Adelaide Rockford

Check-in took over an hour, with only one staff member working on one of Adelaide's busiest Saturdays. The room was warm, and the air con didn't seem able to keep up, perhaps because there was so much sludge on the unit's outside part. There was barely any milk for morning coffee, not even enough for one person, let alone two.

The reception staff I saw each day were great, friendly and helpful, with a customer-focused, problem-solving attitude rather than a robotic manner. I really appreciated them. The location depends on what you're after: it's at the quieter end, just beside the bar and club area. I usually stay at the other end of Rundle mall, which felt safer to walk around. Coming back from a wedding at 11:30pm, I found a girl passed out on the front steps. It wasn't nice. I have mixed feelings about the stay. The first room was huge and had a nice balcony, but it was dated and dirty, with grime around the fridge, hand and body prints on windows and doors, stray hairs on the bedding, and what I think was a mould smell from the corner spa exposed to the room. They moved me and handled it well, but the second room had similar problems: dirty cutlery, a blocked bathroom sink, a torn, holey pillowcase, hairs in the bed, and handprints on the mirrors. It gave me the ick, so I put towels down to sleep on the very lumpy bed. The pool was beautiful, and I often had it to myself. There was only one sun lounge, though two more were on order. It doesn't look like the photos, with lots of tables and seats but nowhere to lounge in the sun, which people wanted. I'm an Accor member and expected a bit more pride in how the rooms were presented.

The rooms are reliably clean, and I love the pool. The TVs only get regular channels, though. The Google Chromecast devices are strapped behind them so they can’t be plugged in, and apparently the WiFi isn’t strong enough to use them anyway. I’m not sure why they’re still there instead of being taken out.

The staff were welcoming and helpful with directions and suggestions for things to do. My room at the Adelaide Rockford was comfortable and worked well for a work trip, even if it looked a little dated. The desk chair didn’t fit underneath the table, which made working there a bit awkward.