Hotel Alba Adelaide

The rooms were nice overall, and my bed was comfortable with decent pillows, though there was a strange smell in my room. The minibar had a good selection. Breakfast was simple and nicely done, but the coffee tasted badly burnt and was either scorching hot or only warm. I believe they use Vittoria, which I’ve never liked. Dinner was hit and miss: the vegetable cannelloni was good, while the beef ragout pasta lacked the rich tomato flavour I expected, and the steaks were just okay. The striploin was tougher than I’d expect for the price, and the eye fillet was quite small. Dietary requests didn’t make it through to the kitchen. I was also surprised to be charged for cold still tap water at the table without being told there’d be a fee. Check-in and checkout were okay, though sorting out checkout for several rooms took a while, perhaps because the system was difficult or staff weren’t familiar with it. It’s a good place to stay, but I’d probably eat dinner and get coffee elsewhere.

We chose Hotel Alba for a busy weekend with the Fringe and Motor Festivals because we wanted to use the pool and have a couple of drinks at the end of each hot day. Only the night before check-in did we get an email saying the pool and bar would close from 2pm on Saturday for a private event. Had we known before booking, we wouldn’t have stayed, and by then it was too late to find suitable rooms elsewhere. The event was a Rave Party that had been advertised since late 2025, well before we booked. The music was ear-piercing, and we couldn’t use our rooms while it was on. I won’t go into detail about what we saw happening around the pool during the party, but it put us off using the pool the next day, and probably for a while. We’ll book somewhere else when we come next year.

The Hotel Alba Team were friendly and efficient, and the hotel itself was immaculate. It’s a little outside the CBD, but there’s a tram stop across the lovely park next door, with free travel around the CBD. The restaurant was delicious, though a little pricey, and the pair of ducks that visit for a swim at night were a sweet surprise. Some balcony furniture would be nice. Highly recommend.

Update: It was 44C outside, and while I was away they took my keycard again, switching off the aircon and leaving my room like a sauna. This happens every other day. Please stop taking my keycard and turning off my power. At least they changed my sheets today, the third time in 25 days, after I begged. Before that, I’d gone nine days without a sheet change despite asking several times. The hotel says sheets are changed every three days, but it’s closer to weekly in practice. Housekeeping is inconsistent: sometimes the bath mat isn’t replaced, towels are left on the bed instead of hung up, and coffee pods aren’t reliably replenished. My room also hadn’t been vacuumed for days. Glasses sometimes disappear instead of being washed or replaced. My wine glass is gone, which makes it feel as if you’re discouraged from eating or drinking in the room, despite the massive minibar. Pool towels are often unavailable too. The pool seems to be shared with outside guests and the motel next door, which may explain the shortage.