Bars and Nightclubs
Sydney North, Sydney

Greenwood Hotel

36 Blue St, North Sydney, NSW
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North Sydney's most stylish and popular meeting place. With its outstanding service and a terrific atmosphere, the hotel premises themselves set this venue apart from others. Inside the grounds of an old school, this superb sandstone building houses four spectacular bars, a quality modern Australian restaurant and two sun drenched courtyards. Cementing itself as one of the premiere venue's in North Sydney, the Greenwood is the number one place for uni students on Thursdays, and a great place to head for the rest of us on Friday and Saturday.

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Greenwood Hotel Thursdays Review

Review by Mary Ward

If you are a young woman walking from North Sydney Station to the Greenwood Hotel any time after 10pm on a Thursday, you are a goddess. This is not because you have spent two hours doing your hair and makeup, or even because of the Amazonian proportions that your heels have granted you, but because it is bloody hard to get into Greenwood as the night goes on if you’re a bloke.

So, girls, be obliging. Learn your new boyfriend/brother/boyfriend’s brother’s name and help the poor guy get past the bouncers. Once you’re inside, it’s time to let your new beau go and enjoy Sydney’s biggest Thursday night party.

Set in a converted chapel, but with plenty of outdoor space, the Greenwood Hotel has become a rite of passage amongst Sydney’s North Shore set. The sandstone buildings are almost ironic against the stereo equipment of the DJs set up throughout the venue, which is split up into districts like the RnB room and the courtyard. If you’re there early, be sure to grab yourself a lounge inside or a table out the back; the dancing won’t kick off until at least 10pm, and you’ll appreciate being one of the privileged few with a seat while you wait. The bars can get a little squishy, but the staff are pretty speedy, so you’ll be back with your friends before you know it.

The thing that’s great about Greenwood is that it does what it says on the tin. You know that you’re going to get a bit of bang for your buck, with $4 drinks and $8 shots during happy hour (8pm-10pm) and no entry fee. You know that they’ll be playing the Annual out in the courtyard. You know that there will be an awkward group of accountants from one of the firms up the road trying to have someone’s 50th drinks in amongst the teenage revelry. You know that, come midnight and a few beers, these accountants will become highly entertaining. Moreover, you know that you will probably run into at least half of your Facebook friends (and you can decide whether that’s a good thing).

It’s where 18th birthday ‘debuts’ are celebrated, however, the Hotel is normally discarded before one’s 21st birthday due to its aforementioned predictability, leading to its infamous nickname ‘Teenwood.’ As a result of the demographic, big nights throughout the year include the week ATARs are released, as well as the end of uni and HSC exams. Unfortunately, the outdoor component of the Hotel means that rain can often dampen celebrations, but there are enough heaters outside that the cold is not a problem. The sausage sizzle can keep you warm too, and, hey, the bread’s free!

The moral of the story is, enjoy Greenwood while you can, Sydney teens. In spite of the reputation it has been known to carry, Greenwood is still a great venue: easy to get to, good music and a party crowd. Oh, and those accountants. I live for those accountants.



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A Second Review of Greenwood Hotel


Review By Kelly Teng

Greenwood, Teenwood.. Call it what you want, but Greenwood still remains one of the most popular North Sydney destinations on a Thursday night. With its crowds of North Shore teenagers, no cover charge and its up-to-date, danceable music, Greenwood is a great experience until you're sober, or until you've been there so many times you know the bouncers.

If you haven't been to Greenwood before, here's a little heads up: it is very likely that you will encounter plenty of underage, drunk teenagers that are trying to party with the (legal) drunk teenagers. However, if you can overlook this (or downed enough drinks not to care) then you should have a great experience.

The best place to start the night is outside the back of the building, where there are benches for groups of people to sit and have a conversation without the music getting in the way. The atmosphere out here is busy yet relaxed, with just enough space to walk around without feeling completely squashed. There's enough seating for big groups, but keep in mind that if you only have 3 or 4 people with you, you may have to awkwardly share tables.

From then on, there are two different areas catering for both Hip Hop/RnB and House music. The courtyard - my personal favourite - plays remixes of mainstream songs alongside techno/trance music, and always has a massive crowd dancing the night away. This dancefloor is packed with energy...just be careful of your feet, because mine have been stood on more than once by a girl in high heels. Meanwhile, over in the chapel hip hop and RnB is blasted out to a dancefloor that may or may not be busy. Depending on what time you arrive in this area, it can be full of people or it can house a few dancing in groups. Watch if there's only a few groups dancing, but dance if there's a lot of people.

As for the feel of Greenwood, well, I must say there's something strangely fun about dancing in a courtyard or a chapel. Greenwood is not covered with decor; rather, it lets the simplicity of its layout and its popularity to become the decoration. The people that turn up are a mix from different places, however chances are that if you are there on a Thursday night, you will probably bump into someone that you know.

The only problem with this place is that the first few times are great, but if you don't give it a month's break before you go back, you will probably get sick of it. While Greenwood is exciting at first, it quickly becomes a place that you say "Seriously, again?" to. Use it as a first-time nightclub experience for a friend who's just turned 18, or for an occasional night out, but don't get caught in going there every week or you will soon find you never want to go back.

As for the underage teens that seem to be so common at Greenwood...they'll provide you with a few funny stories to tell your friends over the next week. Don't let them spoil your night, and it will most likely be a great one.

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