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Melbourne Beach · Hotel shortlist

Melbourne Beach hotels with an airport shuttle

Fiona Gallagher

Fiona Gallagher Australia and New Zealand

Updated 1 September 2026 · 8 Melbourne Beach hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Melbourne Beach, out of the 8 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.8 down to 4.2.

Windemere Inn by the Sea is the one I would book myself.

Windemere Inn by the Sea

Highest rated of the five

Windemere Inn by the Sea

★★★★★4.8 from 265 reviews

Windemere Inn by the Sea comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.8 from 265 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 and found under city centre.

8 hotels in Melbourne Beach qualified for this list and five made it. Holiday Inn Express & Suites West Melbourne by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in
  • Airport shuttlethe first hour after landing solved

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All five, ranked

  1. Windemere Inn by the Sea1

    Windemere Inn by the Sea

    ★★★★★4.8 from 265 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  2. Holiday Inn Express & Suites West Melbourne by IHG2

    Holiday Inn Express & Suites West Melbourne by IHG

    ★★★★★4.6 from 692 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly

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  3. Element by Marriott Melbourne Oceanfront3

    Element by Marriott Melbourne Oceanfront

    ★★★★★4.6 from 320 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Oceanfront Cottages4

    Oceanfront Cottages

    ★★★★★4.6 from 310 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Airport shuttle

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  5. Hilton Melbourne, FL5

    Hilton Melbourne, FL

    ★★★★★4.2 from 2,522 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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How this list was put together

8 Melbourne Beach 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.

Fiona Gallagher

Fiona Gallagher Australia and New Zealand

Half her year is already on research boats, so holidays are deliberately dry land. Long-distance hiking routes in the off season, alone, with nothing being measured.

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.