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Canberra · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near the cathedral in Canberra

Luca Ferreira

Luca Ferreira Spain and Portugal

Updated 1 September 2026 · 76 Canberra hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Canberra, out of the 76 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.6.

Jamala Wildlife Lodge is the one I would book myself.

Jamala Wildlife Lodge

Highest rated of the five

Jamala Wildlife Lodge

★★★★★4.7 from 851 reviews

Jamala Wildlife Lodge comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 851 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under city centre and around $1167 a night on the dates we checked.

76 hotels in Canberra qualified for this list and five made it. Beltana Farm is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out

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All five, ranked

  1. Jamala Wildlife Lodge1

    Jamala Wildlife Lodge

    ★★★★★4.7 from 851 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly

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  2. Beltana Farm2

    Beltana Farm

    ★★★★★4.9 from 358 reviews

    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  3. 2BR Apt Near Parliament House3

    2BR Apt Near Parliament House

    ★★★★★4.8443737 from 487 reviews

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    • East Hotel4

      East Hotel

      ★★★★★4.6 from 848 reviews

      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking
      • Kitchen
      • Kid friendly

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    • Apt in Kingston - 10min to Lake Burley Griffin5

      Apt in Kingston - 10min to Lake Burley Griffin

      ★★★★★4.900904 from 199 reviews

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      How this list was put together

      76 Canberra hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

      Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

      The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

      What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

      Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

      Luca Ferreira

      Luca Ferreira Spain and Portugal

      Shuts the workshop two weeks every summer and rides. The Pyrenees, the Danube route and most of Portugal on frames he built himself, camping most nights.

      Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.