176 apartments, 39 storeys, one Southbank address: those are the numbers behind Imagine Marco, a 4-star serviced apartment tower in Melbourne. Every one of those units is fully self-contained, with its own kitchen, in-room laundry and private balcony, so the stay works more like a residence than a conventional hotel room. What's unusual is the pairing of shared facilities on top of that — a heated 12-metre lap pool sitting alongside an on-site cinema, a combination rarely found together in a property this size.
The property sits at 42-48 Balston Street, Southbank, placing guests within a short stroll of the Yarra River and Melbourne's CBD. Traveloka guest reviews rate Imagine Marco highly overall, with particularly strong marks for location and service.
Break that feedback down and the pattern holds: cleanliness, room comfort, location and service and facilities all earn strong praise, with location the standout. Rather than one standout number carrying the average, it's the consistency across categories that stands out — a useful signal for travellers comparing several Southbank apartment properties side by side, since it points to an experience that holds up throughout the stay instead of peaking in just one area.
Eight separate apartment configurations run through the tower, starting at 51 square metres for the one-bedroom layout and topping out at 97 square metres for the 2 Bedroom Executive — the largest tier in the property's own accommodation listing. Bedroom count and floor level are what actually change between them, with "Sky" variants reserved for higher floors and, generally, wider views over Southbank; every apartment shares the same foundation of a full kitchen and in-room laundry as standard.
The entry-level apartment at Imagine Marco is sized at 51 square metres and is fitted with one queen bed, suiting up to two guests. It comes with the same self-contained kitchen and living area as the property's larger units.
Also 51 square metres with one queen bed for up to two guests, the Sky variant of the one-bedroom apartment is positioned on a higher floor, generally offering wider city views over Southbank.
At 58 square metres, the 2 Bedroom Junior Apartment is fitted with one queen bed and one single bed, accommodating up to three guests, and suits small families or groups of friends who want a second, separate sleeping space.
The Sky version of the Junior two-bedroom apartment carries the same 58-square-metre footprint, queen-plus-single bed configuration and three-guest capacity, again positioned on a higher floor of the tower.
Stepping up in size, the standard 2 Bedroom Apartment measures 72 square metres and is furnished with two queen beds, sleeping up to four guests across two separate bedrooms.
This is the higher-floor equivalent of the standard 2 Bedroom Apartment, keeping the 72-square-metre size, two queen beds and four-guest capacity.
Top of the range at 97 square metres: one king bed and one queen bed spread across two bedrooms, for up to four guests. This is the largest apartment tier described in the property's own accommodation listing.
The Sky edition of the Executive two-bedroom apartment matches the 97-square-metre size, king-plus-queen bed setup and four-guest capacity, set on one of the building's higher floors.
Imagine Marco's own property listing confirms the same baseline in-room package across all eight apartment types: a spacious living and dining area separate from the bedroom, complimentary WiFi, an in-room safe and complimentary Foxtel TV access, on top of the self-contained kitchen and private balcony already noted. Because that baseline holds tower-wide, the real decision for most guests comes down to bedroom count and floor height rather than trading off amenities between apartment types.
An on-site cinema sits just behind Imagine Marco's heated 12-metre lap pool — a pairing rarely found together in a property this size — and that combination anchors a broader facilities list built for both short breaks and longer apartment-style stays, including a gym for guests keeping up a workout routine while travelling.
Every apartment is self-contained with its own full kitchen, private balcony, timber flooring and separate living and dining space. That's a step up in flexibility compared with a standard hotel room, especially for guests who want to cook some of their own meals or simply need extra room to spread out. And for anyone who'd rather stream or watch free-to-air style channels than rely on a personal device, the complimentary Foxtel access is a small but genuine point of difference from a bare hotel room television.
