sink flanked by two vending machines. Here is where many of the student drinking occurs as its an easy place to put all your drinks. To your left you’ll have two different quiet rooms where you can study or chill with mates away from the world. If you keep going straight you’ll have a ping pong table and a billiards table. These two are usually the heart of many pre-drinking sessions. You could ask for a ball and ping pong paddles. To your right you have a closed lounging area. There are plenty of comfortable sofas strewn around and a large TV on display. This room is usually reserved for watching movies and playing on a playstation console. However, people do casually watch tv here.

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If you keep going straight you will end up on the terrace behind glass doors. This area is very popular due to its spectacular view of the area around. There are also two large tables that could fit around sixteen people each. From here you can check out the Adelaide casino, the busy North Terrace and the long lines leading to the Fat Controller underground parties. There is also a section with comfortable lounge chairs. These are on a grassy area which you could lie down on and enjoy a drink.

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Usually, my mates and I would call for large exchange parties here or get invited to them. It’s one of the best meeting places as its a close place to pre-drink then head straight to the clubs around. The only downside is that this area is cordoned off to drinkers at 11PM. However, that should be late enough to finish pre-drinking in Adelaide as Clubs have lockout at three in the morning.

The rooms themselves are very clean with your own private bathroom and shower. The size of the room varies in size depending on your choice. They also have some cheaper shared bedroom rooms for those looking for a bargain and don’t mind crashing with a roommate.

There is also a shared area with a living room and a kitchen. This area is perfect to cook while socialise with your mates. The sofas are pretty comfy and you could always let a mate crash on there. The kitchen is pretty clean and has everything you’ll need. The living room area also has a spectacular view of the surrounding area. The higher up you live the better.

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One last thing to add. There are washing machines and dryers available on the first floor. However, these are not a provided service and you’ll have to pay to have them washed.

Overall, this accommodation is one of the best located places to be. I’ve enjoyed some great times here. However, it is not the cheapest place to live. Although you don't have to pay for public transport or ubers back home as everything will be a casual walk away. I would consider looking into this place if you decided to do your student exchange in Adelaide University.