Central casting

In the lift is a pair of skateboarders whose red cheeks and windblown hair attest to a busy day on the town. The Geelong fans clutch their scarves as if they were good-luck medallions before heading to the game for the opening bounce.Dressed-up couples doused in perfume and aftershave plot their journey to Crown Casino via various watering holes. It's Friday night in Melbourne, though for this weekend city camper, takeaway dinner marks the end of the working week, as it usually does.Citadines Melbourne on Bourke, an ''apart'hotel'' of serviced studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, has been open since July. It looks new and there's a freshness about the place. Check-in is friendly and thankfully free of the stuffy deference that some hotel staff believe to be part of the service customers pay for.The lobby, up a ramp from Bourke Street, is spacious and airy with large armchairs, computers for the use of guests, newspapers, magazines and tourist information.Our one-bedroom executive apartment on the 23rd floor is at the far end of the long and skinny building high above Little Collins Street. UGG Boots It has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides and panoramic, Manhattan-type views over office buildings and apartment conversions from Fitzroy Gardens to the bay and western suburbs.The apartments are certainly on the compact side, though smart design and a sensible use of space ensure it's not to the detriment of comfort. The kitchenette contains a hob, oven, fridge and dishwasher and enough pots and pans for a basic cook-up, though given the range of cafes, restaurants and take-away offerings within a stone's throw of here it's unlikely one is going to bother.Opposite the comfortable couch is a large television, while a desk and two chairs double as a dining table and computer work-space. A sliding door off the living room opens into the bedroom, not exactly tennis court-sized but adequate for two even with a portacot. Another door off the living-room opens to a decent-sized bathroom from which the bedroom can also be accessed.The furnishings are sleek and minimalist and, despite the limited floor space, it doesn't feel cluttered or cramped.For an ''apart'hotel'', the service and facilities are more in line with the former than the latter. There's neither room service nor a stocked bar fridge but in the apartment is a folder filled with menus of nearby eateries that deliver.A gym, pool and sauna are at guests' disposal and there are limited car-spaces in the basement and it apparently fills up quickly on weekends.Citadines is a well-established chain in Europe and, more recently, Asia. Designed by Woods Bagot, this is the first Citadines in Australia.The crowd is a lively and mixed bunch; twentysomethings visiting from interstate, local sport and theatre-goers making a weekend of it and, on this particularly busy August weekend, guests of the Melbourne International Film Festival and design mavens participating in a weekend trade fair. It feels more like a base for holiday-makers than one for business travellers.A big attraction is the location. Within a radius of several hundred metres are Chinatown, cinemas, theatres, cafes, restaurants and late-opening shops, all of which attest to the revitalisation of what was until relatively recently a seedier stretch of the CBD.Our weekend stay is a treat full of visits to the film festival, a spa treatment, a swim, shopping, dinner out and invigorating winter walks through Fitzroy Gardens. As an advertisement for the merits of city living, Citadines has done a good sell on this visitor.