Shark Hotel Review

Review by Shauna O'Carroll

With its fancy décor, pool tables, cheap drinks and great food this gem of a place is perfect for a night out, function or even a drink after work.

Located in the heart of Sydney Shark Hotel boasts a huge venue of two levels with multiple bars that can be hired for functions both big and small.

This place is great any night of the week if you are looking to just chill out and have a few drinks. The main area on the bottom level has 14 pool tables to play a round or two and a buffet with great food at reasonable prices. There is a mix of types to be found at Shark Hotel and anyone can be catered to.

If you are looking for a night out of dancing it is best to hit up this hotel on Friday or Saturday night for Puls8 where they have DJs playing a mix of party tunes and drinks on special for under $5. They also have 2 huge plasma screens playing the latest sporting games.

This is the only place I have been to with friends on the weekend where the guys didn’t complain to their ladies because they had their pool and sports to keep them occupied!

The dance floor on the weekend usually does not get busy until around midnight and even then is not that packed so it’s a good place to go if you want to dance without having to deal with the large crowds in other Sydney venues. I have seen some interesting dancers in my times at this hotel and they won’t be ashamed to show off their moves.

The upper level contains a different club experience on both Friday and Saturday night and is for those who want to go and dance to some electro and dub step music.

The drinks at Shark Hotel are very cheap compared to most Sydney bars and you can get relatively drunk for a very small price. The bar is quite big and you get served quickly and won’t be spending ages in the queue just trying to get a drink.

Shark bar is great for a cheap and fun night out and is perfect for the fellas and for the ladies. Just a hint, if you have the munchies after head down Pitt St to Sydney Madang, this amazing Korean BBQ restaurant that is perfect for food after a few drinks.



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Zaia (Friday nights @ Shark Hotel) Review

Review by Jessie Poon

Upon entering Shark Hotel, you are greeted with a flight of stairs and a motorcycle which leads up to a massive area filled with tables and chairs, surrounding a small dance floor with the DJ pumping out music. A large bar is located to the side and boasts 2 giant viewing screens for football, music videos, and an area cornered off for the pokies players. Sharkies is a great place for after work drinks with its cheap alcohol and 14 pool tables at $2 a game to occupy your time.

It’s the perfect place to hit up on a Friday night without worrying about a lack of space to sit when your feet is sore from high heels and the atmosphere is perfectly dimmed for pre-drinks, and we were surrounded by people who had just finished work just relaxing and chatting. The bar is quite large so you will not have to shout for a bartender, which contributed to a great night out for me and my friends as we sculled shots and vodka cranberries. Shark Hotel is also home to Zaia on Friday nights, which is located on a hidden second floor upstairs.

An entry fee of $25 is required to go upstairs into the actual club, and $20 if you are on a guest list, so plan beforehand if you are expecting to go Zaia! However there’s free entry before 10:30 for cheapos like me, and it’s better to line up a little earlier to avoid waiting in queue. Once you reach upstairs, the crowd dramatically changes with mostly Australian-born Asians in their 18’s to 25’s looking to dance and have a drunken night out.

Although I find Zaia’s decor slightly tacky and outdated compared to a lot of other clubs, but they happen to be having a “Bikini Beach Party” event, and the place was filled with giant blown up thongs and octopuses, and even a blown up pool on the stage.

Zaia also has two separate dance floors, with one side playing electro/techno type of music, and everyone’s shuffling at the same time, while on the other side the DJ is pumping more Hip-hop type of music, hence catering to everyone’s different taste and styles. There are these huge speakers situated at various corners of the dance floor which can get deafening if you accidentally stand too close. There’s also a Smoking room with a couple of tables and no chairs, but it isn’t too big and can get kind of crowded and stuffy, so stepping outside for a cigarette may be a better option as you can also get some air.

Overall, I think it’s a great place to hang out after work for your cheap drinks and for the pool tables. Zaia is the place for you if you are into Asian girls, or are aiming to get wasted and shuffle to electro music. However for those of you who are older and willing to spend a little more, you are better off skipping Shark Hotel on to a better venue.



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