From the apartment tower, it's a short stroll to the Yarra River — that's how the property's own description frames its position at 42-48 Balston Street, one of Melbourne's most walkable riverside precincts in Southbank. Crown Casino, Rod Laver Arena, the National Gallery of Victoria and Melbourne's CBD are all within walking distance too, making this a practical base for guests who'd rather explore the city on foot than rely on taxis for every outing.
Southbank itself sits directly across the Yarra River from Melbourne's CBD and Flinders Street, so guests based at Imagine Marco are effectively one short river crossing from the city's main shopping and business district. The precinct is also home to Melbourne's Arts Precinct, including the National Gallery of Victoria and Arts Centre Melbourne, both within an easy walk. That combination makes Imagine Marco a reasonable base for anyone planning to pair a Melbourne stay with performances, exhibitions or major events at Rod Laver Arena and the surrounding sports precinct.
Worth comparing flight options and timings before locking in dates — Traveloka's own flight booking page is a useful starting point for that search. Once in the city, Southbank's tram network connects easily to the CBD and other inner-city precincts, so getting around without a car isn't a problem. The location also works as a base for day trips further afield; guests weighing up how to fill a longer Melbourne stay may want to browse things to do around Melbourne before finalising an itinerary.
No dedicated on-site restaurant is listed beyond a meeting/group dining area, so most guests will lean on Southbank's dining strip for meals — and it's a dense one. Southbank is among Melbourne's most concentrated riverside dining precincts, with a long run of restaurants and cafes along the Yarra promenade within walking distance of the tower, plus the dining precincts inside nearby Crown Casino. There's also the option to skip eating out altogether some nights: every Imagine Marco apartment includes a full self-contained kitchen, so shopping locally and cooking in is just as viable as heading out.
That mix — an in-apartment kitchen plus a walkable dining strip on the doorstep — suits two quite different kinds of stay equally well. A short weekend visit can lean entirely on eating out along the Yarra promenade or inside Crown Casino, while a longer apartment-style stay might mean cooking several nights and only dining out occasionally. Either way, guests without a strong preference are generally well served by Imagine Marco's location.
Extra room and extra independence, without giving up the services a hotel guest expects: that's the trade Imagine Marco offers, with a 24-hour front desk and concierge sitting alongside apartment-style living rather than in place of it. A heated lap pool, on-site cinema and gym together are a notable point of difference for an apartment property of this size, and the spread of one- and two-bedroom layouts, including higher-floor Sky variants, gives couples, families and small groups a genuine choice of space and view. Add a Southbank address close to the Yarra River, Crown Casino and the CBD, and the walkability case stacks on top of everything already inside the building.
Guest ratings tell a similar story of consistency — cleanliness, room comfort, location and service all draw consistently strong feedback, pointing to a property that performs evenly rather than leaning on one strong feature to carry an otherwise average stay. For travellers weighing a hotel room against a serviced apartment in Southbank, that blend of self-contained living, in-building leisure facilities and consistently strong review scores is the core case for choosing Imagine Marco.
Check-in opens at 14:00 and check-out is due by 10:00, and Imagine Marco takes a credit card rather than cash at arrival, with a standard surcharge applying to Visa, Mastercard and Amex payments — worth having sorted before you get to the front desk.
Southbank is home to a dense cluster of serviced apartments and hotels along and near the Yarra River. Here are other well-rated Southbank properties worth comparing against Imagine Marco.
Once you've narrowed down where to stay, it's easy to round out the trip with a browse through things to do around Melbourne, from riverside walks to nearby cultural attractions. For everything else, from flights to activities, Traveloka's homepage is a good place to start planning the rest of the trip.
Popular Facilities | Swimming Pool, 24-Hour Front Desk, WiFi, Elevator |
Check-In / Check-Out Time | From 14:00 - 00:00 - to 10:00 |
Available rooms at Imagine Marco | 176 |
Number of floors in Imagine Marco | 39 |
Another facilities in Imagine Marco | Outdoor pool, Barbecue, Free WiFi, Terrace, Disabled access friendly |
